Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - Chemistry top subject for Islanders

Marketplace \| Services \| Contact Us \| Community \| Arts & Entertainment \| Local Guides

Thursday, October 21, 1999

Chemistry top subject for Islanders
Estes' players meshing well for first-year team
By Mark Zuckerman
Caller-Times

They've only known each other for two months, and they've only been practicing for a week now, but the way Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's 13 women's basketball players interact with each other, it's almost as if they've all been friends for years.
   "It just happened with us," said junior guard Rachel Grayson of the camaraderie the Islanders have developed in such a short time. "You can't find it on a lot of teams, but here the chemistry just came together."
   It is perhaps one of the most significant (and difficult) things for a basketball team to accomplish: team unity. But in A&M-Corpus Christi's case, with an inaugural-season roster that features eight freshmen, head coach Sheryl Estes had no choice but to stress player chemistry from Day 1.
   Estes has, after all, a mere three weeks to prepare her team before it opens its season - and its Division I history - with an exhibition game against Houston Flight on November 8.
   On the court, the Islanders engage in a number of daily drills designed in part to bring players together, from rapid-fire group passing exercises to paired free-throw practice.
   Off the court, they found out the true meaning of team togetherness during a weekend retreat to Lake Corpus Christi in September.
   All of it is aimed at quickly uniting a group of athletes who have never played together, and in most cases have never played basketball beyond the high school level.
   "We're really young - that's probably going to be the biggest hurdle to overcome," said sophomore center Jean Clark, who along with forward Detra Johnson transferred to A&M-Corpus Christi last year, making them the only two players who have been on campus for more than two months. "But we like to work hard, and that's one thing that should be on our side."
   Another advantage the Islanders may have is in their overall commitment to team defense, which has thoroughly impressed Estes thus far.
   "That's where you develop the most teamwork," she said. "You develop your work ethic and effort through defense."
   Grasping Estes' up-tempo offensive scheme has not come so easily through the first week of practice. Still, the head coach is convinced that with solid defensive play, the offense will come for A&M-Corpus Christi.
   "We really like to play a lot of pressure defense," Estes said. "I think if you're aggressive on defense it creates a lot of scoring opportunities."

| Talk about this story | Next Story | Home |

[ Printer-friendly version ]
[ Subscribe to newspaper ]