Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - Alice’s Fuller lands All-South Texas Newcomer of the Year distinction

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Sunday, April 8, 2001
Alice’s Fuller lands All-South Texas Newcomer of the Year distinction
Fitting into the senior squad was hard, but manageable for the freshman
By George Vondracek
Caller-Times

Coach Tracy Zamora had no doubt when she watched Akylah Fuller play as an eight-grader.
   This girl, Zamora thought, would begin her high school basketball career at the varsity level and remain there.
   Convincing the 15-year-old that she belonged on Alice's varsity would be the chore.
   Though the transition was a difficult one, Fuller and the Lady Coyotes prevailed - and thrived.
   Fuller's contributions off the bench have earned her Newcomer of the Year honors on the Caller-Times All-South Texas girls basketball team.
   "I didn't think I'd be in a big role," Fuller said. "The seniors were the leaders on the team."
   Joining Fuller on the Caller-Times' first unit are three-time MVP Sabrina Mitchell from Carroll and Calallen coach Beverly Barker. Both of those reprise their All-Metro honors.
   Miller post Tamisha Hamilton, Calallen wing Monica Pena and West Oso guard Chanta Prince also repeat their first-team All-Metro honors on the All-South Texas squad. They are joined by two two-time district MVPs - Premont's Angela Saenz in 32-2A and Orange Grove's Jill Seidel in 31-3A.
   Getting the 5-foot-8 Fuller to understand and fit into Alice's scheme was another matter.
   "I think a lot of it had to do with her being the new kid on the block, fitting in where there was already a team where she was not prepared to fit in," said Beatrice James, Fuller's mother. "Maybe physically she was prepared, but not mentally."
   There was the requisite amount of tears, born of frustrating days when Fuller felt she was an outsider looking in at players who were wearing the same colored jerseys.
   Thirty-three games, 24 wins and a District 31-4A co-championship later, Zamora knows she made the correct call.
   "The first couple of games when we put her in, you could tell she was scared. She didn't want to shoot, passed the ball right away," Zamora said.
   "It was tough at the beginning. It was a matter of talking to her. I told her I wasn't going to do her wrong. She wasn't going to sit on the bench," Zamora said. "I told her, 'Akylah, I've been doing this for 17 years. I'm not going to do you wrong.' She kept saying she wanted to play on the JV. I wasn't going to waste her there."
   Not like a freshman
   The numbers Fuller posted were modest - 5.1 points and 4.3 rebounds - but significant on a team that averaged around 50 points a game. She played large when needed, however, namely in the Lady Coyotes' 43-38 win over Calallen in the first round of 31-4A play and her 20-point effort in the 59-48 victory over Gregory-Portland in the area round of the playoffs.
   "When we had our first game against them and I saw her playing for Alice, I looked at my coaches and I said, 'Is she a move-in?'" Barker said. "Then we found out she was a freshman and had lived here all her life, and it was 'Oh my God, she doesn't play like a freshman.'"
   Voted 31-4A's top newcomer as well, Fuller is the lone freshman to play on the varsity for Zamora in her 17-year coaching career.
   On the other hand
   Conversely, in seven years at Calallen, Barker has had three freshman on varsity - Stephanie Kirk, Suzanna Paul and Lauren Ellison.
   "For a 4A school, that's quite a compliment to play as a freshman," Barker said.
   The Lady Coyotes shared a district title for the first time and made their deepest postseason run, falling in the Region IV-4A semifinals to Del Valle, 62-55, in overtime.
   By then, the transformation of Fuller the freshman to Fuller the teammate had been completed. Fuller fit into the mix as well as starters Lisa Burkhalter, Megan Lowman, Mari Santos, Keri Sisson and Tara Smith.
   "It wasn't that difficult," Fuller said. "I just had to get to know some of the players and get accepted."
   All-around player
   Zamora can't point to one particular aspect of Fuller's game that stands out - Fuller actually feels her shooting needs to improve. The one thing for sure is that Zamora wants Fuller in the floor.
   "To me, it's just her athletic ability," said Zamora, who has led Alice to the playoffs two straight years and three of the last five seasons. "She's a very smart kid; an honor student. That helps her learn the plays.
   "We run a lot of different offenses. It's easy for her to catch onto things. At practice, she asks a lot of questions."
   The future
   For Fuller, she is looking forward to the next three years on the varsity.
   "It feels good to be a part of a winning tradition, to improve every year and get into the playoffs," Fuller said. "Sometimes, I wish I'd have played a little more, but the time I got I think I earned it. I think I played OK."

Contact George Vondracek at 886-3731 or vondracekg@caller.com

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