Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 10, 1993 TAG: 9304120231
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
BANKS GAVE BYRD A LOT, WITH INTEREST
William Byrd's strong second-place finish in the Group AA girls' basketball state tournament was a fitting end to the high school career of Sherry Banks.The Terriers' guard was the mental and physical force in leading Byrd to the brink of a state championship. She completed her fourth year as the Terriers' leading scorer and her second season as Timesland's top girls' scorer in the fall.
Banks also guided a team with three freshmen starters past a rugged schedule. Byrd reached the point where it could play competitively with any Group AA team in the state.
Banks now takes her act to Virginia Tech, following the path of recent girls' basketball standouts from the area. The Byrd guard will take with her the title as Timesland girls' basketball player of the year. Pulaski County's Terri Garland carried the same honor to Tech this past fall.
Blacksburg's Mickey McGuigan, whose team completed an unbeaten season and defeated William Byrd for the Group AA state championship, is the coach of the year.
Kim Hairston, who was a star as a freshman when she led Bassett to the Group AA state tournament, had an even better season as a sophomore and is Timesland's Sizzlin' Sophomore of the Year.
Banks is joined on the All-Timesland first team by Cave Spring's Kim Stewart, William Fleming's Marqueetta Randolph, Blacksburg's Katie Ollendick and Radford's Michelle Wyms. Stewart and Banks are repeat selections from last year.
The second team of what is arguably the strongest girls' All-Timesland squad in history consists of Blacksburg's Suzanne Moore, Lord Botetourt's Ashley Moore, George Wythe's Eve Kendall, Floyd County's Lynette Nolley and Salem's Michelle Harrison. Harrison is a repeat second-team performer.
Joining Hairston on the All-Timesland Sizzlin' Sophomore team are Galax's Jaclyn Dickens, Roanoke Catholic's Abby Dickson, Martinsville's Samantha Ferguson and Pulaski County's Jodie Hallett.
Banks, who was Timesland's top sophomore in 1991, is the ultimate team player. But Byrd's march through the state tournament after upsetting Salem in the Region III championship game came because Banks took charge at crucial times.
"This was her best year all the way around," Byrd coach Richard Thrasher said. "She was our go-to player and once we got to the tournaments, she scored at a higher pace."
Banks averaged 20.7 points for the entire year and stepped up her scoring by nearly half a point for the tournaments. Banks shot 53 percent from the field and 76.7 percent from the line.
"I think this was my best year," Banks said. "Basically, I was concerned with the team. I wanted us to do well."
Perhaps Banks' most important contribution was cerebral. "Her leadership of our young players was very important," Thrasher said.
The Terriers started three freshmen - Banks' sister Jaclyn, Cathy Smith and Kelli Runyon. Sherry Banks and the team's other senior starter, Ashley McCallum, guided the young team until it was ready to blossom in the tournaments.
"It was tough, but they're good listeners and wanted to learn," Banks said.
Now she realizes the task will be different next year.
"I'm excited about Tech," she said. "Hopefully, I'll contribute a little to the program. I have to raise my level and be stronger. It'll be quite different than high school."
Ollendick led a balanced Blacksburg team that rolled to a 27-0 record. Ollendick scored 11.1 points a game and averaged 8.3 rebounds. She has accepted a track and field scholarship to Virginia.
Randolph, a 6-foot senior, was Timesland's leading scorer with 21.3 points a game. She could shoot outside and was a strong ball handler, leading the Colonels into the Group AAA Northwestern Region for the first time in years.
Stewart was the sparkplug as Cave Spring made the Group AAA girls' state semifinals for the second straight year. The senior guard averaged nearly five assists per game and shot better than 80 percent from the free-throw line.
Wyms, who will go to Liberty on a scholarship, dominated inside and was enough of a force to help Radford make the Region IV tournament once again with her 16.5 scoring and 10.8 rebounding averages.
On the second team, Harrison had another great year with her driving layups as she paced Salem to the Blue Ridge District regular season and tournament titles as well as a berth in the Group AA state tournament. Kendall led George Wythe to the Group A state finals and will attend Radford on a basketball scholarship. Ashley Moore was the Timesland percentage leader in free throws (85.1) and 3-pointers (54.8) during the fall; Suzanne Moore was Blacksburg's leading scorer with a 13.5 average while shooting 40 percent from 3-point range; and Nolley, a junior, paced Floyd County to Mountain Empire District and Region C titles while finishing third in Timesland scoring.
\ Hairston not only scored well (15.3 points per game) as Timesland's top sophomore, she also averaged 5.8 assists.
As a freshman, she averaged 13.4 points and 3.5 assists a game.
"She can be as good as she wants to be," Bassett coach Lisa Black said. "Kim hasn't developed to her potential. She has good work habits and she can do a lot of things that help her during the off-season. She plays AAU ball and that helps a lot."
"I'm surprised at my success," Hairston said. "But I felt more comfortable this year. I just hope it can be extended to college."
Her 5-4 height won't help, but Black still thinks college ball is in Hairston's future.
"She's got some things going for her like foot speed, quickness, and her skills in shooting, passing and ball handling. I know a lot of Division I schools ask me if I have any guards and they say they need one who is 5-9," Black said.
"I think Kim can play Division I. I hope it can be some place like a Virginia, but you know the competition is so great these days. If she plays at a Division I school that's not a Virginia or Tennessee, that's not bad. I just hope Kim doesn't get herself set up too high and is disappointed."
Among the other Sizzlin' Sophs, Martinsville's Ferguson, also a point guard, led Timesland fall basketball with 7.7 assists. She was also a strong freshman player.
At Pulaski County, coach Rod Reedy rebuilt the team after last year's second-place Group AAA finish. Hallett is one of three outstanding sophomores for the Cougars.
Dickens paced Galax to the Mountain Empire District semifinals and should make the Maroon Tide a very competitive team the next two years.
Dickson finished strong for Roanoke Catholic as she scored 99 points in the last five games in helping lead the Celtics, who did not have a senior, to second place in the Blue Ridge Conference.
\ SIZZLIN' SOPHOMORES\ TIMESLAND'S TOP 10TH-GRADE GIRLS FIRST TEAM
Jaclyn Dickens, 5-foot-8, 17.8 ppg., Galax
Abby Dickson, 6-1, 12.1 ppg., Roanoke Catholic
Samantha Ferguson, 5-6, 10.5 ppg., Martinsville
Jodie Hallett, 5-9, 12.0, Pulaski County
Kim Hairston, 5-4, 15.3 ppg., Bassett
OTHERS TO WATCH Amy Baxter, Liberty; Cicely Becker, Fieldale-Collinsville; Aimee Beightol, Cave Spring; Kim Cruise, Pulaski County; Charita Dews, Gretna; Shannon Gartland, Lord Botetourt; Marilea Hale, Glenvar; Carrie McConnell, Pulaski County; Felicia Manns, William Fleming; Leigh-Ann Pursifull, Floyd County; Misty Snider, Parry McCluer; Kathleen Speakman, Magna Vista.
SOPHOMORE OF THE YEAR Kim Hairston, Bassett
\ ALL-TIMESLAND BASKETBALL 1992-93 GIRLS FIRST TEAM
Sherry Banks, 5-foot-7, Sr., 20.7 ppg, William Byrd
Katie Ollendick, 5-10, Sr., 11.1 ppg, Blacksburg
Marqueetta Randolph, 6-0, Sr., 21.3 ppg, William Fleming
Kim Stewart, 5-4, Sr., 16.0 ppg, Cave Spring
Michelle Wyms, 6-0, Sr., 16.5 ppg, Radford
SECOND TEAM Michelle Harrison, 5-7, Sr., 15.9 ppg, Salem
Eve Kendall, 6-1, Sr., 18.4 ppg, George Wythe
Ashley Moore, 5-10, Jr., 15.4 ppg, Lord Botetourt
Suzanne Moore, 5-4, Sr., 12.6 ppg, Blacksburg
Lynette Nolley, 5-11, Jr., 19.3 ppg, Floyd County
PLAYER OF THE YEAR Sherry Banks, William Byrd
COACH OF THE YEAR Mickey McGuigan, Blacksburg