Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, September 23, 1993 TAG: 9309220342
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: S-11 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By BRIAN DeVIDO STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Northside lost its first 14 games and finished with a 2-19 record.
The team was embarrassed.
Degraded.
Insulted.
"Since we were young, I knew it could be bad," says Marilyn Bussey, the Vikings' head coach. "But not that bad."
Going to school became a chore for team members. They were ridiculed by fellow students.
"A whole bunch of people in school would say stuff to us and call us losers," says Michelle Orlando, Northside's 5-foot-4 senior point guard. "We wanted to prove them wrong."
They didn't, but that doesn't matter anymore.
Northside (3-2) already has topped last year's victory total. The team's attitude is different, and so is its level of play. The two defeats have been close ones to Pioneer District power Glenvar, and one was in overtime.
"I can't imagine how some of the other teams I've coached here would have handled last year," says Bussey, who is in her 13th season as Northside's head coach. "We'll never, ever have another season like that."
It was a brutal season, to say the least. Included in the nightmare was a 42-point loss to Salem.
"Forty-two points," Bussey says, shaking her head. "That was awful."
Two players who went through the 2-19 nightmare have emerged as leaders: Orlando and 5-10 senior center Shannon Yopp, both on the varsity since their sophomore year.
Orlando is averaging eight points and nearly three assists per game. Although she has struggled with her three-point shooting, Orlando remains an outside threat. Yopp, who also plays varsity softball and volleyball, is averaging 12 points and eight rebounds.
"Shannon is a real good post player," Bussey says. "She's a real hard-working kid, a quiet kind of leader. I know there's some Division III schools interested in her for basketball."
Both players have similar explanations for Northside's turnaround.
"We're talking together more," Orlando says. "We go to Boomer's [a sandwich shop on Williamson Road] and eat before games as a team."
Orlando always gets the "Three-Pointer" sandwich, which is fitting. It's roast beef, bacon and cheese. Yopp prefers the "All-American," a blend of ham, turkey, bacon and cheese. Both agree that dining together before games helps team unity.
"We just sit there and talk," Yopp says. "We're trying to stay together more this year."
The taunting in the halls has stopped. The team gets support from students at games. A definite change.
"[The players'] attitudes have improved a lot," Bussey says. "They like the game, and they want to do a good job. They have to feel so much better since they're getting positive feedback."
The feedback the Vikings are getting is the sweetest kind of all: victories.
by CNB