Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, December 2, 1993 TAG: 9312030142
SECTION: HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS PAGE: NRV-4 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
That's Floyd County.
A versatile 6-foot-1 senior who has signed a letter of intent to play at Virginia Tech next season, Nolley isn't just a great player. She's a great player on a great team that has a great shot at the Group A state championship.
Sporting a 27-1 record heading into Friday's semifinal against Thomas Walker at Salem Civic Center, Floyd usually needs less than two quarters to flog an opponent. That leaves Nolley little time to show what she can do.
That's why Nolley is conspicuously absent from nearly all of Timesland's girls' basketball statistical rankings. She finished the regular season averaging fewer than 15 points and five rebounds per game.
Don't think for a minute that she's any less of a player because of those modest numbers.
"Lynette is a big-time player," said Carol Alfano, Tech's women's basketball coach. "Some people think we took her because she's a local player. We would have taken Lynette Nolley wherever she was from."
Others know how good she could be.
"If she was the No. 1 [scoring] option every time down the floor, she would easily score 25 to 30 points and get double figures in rebounding," said Alan Cantrell, Floyd's coach. "But I'd hate to think of going into a situation of having to rely totally on her. If that were the case, we'd only play her in the low post. [If that were the case,] there's no way she would have developed into the all-around player she is.
"She's got a lot of natural talent. Me, I try to show her a little, help her out and try not to mess her up."
Despite watching her stats slip a bit this season, Nolley obviously knows she has improved as a player. She has the size to score underneath and to rebound. Her quickness and athleticism allow her to excel in the running game Cantrell employs. For a big girl, she has excellent shooting skills and 3-point range.
"I thought this would be the year I would even out all my statistics," Nolley said. "I wanted to be better at rebounding. I wanted more assists, more steals. I mostly just scored last year.
"I enjoy playing team ball. I enjoy making a good pass as much as shooting. It's just as exciting to make a good pass as it is to score, I believe."
Nolley is offensive without offending her teammates. When you play alongside the likes of Leigh-Ann Pursifull, Melissa Cantrell, Carrie Chaffin, Monica Lucas and the other Buffaloes, it's easy to be unselfish.
Sometimes, Nolley is selfless to a fault. There are times when she makes the extra pass when her coach would prefer to see her shoot.
For example: In the second quarter of a first-round Group A tournament game against Hurley on Nov. 23, Nolley turned down an open 15-footer to drive and make a neat shovel pass through the lane that barely was slapped out of bounds by a Hurley player.
On the sideline, Cantrell, arms spread in bewilderment, looked as if he'd just been asked to discern the square root of pi.
"I tell her to shoot the doggone ball," Cantrell said. "At the first of the year, I said `Lynette, you've got to be more selfish.' For us to be successful, she has to shoot."
Nolley took her shot, all right. She was 10-for-18 in the Buffaloes' 88-49 victory over Hurley and emptied her cornucopia of offensive moves ranging from baseline jumpers to her still-developing baby-hook in scoring 24 points.
She didn't hit a 3-pointer in that game, although she has 18 baskets from beyond the arc this season. That's one of the reasons Tech was so eager to sign Nolley.
"She's the perfect three [small forward]," Alfano said. "She won't play inside for us; she doesn't have the body for that. But she can rebound from the weak side, and she's big enough to shoot over people."
The Hokies won out in the recruiting process over Radford and UNC Greensboro. Cantrell said other schools inquired about Nolley after she had made her decision. Too late, he told them.
"I believe schools were thinking, `Aw, she's just playing single-A ball, she's not that good,' " Cantrell said. "Well, she is that good."
Said Alfano: "She's a big-time sleeper. Had she gone to more camps, she would have been recruited on more of a national level."
Basketball is in Nolley's bloodlines. Her father, Vernon, is 6-5 and played at old Check High School. Big brother Corey played at Floyd, and cousin Rebecca McNeil just finished an outstanding season at Christiansburg and is bound for Radford on a full scholarship.
Nolley, also a good volleyball player, will look ahead to her collegiate career just as soon as she takes care of business in the state tournament.
"I'm excited," she said. "I want to play really well. We're a lot better than we were last year."
It's hard to say if Nolley has made Floyd better or if Floyd has made Nolley better. Maybe both statements are true.
"On a team like this," Cantrell said, "everyone has made everyone better."
by CNB