Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 10, 1994 TAG: 9411180057
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV6 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: CHRIS KING SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: PEARISBURG LENGTH: Medium
But residents of the New River Valley need to look no further than the Giles Spartan's girls basketball team for an odds defying resurgence.
Two years removed from 1-19, the Lady Spartans have turned things around. They are 12-7 overall this season and finished Three Rivers District play at 5-3, good for second place.
Fourth year coach John Howlett has seen his squad rise from the ashes led by seniors Heather Wilburn, Kelly Williams and Tomika Saunders.all of whom suffered through the 1-19 campaign.
``It has been very rewarding,'' said Howlett. ``I told the girls if they would stick with it and work hard things would improve.''
Led by a balanced attack the Lady Spartans have steadily improved. After one victory in 1992 they improved their win total to seven last year. Howlett and his players have used summer camps to as a measuring stick of their progress.
The team has attended three camps in as many summers and has improved exponentially each year. A trip to a Virginia Tech camp two summers ago resulted in a ride home devoid of any victories. Then came a trip to Radford where Giles claimed two wins.
This past summer the team won 10 games in a camp in High Point, N.C. and laid the ground work for this fall's success. ``We shocked ourselves at camp,'' said Wilburn, who averages 11 points per game. ``We knew we would get better it just seemed like it was taking forever.''
While the growing process may have been slow and at times painful, the senior trio has been the team's one constant.
``These three girls have played for me the last three seasons and they have worked hard on their skills,'' said Howlett, who also coaches the boys varsity team at Giles. ``That's why we have been so successful. When we need a lift these girls are leaders. They are respected by everyone.''
Each player brings distinct characteristics to the court.
Wilburn is the team's point guard. In addition to being the teams leading scorer she is also responsible for setting up the offense.
``I put quarterback type pressure on her,'' said Howlett. ``She has to get things started. She is the most skilled player on the team. She has got the kind of abilities that you wish four or five kids on your team had.''
Saunders, an all-state track performer, wreaks havoc with her quickness and rebounding. Last season she recorded 90 steals while being named honorable mention All-Mountain Empire District. This season she has raised her scoring average to 8.3.
``She is all over the floor,'' said Howlett of Saunders play.
While Wilburn and Saunders have been fixtures in the starting lineup the past two seasons the same cannot be said of Williams. Williams, more than anybody else has come to symbolize the rise of this team.
In the classroom she is an honor student with a grade-point-average of 4.02 on a 4.0 scale and the president of the Student Government Association. But things on the basketball court have not come as easily. This is the first year she has held down a full-time starting position despite the fact she has been a member of the team for three years.
She has averaged 9.9 points per game, while scoring in double figures in nine of the team's first 19 games.
``Kelly is a coaches dream,'' said Howlett. ``She has enough heart for three or four people and an outstanding work ethic.''
A lot of the team's improvement is also is due to Howlett, whose guidance has been pivotal in the teams turnaround. Upon his arrival as the girls' coach he immediately started an eighth-grade team to give the younger girls another year of experience before moving up to the varsity level.
``Coach Howlett has progressed tremendously,'' said Williams. ``He has come to understand girls more. He is still young at heart.''
``That's been a real experience,'' said Howlett with a laugh.
Though this story is already a success by most standards it is from from over. Assuming Floyd wins it's first round Three Rivers District tournament game (the Buffalos are 19-0 this season and defending state champions) the Lady Spartans will need only to defeat Auburn in the first round of the tournament to advance to regionals, their ultimate goal.
The two teams split their regular-season meetings with each team winning at home and neither game being decided by more than three points. Tonight's game will be played at Christiansburg.
by CNB