Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, September 8, 1995 TAG: 9509080048
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-10 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: CHRIS KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NARROWS LENGTH: Medium
For most kids, it would have been a passing interest.
But not for Suzanne Webb of Narrows High School.
The neighbor bought Webb a basketball when she was 6 years old. Her interest in the game blossomed and hasn't stopped.
The Green Wave junior has progressed from shooting with the neighbor to shooting all the time. Whether in a pickup game with the boys or finding winter gym time to hone her game in the high school off-season, Webb is constantly working.
The diligence has paid dividends. Webb no longer toils in anonymity. From a tiny girl struggling to get a grip on the ball and heave it to the rim, she has developed into one of the area's top high school players.
Last season she averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds and was selected a Timesland Sizzlin' Sophomore. Webb also earned first-team All-Mountain Empire District honors.
``The sky is the limit for her,'' Narrows coach Todd Lusk said. ``She can be as good as she wants to be. She works year round to improve her game.''
The 5-foot-10 Webb has the sort of versatility that causes opposing coaches to lose sleep. Most of the time Webb is on the court, she plays shooting guard. With her height, she can post up most opposing backcourt players. Her shooting touch and ability to draw fouls make her a nightmare in the post.
If a bigger player draws the assignment of guarding Webb, she merely plays farther away from the basket, forcing her defender to give up the open jump shot or play in her face. Webb is more than able to take advantage of either situation.
``She is a very difficult matchup,'' Lusk said.
There's always room for improvement, though, as she is the first to remind herself.
``Shooting the ball has always come easy for me,'' Webb. ``But I've always had to work at playing defense. I have had to work on seeing my man and the ball.''
Her work on the game's subtleties has paid off.
``Her freshman year, her defense and court awareness were not that good,'' said Lusk. ``Last year she got a little better, and already this year, you can see that she has improved in all of those areas. In our first game, she had five assists, and that is a career high. She is the type of person who is always early to practice and willing to work to get what she wants.''
Personal accolades aside, what Webb would really like is a district championship and berth in the Group A Region C playoffs. Last year, the Green Wave tied Galax for the regular-season district championship but lost a playoff to determine who got the automatic bid to regionals. An upset loss in the district tournament ended the Green Wave's surge and left Webb with a void she would like to fill.
``My biggest goal is to help the team win and advance to regionals,'' Webb said. ``I watched the guys do it [Narrows boy's team advanced to regionals by winning the district tournament at the buzzer last season], and there was something about it. I would love to experience that. I enjoy team goals more than I do individual ones.''
Although basketball is the center of her athletic life, it isn't the only sport she has enjoyed success in. Last year, she and her brother, Jay Webb, were named the Mountain Empire District tennis players of the year. Jay is playing tennis for Emory & Henry now.
Suzanne Webb would like to join her brother as a collegiate athlete. At least one person thinks it's only a matter of where she will play.
``I think she has got college written all over,'' Lusk said. ``She is a versatile player, and she wants to work at it. The only question is what level she will play at. I think she is the type of player who will only get better.''
by CNB