ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, October 3, 1996 TAG: 9610030007
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-5 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: FLOYD
SOURCE: ANGIE WATTS STAFF WRITER
Floyd County High's Sara Conner is the definition of high energy. She can't sit still, not even for a short conversation. She walks with a bounce in her step and at a quick pace. She leads by example and is always pushing herself and her teammates to do more, even at the end of a long practice.
Not a bad description for the starting guard on the Buffaloes' girls basketball team - a squad that has won two of the last three state Group A state championships.
"Ever since Sara's been playing varsity she's been a spark," coach Alan Cantrell said. "She always makes something happen. She goes in one gear and that's overdrive. This year we've been working on trying to control all that energy."
Maybe the excess energy stems from making up for lost time. Conner didn't start playing organized basketball until the eighth grade, and now she said she just can't get enough.
"I never really thought I was good enough," Conner said. "I liked just being able to go home and play on the goal set up at the end of our driveway. But my eighth-grade year there were no tryouts because there weren't enough people, so I went out about a week after practice started."
The Buffaloes are glad she did. In two years, she was the sixth-man on a Floyd County team that won its second consecutive state title, the only two girls basketball championships in the school's history. Last season the Buffaloes advanced to the state semifinal game before falling to George Mason. The loss broke the Buffaloes 56-game winning streak, leaving them hungry for a return to glory.
Conner summed up Floyd County's goals this season in two short words.
"Win state," she said without hesitation. "We always set our goals as high as we can get them."
Conner has set her personal goals equally as high. In addition to wanting to earn a scholarship to play collegiate basketball at some level next year, Conner has her sights set on capturing Player of the Year honors in the Three Rivers District. Appearances on the all-district, all-region and perhaps the all-state team make her list of "to do's" as well.
Conner averages 15.5 points and four rebounds per game for the 10-1 Buffaloes. Cantrell said he is sure there is someone in the district with better numbers, but no one who contributes more to her team. "She scores well, is an exceptional rebounder for her size and defensively she's getting there. If she starts using all that energy in the right way her defensive game will continue to improve.
"But more than that Sara leads by example. She hustles, and is a tremendous competitor. Sara's face turns beet red when she's intense ... and then everyone on the team can see her desire to win."
Conner said much of her preparation for games happens before she ever steps onto the court, although it's not quite what one would imagine. Behind closed locker room doors is where this fireball gets ready for games, not by screaming and yelling to get pumped up - but by honoring tradition.
"I have this one shirt I always wear," Conner said. "I mean I wash it, but I always wear my Magic Johnson T-shirt under my home jersey. I've always liked the Lakers and I've had the shirt since I was little. I always dress in the same order too. And now I have these really tacky socks that coach gave us ... they're awful, but I guess they're good luck now too."
Cantrell found the socks, long white tube socks with black and gold trim, in the back equipment room at Floyd County. He admits they are pretty ugly, but said he knew it wouldn't take much to convince Conner to give them a try.
"It's not hard to get Sara on a superstitious-type thing," Cantrell said. "The socks had been lying in the back for years and I just brought them out one day in practice. Some of the girls snarled their nose up, but Sara and a couple others got some. ... I think some of the other girls wear them but cover them up."
Whatever works. Whatever wins.
LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: NHAT MEYER/Staff. Sara Conner didn't start playingby CNBorganized basketball until the eighth grade, and now she said she
just can't get enough.