THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 26, 1995 TAG: 9501260050
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAM STARR, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 127 lines
IT'S SATURDAY NIGHT at Old Dominion University's field house and the crowd of 1,432 screams in unison.
Lady Monarchs point guard Ticha Penicheiro rips the basketball out of a Dartmouth player's hands and races down the court for an impressive layup. On ODU's next possession, Penicheiro misses the basket, but center Clarisse Machanguana, waiting underneath with her wiry arms, gets the rebound - one of 13 she'll grab that night.
ODU is off and running to its 15th win of the season, thanks in large part to newcomers Penicheiro and Machanguana. Yet just last year they were playing for the Portuguese national team.
ODU assistant coach Allison Greene, who discovered the two while playing professional ball in Portugal, calls their talent ``unbelievable.'' Penicheiro, 5-foot-11, leads the Colonial Athletic Association in steals and assists. Machanguana, 6-5, is first in the conference in rebounds and second in scoring. Both sophomores are attending the college on full scholarships.
``I first saw Ticha play when she was only 15 and playing on their junior team,'' says Greene. ``I've never seen that kind of talent before at that age.''
Penicheiro, a Portugal native, and Mozambique-born Machanguana can't understand what all the fuss is about. They're just playing basketball, they say.
``We have been playing for a lot of years,'' says the exotic-looking Machanguana, unfolding endlessly long legs and tossing her braided hair. ``We are all the same on the team. We treat people like we are - simple.''
``If the team is doing well, that is what matters,'' adds 20-year-old Penicheiro.
Not only are they the best players on the team, they might be the best students as well, even though English is their second language. But, last semester, when Machanguana earned a 4.0 GPA and Penicheiro a 3.7, was not completely reflective of their academic abilities. Machanguana only had three credits - in physical education. Penicheiro had seven credits. They say they took advantage of the ``bridge program,'' which allows foreign students an easy introductory semester, to help them adjust to American college life.
``People will think, `Oh, these girls are magnificent,' but I wasn't taking the same classes. Now we're at the same level,'' says Penicheiro, a journalism major. Machanguana is majoring in psychology and is signed up for 15 credits this semester.
Penicheiro and Machanguana live, eat and play basketball together, with days as regimented and exhausting as boot camp. In fact, national basketball in Portugual was much less demanding than playing for a college team, they say. There they practiced four days a week and played a game only once a week.
Here, every minute of every day is accounted for.
Both women are up at 7 a.m. for studying, tutoring and classes, which last until 2 p.m. They eat a quick lunch, then attend practice from 3:30 to 6 or 6:30 p.m. every day except game days and Sundays, when they lift weights for an hour. The Lady Monarchs play an average of three games a week.
After showering and dinner, they hunker down in the apartment to study, stopping only to watch certain television shows such as ``Martin,'' ``Living Single,'' ``Beverly Hills 90210,'' and ``Family Matters.'' A favorite, when they find time, is the trash talk show ``The Ricki Lake Show.'' But they don't want anyone to know they watch it.
``We can't believe how people on that show can get so mad at each other,'' says Penicheiro with a throaty laugh. ``We have a lot of fun watching that thing.
``I am diggin' on TV, you know?'' she says, speaking rapid-fire slang. ``I'm not the kind of person like a nerd. I like to hang out at the mall, go shopping and see movies. I'm here to have fun, too.''
Machanguana agrees, but says she is more of a homebody than her roommate.
``We go shopping and to the movies together, but I'm a very impatient person,'' says Machanguana, smiling. ``After a movie Ticha wants to do something else, but I just want to go home. I love to listen to music; Anita Baker is the best.''
Although they have embraced the college scene, both women say the hardest part about living in America is being homesick. And they don't like the abundance and availability of fast food. In Mozambique, says Machanguana, she ate ``lots and lots of vegetables.'' Penicheiro adds that her ``momma'' cooked fresh foods for her all the time.
``Here it is always fast food and it is always in a hurry,'' says Penicheiro, swigging from a can of Diet Coke. ``I think I've gained weight. I'll have to diet when I go home to wear a bikini this summer.''
A sellout crowd of 4,855 is watching No. 2-ranked Tennessee whip the Lady Monarchs Tuesday night. Penicheiro is wearing a plastic face guard that straps onto her head because she broke her nose during the first game of the season. It resembles a Halloween mask, and she looks intimidating while dribbling down the court, but the Tennessee players take no notice. They're too busy pressing Penicheiro, forcing her to pass the ball instead of making those trademark lightning-quick layups.
The pressure is on Machanguana, too, who is held to just six rebounds. But neither give up. With a few minutes remaining in the second half, Machanguana muscles through a sea of yellow and orange uniforms, valiantly trying for a layup. The crowd cheers. She makes the basket but the referee calls her for traveling.
``That's OK, Clarisse!,'' yells a girl from the bleachers. ``You're doing great!''
The Lady Monarchs lose by a dismal margin, 77-54, despite a strong effort from Ticha and Clarisse.
Both players say they need to work on reducing their turnovers. They tend to have more turnovers because American college basketball is more controlled and is played more rigidly than Portuguese national ball, Penicheiro explains.
``We have more rules here, like traveling,'' she says. ``We don't think it's traveling - they never call us on it in Portugal. We have to be more careful. That's one of our goals.''
The ultimate goal, for Penicheiro, is to finish college and to return to play professional basketball in Europe - Portugal, Spain, anywhere. Machanguana, however, is debating whether to retire her high-tops.
``I would like to be a psychologist and go back to Mozambique to work,'' she says. ``I don't know about playing ball. I've been playing for 11 years and I'm kind of tired.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by Lawrence Jackson
Lady Monarchs center Clarisse Machanguana, left, and point guard
Ticha Penicheiro have gone from Portuguese national team to the
rigors of college basketball.
Color staff photos by Jim Walker
Ticha Penicheiro, right, leads the CAA in steals and assists.
Clarisse Machanguana leads the conference in rebounds.
by CNB