THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 27, 1995 TAG: 9508250221
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 18 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BILL LEFFLER, CURRENTS SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines
Recruiting isn't part of the job for a high school basketball coach, but in all probability nobody in the area has a better insight to the talent across South Hampton Roads than new Western Branch girls basketball coach Kim Aston.
Aston has been named to replace Jackie Tyndall, who resigned the position but is continuing to teach at Western Branch.
Aston, 26, is the girls varsity basketball coach at Cape Henry in Virginia Beach, beginning her third year. The lifelong Portsmouth resident played her own high school basketball at Nansemond-Suffolk Academy - where she still holds the all-time scoring record for both girls and boys with 1,559 points.
Aston played her college basketball at Old Dominion, graduating in 1993. She teaches at Deep Creek Middle School.
She also coached the Boo Williams girls 13-under AAU team this summer, winning a region championship. Last year, she coached the 15-under AAU squad.
Last season, Aston coached the Western Branch junior varsity to a sparkling 15-3 record.
She has been able to coach at the two high schools because the seasons do not overlap. She began her third year at Cape Henry this past week. Western Branch plays in the winter.
Her knowledge of area basketball didn't go unnoticed by ODU Hall of Famer Anne Donovan. When the former ODU assistant coach was named head coach at East Carolina University, she offered Aston a position on her staff.
After deep thought, Aston declined.
``It was a tough decision for me because my ambition is to be a college basketball coach,'' said Aston. ``But I look at this job at Western Branch as a good opportunity to widen my coaching experience and I'm excited about it.''
Aston admits she might still be playing the game herself if women had the same opportunities as men. ``I still love to play and everytime we have an open gym I get out there with the kids,'' she said.
Aston also coaches the junior varsity girls softball team at Western Branch and her team was undefeated the past season, racking up 15 victories. She will still coach this team next year.
A star shortstop at Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, she twice was named to the All-Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools team.
But she was a four-time All-TCIS basketball player and was named All-Tidewater in her junior and senior seasons.
Confident that Western Branch will be a winner next season, Aston said she expects ``to have a very strong team.''
``We have two or three really good seniors and some good players coming up from the junior varsity. And you can look for us to push the ball up and down the floor.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Kim Aston
by CNB