THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, November 17, 1995 TAG: 9511170675
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 21 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PATTI WALSH, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 96 lines
HOW DO THE Beach's top girls basketball players spell relief?
Early signing.
In an unprecedented move, four of the league's hottest hoopsters signed away the next four years of their lives with letters of intent to some of the best women's basketball programs around.
``I can't remember there ever being this many,'' Salem coach Larry Bowman said. ``But this is such a great class.''
That class includes Salem's Misty Colebank, the 1994 Tidewater player of the year who's headed to James Madison; her teammate, Kelly King, a second team All-Tidewater pick, off to Division II Adams State in Colorado; Cox's Shannon Drury, who will play for the University of Miami; and First Colonial's Katy Walters, who's now University of North Carolina-Wilmington property.
All four have participated in Boo Williams' AAU program and say summer basketball has helped increase their stock.
``I think Boo and coach Bowman had a lot to do with it,'' Colebank said. ``It was a big factor in our recruiting.''
Misty Colebank, a 5-foot-11 point guard, grew two inches over the summer following a stint in France where she played with an international AAU team. A dangerous shooter with 3-point range, Colebank has a sharp eye for the open man and rips through her opponents' defenses with a variety of penetration moves.
Colebank could have chosen some of the top programs in the country like Ohio State or Wake Forest, but opted for Colonial Athletic Association power JMU so she could stay close to home.
``I drew a boundary and mainly focused on CAA schools so my parents could come see me,'' she said. ``I'm really close with my parents and siblings.''
Colebank's ability to play with the elite isn't anything new. In fact, she's one of the few area athletes to have competed in three state tournaments in three different sports.
The Sun Devils won the 1993 state girls basketball championship with Colebank, then a sophomore, at the helm. Last spring, Colebank, one of the Beach's top outfielders and batters, made her second trip to the state tournament with the softball team. And this week, when basketball practice begins, Colebank will be on the volleyball court at Tallwood making her third state tournament appearance.
``It's unique,'' Bowman said, ``not only to excel in all three sports, but to play in the elite state tournaments.''
Kelly King, through tears, joined her teammate at a table in the Salem library as their folks and friends watched them make their dreams of playing college basketball come true.
With their names in all the right places, King and Colebank embraced and called for the tissues.
``I'm sad and scared, but excited,'' King, a 5-11 forward, said.
But King won't be alone when she travels to Colorado.
She, too, choose Adams State so she could be close to her family. The Salem senior moved to the Virginia Beach area from Colorado when she was in the seventh grade and her family is planning a move back following her high school graduation.
Shannon Drury won't forget her 3 POYNTER when she heads off to Miami. It's on the license plate of the family Pathfinder, the car she'll probably be driving instead of her brand new periwinkle Toyota Celica that her parents gave her for earning a scholarship.
``She definitely deserved it,'' Cox coach Claire Le Blanc said of Drury's full ride to Miami. ``The whole family deserved it. Parents spend a lot of time and money and give up family vacations and weekends investing in basketball. I'm very proud of her.''
Added Drury: ``I'm relieved. I'm definitely looking forward to having some fun without worrying about where to go.''
The First Colonial gym was the perfect setting for Katy Walters' signing as her friends, teammates and family gathered to watch the culmination of her efforts.
``That's about a $100,000 piece of paper,'' Patriots coach Sandy Bartle joked. Walters, who also earned a full scholarship, will have four, or five years of tuition paid if she needs it.
Balloons, roses and a cake with the UNC-Wilmington logo took up most of the space where Walters knelt down to put last July's verbal commitment in writing with an engraved pen from her coach.
``I'm relieved,'' she said. ``I can go into my season without worrying and I can focus on my school work.''
As for her early decision - the earliest of any of the signees whose phones rang off the hook all summer - Walters said she knew UNC-Wilmington was the place for her immediately following her visit.
``I just knew,'' she said. ``I didn't want to get involved with any other colleges after I had been down there. The people were really great.''
And - as Colebank, King, Drury and Walters have proved - so is Beach girls basketball. ILLUSTRATION: Photos
Misty Colebank
Kelly King
Shannon Drury
Katy Walters
by CNB