THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, November 25, 1995 TAG: 9511250350
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
For most of the players on Georgia's women's basketball team, the Old Dominion Dial Classic simply represents the first road trip of the season.
But for La'Keshia Frett, it's more like a business trip.
No muss, no fuss, no waxing nostalgic about her first basketball game in Hampton Roads since 1993, when she starred at Phoebus High, was named consensus national player of the year and became Virginia's all-time leading prep scorer - male or female.
The games, like Frett herself, will be all business.
``It'll be nice to get back up there again and give everybody who wanted to see me play that chance,'' the 6-foot-3 junior forward said. ``But I can't get too carried away with being back home. The priority is getting ourselves ready to compete.''
The Bulldogs, who reached the Final Four last season, are ranked No. 2 in the nation and will open play in the Dial Classic tonight at 9 against Southern Methodist at the Old Dominion University field house. A victory could set up a final-game matchup against ODU.
But not even the prospect of facing the Lady Monarchs appears likely to break Frett's focus, particularly since Frett said she ``never seriously considered'' attending ODU.
``It really doesn't matter who we play,'' the junior said matter-of-factly. ``Just getting our season started is the big thing, regardless of who the other team is.
``Now, if we were going to Charlottesville, it might be a little different.''
Charlottesville is the home of the University of Virginia, the school most assumed Frett would attend.
But she signed instead with Georgia.
``Everybody kept saying, `Georgia is not for you,' '' Frett told an Athens, Ga., newspaper. ``But after my visit here, I like it. I kept wondering, what are these people talking about?''
It is a decision Frett said she's never regretted. As a freshman she led Georgia in scoring, minutes played, field goals made and attempted, and free throws attempted. Last year, as a sophomore, she led or ranked among the top three on the team in every major statistic.
``I've really enjoyed myself down here,'' Frett said.
The past two years have also seen Frett gain a good deal of international experience. During the summer of 1994 she played in Taiwan for an American team that won the R. William Jones Cup. Last summer she led the U.S. national team to a silver medal in the World University Games in Japan.
Frett's businesslike attitude toward her return to the area comes as no surprise to Boo Williams, who coached Frett in AAU ball for four years.
``She's always been a levelheaded kid,'' Williams said. ``Whenever she was getting ready to play a game, she was all business. I'm sure she's going to treat this homecoming like just another game.''
Nor is Williams surprised to hear Frett inject discussion about her team into any conversation about her personal success or why, despite scoring 3,284 points in high school, Frett has made virtually no attempt to be a scoring machine in college. Her next 30-point game will be her first.
``At times, it's almost like she's too nice a kid,'' Williams said. ``All she wants is to be a team player. I consider her a female Grant Hill.''
Ironically, the high school scoring record Frett broke formerly belonged to Hill.
So don't expect to see Frett racing through some shopping mall this weekend or hanging out with old buddies. Her one concession to being back home will be taking a few teammates over her parents' house for cake and ice cream.
But then, it's back to the Old Dominion field house.
And back to business. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
La'Keshia Frett
by CNB