THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, July 9, 1996 TAG: 9607090351
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY VICKI L. FRIEDMAN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: HAMPTON LENGTH: 56 lines
Nicole Council is not used to being defensive about her basketball skills.
She didn't have to be that way at Churchland, where the 5-foot-7 guard was the offensive star, finishing her senior year averaging 17.7 points and 7.7 assists as the Southeastern District Player of the Year.
But at the Virginia High School Coaches Association All-Star game Monday night at Hampton Coliseum, she explained that layups and assists weren't on her mind.
Only defense was.
``I wasn't really worried about scoring points tonight,'' said Council, who finished 1-of-5 from the field for three points but blocked two shots at the perimeter. ``I was nervous a little bit because there were more people than there's ever been at Churchland. I tried not to think about it and play, stop whoever had the ball.''
At Churchland, that ``whoever'' was usually her. But playing with Misty Colebank, Kelley King and more of the state's best talent, Council's offensive role was reduced as her team, the East, fell to the West, 74-56. Defensively though, she had a presence, displaying the kind of aggression that would make Truckers coach Duke Conrad smile.
``My coach used to remind me all the time,'' she says, `` `play defense.' ''
But it took a while and another reminder until hard-nosed defense became her mindset. Last spring, she wanted to play for East Carolina, largely out of respect for coach Anne Donovan, a former ODU All-American and Olympic star.
Donovan showed some interest early and sent an assistant to tape Churchland's game against Western Branch. Council had a triple-double that night - 24 points, 14 assists, 12 rebounds. But she says Donovan was unimpressed with her defensive skills.
``She saw something she didn't like,'' Council says. ``I thought about it for a long time, but there's nothing I can do about it now. I learned from that. Tonight I was just more intense, not all the time, but intense on defense.''
Instead of ECU, Council will play for the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore, where she hopes to major in sociology with thoughts of going to law school. On the court, she thinks she'll have an early role, probably as a two-guard. She's preparing by working out three times a week at the Portsmouth YMCA and she plans to sign up for Pro-Am ball.
The All-Star couple of days was a nice break from it all, save for one detail.
``I hate losing,'' she says, shaking her head.
Note: Salem's Misty Colebank led the Southside's scorers with 11 points. Also from Salem, Kelley King had five. Kempsville's Charlotte Fayton finished with three. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
GARY C. KNAPP
The East team's Nicole Council, left, and Kelly King hound Star
Anderson during the West team's 74-56 win at the VHSCA women's
basketball All-Star game Monday night. by CNB