THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 31, 1997 TAG: 9701310751
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY VICKI L. FRIEDMAN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 96 lines
The thinking games are the ones Old Dominion's Stacy Himes enjoys most.
Jeopardy and Mind Sweeper on her computer.
Crossword puzzles in the newspaper.
Cards with her friends.
``I am very competitive,'' the 5-foot-10 senior admits with zeal. ``I always want to win, win, win.''
Nowhere does that exhibit itself more than when Himes plays basketball, this year as the startingshooting guard for the second-ranked Lady Monarchs.
Her contributions aren't statistically telling, and often words fail, too. While ``flashy'' is linked to point guard Ticha Penicheiro and ``banger'' describes Nyree Roberts, Himes is regarded as a solid player who provides solid minutes.
But ODU coach Wendy Larry lists a few better adjectives for Himes, who in her career has played every position except center.
Smart. Aggressive. Purposeful. Competitive.
``Not only does she know the game; more importantly she understands the game,'' Larry says. ``Stacy knows why something's being done and the purpose or result that's supposed to come from it.''
Larry calls Himes ``a student of the game,'' but Himes didn't get there by reading books.
While two-guard probably suits her best, Himes says she likes ``running the show sometimes at point,'' and her experience at post gives her a better understanding of the tactics in the paint.
Whatever the position, her trademarks are grit and hustle, traits that trace back to the traveling team she played for as a kid. Tomboyish, with the cuts and scrapes to prove it, Himes couldn't stay off the ground at age 5, especially in her other favorite sport, soccer.
``My mom hated me playing soccer,'' she says. ``I love to slide tackle.''
Nor was Mom crazy about her physical style on the court. Himes has always been willing to sacrifice her body to save a basketball from sailing out of bounds.
``When I was young, my mom wanted me to wear kneepads,'' Himes says, laughing. ``They lasted one game and then no way. They got thrown out.''
At Old Mill High School in Glen Burnie, Md., Himes started four years on a team that won three 4-A state championships. As a senior, she averaged 9.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists - numbers that don't immediately wow Division I coaches. Himes figured she'd go to a junior college until she got the call from ODU.
Larry's interest was piqued when she heard about this steady utility player who excelled in a winning program. And unlike most freshmen, Himes doesn't recall being bowled over.
``I pick up things very well, especially things I'm interested in,'' she says. ``A lot my friends will tease me because I hear a song once on the radio and I'll know the words the next time I hear it. I observe things really well. I'll see the nitpicky things and I'll analyze things a lot, which is good for basketball but not necessarily good for other things.''
Himes says she never fools herself into believing she's something she's not. She has no visions of leading ODU in scoring or creating the fancy moves that define Penicheiro. Ask her the players she admires, and she mentions Michael Jordan, not for his flights to the rim but because he plays smart and knows the game. ``He's always adding something new to his game,'' she says.
So is Himes, who is working on a lefthanded shot. Her unorthodox shooting motion, which originates around the hip, is downright ugly, but dates to when she was a toothpick of a child.
Initially ODU's coaches tried to change it, but that only made things worse.
``I had nothing but skin and bones, so I had to shoot the ball from the hip to get it to the rim,'' Himes says. ``Muscle memory. My body is so used to it.''
Himes averages 4.1 points, lowest of any ODU starter, but she compensates in other ways. Her assists-to-turnovers ratio is 3-1 and her role as a court leader cannot be found on a stat sheet.
``Stacy is someone who can raise other people's level of play by talking them through patterns, by reassuring them what they're doing is right, by correcting them when they're wrong,'' Larry says. ``There's more than one way to say things, and she has a gift at that regard.''
Himes, who said in the past she has led via her work ethic, is more vocal as a senior. She's not afraid to chide teammates for mental errors or for slacking off.
``Sometimes it's hard because a lot of people take things personally,'' she says. ``Sometimes things have to be said.''
A marketing major, Himes will graduate in May with plans to stay in sports. She's considering trying out for a pro team, and coaching has also crossed her mind. But Himes isn't sure she has the patience for high school; she'd rather coach college players.
``I need to work with people who are very serious about what they're doing,'' she says. ``I love to have a good time. But I've always known what to be serious about. Sometimes in life you have to be calm and have fun. But sometimes you have to be serious.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color file photo by Huy Nguyen
Displaying her trademark tenacity, ODU's Stacy Himes, right,
wrestles University of Miami's Beth Barnhart for the ball. "I always
want to win, win, win," Himes says of her playing style.
KEYWORDS: PROFILE