Can the Dukes rebound on the courts?

Staff

Published Thursday, November 27, 2003

Suffolk News-Herald

Last season, the Windsor boys' basketball team finished at 1-20 for the season. Their female counterparts pulled up at 10-12.

So who's in the better position to start the upcoming season? The answer may surprise you.

In the Windsor High School gym, new coach Al Heminger helps the Dukes improve their outlook toward America's favorite court sport. "The biggest thing for these guys is to learn how to play the game, and my job is to set the environment for them to increase their ability," said Heminger, a former athletic trainer at Liberty University. "The hardest part is their mindset toward the game. They need to be real solid and disciplined and work hard. I can control their attitude and effort, and hopefully positive outcomes will follow."

But winning isn't necessarily his main goal. "I'll be happy with the outcome, no matter what it is, I'll be happy if we can go into the locker room knowing that we did everything in our power to win the game. I'll even be happy if that happens and we go 1-20 again, but I don't think that's going to happen."

Neither do his players. "This new coach has been giving us a lot of motivation," said senior Riley Evans, a point- and shooting guard. "Our talent is pretty matched up throughout the team so I don't think we'll be hurt if someone gets injured. We improved a lot last year, and we're going to pick up where we left off. We're going to get the best out of ourselves this year."

Last year, according to senior Mike Lucas, the team spent the majority of its time on the attack. "It was all offense last year," he said. "This year, we're concentrating more on defense, because that's what wins games. We're going to get in our opponents' faces and scare and intimidate them."

Perhaps the Dukes' main advantage is that they have nowhere to go but up. The Lady Dukes, who practice in the town's middle school, don't enjoy such a blessing.

We're going to have to win with our defense this year," said coach Tim Goetz, in his fourth year of leading the squad. "We need full-, half-court pressure, man-to-man, zone, everything. We have to mix things up and keep the other teams off balance." He admits that a "Best Offensive Player," hasn't quite emerged - yet.

Of the Lady Dukes' 10 roster members, six are new to the varsity team (Dawnelle Johnson, one of the leading scorers in school history with 1,446 points, graduated, and Carmelita Cruze, one of the top three-point-shooters in the Tri-Rivers District last year, moved out of the area). "We've got to get the newcomers into the game," Goetz said. "If we can get them up to speed quickly, we'll be OK."

Helping them along with be defensive specialist Brandii Brinkley and board crasher April Cabral, both seniors. "I'm going to try to get ahead of the opposing players and stop them before they get in position to make a layup. I don't shoot very well, but I can run fast."

Cabral spent much of the off-season rehabilitating a back injury. "It can't stop me!" she said of the wound, which occurred during a game last year. "I've been through a lot of chiropractic treatment, and we've all been practicing really hard. I'm not worried about my back, because I'm still going to try to get under the basket. I want to play my hardest for my senior year."

---

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE THIS STORY?

---