Girls basketball: CdM -- a.k.a. Point Guard U.

Richard Dunn

CORONA DEL MAR - It’s amazing how leadership can fluctuate in girls

basketball, as opposed to the boys game, where probably a greater

percentage of juniors are lined up at the gate to replace the

star-studded seniors and shine the following year.

“With boys, they just can’t wait for that person to graduate,” Corona

del Mar High girls hoops coach Elbert Davis said. “They’re licking their

lips, saying it’s my turn. But girls sometimes shy away from that

responsibility (as a leader). That’s why it’s exciting for me to see who

is going to step up and who are going to be the leaders.”

With two-time Pacific Coast League Player of the Year Kristin McCoy

having moved her tassel in June, the remaining cast, which includes last

year’s entire team except for McCoy, is trying to find basketball life

after the former All-CIF Southern Section Division III selection, who was

also Newport-Mesa District Co-Player of the Year after averaging 14.4

points as a senior.

“(Point guard Andrea) Gruber so far has done a great job with that

leadership, but with our team, with five seniors, it has to be done by

committee,” Davis said. “It should be a nice smooth transition, but you

never know.

“I know one thing, we’ll be exciting to watch and we’ll play hard.

(The PCL title race) will be interesting. I still think Estancia has the

two best players (in sophomore point guard Trisha Wase and 5-foot-8

junior Xochitl Byfield). We may have the best team, though, from top to

bottom. We’ll see how it plays out.”

Davis, a former standout point guard at Southern California College

(now Vanguard University), has stocked his roster with talented point

guards so the Sea Kings will never run out. And, “if someone is not doing

the job, we’ll put another point guard in,” he said.

Gruber, one of 10 returning players for the Sea Kings (14-14 last

year, but 7-3 and second place in the PCL), is one of four point guards

Davis plans to use in his offensive scheme. Gruber was a second-team

All-PCL performer as a junior.

“It’s the Coach Davis made-up system,” he said of his offense that

includes two point guards on the floor at the same time.

“We definitely have a motion type offense, with lots of passing and

cutting. Last year, we were able to just throw the ball down low and let

Kristin go to work. But that’s not going to happen this year.

“We’re going to try to get teams off balance and do a lot of backdoor

passing and get girls moving to take advantage of our lineup. But, at the

same time, we’re an extremely deep team with those 10 returning players,

all with significant minutes played last year, and we will go 10 deep

again.

“It’s definitely going to be exciting and interesting again.”

Gruber, one of four returning starters, will be joined in the

backcourt by 5-8 junior point guard Jackie McCoy, who averaged 9.2

points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.8 steals en route to first-team

All-PCL and all-district honors last year.

Senior Courtney Kawata, 5-3, will be the third guard in the starting

lineup, while 5-11 senior center Carrie Hawkins is also a returning

starter.

Kelly Luu, a 5-7 senior forward, is penciled in as the fifth starter

for Corona del Mar, which opened its campaign Tuesday night at El Toro.

The Sea Kings, who are at home Thursday in a nonleague game against

Los Amigos at 7 p.m., feature two other point guards -- sophomores

Colleen Marks, a returning varsity player, and newcomer Sarah Stern, the

MVP on last year’s junior varsity as a freshman.

“With me being a point guard in college, I know how important that

position is,” Davis said. “You can’t have enough point guards. (But) I

think we have enough point guards now. Night after night, if someone’s

not doing the job, we’ll just put another point guard in, and we won’t

lose a beat.”

Other returning varsity players include junior guard Kelliann Klein,

who scored a season-high 11 points against league champion University

last season, and 5-8 sophomore swing player Lauren Snell.

Backup center Aryn Dimas, 6-0, junior forward Madison Otterbien, 5-10,

and senior guard Naz Alateha, 5-5, are also returning letter winners.

Lucy Ramsey, a 5-9 junior forward, is a transfer from Virginia who is

“very athletic, very active,” Davis said, “and provides a lot of

stability at the forward spot.”

CORONA DEL MAR

00 Lauren Snell 5-8 So.

5 Sarah Stern 5-3 So.

10 Colleen Marks 5-3 So.

11 Courtney Kawata 5-3 Sr.

13 Andrea Gruber 5-3 Sr.

21 Madison Otterbien 5-10 Jr.

22 Naz Alateha 5-5 Sr.

23 Lucy Ramsey 5-9 Jr.

32 Kelliann Klein 5-7 Jr.

33 Kelly Luu 5-7 Sr.

34 Carrie Hawkins 5-11 Sr.

44 Jackie McCoy 5-8 Jr.

Coach: Elbert Davis