Young Girls Team Working Hard
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usShould the Waipahu girls basketball team find itself in the mix in the Oahu Interscholastic Association’s White Conference race this winter, the Marauders will likely look back on a rugged preseason schedule as a contributing factor.
“There’s a reason we schedule like that,” said coach Nadine Villarmia, whose team played four Division I schools this preseason. “It gets us ready for the season.”
Indeed, the preseason took on added meaning for a Marauder team still feeling its way after losing projected starters Demi Samson and Brendalyn Brub to knee injuries prior to their first practice. Both could miss the entire season, she said. That made an already youthful team even younger. But Villarmia likes the program’s prospects for the future, especially with a talented sophomore class that figures to have an immediate impact.
“If we get the guards back, it would be even better, but we’re not counting on them at this point,” said Villarmia, whose team is hoping to improve on last year’s 3-10 record. “We’ll be a young team, but if we keep practicing hard, we’re hoping we’ll get there by mid-season. We don’t have a lot of kids who play year-round, so it always takes a little while.”
With Samson and Brub out of the lineup, Waipahu will look to a pair of sophomore guards in Amber Javier and Jessica Lozano for on-court leadership.
“They were projected to be subs, but now they’ll play a lot more,” she said. “Amber brings quickness, and she plays hard. She’s our main ball-handler right now. She’s working on her confidence.
“Jessica is one of our most consistent players,” she added. “They’re doing a pretty good job so far. They’re learning and getting better with each game.”
Villarmia also envisions sophomore guard/forward Shanice Julio playing a big role. “Offense and rebounding are her strengths.”
How well the Marauders perform in the back court could have a huge impact on their season with key returnees back in the post to provide an inside game. Waipahu also received a boost when 5-10 senior Andrea Felife decided to return to the program after a two-year absence.
“Andrea has the best game knowledge of all the girls. She’s big, and she can shoot and handle the ball. She’s our best all-around player right now. She just needs to keep getting herself into game shape, and she’ll be one of our leaders.”
Six-foot-1 sophomore Simi Chatman will also provide a strong inside presence. “Rebounding is her strength, and she’s learning to position herself better.”
Generating offense remains a point of emphasis as they prepare for Thursday’s season-opener at 6:30 p.m. at home against Waianae.
“We’re averaging in the low 20s, so we’re having trouble scoring,” Villarmia said. “We don’t have a pure shooter right now. We’ll have to rebound better and be able to run our offensive sets. We have some size, but we’re not rebounding well enough for our size. We’re a little raw yet - we still have a lot of work to do, but the kids are great. They’ve been practicing real hard.”
In Waianae, the Marauders will face a team that largely mirrors itself, according to Villarmia. “They have good size also, so hopefully we’ll have a little more speed than them.”
On the heels of the Waianae game, the Marauders will play two more games this month: Dec. 22 they visit Waialua, with a home game against defending DII West champion Campbell set for Dec. 28.
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