Winter Sports Preview: JEB Stuart

The season hasn’t looked good for Coach Ronald Wilson and the J.E.B. Stuart girl’s basketball team for the past several years. Since the 1999-2000 season, they have only won one game in four years and are presently suffering amid a three-year winless drought.

In light of their recent past, that history can be difficult to overcome for this year’s team. But as they head into this season things are looking up and there is a good chance that this year could bring about the end of their three year drought.

Despite their win-loss record, Stuart’s team hasn’t been far off the winning path. Scrappy and enthusiastic, they have never shirked from going to the floor hard for a loose ball, or running the floor to contest fast breaks.

The past difficulty has been the result of a couple missing pieces. They have been short a gamer that can run the point and draw defenders and a strong presence inside to grab boards and take control of the lane. While they are still trying to work out the kinks and smooth out the rough edges, they are also starting to see the growth in some key components that could help return Stuart to being a competitive team in the National District.

This year, leading the attack for the Raiders is senior captain Lauren Singer. Although she starts the season sidelined with a knee injury suffered during summer ball, she is practicing with the team and is scheduled to be back on the hardwood before too long.

A versatile player, Singer plays the entire court running the game from point guard, stepping out to shoot from the perimeter, or penetrating to the basket. Wilson said that when healthy, Singer is sure to score between 10 and 15 points a night for the Raider offense. But even on the bench Wilson said that Singer has made herself a key part of their team. With her constant enthusiasm and chatter she helps keep up the team’s spirit and tries to get them over the hump to finish off games.

Singer is eager to get started in her senior year. Even with her knee injury, she has been working hard to step up even more this season. I have always been more of a passer,” she says. “This year I need to be willing to shoot a lot more.” Singer has never won a game during her time at Stuart and she is eager to get a “W” this year. “We need to not have the idea that we’re Stuart and we’re gonna lose. We need to work on just being competitive,” she says.

Staying focused for the entire game is the hardest thing for the Stuart team. For the first half they are always close, even leading. But the second half has remained their downfall as they fail to stand up to the inevitable swings in momentum during the course of the game. One promising player, sophomore center Betty Appiah could be the key to ending the three year slide. Standing over six feet, Appiah has the size and the strength to command the center of the floor and be a pivot around which the team can turn. Still young, she struggles with her free throw shooting at times and sometimes has trouble putting in low post shots against strong opposition, but she is already scoring consistently in double figures and hasn’t shown any fear in battling for tough boards.

In the absence of Singer, junior Jennifer Phan has been working to carry a larger load and shows a lot of promise, though she is also subject to the inconsistency that has plagued the entire team. With deft ball skills and a good shot she has the ability to affect momentum, but she also loses focus at times resulting in turnovers.

With over 21 years of experience coaching the Stuart girls team, Coach Wilson has a lot of perspective about how winning and losing is just one part of the sport. He is well aware of the success that Stuart teams have shown in the past and knows that they will be there again at some point. In the meantime he sees basketball as another form of education that students can receive.

With his time coaching he isn’t too concerned about the recent downturn in the team’s performance. Starting with less playing experience, many of the Stuart players have to work to catch up in their first couple of years, and many of the stronger underclassmen get moved up to varsity sooner than they are ready.

But Wilson has continued to take his time with the team, stressing fundamentals and trying to build the confidence necessary for the players to find a winning attitude.

It is this confidence that Wilson believes can make the difference in turning the tide for the Raiders and once again put a smile on their faces.