Sports
Rodriguez Girls' Basketball Looks to Step Up in League
The Mustangs look to give SCAC power Vanden a run for their money.
Rodriguez High girls' basketball coach Lou Collier knows his 2010 team will feel the effects of losing their leading-scorer and other key players from last year's playoff squad.
With that, he feels this year's squad has the key pieces to plug the leftover gaps and make a charge at the 2010-2011 Solano County Athletic Conference title.
"I'm looking at some of these younger players to come up and fill that role and I think they can," Collier said.
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The biggest void would be Khristina Hunter's absence, who led the Mustangs (14-13, 6-4 SCAC) in 2009, scoring 18.7 points per game before graduating last June. She currently plays for UC Berkeley.
Unfortunately, there wasn't another player in double digits for Rodriguez last season.
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But senior captains Sharae Gray and Melanie Halcomb, both third and fourth respectively in scoring behind Hunter, are two of the current leaders Collier expects to step up.
"I'm looking at them as being the leaders that we need them to be," he said. "Not only on the court, but off the court as well. I'm putting a lot on them to be the senior leaders. I think they can do it and that's the reason why I put them in that position."
He also expects them and third senior captain Kelci Young to lead the charge against league-power Vanden.
"With Vanden, most people know what they do," he said. "They come out, they play hard basketball. It's being able to match their intensity and skill level which is a challenge for most teams."
That'll be quite the task for the Mustangs to accomplish. Vanden was undefeated in the SCAC, going 10-0 and advanced to the CIF State Basketball Championship before being eliminated in the second round.
"I'm looking for my girls to go out and be as competitive as they possibly can against them," Collier said.
In terms of overall goals, he's aiming to have his team improve their shooting and defense.
"Regardless of the size of our team, it's going to be important for us to have a lot of defensive intensity," he said.
The key thing for him from week-to-week, no matter the opponent, is to compete.
"Vanden's going to be tough, but I have confidence in my team," Collier said. "I think that they'll be competitive on the court and that's what I'm looking for. I'm looking for them to be as competitive as possible."