ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, February 15, 1996 TAG: 9602150030
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: E-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN A. MONTGOMERY SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES
Roland Lovelace has been coaching the girls' basketball team at William Fleming High School for 10 seasons, so he's watched several waves of players come through his program.
But seldom has he worked with the combination of talent and youth (with a capital ``Y'') that he's been given this year.
It's not just that the Colonels' record is impressive, although entering this week's games Fleming stood 11-4 overall and 6-2 in the Roanoke Valley District.
More significantly is that the bulk of the team's scoring this season is coming from a junior, a sophomore and two freshmen. And Lovelace has two eighth-graders who are expected to see considerable playing time next season.
"We're a pretty young team," Lovelace said. "We want to run the ball as much as we can, although we also use some half-court sets. We also have to emphasize a lot of defense, and we try to box out [for rebounds], because our tallest player is only about 5-9 or 5-10."
It appears the game plan is working. Fleming is the only RVD team to beat district-leader Pulaski County (by three points in overtime), and the Colonels have swamped several other opponents.
This past weekend, Fleming trounced Franklin County twice, defeating the Eagles by 28 points at home on Friday (63-35), and recording a 60-40 win the next night in Rocky Mount.
Fleming's leading scorer this year is freshman guard Shaunarey Walker (13.5 points per game), who's been playing basketball for six years. Walker credits her father, Orlando, for her name (``he made it up'') and her game.
"[Orlando] taught me to have a positive attitude and most importantly to be a team player," Walker said. In Friday night's win over Franklin County, Walker scored 12 points and contributed 12 assists.
"Shaunarey's a talented athlete," Lovelace said. "She's responded well and done what we've asked."
A close friend of Shaunarey's on the roster is also a freshman and also a Walker, although no relation. Renita Walker, the first guard off the bench, has a reputation as the team spark plug.
"I try to give my team a big lift on the offensive and defensive ends," Renita Walker said. "I go for rebounds and steals, and if I'm open and they get me the ball, I square up and shoot."
"Renita supplies whatever we need to be successful," Lovelace said.
The Walkers grew up as friendly opponents. "We've competed against each other since sandlot days," Renita said.
Sophomore forward Kiann Trent averages eight points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
"Kiann's one of our better shooters," Lovelace said.
Trent noted Lovelace's skill as an effective motivator. "Coach pushes everyone to go out and do what you can," Trent said. "He seems to know everyone's potential.
"If he knows you're not playing your game, he tells you, but not by putting you down as a person."
"Coach Lovelace pushes us to the limit," agreed junior point guard Revonda Barber, who runs Fleming's offense and leads the district in assists with 6.5 per game.
Barber has shot well from the perimeter in recent games, converting five treys in the Franklin County victories en route to 11- and 15-point performances.
"We work well as a team because we talk, we communicate," Barber said. "Everybody helps carry the pressure."
Eighth-graders Tonia Brown and Alycia Garrison are showing exceptional promise, and should supply firepower down the road. Brown is the daughter of Lovelace's assistant coach Cynthia Brown.
Lovelace, a former star athlete at Addison in the late '60s, has coached several strong teams in the past, most notably the Marqueetta Randolph-led squad that advanced to the Northwest Region tournament a few seasons back. Randolph is currently the leading scorer for Virginia Union University.
This unit has the potential to go as far, especially with a couple of years of seasoning available.
"A lot of people didn't predict us to beat Pulaski," Shaunarey Walker said. "Now we want to go to the regional and to the state [tournaments]."
"In time we can, if we're able to keep everybody straight," Lovelace said, citing several outside interests that compete with basketball.
"Most of our basketball is in front of us. We're still teaching fundamentals."
LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: STEPHANIE KLEIN-DAVIS/Staff. 1. Leading the youthby CNBmovement for William Fleming are (left to right) Shaunarey Walker, a
freshman and the team's leading scorer; Revonda Barber, a junior;
Kiann Trent, a sophomore; and Renita Walker, a
freshman.