THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 26, 1994 TAG: 9410260591
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DENISE MICHAUX, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
Melanie Sandford didn't think she deserved to be cut from Norfolk Christian's junior varsity basketball team as a seventh-grader.
``That inspired me to get better, so I could prove I shouldn't have been cut,'' said Sandford, now a junior at Norfolk Collegiate.
When Sandford walked onto the court to try again in the eighth grade, she didn't get much respect, but she did make the team.
``Everyone just figured, `Well, she got cut so she stinks,' '' Sandford said.
Sandford, who played center at Norfolk Christian, hardly ever touched the ball that year or the next, and needless to say, didn't score very many points, which did nothing for her confidence.
For reasons that had little to do with basketball, Sandford transferred to Norfolk Collegiate last year. And when Oaks' coach Larry Bowman saw her, the first thing he did was move her to forward.
``Center just isn't her position. She has a great perimeter jump shot,'' Bowman said. ``We wanted to take advantage of that.''
The next problem was making Sandford believe in her shooting abilities the way Bowman did.
``I was real nervous about shooting,'' Sandford said. ``I would miss and then I would stop shooting and then Bowman would tell me to keep shooting. He really encouraged me.''
``It took her a while,'' Bowman said. ``I don't think they expected her to shoot (at Christian). That's the best thing she does.
``I told her that if she didn't shoot the ball we weren't going to win.'' That was it.
Not winning was something Sandford had a hard time imagining, especially last week against Greenbrier Christian.
The 5-foot-10 forward scored a then-career-high 16 points against the Gators, including the first two in overtime, to help lift the Oaks to victory and keep their Tidewater Conference title hopes alive.
``I had a good shooting night,'' Sandford said. ``I don't know what it was, but I just couldn't imagine losing to them.''
Three days later, Sandford topped herself with an 18-point performance against Catholic. For those two career efforts Sandford is The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star girls' athlete of the week.
The aggressive nature that Sandford displayed last week wasn't always there. But the more she scored, the better Collegiate played and the more games the Oaks won.
``That's what is different lately. I've become more self confident and we want to win.'' by CNB