THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, March 13, 1996 TAG: 9603120108
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Sports
SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, BEACON SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Long : 108 lines
IT WAS TWO YEARS AGO that Misty Colebank decided it was about time for her to come into her own as a high school basketball player.
A Group AAA quarterfinal game against Midlothian was the Salem point guard's forum. In that contest that led to a Sun Devils' state championship a week later, Colebank's increased level of play was a big spark on the three-game run to the title.
Since then, Colebank has earned a reputation as one of the top point guards to ever play in the Beach District - a player who can take control offensively and rob you blind on defense.
In taking Salem once again to the state quarterfinals, Colebank has been selected by the district's coaches as the player of the year. She joins all-district first-teamers Charlette Fayton of Kempsville, Shannon Drury of Cox, Kelley King of Salem, and Suwanna Taylor and Rashida Rogers of Princess Anne.
Second-team members are Katie Walters of First Colonial, Christy Bryant of Bayside, Kristen Cholewa and Erin Duckett of Kempsville, and Katrina Hensley and Tamara Valentine of Tallwood.
The coaches voted Bayside's Conrad Parker as the coach of the season. Parker will continue to coach softball for the Marlins, but has decided to hang up the clipboard for basketball.
``I appreciate the award,'' Parker said, ``but I don't think it was deserved. I took on the job eight years ago for one year or until they got somebody and then promised some of the kids I'd stay with them until their senior year.''
Salem coach Larry Bowman found talking about Colebank's assets more than a little easy.
``What can I say (about her),'' he said. ``She's the Norfolk Sports Club's basketball player of the year, the girls player of the year, the coaches' player fo the year in the Beach and an All-Tidewater player of the year.
``What else is there to say.''
Plenty!
Colebank averaged 12.6 points a game this year and ``was in some way responsible for every point we put on the board,'' according to Bowman. She averaged 6.1 assists a game, 5.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals. She took a team-high 21 charges this season to go with 19 last year. She recently signed a scholarship to play for James Madison University.
During that championship run, Colebank not only made a name for herself. She left her mark in the record books with 10 assists in the championship game.
``She almost let the team become hers then,'' Bowman said. ``She's the kind of kid who can control a game. She understands everything you want her to.''
Joining Colebank is teammate King, who has signed to play for Division II Adam State in Colorado. An interesting note to King's move to Colorado is that she found the school in an attempt to stay close to her parents who are moving to the state.
Even more interesting is that Cox coach Claire LeBlanc has gotten it set up for King to use the summer getting some shooting tips from former NBA great Rick Barry while serving as a nanny to his youngest child.
``Kelley is the ultimate team player,'' Bowman said. ``If Misty is the heart of our team, Kelley is the soul.''
King averaged a team-leading 15.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.3 steals.
Fayton averaged 12.8 points in taking top-ranked Kempsville to its second-straight state semifinal appearance. Thursday, the Chiefs will face James Robinson, the team that knocked Kempsville out of the state tournament in last year's semifinals. Fayton also averaged 6.5 rebounds and 4.5 steals an outing. ``And she's still just a diamond in the rough,'' coach Greg Dunn said. ``She's still learning the game and even though she made a late committment to play college basketball, she's going to make someone a very good player.''
Drury proved herself a prolific scorer this season, finishing atop the girls leaders with more than 21 points a game.
The point guard signed in the preseason with the University of Miami.
Rogers was part of the Cavaliers best season in a long, long time - providing leadership and 13.5 points a game from her senior guard position. Taylor, a forward and the only underclassman on the first team, scored 9.7 points a game. The junior played forward for the Cavaliers. ILLUSTRATION: ALL-BEACH DISTRICT GIRLS BASKETBALL
Charlette Fayton
Kempsville senior
Shannon Drury
Cox senior
Kelley King
Salem senior
Suwanna Taylor
Princess Anne junior
Rashida Rogers
Princess Anne senior
THE MVP SALEM'S MISTY COLEBANK
1994 file photo
Colebank, who led the Sun Devils to the 1994 Group AAA title, ``was
in some way responsible for every point we put on the board,'' said
coach Larry Bowman. She recently signed to play for James Madison
University. 1994 file photo
[Roster]
[For a copy of the roster, see microfilm for this date.]
by CNB