THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, February 4, 1997 TAG: 9702040432
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY REA McLEROY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 118 lines
Years ago, Hough Avenue residents would tease Bernard Thompson as he put his daughters in the street with a basketball and drilled them on ball control.
But the Berkley Community Center coach would just smile. Then he'd show his daughter Juritus how to dribble between her legs, or help Tasha switch hands on the move or show Jairus a slick play.
The Thompsons were quite a sight in those days - little girls wrapped up in spending time with their dad. Bernard had a lot of love to give, but it had to go a long way. Eight kids battled for his attention. The number has grown to 10, but not much else has changed.
Now, it's AnnaLisa, Gladys and Ciara in the street.
The older Thompson trio have taken their street game to another level - Lake Taylor High, where they've turned the Titans into the No.6 ranked team in Hampton Roads and turned the heads of a number of college recruiters.
Juritus, 16, is South Hampton Roads area's leading scorer, knocking down 24.4 points a game. The 5-foot-4 junior point guard controls the Titans' offense, pulling up for 3-pointers or driving the lane with equal deftness.
Tasha, a 17-year-old junior guard, shoots less frequently but has pin-point accuracy and is the area's No. 6 scorer with 16.1 points per game.
When one of the sisters is off offensively, the other steps up. When Juritus missed Friday's game against No.2 Booker T. Washington, Tasha scored 24 points in the loss.
Sophomore Jairus, 15, is newer to the game and is learning her role with the Titans. The 5-6 guard, Tasha's double in height, is now a frequent starter.
AnnaLisa, 13, is logging time with the Titans' junior varsity. Gladys, 9, and Ciara, 6, are still a few years and inches from playing for Lake Taylor.
After practicing in the street, Tasha started the trend toward organized basketball. When she was 7, she joined a recreation league team at the Berkley Center.
``I just loved the sport,'' she said. ``My dad coached. I would always go to the center and play ball. We used to go and play every day.''
Then Juritus picked it up. Then Jairus.
``I saw the guys play and stuff, so I just started playing,'' Juritus said.
The hours of street practice and drills with Dad paid dividends.
``In the rec league, Tasha was most dominant,'' Bernard said. ``Juritus was under her, wanting to be like her sister. She had a good work ethic. You can't teach a person during a game to instantaneously and instinctively do it. Juritus had that.''
Tasha had the shot, Juritus the pure talent and Jairus the emotion to add spark to any game.
The transition from the looser style of rec ball and summer leagues to organized prep basketball offered new challenges for the girls.
``You just have to adapt to the changes,'' Juritus said. ``It's not that hard. It's all basketball.''
However, the girls still have plenty of ``street'' in their game. To the delight of Lake Taylor fans.
``You just go shoot,'' Tasha said. Bernard attends all the games, cheering his daughters from the stands. He says he tries to sit in the background. With 60 percent of the on-court Titans living under his roof, at times Bernard's enthusiasm overflows.
``When I go to a game, I just sit in a corner where I can yell for myself,'' Bernard said. ``It's an unspeakable joy. It's a proud moment.''
The Thompson trio has accounted for 71.8 percent of Lake Taylor's offense this season.
Despite the numbers, the girls are selfless, downplaying the role of sisterhood on the court.
``It's just like everything else,'' Juritus said. ``We do the same things, we have to communicate and play ball. On the court it isn't about your personal life, it's about getting the job done and playing as a team.''
The teamwork has paced the Titans to a 9-6 record and a share of second in the Eastern District standings. While the Thompsons' dreams of winning the district regular-season title are virtually unreachable, the tournament title is well within their grasp.
When a home game ends, Bernard loads Juritus, Tasha and Jairus in the car and they discuss the game on the way home. Who did what? Who could have done differently? He is not a harsh critic.
If the daughters have been on the road, he knows instantly how the game went.
``When they walk in, I know whether they won or lost,'' he said. ``There's a sadness about it. It's sad that we've put so much emphasis on winning, but there is joy in winning. But you find some aspect to appreciate.''
After all, the point in the Thompson house was never really basketball or winning games. It's learning and developing. Reaching one's potential. Translating the love of basketball into a love of fellow man. Seeing the big picture, not just the basket at the other end of the court.
Encouraging teenagers to reach their potential has been a life-long career for Bernard, a minister and coach at the Berkley Community Center. Now, he and his wife exercise it in their own household. Their oldest daughter, Natika, 22, is a dean's list student at Norfolk State University. Son Bernard, 11, plays hoops for the Cougars in the rec league and Richard, 4, is an avid drummer.
``I don't want to make like we're picture perfect,'' Bernard said. ``But I know every night where my children are. I have to know where they are because there is so much going on.''
Bernard points out the increasing drug culture and gangs as temptations today's youth, including his children, have to overcome. He offsets the threats by spending time with his children. The natural avenue was always basketball. Now, it has become a family affair.
When the cheering ends and the season is over, basketball ceases to dominate the Thompson household. There is still summer league and practices at the rec center, but the flurry of activity changes course. Once again, Bernard's game of life takes center court.
The Thompsons become just another family on Hough Avenue. Almost.
``At night, I get up and watch them and take a look at their beauty,'' Bernard said of his children. ``They are my greatest joy.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photos]
ABOVE: LAWRENCE JACKSON
The Virginian-Pilot
The Thompson clan - front: Ciara, 6, and Gladys, 9; back: Jurita,
16, mother Juanita, Tasha, 17, Annalisa, 13, father Bernard and
Jarius, 15.
BELOW: VICKI CRONIS
The Virginian-Pilot
Juritis Thompson's 24.4 points per game leads all area scorers.