Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008
Climbing off the doormat
by Jennifer Beekman | Staff Writer
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Maryland Community Newspapers Online
The Northwood girls basketball team knows other schools look forward to playing it; opponents expect an easy win.
The Gladiators may have folded under that burden in the past, but they're intent on reversing their status as a county doormat in 2008-09. And they have the personnel to do it.
"Our goal is really to become better as an overall program that is respected in the county," second-year Gladiators coach Robert Wilson said. "A lot of schools look at Northwood and are like, ‘OK, good, we have an easy win coming up.' We want to try and change that this year. We had a glimpse of what we could do last year; we were competitive in a lot of games."
Northwood was able to score last year; it averaged 44 points per game. And the Gladiators should be able to increase that this winter. They returned six players, most of whom were major contributors.
They'll look to senior Flora Amayo, who scored 12 points a game last year, 5-foot-11 senior center Maria Bueno (5 ppg) and sophomore guard Le'Quisha Parker (9 ppg) for similar production. And Wilson said he expects a few more underclassmen to step into more prominent scoring roles.
The Gladiators' defense was their biggest detriment last season. Northwood allowed an average of 58 points per game. It has a lot of team speed to rely on to keep opponents' attacks under pressure; Parker is the defending Class 2A 200-meter dash state champion.
But basketball skills, the ability to dribble and shoot efficiently, and physical talent can only take a team so far. The intangibles are what propel teams forward.
And the Gladiators, who took a big step forward to finish the summer league season 7-2, have those this year. Last year's experience upped their basketball IQ and taught them to work as a unit.
"We have improved as a team," Wilson said. "We want that perception of us to be gone. The girls are determined to get the perception of Northwood changed as one of the top athletic programs in the county."
Location: Silver Spring
Nickname: Gladiators
Head coach: Robert Wilson, 2nd year
State classification: 2A
Last year's record: 2-17
Last regional title: None
Last state title: None
Players to watch: G/F Flora Amayo, C Maria Bueno, G Le'Quisha Parker