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Monday, Dec. 01, 2008

Lady Trojans getting respect, want more

For the second year in a row, the Northwestern girls basketball team showed up among those schools in the state preseason poll. The Trojans are ranked No. 6.

Second-year coach John Bramlett and his team have little concern for the ranking. They are focused on the season.

Bramlett served for more than 10 years as an assistant to boys coach Mike Gossett. Making the move to head coach wasn't that much of a stretch. Learning to coach girls was the tough part.

"Nothing negative, it is just different coaching girls than it is boys," Bramlett said. "I don't think I ever caught on to that last year."

Northwestern has already beaten No. 1 Dorman, 55-50, this year. Bramlett credits the win to his two female assistant coaches -- Danielle Cooper and Sheree Wherry.

"They are able to do the things that I don't know how to do as a male, or, cannot do as male," Bramlett admitted.

"We beat Dorman and the biggest difference was the female coaches. They have implemented some emotional things, some bonding things, that build relationships within those girls. It is very obvious when you watch film of that game that our girls have a relationship on the court."

Cooper was an assistant last year, but is more vocal this year. Wherry will speak her mind. She had a 30-minute meeting with the girls recently on how to conduct themselves as women on and off the court.

Bramlett lost four seniors to graduation last year, but has a lot of talent returning from a playoff team a year ago.

Amber Steward is a junior that will play mainly small forward but is capable of moving to the four as well. Bramlett said he needs her to be a double-double type player. She averaged 18 points a game at the JV level.

"The preseason has been great. We are working together as a team," Stewart said.

Stewart said the team is calling themselves the "Geese Squad" this year.

The idea came from a poem sent to junior guard Kelia Shelton from Kansas State University coach Deb Patterson. Kansas State is one of many big schools courting Shelton.

The poem states geese fly together in "V" formation. The goose in the front leads the formation. When the lead goose gets tired they go to the back to rest, Bramlett recited.

Coach Patterson sent the poem to Shelton and told her to do that to have a successful season.

Shelton read the poem to her team and they have adopted it for the season.

"K-State is following it. Now we are using it. We feel we fit into that category," Stewart said.

Bramlett is sold on the poem, too. He wants to enlarge it to poster size and hang it in the locker room.

Shelton is ready for another big year. She has played varsity since she was a freshman. She had to play some point guard last year, but with the arrival of Xy'resha Isom, Shelton has moved back to shooting guard. She responded by netting 31 points against Dorman.

Georgia Tech and Virginia have both flown in just to watch Shelton practice, according to Bramlett. She went to West Virginia for its Midnight Madness. But she is far from reaching a decision on college.

"She is really not into that," Bramlett said. "She is not boastful about stuff on court. She told the team that she was using basketball to get her education. She wants to get into criminal justice."

Northwestern was ranked eighth in last year's preseason poll. Bramlett said they weren't ready for that.

This year is different. Last year's seniors were all starters, yet this season's squad might well be an improved team.

"I am starting two sophomores and I have brought up a ninth-grader. Everyone says we have experience coming back, but we lost a lot," Bramlett said. "Beating Dorman will make people take note. (Dorman) used to beat us 70-12. That has come to an end."

Senior forward Bailey Shugart was pleased with her team's play against the Cavaliers.

"We played really good defense against Dorman. Everyone was talking on defense. Our communication is better this year," she said.

Shugart is the type of defender Bramlett loves.

Bramlett has put an end to the coaching merry-go-round at the school. He is bolstered by able assistants and has a legitimate D-I prospect on the roster.

The "Geese Squad" is looking good.