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February 11, 2000

The beginning of this season was difficult for the Lady Marlins. Team focus was disturbed by rumors of losing their home court, due to the renovation plans which included a new gym. Seven games into the season, the team received word that the Cunningham Gym would remain their home court for the remainder of the year.

"We are grateful that President Greer and Dean Buckingham recognized the importance of having home court advantage," said Coach Joanne Renn. Home court advantage has been of great significance for the Lady Marlins, as they are an impressive 7-2 at home.

"Having Cunningham Gym has made a huge impact on our team this season because we have had great fan support," said sophomore Meagan DiCave. With a rough start at 2-5, the Lady Marlins have managed to turn things around by winning the last eight out of nine games, leaving them with a 10-7 overall record. Good team chemistry, confidence and pride have given the Marlins a new outlook for the remaining seven games.

"Staying together as a team has built our confidence," said junior Erin Duckett. Each of the 16 players on the roster has an important role for the team. The team philosophy this year in very team oriented, and team unity has recently paid off, sparing a mid-season charge.

"Our attitude before each game has changed, our confidence level rose," said junior Nancy Mattox. Currently, the Lady Marlins lead the conference on offensive rebounding, steals and three points made. All these factors, and good team spirit, have contributed to their success. The Lady Marlins have chosen a good time to catch fire since there are only seven remaining regular season games. Three of the seven will be at home and six will be ODAC competition.

"We control our own destiny," said DiCave. Team focus and execution now become important if the team wishes to make a run for the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. The next home game for the Lady Marlins will be on Monday, February 14 against ODAC rival Washington and Lee University.

Men's b-ball picks up the pace

By JASON GREGORY

At the beginning of the season, the Men's Basketball Team was picked to finish second in the ODAC; however, after winning their season opener, the Marlins went downhill, losing six straight games. "We had seven straight road games," said junior Osman Bangura. "It was really rough on our team to play that many games away." Currently, with the delay of construction on the new facility, Cunningham Gymnasium will continue to house the Marlins for at least one last season. The Marlins have a record of 6-2 on their home court, including upsets over Roanoke College (77-60), Randolph Macon College (68-64) and Bridgewater (78-72).

"We needed those wins bad," said Bangura. "They gave us the confidence we needed to get back into the swing of things." As of February 1, the Marlins stood fifth in the ODAC with a record of 7-7 and an overall record of 9-10. The Marlins are led by seniors Ron Yuhasz and Tim Petrillo who both are averaging around 19 points per game. Their supporting cast is among the best in the conference, which concludes James Wallace, Osman Bangura, Josh Fisher and Nathan Hale.

"We have several good shooters on our team," said senior Tim Petrillo. "We need them to get confident and shoot the ball more when Ron and I have an off night. I think that's the key to the rest of our season, to get everyone involved early in the game." Petrillo and Bangura both credit the turnaround of the team to a stinger defense in the second half of the games. The Marlins had been giving up an average of 41 points in the second half. However, the Marlins held Randolph Macon to 28 in their upset win over the Yellow Jackets. "We can not give up 40 points in the second half and expect to win consistently," said Petrillo. "We have to step up and play some tough defense. That is one of our main goals."

New to the lineup is Carl Lentz. Lentz is a transfer from North Carolina State and has been an instant impact to the success of the team. "Carl is a real intense player who gives one hundred percent all of the time," said Petrillo. "He has been an asset to our team since his arrival." The team's long term goal at the beginning of the season was to win the ODAC tournament. This goal remains attainable for the hardworking Marlins. "We still believe we can play with the best," said Bangura. "We are just playing one game at a time and trying to focus on the task at hand." The Marlins squandered leads against Hampden Sydney, who was ranked number one in the nation and Christopher Newport who was ranked fourth.

"We have the ability to play and beat the big teams," said Petrillo. "If we do that we will win the majority of our games." The Marlins feel they are playing their best basketball, as their regular season comes to an end. "If we can continue to improve at our current rate, we will be tough come tournament time,"said Bangura."I am really excited about our chances." The Marlins have their last home game on Monday, February 14. The ODAC Tournament begins on February 18.

For many athletes at VWC, sports have been a vital force of existence. Many of us sprint through high school at a pace that sanctifies the hope of being a college athlete. Yet, for a few of these athletes, the path has taken a different turn. Five of VWC's student-athletes have spread their wings out into the Tidewater community and scooped up a different kind of game--coaching.

A Squad of Her Own

Senior Julie Ecker can be found parading around the courts of the Marlins' gymnasium, shouting cheers for a three-point swish. But Ecker carries her pompons a little further than the rest of the squad; Ecker has spent the spent the past five months at Norfolk Collegiate as the Varsity Cheerleading Coach. While the experience seemed at first to frighten Ecker, she quickly established a good rapport with the high school squad. She reflects that "I've taught them a lot, but I've also learned a lot from them, even though I am only a few years older than them." This is Ecker's first time coaching at this level, but she's loved every minute of it. Witness it for yourself; Ecker will be there with bells . . . uh, I mean . . . pompoms . . . on, cheering on a squad of her own.

Here's One for You, Coach

Junior Ryan Eltringham is a veteran of coaching. During high school, he spent two years coaching youth football. In college, his love for lacrosse drove him to check out an open coaching position at Norfolk Collegiate. Now he is able to pass his knowledge onto the eager, growing athletes of both his middle school and varsity teams. When asked what his most gratifying moment was, Eltrinham responded "my first win." Typical, right? I thought so, too, but only until he explained further that the real glory came the next day at practice when his next day at practice when his middle school team showed up with Eltringham;s very own lacrosse ball, signed by every member of the team, in honor of his first win.

Youthful Spunk

Youthful spunk would be the best way to describe sophomore, Chris Harris. Norfolk Collegiate has scored again this catch. What makes Harris' coaching job so challenging is working with a bunch of kids who are exactly what he used to be. For Harris, however, coaching seventh-grade boys has struck a personal note; living vicariously has not proven to be enough for this coach, anymore. The Basketball blurbs and unbounded, energized talent of these 3 year-olds has seized Harris' lethargy and prompted him to start playing again himself. In fact, Harris plans to continue coaching throughout his life, in high school or even in college.

A Pawn to a Player

We all know him, we've all heard of him. He's Spencer, you know, that resonating voice from behind the microphone at all the basketball or lacrosse games. If you think he's good at that, then head out this Saturday to Norfolk Collegiate's basketball court and see Coach Spencer Baird in action with his eighth-graders. You probably won't be able to tell that Baird was a bit skeptical about taking this job at first. In fact, Baird admits that he didn't even appreciate kids before; now he would do anything for the boys on his team. When asked about the difference between playing a sport and coaching a sport, Baird explained "I went from being the pawn to a player." And a player he certainly is, only now he's in control of the game. "I always tell the kids that we can't control the wind, but we can adjust the sails."

A Tough Loss, A Greater Gain

Senior year for many is filled with emotions of anxiety and sadness. For Education majors like Chryse Ciresi, though, senior year can represent a lot of drawbacks. Being a teaching assistant can consume any college student, let alone one whose life has revolved around attending meetings, giving campus tours and an occasional lunch with friends. When Ciresi became aware of the fact that she would have to give up her last season of field hockey in order to student teach, it was at the very least a tough loss. However, after establishing herself within the Landstowne Middle School community, Ciresi jumped at the opportunity to coach the sixth graders in field hockey. Though doing this has reminded Chryse that with sports, you can't assume anything, she hasn't looked back. Ciresi's personal grievances over her playing career have humbled by the simpler aspects of field hockey. It's then, when she watches her girls come off the field, that she recognizes the greater gain.