Lady Toros Planning to Top .500 Next Year

After an 11-15 season, its best since 1984, the Cal State Dominguez Hills women’s basketball team is looking forward to finishing over .500 next year, Coach Van Girard said.

This was Girard’s second season as coach but only his first recruiting year. For the most part, he said, he is happy with the players he chose and expects them to be the nucleus of his team for the next few years.

Girard said his main goal is to improve the team and its record every year.

To do that, he said, the first position he needs to fill is center. He wouldn’t list the people he is considering to play the post for the Lady Toros but did say he has several requirements.

“The person is going to be about 6-foot-3 and a tough player who can get inside the defense,” Girard said. “She will also, hopefully, be a consistent finisher and a top-notch shooter.”

During his first recruiting year, Girard had to fill five positions. This year, after losing four seniors, he has much the same problem.

There is a difference, however. Last year Girard needed to build a bench and get strong utility play. This year he is looking for position players.

“Mainly I was just trying to get some athletes last season,” Girard said. “This year I need big people who can play the point and guard positions, as well as good shooting capabilities.”

The coach said he is learning every year, right along with the players.

The first year, Girard said, he was just trying to get a handle on the job. This year he tried to be competitive, and succeeded well enough to be named Coach of the Year by the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. Next year he’s going to try to make a dent in the CCAA.

The Lady Toros, known for their defense, allowed 62 points a game last season, the second-lowest average in the CCAA. For the second straight year, they led the conference in steals with 313.

However, their leaders in steals, Julie Scott and Bridgette Frazier, who had 43 each, have played out their eligibility. Also lost is Khyra Anderson, who was second on the team with 188 rebounds to Frazier’s 217.

Waiting to take over as team leader, Girard said, is Yvonne Vanlandingham, who won All-CCAA second-team honors in her first season. She led the Lady Toros with 272 points and also did her part on defense with 178 rebounds and 39 steals.

“Right now she is averaging 10.5 points and seven rebounds per game,” Girard said. “The only thing we need from her next year is 15 points and 10 rebounds per game.”

The only returning player with extensive playing time at the four-year level will be senior Devon Akita.

Dominguez Hills had its best start ever, 7-2, but finished 3-9 in the conference--an indication of the problems the team has to overcome.

The main problem, Girard said, was a lack of offense due to the team’s youth. During the off-season, he hopes to figure out how to change the Lady Toros’ practice routine to develop their shooting talent.

“Considering their youth and the kinds of programs that these kids came from,” Girard said, “they have done a remarkable job in developing into a team.”