Athlete of the Week: Kristin McCoy

Tony Altobelli

One thing that Corona del Mar High junior Kristin McCoy learned

during last year’s girls basketball season: Play each game like it’s your

last.

That lesson was harshly taught to McCoy early in her sophomore year as

she went down with an ankle injury.

“I tore five ankle ligaments and was out for quite a while,” McCoy said.

“It was so hard just sitting on the bench watching everyone else play.”

Despite missing a major chunk of the season, McCoy finished the year

strong, averaging over 13 points a game and was named to the second-team,

All-Pacific Coast League team last year.

Now that she’s healthy again, the CdM forward has been all over the court

for the Sea Kings, especially during the Mission Viejo Tournament last

week.

In that four-game span, McCoy averaged 19 points and 12 rebounds, helping

CdM win three of the four games on the way to third place in the

tournament.

Included in those stats is a 25-point, 16-rebound performance against

Bonita Vista and a 27-point, 10-rebound game against Sonora.

“Scoring is nice, but that isn’t my main thing out there,” McCoy said.

“One way for me to help the team is with rebounding. You can work hard at

stopping the other team, but if you don’t rebound, you can’t control the

game.”

As a reward for her hard work, McCoy was named to the all-tournament team

as the lone CdM representative.

“We’ve been trying to play with more enthusiasm and more intensity,”

McCoy said. “After last year, I’ve learned to never take anything for

granted and to give it all I got each game.”

Coach Elbert Davis sees that intensity in her game and it shows in her

numbers.

“Kristin does play each game like it’s her last,” Davis said. “She does

the dirty work that maybe some top players wouldn’t normally do. What she

may lack in exceptional skills, she makes up with work ethic and court

smarts.”

Davis is not surprised to see the high numbers despite such limited time

last year.

“I knew what she was capable of doing on the basketball court,” Davis

said. “Last year was very unfortunate, but she’s a very intelligent

player who has the ability to score inside or outside. She is not afraid

to do the little things to help the team win, whether it’s rebounding or

passing or whatever.”

Her strong play has led McCoy into a leadership role on the team, despite

only being a junior.

“She definitely believes in her ability and that of the team,” Davis

said. “I would like to see her be more of a vocal leader on the court.

Hopefully that will continue to grow.”

Not just a strong hoops player, McCoy also competes on CdM’s golf and

swim teams.

“It sounds funny, but there’s a strong sense of teamwork in both golf and

basketball,” McCoy said. “We were on the verge of winning the league

title and we were all watching and pulling for our teammate on the 18th

green. You can’t do it alone in either sport.”

Basketball is in McCoy’s blood. Her dad, who coached her first-ever team,

played some ball in his day and Kristin has had the opportunity to play

at CdM with two of her sisters.

“I played with my older sister, Stephanie, last year,” McCoy said. “And

this year, I get to team up with my younger sister, Jackie. It’s been a

blast playing with them. We have some fun sister battles, but our goals

are to make each other play better each game.”

McCoy definitely knows Davis’ expectations of her and the team. “I expect

her to play at a high level and you can tell by the way she plays that

she is aware of that,” Davis said.

Despite last year’s less-than-stellar record in the PCL, McCoy believes

that this will be a different season for the Sea Kings.

“Coach Davis has really taught me to come ready to play every game,”

McCoy said. “We have the players and more importantly, we believe that we

can do it. I’m going to do all I can for the team and after high school,

hopefully move on to bigger and better things.”