Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week - Kristin McCoy: Shouldering the

load

Barry Faulkner

During a trying senior season, Kristin McCoy has overcome twisted

ankles and a bruised kidney to lead Corona del Mar High into the CIF

Southern Section Division III-AA playoffs, which open tonight at home

against Ganesha.

But, considering how she’s virtually carried her girls basketball team

the last two seasons, it’s her shoulders that might benefit most from a

postseason rest.

“She does everything for us,” CdM Coach Elbert Davis said of the

5-foot-7 standout, whose value to the program was clearly illustrated in

a pivotal Pacific Coast League stretch run.

Last year’s Newport-Mesa District Player of the Year, who also earned

second-team All-CIF Division III laurels for leading the Sea Kings to a

22-6 record and a PCL title, put aside the pain from her second severe

ankle sprain of the season to key victories over Estancia and Costa Mesa.

The latter, a 46-36 triumph in Thursday’s PCL finale, featured a a

season-high 26 points, 18 of which came in the second half to help CdM

rally from a 22-14 halftime deficit to move into a tie for second place.

She hit 5 of 9 field-goal attempts, netted 14 of 17 free throws and

added 10 rebounds against Mesa.

McCoy scored 17 in the Feb. 1 win at Estancia, and also posted 14

points, eight rebounds, four steals and two assists in a hard-fought PCL

loss to University Feb. 6.

For her efforts, she is the Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week.

“I call her the Larry Bird of girls basketball, because she can do it

all,” Davis said. “And, mentally, she’s at a different level than any

player I’ve ever had.”

McCoy’s mental focus and competitive fire belie the calm, almost

indifferent, exterior she exudes on the court. Though frequently forced

to endure frustrating mistakes by her teammates, the often physically

punishing attention of opposing defenses, and the constant pressure to

perform, McCoy’s facial expressions convey all the urgency of an

afternoon nap.

“You have to relax out there, so I try to stay pretty relaxed,” McCoy

said. “If you’re too nervous, it only makes it that much more difficult.”

Davis said he has faced some difficulty getting McCoy to provide the

leadership befitting the team’s high-profile role model. But, as the

stakes have increased this season, she has responded in kind.

“When the game’s on the line, she can fire it up,” Davis said. “She’s

not a rah-rah player on the court and she’s not an in-your-face leader.

But she instructs the team. Before the Costa Mesa game, I told her the

team was riding on her, and she did the things she needed to do.”

McCoy acknowledges barking orders is not in her nature. But, she said

she has learned how to get her teammates’ attention.

“When I get a certain tone in my voice, they know I’m serious,” she

said. “I think missing some games this year and just seeing the worried

looks of my teammates when I take a hard fall on the court, has helped me

realize how much they do need me out there.”

What she provides, offensively, is a knack for inside scoring, even

against taller opponents, a deft mid-range shooting touch, and even the

occasional three-pointer.

Defensively, her anticipation helps her overcome a lack of explosive

quickness and her competitiveness helps her thrive in the physical play

that pervades in the paint.

McCoy’s unselfishness is also a weapon the Sea Kings use to their

advantage.

“Usually, I try to get all my teammates involved in the first half,”

McCoy said. “Then, if we need it, I try to take over a little more in the

second half. Usually this keeps teams from making defensive adjustments

at halftime.”

McCoy, averaging 14.6 points and 8.8 rebounds, could, most agree, find

a collegiate home in a Division II, Division III or NAIA program. But,

her desire to attend a Division I four-year school means her playing days

will end along with the Sea Kings’ playoff run.

Also a varsity veteran in golf and swimming, McCoy said she will miss

basketball very much. But it’s likely the Sea Kings, beginning next

season, will miss her even more.