Sailors have great expectations

Richard Dunn

With the Sea View League battle lines drawn, Newport Harbor High’s

girls basketball team can’t help but get excited about the prospects

of winning this season as four starters and eight lettermen return

for Coach Jen Thompson’s 2002-03 squad in a season beginning with

lofty expectations.

“We’re trying to build a program. So far, so good,” said Thompson,

widely celebrated on campus for merely returning for a second year,

following several years of one-year coaching wonders.

“We actually have a frosh-soph team this year. We haven’t in the

past. But now there are more girls in the program. It’s just that the

caliber of player is a lot better and I think the fact that the

word’s getting around campus. And having a coach return, that’s

always nice. That’s something everybody seems to be pretty impressed

with, because I’m the first coach (to return) in how many years?

There was a lot of transition last year. We did things (the players)

probably weren’t used to, but they worked hard at everything we did.

We only lost Evita (Castillo), but the rest of the players last year

were juniors or below. Some didn’t return, but for the most part

everyone is back from last year.”

Nine of this season’s 12 players have some varsity experience, led

by returning All-Sea View League players Jillianne Whitfield and

Athena Vasquez, while 5-foot-9 senior forward Amanda Campbell and

6-foot senior center Lindsey Woller are returning starters.

Whitfield, a 5-7 junior sharpshooter and a first-team all-league

performer last season, averaged close to 10 points per game in

2001-02, including scoring a career-high 21 in the Sailors’ 46-44 win

over Aliso Niguel, snapping Newport’s 20-game Sea View League-losing

streak.

Vasquez, a 5-5 senior point guard, was a second-team all-league

selection by the circuit’s coaches last season. She recently signed a

letter of intent to play softball at Wisconsin.

“She decided not to play field hockey (in the fall), and she’s

quite a little athlete, I guess you can say,” Thompson said of

Vasquez. “She will help all over. She’s also a good rebounder. She’s

just an all-around good player. Her position is guard, but she’ll get

in there and scrap with the big girls, too. The coaches (in other

sports) like her, too, because of that.”

Whitfield, also a standout in field hockey and track and field,

can also play the post, but will spend most of her time on the

perimeter as a two guard.

“She works hard at everything,” Thompson said of the

multidimensional Whitfield. “I think she really enjoys basketball.

She’s the first one at practice and the last one to leave. She always

wants to shoot more.”

The Tars finished 1-7 in league and 4-20 overall last season, but

they doubled their win total from the previous campaign and expect

big things this winter.

“We expect a lot out of them,” Thompson said. “The JV girls coming

in know the offense, and it’s been nice not having to start from

scratch the first couple of weeks.”

Victoria Swigart, Ally Stoltz, Tina Fulce and Vanessa Miller are

also returning lettermen for Newport Harbor, while Kristi Koon, Megan

Beeson, Tiffany Linsday and Kristi Eddington are varsity newcomers.

Linsday, a 5-7 senior, and Fulce, a 5-8 senior, will probably spell

Campbell and Woller to fill backup post positions.

“We’re just all excited to be playing,” Thompson said. “It’s their

senior year for many of them and they want to accomplish a lot --

certainly more so than in the past. (Campbell and Woller) are going

to help us with our inside game.

“We still have some work to do, but we have more depth and we have

more experience this year.”

Newport Harbor will open the season Dec. 5 at home against Back

Bay rival Corona del Mar. The Tars also play in three tournaments --

the University Tournament Dec. 7-14, the Valley Christian Tournament

Dec. 17-21 and the Las Vegas Centennial Tournament Dec. 26-28.