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She's always there
By JAMAL THALJI, Times Staff Writer NEW PORT RICHEY -- The gift was totally unexpected, and completely appropriate. Minutes after Ridgewood's 41-32 victory in Thursday's Class 4A regional quarterfinals over Lecanto, guard Joeyn Dearsman's eyes grew wide at the sight of the silver bracelet presented to her by Robert and Linda Johnson. The inscription on top read simply "Joeyn." On the bottom: "#33 & #21." Dearsman's jersey number is No. 21, and No. 33 belonged to Ashley Morrison, her friend and former teammate, who passed away Dec. 12, 2000 after a sudden illness. The bracelet has yet to leave Dearsman's wrist, which is completely appropriate, since Morrison hasn't left her friend's thoughts more than a year after her sudden passing. Dearsman likes to say that Morrison is always looking down on her, guiding her, helping her. But in turn, it is the memory of Morrison that has driven Dearsman to become one of the county's most polished, most intelligent players, and its preeminent 3-point shooter -- and not just because she plays with Morrison's No. 33 written on her right bicep. Dearsman remembers being called to the front office the morning after Morrison passed away. Morrisons' parents were there waiting for her. "The world just froze," Dearsman said. "I didn't know what I was going to do." More than a year later, Dearsman is Pasco County's all-time 3-point shooter, leading the county in treys per game (eight), a season (79 in 2001-02) and a career (153 in four varsity seasons). She scored 10 points in the playoff win over Lecanto -- all in the second half -- to help lead Ridgewood to the Rams' second postseason win in school history. The Morrisons have built a support group at the Ridgewood High community, and can always be seen at games. Linda Morrison said the family is bouyed every time they see Dearsman take the court with Ashley's No. 33 on her arm. "We're very proud ... of Joeyn willing to continue to recognize her friendship with her friend," Linda Morrison said, "and knowing that she's not going to forget her." The two met at Bayonet Point Middle School and became fast friends. Ashley was Joeyn's main confidant as her father, Herb, successfully battled cancer. They were separated briefly when Joeyn, a year older, moved on to Ridgewood High. But they were reunited Ashley's freshman year. "It was like they were never apart," Linda Morrison said. Before Morrison died, Dearsman was a steady bench sub with confidence issues. After she died, Dearsman was a different person, and a far different player. "(Her death) put everything into perspective, and I just became so driven to do better," Dearsman said. "I've never had the confidence that the other girls had. I knew I was going to be on the bench behind the seniors, but I didn't have the confidence to want to play ahead of them. "It was getting to the point where I could either fall apart and just get through the season or I was going to put everything, all my emotions and all my anger, into my game. I just decided to put everything into my game. That's when things started clicking for me." Dearsman is known primarily as a long-range shooter. Said coach Gary Zimmerman: "A lot of times, I think Joeyn only wants to sit on the 3-point line and shoot." But she can, and does, do so much more. She averages 12 points and 3.9 rebounds a game and contributes in a number of ways -- chasing a loose ball onto the floor, anticipating a key steal, taking over the point and running the team when Crystal Ayers is in foul trouble, even taking the ball to the hoop occasionally. "You find very few players who understand the game through a coach's eyes, and Joeyn is one of those players," Zimmerman said. "Not only is she a good player, but she's a student of the game. She's been involved in it for years, and not just trying to play the game, but trying to learn the game."
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