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Fresh start
By JOEL POILEY TAMPA PALMS -- Like a bird learning to fly, the Freedom High girls' basketball team is steadily earning its wings. No longer the timid, unsure fledglings that started the season, the first-year Patriots of coach Erin Campbell are making bold statements with their up tempo, aggressive play and could be a factor in the district tournament at Robinson Feb. 10-13. The first-year Patriots' 5-10 record (through Jan. 24) won't make opponents quiver in their Nikes. But a 3-1 record in Class 3A, District 9 is a better indication of how far they've come since not knowing each other's names when practice started in November. Only three of the nine girls on the team had high school experience, and that was on junior varsity, a far cry from the speed of play and experience required in varsity. But victories like a recent hard-fought 55-47 district triumph against Tampa Catholic are making them young veterans. "It's not the ability level of the kids, because I have been shocked day in and day out that they have so much talent and room to improve," Campbell said. "They amaze me because they are really playing varsity competition every day, and at this point in the season they are standing up against some of the strongest teams in the county.
"The TC game was huge for the kids because it went down to the end, and they performed in the stressful moments and pulled it out." That wasn't the case when the season started, with Campbell and her players getting to know each other and fitting pieces of the team together. After an opening game victory against first-year Middleton, Campbell said a turning point came in a loss to Brandon after Christmas. The Patriots lost by 15, but they remained close throughout against an established program with a long basketball pedigree. "I think it was a statement for them that they realized they can compete against these people," Campbell said. "That was a mental boost to them." Tampa Catholic coach Greg Finkel was impressed with Freedom's aggressiveness and hustle. "They know how to attack the basket," Finkel said. 'You can see they're inexperienced, but a couple of them know how to fill the passing lanes and run some patterns." Campbell, 25, moved from Sickles, where she was the junior varsity coach and a varsity assistant. She relished the opportunity to lead her own program and establish her own coaching identity. "Just starting out, I wanted a program where I did not have to fill anybody's shoes," said Campbell, a point guard who won a state championship for the Panhandle's Laurel Hill High in 1995. "I wanted to make my own rules and develop the team as I wanted." Working with one junior, three sophomores and five freshmen, Campbell and assistant Rob Northrup were prepared for the inexperience and emotional peaks and valleys of first-time players. "That's what keeps me going, is that I know in two or three or four years down the road this is going to be a whole different ball club," Campbell said.
"They've bonded and grown as a group. And they don't miss. When I call practice, they're here." Lacking height and the experience of running set plays, Campbell favors a fast-breaking, full-court pressing style that also appeals to her players. "I've tried to keep it fairly simple for them so they can learn and not get frustrated with anything," she said. "But we started with our philosophy that was to run the ball and play full-court man-to-man defense . . . When you look at a lot of the teams in the state tournament, the girls are starting to play more and more like the boys, and that's to run and press." Junior Shannon Roque, a 5-foot-6 defensive whiz in the backcourt, said that plays to the team's strength. "There's a lot of talent here," said Roque, who played on Gaither's JV the past two seasons. "We have a lot of speed. That's what helps us because we don't have much height. We try to attack." Five-foot-seven freshman guard Briana Nelson leads the team with 10 points a game, four assists and three steals. She and Roque are co-captains. Proving competitive in a four-team district that also includes Osceola and favorite Robinson, Campbell said her team has a good chance to achieve its goal of advancing to the regional quarterfinals. To do that, the Patriots have to reach the district final. The district winner and runner-up receive regional berths. "That's reasonable," said Campbell, who also played for Gulf Coast Community College, currently ranked as the top women's junior college program in the country. "We've seen them improve every day. If they keep improving between now and the district tournament I think they have a good shot at it." The Patriots play Saturday at Armwood.
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