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Losing's silver lining
By JAMAL THALJI, Times Staff Writer
HUDSON -- Losing may be teaching Lauren Bislick more than winning ever could. If Hudson wasn't mired in a 2-19 funk this season, Bislick might not be playing as well as she is. "We're very young," coach Penny Gressick said, "but I'm very impressed with her. I can't believe how just from last year to this year how much improvement I've seen in her game. "It's not just the production on the court. It's the intangibles." Statistically, Bislick is one of Pasco County's most accomplished players. Sure, the 6-foot senior center's numbers -- she's averaging a team-high 12.1 points per game this season -- are down slightly from last season. But she's never had to fight off constant double-teaming and sagging zone defenses to produce before this season, either. And her team-leading rebounding average of 11.4 might not be as high, either. She might not have 45 blocks this season, averaging 2.1 a game. She might not have 32 steals, tied for second on the team, either. The four-year varsity letter-winner holds school records for rebounds in a game (22 in 2001-02), career rebounds (835), blocked shots in a season (55 in 2001-02) and career blocked shots (127). But it's not just the statistics that reveal how well Bislick has weathered tough times. If she wasn't counted on to lead a young team on a nightly basis, the usually reserved Bislick might never have discovered her voice in the huddle, on the bench and during practice. Bislick might never have become the leader she is now. She might not have been able to take on the burden -- physically and mentally -- that Hudson asks her to shoulder every game. She might never have learned to break out of the low post and put the ball on the floor to create her own shot, to actually lead the fastbreak. Hey, no one wants to lose. Certainly not Bislick, her coach or her teammates. But in defeat, Bislick has proved herself in ways she might never have done in victory. "I am better under pressure," Bislick said, "and I work harder under pressure." The pressure to lead, to produce, fell on Bislick's shoulders almost immediately. Graduation, the decision of veterans to play club volleyball and the offseason transfer of point guard Jen Barrett to Ridgewood left Bislick and guard Marie Boylan as the team's sole returing veterans and seniors. But co-captain Bislick wasn't completely aware of what her new role would be. Gressick tried to tell her, but it wasn't until the season started, with four junior and two sophomore teammates new to the team, that Bislick understood her role. "(Coach) told me it was going to be tough," Bislick said. "But I didn't realize how tough. We have a lot of girls who are new and playing in positions they didn't play before, so I kind of had to lead them more. "I knew I was going to be the captain, but I didn't know that necessarily meant I'd be the leader." That's because Bislick has always let her game do her talking. "She's kind of a quiet person," Gressick said. "So I had to keep reminding her that she's the kind of person who has to lead, but she's not vocal with anything. "She's gotten better as the season has progressed. She's not real vocal, she's not real loud. But she's doing it." By accident, that is. When Bislick first started cajoling her teammates, the words just shot out of her mouth. "It just happened," she said. "It's the simple little things that we weren't doing that I would have to start talking about. At first it was things like "Let's go!' and "Let's hustle!' and then it went from there. "I thought they wouldn't like it, but they don't mind. They respect me." And Bislick in turn respects them. If it wasn't for her teammates' work ethic, their perseverance through 19 losses, the senior isn't sure she would have the kind of season she is. "I'm just happy that we're working so hard," Bislick said. "They keep me up, they really do. There are times when we're playing and just the little mistakes take me down, but they keep me up."
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