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Warrior gets her shot

Senior forward Renee Bellavance becomes a starter after seeing little action last season.

By BRIAN SUMERS
Published December 13, 2005

LECANTO - Renee Bellavance remembers sitting on the Seven Rivers Christian bench last season, watching four seniors and one stellar player - future Division I signee Lacey Lyons - play nearly every minute of each game.

After hardly breaking a sweat, Bellavance would head to teammate Katie Crouch's house to get her mind off the sport. The two giggled into the night watching Harry Potter movies.

Basketball was no fun, but the then-junior made the most of her time with teammates. They joked about a squad broken into the starters and the reserves.

Though she almost didn't return to the Warriors this season because of her bench-warming memories, Bellavance has evolved into a starter for coach Scott Swander, playing about 30 minutes per game. The team might be less talented, but things are more fun.

"It was a rough year," Swander said of last season. "I think I hurt some feelings. I just thought we could win state."

A year after finishing in the final eight of Class A, the Warriors may not even contend for a district title. But that doesn't bother Bellavance, who also plays softball but says basketball is her favorite sport.

Bellavance, a 5-foot-9 forward, isn't a go-to scorer, yet she dives for loose balls, grabs rebounds and plays strong defense. And after just about every contest, she leaves with floor burns.

"She gives it everything she has," Swander said. "It seems she's on her knees and crawling all the time." Bellavance, 18, has played since sixth grade, when she joined the squad at a small Christian school in Vermont. She moved to Florida before high school when her mother and stepfather decided they preferred warm weather.

At first, she was excited to leave the harsh winters and start a new life.

"I thought it was pretty cool because it was Florida - ocean, beach, palm trees," Bellavance said. "But that's not Citrus. It was a little disappointing."

Many of her Seven Rivers classmates had known each other since elementary school, but new friends - and basketball - helped her get through the lonely times.

Now, Bellavance's mom, Sharon Mudge, says her daughter isn't as shy as she once was.

In the gym, Bellavance always seems to be smiling or laughing, and it's been a long time since she said she wanted to return north. Instead, she seeks to attend college in Florida so she can remain close to family and friends.

"I don't think I could get her to go back to Vermont now," Mudge said. "I think she'll visit, but she'll never live there. She's very social."

As she became more popular, Bellavance didn't forget what it was like to be new in school.

When Crouch transferred from Ocala St.John two years ago, Bellavance reached out to her new classmate. Crouch acknowledges she didn't want to be at Seven Rivers Christian in the beginning, but Bellavance wrote her happy notes and placed them in Crouch's locker.

"She got to know me even though I was kind of grumpy," Crouch said. That same positive outlook helped Bellavance as she watched from the bench last season. She rarely complained and practiced each day even though she knew she wouldn't play.

Bellance may not have realized it, but her work ethic taught her coach a valuable lesson.

"She has the right attitude," Swander said. "Maybe I didn't have it right all the time. Sometimes as a coach, we don't know how to treat our players right."

--Brian Sumers can be reached at bsumers@sptimes.com or 564-3628.

[Last modified December 13, 2005, 01:30:24]