(UN)RELIABLE SOURCES: 051

SCORING’S THE NAME OF THIS GAME

by FRANK O'DONNELL
February 10, 2008

I remember when Stephanie Coro was younger. Ten years old, maybe 11.
           
As her basketball coach, I spotted her potential right away. What she needed, though, was discipline.

“Listen, Steph,” I said, pulling her aside in a fatherly yet professional way, “you’ve got the speed, you’ve got the ball-handling skills. What you need to do is figure out a way to get the ball into the basket.”

It was one of those lightning-strike moments.

Her eyes grew wide, and you could see instantly that she got it. Dribbling’s good, but scoring is the name of this game.

We worked on it constantly. I showed her how to drive the lane, how to pass behind her back, how to put up a shot when you’re in the paint right underneath the bucket.

After three, maybe four years of constant drilling, the student surpassed the teacher. I’d taught her all I could, and passed her into the capable hands of the coaching staff at North Providence High School.

So it was with great pride that I sat next to Jo Jo D’Alessandro and Stephanie’s parents, Paula and Domenic, the other night at North Providence High School.

Stephanie was just seven points away from breaking Jo Jo’s Lady Cougars scoring record, which had stood unassailed since 1983 at 1515 career points.

“That was back before the three-point shot,” said Stephanie’s mom, trying to make her friend Jo Jo feel better.

To me, it sounded like an attempted asterisk.

“How are you feeling about this, Jo Jo?” I asked the woman whose record was about to tumble.

“It shouldn’t take too long,” said Jo Jo, “unless they double- or triple-team her.”

When number 13 was introduced, the capacity crowd erupted. Print and TV photographers were on hand. This was a big night not only for Stephanie, but also for NPHS.

“She’s a model student-athlete for us,” said principal Joe Goho. “We’re very proud of her. She’s a tribute to the entire community.”

I reminded Joe that he’d also been something of a scholar-athlete, playing basketball in his high school days. He laughed. “I got more splinters than I got points.”

I didn’t realize they’d played bare-footed back then.

At the opening tip, Stephanie’s shooting hand was shaking like a leaf in a hurricane. “Regular game, Steph, regular game,” shouted her mom.

“She’ll be fine, once it’s over,” said Jo Jo.

Within a couple of minutes, Stephanie took four shots, two from behind the three-point line. All fell short.

“Steph,” called her mom, “settle down.”

Stephanie ducked her head inside her jersey. An old focusing trick, I’m sure.

She made another three-point attempt and missed. Her hands started shaking again. “It’s all right, Steph,” shouted Jo Jo. “Just relax.”

Stephanie took a deep breath, but missed another three-pointer.

“Basics, Stephanie, basics.” I found myself willing these thoughts to her. In my head, the voice sounded like Yoda.

On her next touch, she drove the lane for a lay up. The shot missed, but she drew the foul.

With 12:15 left in the first half, Stephanie hit her first foul shot.

And away she went. She missed the second shot, but got her own rebound and connected with a lay up.

Then another foul shot, and an uncontested lay up.

Just like that, with 11:40 remaining, Stephanie had tied Jo Jo’s record.

Then a lay up with 9:03 remaining, and Stephanie had broken the record.

“Ooooh.” Paula let out a sigh of relief. “Now they can play the game.”

There was a quick ceremony. Poses and roses. And the game resumed.

When it was over, Stephanie’s career point total stood at 1544, just 31 shy of the school’s record of 1575 held by Ernie DiGregorio. With five games remaining in the season (as of last week), I’d say Ernie D is about to be unseated too.

And it’s nice that I’ll have a little piece of that new record, being the guy who showed Stephanie how to get the ball in the basket.

(In the interest of full disclosure, most of what I’ve written is true. I was at the game last week, and I did sit next to Jo Jo, but only because it was the only seat left. And I did coach Stephanie Coro. That’s the part where I’m being overly generous with myself. Truth be told, I was the third assistant on her town recreation league team. Her mom was the coach. I was the guy who kept the score book. And I couldn’t “drive the lane” if I had a bulldozer at my disposal. Oh, and I don’t have any telepathic powers, with Yoda’s voice or my own. There, I feel better now.)

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