Syracuse Herald-Journal, Friday, December 1, 1989

WINTER SCHOLASTIC SPORTS '89 - 90

West Genesee's Knapp devotes energy to basketball

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wish she worked that hard in soccer'

-Holly is 2l/2 years older than Kelly. Katy is \Vz years older than Kelly. Each wound up playing varsity ball with Kelly on the same team. But Kelly, who is taller than both sisters, started on the varsity team as an eighth-grader. Despite her love of basketball, soccer has played a role in her athletic life as well. Since the ninth grade, she has also played on the varsity girls' soccer team as the goalie. In fact, her goaltending helped the Wildcats to the state's semifinals But they lost a tight game to Section Five champ Penfield, 1-0, to end her soccer career. career saves. She also had 11 shutouts this season and was close to another one in the semifinal game. 'But using her basketball ability was always the top priority, Knapp said. "I just like it more," she said. "I started in fifth grade with the Camillus Optimist Club. It's fast, it's exciting." Despite her ability in soccer, her coach, Don Betz, said basketball is the best sport for her. "She's definitely better at basketball," said Betz, who coaches both girls' soccer and girls' basketball at West Genesee. "She could have been very good at soccer. In basketball, it's a completely different thing. She doesn't want to come off the court. Basketball's her love. She enjoys soccer maybe because she enjoys being a part of a good team." Knapp put her faith in basketball in writing last month when she signed a letter of intent to play basketball for Manhattan College, a Division I school in the Bronx. She eliminated such choices as Boston College, St. Bonaventure, Vermont, Massachusetts, Bucknell and Virginia Tech. "The coaches (at Manhattan) were just awesome," said Knapp "I hked it a lot." 'MANHATTAN HAS 4,000 students, and I think she didn't want to go someplace she'd get lost in," Betz added. "She just liked everything about them. The next day after her visit she came to soccer practice and said she'd made up her mind where she wanted to go." Indeed/Manhattan will allow Knapp to use her running and shooting skills, said Betz, She has made a three-pointer in 21 straight games, and that's the t> pe of game she wants to play. "She wants to be in a system where they push the ball up," he said. "Her height is tall enough for her to play (forward), but most look for her to play a two-guard (shooting guard)." With her college selection out of the way now, K^aoD can concentrate on the oreepnt live ipa^ing? her Wildcats team past a tough OHSL Noun division. If she has one goal in mind, she said, it is to defeat Liverpool. The Warriors have beaten West Genesee 10 straight times during Knapp's five varsity seasons. This year, with five returning starters, things could be different. "I just want to win the league and beat Liverpool," she said."... I think we should be really good because no one graduated last year, so we have experience." She will also enter the season riding the crest of a thrilling, one-point gold medal win in the Empire State Games last summer in Ithaca. Knapp played on a team that featured such top players as Bishop Gnmes's Nicole Woodall, who recently signed a letter of intent to play for the University of Connecticut. As far as basketball goes, Betz said Knapp is the best he's coached. Her versatility is unmatched at West Genesee. "She offers me a lot of options," said Betz., "I could actually play her at the point guard if I wanted to, or at center. And her work ethic is really good. She'll lift weights, slie'll do whatever it takes. I always told her I wish she worked that hard in soccer."

By Jacque Thomas Staff Writer ,

t was pretty surprising, said Anne Knapp, when she found out she had a basketball maniac among her four daughters. . Her third daughter, Kelly, spent endless days and nighis playing on the one rim that hung by the garage. Her two older sisters, Holly and Katy, and the neighborhood kids often would come by to play. But Kelly would outlast them all. Now, she's outlasting most OHSL basketball players, to boot. The 5-foot-10, -140-pound senior she's approaching the Section Three record for career points set by Nottingham's Felicia Legette. Legette, who went on to star at Syracuse University, scored 1,700. Knapp has 1,209. Knapp, who1 plays guard and forward for West Genesee, also averaged 9.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists a game last season. She led the league in three-point shooting in each of the two seasons it's been in effect. She had 19 treys last season and 17 as a sophomore. But what mother Anne remembers well is Kelly's near-fanatical interest in the sport at age 10. "Her desire and concentration, it was just unusual for a kid to be able to stay outside the whole day in the snow and rain and play basketball and come in and take a shower and go back out again," she said. "SHED OUTLAST EVERT kid in the neighborhood. We did not have any expectations as far as a college scholarship until she went to the camp (Cathy Rush All-Star Gamp in Pennsylvania) and then we found out really how good she could be." Kelly could only listen and smile. Kelly's love of basketball also led her sisters into the sport, said her mother. It also prompted her parents to build in their back yard the neighborhood's only full-length basketball court.

Kelly Knapp School: West Genesee. Sport/position: Basketball, guard/forward. Key numbers: 5-10.140-pound, 17-year-old senior.

Other sports: Soccer.

Hero: Michael Jordan. Sports goal: To play Division I college basketball. Career goal: Physical education teacher/coaching. Hobbies: Jogging and listening to music. Greatest sports achievement: Winning the gold in the Empire State Games for the Central basketball team (by one point over Adirondack)

Liverpool seeks 5th straight crown

By Andrew Milner

Contributing Writer For four years, there has been one OHSL North girls' basketball champion, Liverpool. Yet, as the North season begins, there is no guarantee that the Warriors will make it five in a row Even coach Frank Netti says he only "hopes" his team will be competitive, after losing six seniors. Nonetheless, North coaches predict another Liverpool championship. After winning the North League and the Section Three title for four consecutive years, Netti admits the Warriors (18-0,22-1) may see the end of their reign this year. "Last year, we had all our starters back from the 1987-88 season," Netti said. But four of them graduated last spring, including guard Jen Spafford, OHSL North Player of the Year Only forward Joetta Daughton remains from last year's five West Genesee The-Lady Wildcats (7-11 in the league, 8-12 overall) finished under 500 last year, but won four of their last five games. Coach Don Betz hopes to carry this momentum through the upcoming year. "We won the summer league, which are the same teams basically," Betz said. "We beat Rome, the second-best team in the league last year " Also, West Genesee lost no seniors. R e t u r n i n g s t a r t e r s include senior guard/forward Kelly Knapp (21.5 ppg) and senior Chris Flanagan, who led the club with IS three-point field goals. Rome Free Academy Eight players return from last year's third-place squad, (14-3, 15-5), which lost to Liverpool in the semifinals of the Section Three playoffs. Coach Tom Hoke anticipates no change in style of play from last year, and says that "my strength will lie in Lori Keys (senior forward, first-team All-League, 12 ppg) as a returner." Keys will rejoin sophomore guards Lynelle Griffiths and April Fitzpatrick. Cicero-North Syracuse The Northstars' basketball season lost its meaning for the players on Dec. 23, when 16-year-old Northstar Jennifer Cagwm died in a house fire.

Coach Cindy Moss has been heartened by the "enthusiasm" during C-NS practice this year, which she calls one of the Northstars' (8-9) greatest strengths. "They have faith in me," Moss said. H Fayetteville-Manlius After four years as coach of the Fayetteville-Manhus junior varsity
-*--'- North^poll
Ranking Team Pis 1. Liverpool 68(5) 2 West Genesee 62(2) 3 Rome Free Academy 54(1) 4. Cicero-North Syracuse 47 5. Fayetteville-Manhus 43 6. Auburn 36 7 Baldwmsville 35 8 Hennmger 29 9 Oswego 23 10. Utica Senior Academy 8 (Note. League poll results were determined by a vote of the league coaches, with coaches not allowed to vote for their own teams. First-place votes in parentheses)

girls' basketball team, Steve Miles begins his first season as coach of the varsity Lady Hornets (7-13) "We'll have a good frontcourt," Miles said. 1 varsity for four years. She'll be a good anchor to this team " Penyor rejoins senior guard Debbi Lerch, junior center Cinda Ewton and junior guard Lisa Tuttle. Auburn Coach Tony Schiavitti will emphasize outside play on his Maroons (12-6, 13-8). "Last year we had an inside-oriented offense," he said. "This year, we'll have a four-guard offense, a complete turnaround. We're going to be very small and very quick." The Maroons lost three starting seniors, but retain junior guards Carey Janis and Phredi Gnffm, who played on the gold-medal winning
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HAVING GRADUATED four starters, it could be a real scramble for Liverpool to win its fifth consecutive title.

Central team at the Empire State Games Baldwinsville Before the season has started, new coach Karen Arcaro is already impressed with the depth of the Lady Bees (13-9). "The depth of our team is our bench," Arcaro said "We've got 12 good players. We're going to surprise a few teams with our bench " Three starters graduated, including secondteam all-league guard Stacey Dugar. Returning players include third-team all-leaguer Celeste Clemens and honorable mention all-leaguer Chns Root, both senior guards. "We're going to be a pressing team, press and run a lot," Arcaro said Henninger WTith the loss of seven seniors who were instrumental in last year's 14-4 league record, Henninger coach Dennis Bardenett says that the upcoming season will be "more of a struggle." However, he quickly adds that "we'll rally near the end " Bardenett plans to bring up seven or eight JV players to join such returning upperclassmen as point guard Noelle DeLuca and center Jackie Curie. Oswego First-year coach Ron Ahart is hopeful about the Bucs (1-17,1-19). "There's lots of youth in the program. There's real enthusiasm," said Ahart, a veteran coach of the Oswego modified boys' program. Returning starters include senior forward Dennell Downum (an honorable mention all-leaguer), senior center Becky Bernys and junior guard Gretchen VanAlstyne. As opposed to last season's style of play, Ahart expects to press and run much more. Utica After a discouraging 1988-89 season (2-18), new Raiders coach Heidi Hazen sees efficiency as a way to win. "Our strength lies in ballhandling," Hazen said. "We're a young team, and we're pretty quick. We're in a position to run a lot, so we'll do a lot of man-to-man defense " Returning players include forwards Shawntay Thompson, Celesta Allen and Erica Pearson, junior guard Jane Arrmgton and forwards Rochelle Williams and Sara Hobicia

The winner? Team that handles graduation losses best

By Andrew Milner Contributing Writer One common thread running through almost all the teams in this year's girls' Tn-Valley season is the loss of players who graduated. New Hartford, picked by a majority of coaches to win the 1989-90 Tri-Valley campaign, lost six seniors from last year. Other teams that lost a number of seniors were Canastota, which lost five, and Vernon-Verona-Sherill, which lost four. How these teams will try to replace their losses will be the major story in the league this year. New Hartford First-year coach Scott Briggs expects a quick new Spartans team (10-6 in league play, 15-7 overall). "We're going to be very fast... we're going to be up-tempo because we have a lot of speed," Briggs said. Returmg from last season are seniors Domta Barnes (all-league honorable mention), Kris DeAngelo and Pamela Durr. Cinaitota After an impressive year, the Red Raiders (19-2) lost five seniors to graduation. "I'm still looking for us to do very w?\]" roarh Mark Smith said The losses included Tn-Vauey Mvjr' center Baro Stanton. Taking up the slack this year will be senior guards Tammy Seagnff and Tricia Muzacchio. "The experience we get from our seniors will mean a lot," Smith said. One new face on the squad is Kelly Ladd, an eighth-grader who will play forward Smith said, "She played in the summer league, and she can play varsity." Holland Patent After losing senior Kathleen Murtaugh, a first-team all-leaguer who averaged 23 points a game last year, the biggest problem the Tn-Valley League champion Golden Knights (15-1, 19-3) will face, according to coach Barb Felice, will be "trying to fill her shoes." Felice said, "We're going to be competitive" in 1989, with junior guard Diane Hobin, a first-team all-leaguer (14 points, six assists, five steals a game), leading the way. eight returning players, including senior forward Moira Dunn, a member of the Tri-Valley second team, sophomore forward Heather Morschauser, and "I think we'll play very good defense, but we won't get too many rebounds. We'll find other ways to get the ball," Kinsella said. "We'll be aggressive and quick." Returning players include senior Tri-Valley poll guards Michelle Navin, who led the team in assists last year, Melissa Wilson and Ranking Team Pts Jennifer Beach, who led the team in 1 New Hartford 59(6) three-pointers. Vernon-Verona-Sherrill With only2 Canastota 52(2) one starter remaining from last year's 3 Holland Patent 46 squad, Red Devils coach Don Vrooman 4 Utica Notre Dame 44 calls this season's team "very young and 5. Chiltenangg 35(1) inexperienced. 6 Vernon-Verona-Sherrill 23 "There will be a little more quickness 7. Clinton 22 than we've had in the past," Vrooman added, "and our shooting will be better 8. Camden 21 than last year. It's a new group and 9. Oneida 18 we're learning." (Note: League poll results were deterThe lone returning starter is senior mined by a vote of the league coaches, forward-center Lisa Van Dreason. with coaches not allowed to voe for their Clinton After a discouraging 1988own teams. First-place votes In parenthe89 season (4-12,6-14) and the loss of four ses) seniors, coach Andy Bankert hopes that success in 1989 comes through returning players. senior center Donna Kaffka. "We'll be more experienced; though Chittmango In his second year at the helm of the Lady Bears (9-7, 9-11), we had four seniors last year, the other coach Dan Kmsella says that this year's six played a lot," Bankert said. "I think Chiltenango squad will be smaller and that our scoring will be more balanced." Bankert also anticipates a different quicker. Celeste Warner, a 5-foot-9 forward- style of offense.
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Utica Notre Own* Lady Jugglers coach Edward Hobbes places both speed and experience as two reasons why the Lady Jugglers (10-6,12-7) should make a run at the Tn-Valley title. "We'll try different defenses, run all over the floor, and try to create the turnovers," Hobbes said. "We'll run, run, run." v /me losing mree 01 iasi year s piay- g-c.u ^ _~-.;-..., .*. ; ers to graduation, Notre Dame still has the team of height

we'll get the ball inside more and score." Sophomore guard Kathryn Sanders, who averaged five rebounds a game last season, is the only returning starter. Camden Coach Mary Ann O'Connor expects depth to help the Blue Devils (0-16,1-19) do better in 1989. "I have a bench this year," said O'Connor, in her fourth year as coach. "Out of my 12 players, seven played last year." Returners include senior center Katie Comms (eight points, 2.2 blocked shots a game) and senior guard Carla Couture (five points, 1.7 steals per game). "We have more height than last year. We're going to work-the ball inside more," the coach said. Oneida Though only in his second year as Indians girls' basketball coach, Mark Turnpenny is already familiar with many of the Indians' newcomers he was at the helm of Oneida junior high basketball for several years. Turnpenny contends that this-year's team "will be younger, taller and quicker." Leading the attack will be senior guard Chris Gilliland, an honorable mention all-leaguer and Oneida's leading free throw and three-point shooter. "She's being recruited pretty heavily," Turnpenny said. Gilliland will be accompanied by senior
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last year," Bankert said. "Hopefully, Carla Endemann.