Despite her team beginning the 2007-2008 season with a 1-4 record, Indian River varsity girls basketball coach Summer Chorman is optimistic about their chances to improve as the season progresses.
She has a nucleus of four seniors with ample experience playing varsity basketball, including Michelle Givans, Jasmine Holden, Charne Rayne and Sam Pietryk. And, beyond that, she mentioned that her team – despite their record at the moment – is playing better basketball.
“We’re definitely playing better as a team this year,” Chorman said. “We’re playing tougher, thinking better and actually have been rebounding really well so far.”
In addition to Givans and Holden, both of whom play forward, Chorman also credited second-year varsity player Brandi Buchanan for an increased presence on the boards.
“Brandi has come in more as a force this year,” she said.
Chorman mentioned that, this year, her players are playing with a new attitude.
“I think they’ve come out more hungry this year,” she said. “Many of them have been playing together for three to four years now, so they’re not inexperienced.”
Chorman said she found it difficult to blame her players for their loss against Seaford on Dec. 11, in part because of the number of injuries they sustained made it difficult for them to keep pace in a 61-38 loss.
“We had some girls that were injured, so I had to use subs; and that limits what you can do to come back when you’re down by a significant margin,” she said.
Injuries compounded the problem Indian River had keeping pace with Seaford’s high-powered offense. Three Seaford players accounted for 48 of their 61 points, each scoring double digits. That’s compared to Indian River’s Marnisha Mitchell, who finished with a team-high 14 points.
On Dec. 7, the Lady Indians scrapped their way back from a 10-point deficit against Lake Forest and almost upset the Lady Spartans in an eventual 43-42 loss.
Indian River will play at home against Nandua on Dec. 18 at 7 p.m.