Belmont Vision - Sports - Strayhorn makes noise early on

ISSUE: 02/28/07 > sports > strayhorn makes noise early on

Photo by Amy Kadish

Freshman Shaunda Strayhorn attempts a free throw in the Curb Event Center. Strayhorn, the starting point guard, is second on the team in scoring points per game.

Point guard Shaunda Strayhorn has already made a splash on Belmont’s campus as the leading freshman scorer (8.7 ppg) and assists leader (2.4 apg) on the Lady Bruins basketball team.

“I call Shaunda ‘Trouble’,” assistant coach Yvette Sparks said. “But she’s trouble in a good way! She’s got edge and attitude and she’s going to challenge the system, she’s going to challenge the players, she’s going to challenge the other team.”

Such an attitude has led to numerous leadership positions for Strayhorn. She was starting point guard all four of her years at Dyersburg (Tenn.) High School and was named captain her senior year. All that experience has given Strayhorn the kind of professional prowess needed to lead a college team.

Still, it’s not easy.

“It’s hard to be the leading point guard when you’re so young,” Strayhorn said. “You don’t have a lot of experience on a college team, but you’re forced to step up.”

Many freshmen have noticed a dramatic and somewhat difficult transition from playing ball on a high school level to competing on a college team.

“I used to be a starter on my high school team,” freshman Angela Roof said. “Now the competition is so much more intense and it really causes me to work harder.

“In high school you were the No. 1 player, but now you’re playing with a group of people who were all No. 1 players at their schools,” Strayhorn said.

In that position, a player has to set herself apart, and that’s what Strayhorn has tried to do at the point guard position.

“The role of the point guard is to direct the team,” sophomore post Jessica Bobbitt explained. “Shaunda has really good sight and she’s willing to take good risks. So she is able to see where everyone is and notice opportunities that other people may not see.”

It is that kind of awareness that has earned Strayhorn the reputation of “risky.”

“She takes big risks, the kinds of risks that really challenge and require everyone to be on their toes, and the kinds of risks that give our team an edge,” sophomore guard Kristin Bunch said.

“She takes a lot of chances,” sophomore forward Alyssa Clark, who just celebrated scoring her 1000th career point, said.

“Shaunda has a tenacity and enthusiasm that raises the level of play on the court,” Sparks said. “The crowd loves to watch her thread a needle with a risky pass or play and the coaches love it when they work out!”

Strayhorn, who hopes to teach and coach in the future, is a hit off the court as well.

“We’re all silly of the court, and she fits right in and always has us laughing,” Bobbitt said.

For Strayhorn, her first year with the Lady Bruins has been enjoyable, and one that has her anticipating the future.

“I love all of the girls and they make it much easier to enjoy this experience.” Strayhorn pauses and thinks. “The future? I definitely hope we make it to the NCAA!”