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Daily Journal Sports File
Salote Tafuna, who was an undersized forward for San Mateo High, will be an undersized center for Skyline this season. |
It’s a whole new season for the Skyline women — new coach, new gym, new team. For the first time in school history, the Trojans will suit up a women’s basketball team.
Brittany Lindhe, who spent two years as an assistant at University of San Francisco and three years at University of Portland, was brought in to coach the historic first year of Skyline women’s basketball.
The school will also unveil its new gym, with $8 million in renovations, at the Lady Trojans’ opener at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday when they host Cabrillo College.
“For some of them, I think that’s why they came here (to be part of a first-year program),” Lindhe said. “They have this excitement about everything.”
The Trojans hope to translate that excitement into some wins this season because they don’t necessarily have the tools to compete at the highest level, namely, height. It’s never a good thing when the coach is taller than the team. The Trojans have only one player taller than 5 foot 8 and are heavy at the guard spots.
Salote “Chop” Tafuna, a freshman out of San Mateo High, for example, will start at center Wednesday. Tafuna is listed at 5 foot 7. What she lacks in height, however, she makes up for with quickness.
“She’s very explosive,” Lindhe said, adding Tafuna has a quick jumper that she can extend out to about 15 feet.
Running the team is 5-foot-5 point guard Marie Colon, a freshman out of Mercy-San Francisco who led her high school team to the Central Coast Section Division IV finals last spring. Lindhe said she is one of those players who not only has the physical skills but the mental aspect of the game necessary to be successful.
“She sees the court very well,” Lindhe said.
Colon joins former high school teammate Liezl Valdez, a 5-foot-5 power forward. Lyanna Pillazar, a 5-foot-6 freshman out of Oceana, mans the small forward position while 5-foot-5 Jefferson product Esmeralda Lopez-Rivas round out the starting lineup.
Valdez actually returns to the game after a two year off. She played at CSM two years ago but transferred to Skyline for school last year.
“She has experience at this level most (of our players) don’t,” Lindhe said.
Shunise Criswell, a 5-foot-4 forward/guard out of Capuchino, gives the Trojans a physical presence inside.
“She’s strong, physical. She doesn’t mind pushing players around,” Lindhe said.
Lacking height and experience, the Lady Trojans needs everyone on the team to have a tough, hard-working mindset. |