Although the Gavilan women’s basketball program has just six
players, five of which went to San Benito High, the Rams were able
to put together a six-game win streak earlier in the season.
It is rare to have a team represented like Gavilan is from a
single school. First-year coach Michael Girardi said he wasn’t able
to recruit like he would have liked because of the late hiring. But
he said he hopes to have some players from Live Oak and Gilroy next
year as well.
Although the Gavilan women’s basketball program has just six players, five of which went to San Benito High, the Rams were able to put together a six-game win streak earlier in the season.
It is rare to have a team represented like Gavilan is from a single school. First-year coach Michael Girardi said he wasn’t able to recruit like he would have liked because of the late hiring. But he said he hopes to have some players from Live Oak and Gilroy next year as well.
“It just worked out that way,” Girardi said. “When I got the job, I ran up a big phone bill calling several different girls from San Jose, Morgan Hill, Gilroy and Monterey. That late, a lot of them had already decided where they wanted to go.”
Girardi consulted San Benito High coach Tom Dean and Carl Donley, sophomore Nicole’s father, for player recommendations. As a result, several former Haybalers joined the team.
“Even though we have six players, it doesn’t seem like we have only six because of the effort they give out,” Girardi said. “They all play hard, so it hasn’t been a problem.”
Off the court, the team keeps high academic standards. The average GPA from the fall semester was 3.56 out of a 4.0 scale, Girardi said. Cynthia Pinto, a Livingston High grad, has helped bring the team together with her quickness at the guard position.
“They are great kids and good students,” Girardi said. “They’ve made it fun for me to come to work every day. They have their unique personalities, but they all have strong work ethics and come from solid families. “We haven’t even come close to having one disciplinary problem. They’re all real responsible.”
The Rams (11-8 overall and 3-4 in conference) are on a two-game winning streak in the conference after defeating visiting Chabot 42-39 Wednesday.
The Rams started the season with seven players. One of the players came to Gavilan from a four-year school. But she decided to focus on her major elsewhere during the spring semester.
The players haven’t fouled out much this year, and the Rams haven’t had to play shorthanded as a result of fouls, Girardi said.
One of the games in the six-game winning streak included a win over conference rival Hartnell in Salinas. Girardi called it the defining moment of the season.
“We had seen Hartnell in a tournament,” Girardi said. “They had some good high school players. There was some concern going against a team that could play. We couldn’t foul out or get in foul trouble.”
In the first half, Gavilan was down by nine points, and Hartnell was pressing, subbing players in and out.
“The girls dug in and decided they weren’t going to give up,” Girardi said. “To me that showed the heart that they have. They could have folded with five players.”
Donley is the one returning player from last year and captain of the team.
“In all my years of playing and coaching, I have never been around a team with a leader like her,” Girardi said. “When we are down, she picks us up. A lot of it is natural – she doesn’t know she is doing it sometimes. She is like a coach on the floor – knowing where players play. She has the instinct, which is tough to teach.”
Donley can shoot from outside, but she also has a good jump shot. She can handle the ball and can give teams fits on defense with her hustle and intensity.
Donley, who hopes to get into the real estate business, rides horses in her spare time. She credits her leadership to knowing how her teammates play and think.
“I’ve played with all four girls before,” Donley said. “We’re all real close, and we work well together. It is easy to read everyone. We all depend on each other.”
Donley said sometimes it can be draining playing all 40 minutes of the game like the guards often do.
Sabrina Murphy, the other sophomore on the team, is planning on attending San Jose State next year and hopes to play basketball there. She may have the best moves on the team. Murphy scores a lot of her baskets by creating for herself.
“She is just nonstop hustle,” Girardi said. “She is always sprinting down the court even at the end of the game. In our half-court motion offense, her cut is always the first cut which gets us started. She always moves without the ball really well.”
Murphy credits a big part of her success to her summer workouts.
“I still got a lot of work to do,” Murphy said. “There are a lot of little things that I need to work on to play on the next level.”
Murphy said she enjoyed playing for the Rams more than any other team she has played on before, even the Menlo College team she was with last year.
“I love this team,” Murphy said. “Gavilan is for real. We don’t get enough credit. I’m just enjoying being a part of it. It all comes from the heart. Any one of the guards is capable of scoring 20 points per game.”
Jenn Tremblay, who plays in the post for the Rams, is a player who is always setting screens and creating for other players to score. However, she can drive to the basket and score when needed. She is the Rams’ leading rebounder.
“She moves well, and she has a good turn-around jump shot,” Girardi said. “She creates problems for the other team when she steps out to the free-throw line, catches it and drives or shoots the jump shot.”
Carolyn Beatty and Lacey Byers joined the basketball team late in October after not playing varsity ball because of injuries. But each has been a solid contributor.
“They have been great,” Girardi said. “They give it their all and have helped us with rebounding. They are running the floor and hustling all the time. They’ve really picked it. Because they are good people, they fit right in, and the girls accepted them right away.”
Beatty missed almost a month of the season with a stress fracture in her foot.
“She couldn’t go for very long in the first couple games when she came back in mid-January,” Girardi said. “She does all the things that don’t show up in the stats like saving a loose ball.”
But even with her out, the Rams still managed to put together a six-game win streak despite playing with five players.
“It has been a lot of fun,” Beatty said. “Everyone brings everything to the table every game.”
