Valencia Welcomes McDonald’s Attitude Adjustment

It is customary for basketball coaches not only to teach athletes fundamentals, but also to build character.

Character building often takes place toward the end of practice. Coaches pull out stop watches, corral exhausted players at one end of the gym and begin the ritual of lines--timed sprints to various gymnasium landmarks.

Usually, players continue running lines until everybody makes it under the designated time limit.

For Kristen McDonald of Valencia High School, The Times’ athlete of the week, lines marked the low point of her freshman and sophomore years. McDonald, a 5-11 center, continually came in last.

“It was pretty rough,” she said. “I would wish I would get hurt because I just didn’t want to condition. I was afraid I wasn’t going to make it under that certain time and we would have to do it again.”

Her coach, Debi Woelke, remembers, “Kristen would be in tears sometimes saying, ‘I can’t do it, I can’t do it.’ ”

It got so bad McDonald thought about quitting, but decided, “that wouldn’t be right.”

She persevered through the short runs and in the long run things have turned out all right. She leads her team in scoring (18.4-point average) and rebounding (8.7). Last week, she tied her career best with 31 points in a victory over Western. She also scored a game-high 27 points Thursday in a loss to Brea-Olinda, and 19 points in a victory over La Habra Saturday. The Tigers are 13-8 overall and 4-2 in Orange League play, with their only league losses to Brea-Olinda.

The change in McDonald came after her sophomore year. “I decided I wanted to get a scholarship somewhere, and I knew I had to play really good to get it,” she said. “I just started working really hard. I concentrated on my shot more, listened to what coaches told me to do differently and did everything I could to improve.”

Being left-handed with good moves has helped her compete against bigger centers.

Said Woelke: “I really feel like she plays like a 6-2 girl when she’s inside, and people don’t respect her enough when she is outside.”

Woelke describes McDonald as the most dominant player she has coached at Valencia.

“She is one of the first in all our conditioning drills,” Woelke said. “For a big player to be first in all our conditioning drills speaks really well for her. She has matured a lot.”

TOP PERFORMERS

Sharon Crouch of Liberty Christian High School earned her sixth triple-double of the season Tuesday with 17 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists in a victory over Cal Lutheran.

Wanda Sequiera of Tustin passed for a school-record 15 assists in the Tillers’ 71-36 victory over Corona del Mar Tuesday night.

Linda Lunceford scored her 24th and 25th goals of the season in Trabuco Hills’ 2-0 victory over Orange Thursday.

KeKhi Oliver scored 5 goals for host Estancia in an 8-1 victory over Saddleback Thursday.

Melody Mayfield led all scorers with 34 points in Saddleback’s 71-59 victory over Newport Harbor Tuesday.

Kristen McDonald

Valencia High School

Position: Center

Height, Class: 5-11, Senior

Last Week: She scored 77 points in 3 games last week, including 31 points in a 66-30 victory over Western Tuesday.

Season: McDonald is the Tigers’ leading scorer, averaging 18.4 points per game. She also leads the team in rebounding (8.7).