Sweet Moves : North Hollywood Junior Embellishes Game With Variety of Improvisational Twists

Jacinda Sweet of North Hollywood High may not become a prolific scorer such as Cheryl Miller, the former USC star who played at Riverside Poly High. Nor does she pull down rebounds with one hand like Terri Mann did for Pt. Loma High. But Sweet has pioneered a few improvisational twists of her own--moves rarely seen in girls’ high school basketball.

Like a ballerina dancing on pointe, Sweet does 360 degree spins and majestically leaps in the air.

Alemany Coach Melissa Melton gave a rave review after watching Sweet perform a tours jete in her season premiere.

“You wouldn’t believe it,” Melton said. “She takes two dribbles to the right, does a reverse spin and shoots a jump shot to her left.

A Sweet move, indeed. And one of many.

“Most girls’ basketball players make it a federal project to get the ball across midcourt,” said North Hollywood Coach Rich Allen, who calls his 5-foot-8 junior forward by her nickname Ji Ji. “When Ji Ji gets a rebound, I tell her not to throw the outlet pass. She blows by people and makes easy layups.

“The only thing she can’t do is dunk.”

So talented is Sweet that sometimes, well, she just can’t control herself. Last season, she rifled more than her share of passes past startled teammates and into the stands.

“Since we don’t have a structured offense, I’m allowed to be creative,” Sweet said. “When I find an opening, I run off with the ball and do what I want to do.”

Allen doesn’t seem to mind an occasional Sweet turnover. If you want an audience, he says, then you have to be entertaining. Sweet, who averaged 14.5 points and eight rebounds a game, certainly aides the cause. However, it appears North Hollywood fans have become too familiar with her act.

“We hear more of a crowd reaction on the road,” Allen said. “We constantly hear ooh’s and ah’s. I have trouble watching. Half the time, I close my eyes and wait until I get home to see her on video.”

Allen almost didn’t get to see Sweet perform at all. Sweet attends classes in the North Hollywood magnet program located at the L. A. Zoo. Because she was unable to take a sixth-period basketball class at North Hollywood, Sweet missed preseason practice.

It was Steve Miller, North Hollywood’s boys’ coach, who urged Allen to give Sweet a special tryout.

“I remember Steve saying if I didn’t give her tryout, he would let her play on the boys’ team,” Allen said.

Although Sweet gives the Huskies one of the top girls’ players in the City Section, North Hollywood still may be a year away from being a true contender in the 4-A Division.

Allen said his team could use more height and he’s anxiously waiting for ninth-grader Tricia Crosby, a 6-2 center, to graduate from Walter Reed Junior High.

In the interim, Allen is happy having Sweet and sophomore point guard Suzi Shimoyama, a transfer from Louisville. Shimoyama can move the ball against the best pressure defense.

Anna Giles (5-11) will play high post during the rare time the Huskies play a set-up offense.

Junior Janet Karimoto, and sophomores Martha Mejia (5-4), Michelle Oliver (5-5) will rotate at guard.

A look at other top teams in the Valley area:

* Palmdale--Winner of the California Basketball Tournament and a finalist in the 32-team United Resources Tournament, Palmdale became the talk of the summer-league circuit.

California Basketball Magazine ranked the Falcons, last year’s Golden League champions, the 16th best team in the state.

Senior Karee Bonde, a 5-9 guard, averaged 16.5 points a game to earn All-Southern Section honors and MVP of the Golden League. Her outside shooting forces defenses out of zone coverage.

Tonya Blair, a senior forward and another returning all-league performer, will be out two weeks with an injured left knee. Blair averaged 14 points a game.

Kim Schiekle, a 5-9 point guard, participated in the prestigious Blue-Star Camp and is considered one of the top freshman players in the area.

Returning starter Nicole Copeland, a 5-10 center, and junior Jackie Hearne, a 5-9 forward, help make the Falcons one of the area’s tallest teams.

* Channel Islands--Four players have transferred, but Coach Ryle Lynch-Cole said his team remains strong.

“It means that someone else gets a chance to play,” Cole said. “I rarely say this, but I think we’ll win the Marmonte League this season.”

With Sal Tauau, a 6-foot junior center, in his lineup, it’s easy for Cole to sound confident. Tauau (18 points and nine rebounds) is hard to stop inside the key. Blanca Rodriguez, a 5-2 sophomore point guard, is another returning starter.

Last year’s reserves--senior forwards Danielle Brooks (5-7) and Jeannette Sisson (5-11) and guard Mercedes Garre (5-4)--round out the starting lineup.

* Hart--Depth is the big question mark at Hart. Starters Sara Wilson, a 6-3 senior center, and guard Anjanette Dionne, a 5-8 point guard, are the only returning players from a team that went 26-3 and won the Southern Section 5-A title.

Wilson, who was the Times Player of the Year, averaged 17.4 points and 11 rebounds last season. A sixth-team All-American selection, Wilson has signed to play for Oregon next season.

Dionne (eight points, five assists, five steals last season) is an adept ballhandler against pressure defenses.

But the Indians had six other players that contributed to the team’s success.

First-year Coach Dave Munroe will try to replace the graduated seniors with newcomers Carol Gruhlke (6-0 forward), Heather Medearis (5-9 guard) and Cindy Courtemarsh (5-5 guard). Gruhlke and Medearis are both outstanding volleyball players and Courtemarsh is a tennis player.

* Westlake--Seven players, including four starters, return from last year’s team, which came within a win of reaching the Southern Section 4-AA semifinals.

Dani O’Byrne, a 5-8 junior, averaged 13.4 points a game and was selected second-team All-Southern Section. Her supporting cast includes 5-8 senior forward Melissa Gische and 5-7 junior Tracy Thorp. Both were second-team All-Marmonte League selections.

Lauren Goldstine, a 5-11 center, started last season as a freshman and averaged 9.7 rebounds a game. She will be backed by 5-11 senior Amanda Schwann, another varsity letterman.

Two 5-6 reserves--senior Julie Cantor and junior Tara Mays--will try to fill the vacancy at point guard left by graduating senior Kacy Salmina.

Other teams to watch:

In the City Section, All-City forward Denisha Jordan is the only remaining player from 4-A semifinalist Reseda. Still, Coach Andrea Francola gets the most out of her players. . . . If the Regents falter, league rival Van Nuys, with highly touted center Stacie Toon, could be the best Valley team in the City 4-A. . . . Kennedy returns guards Falicia Stanley and Lupe Fajarte and should extend its 117-game winning streak in league. . . . In the 3-A Division, Canoga Park should dominate with North Valley League MVP Soo Yoon, all-league guard Caryl Lee and 6-0 center Kelli McCaskill. Guard Colleen Pratt should average close to 30 points a game for Taft.

In the Southern Section, Alemany suffered two loses when 6-0 center Michelle Paul suffered a back injury in a car crash and Nichole Miller, the only returning starter, quit before practice started. Guards Qina Shigematsu, Tori McCormick, and Lara Bride have varsity experience. Newcomer Rachel Corelli adds speed off the bench to a small but quick lineup . . . Simi Valley may have trouble in the Marmonte League, but the Pioneers were a quarterfinalist in the 5-AA Division last season. The Pioneers return 6-0 forward Josie Kosanke and 5-8 forward Tammy Pacheco. But long-distance runner Lori Church (5-10 guard) may be the team’s best athlete . . . Sophomore Michele Palmisano, a 6-0 forward who comes from a basketball-playing family, single-handedly makes Thousand Oaks a contender in the Marmonte League . . . Burroughs could challenge Hart for the Foothill League title behind Wendy Bruse, a 6-0 senior center, and Jennifer Matheson, a 5-5 senior guard.