New Coach Helps Troy Girls Stop On-Court Comedy Act

It was a reasonable request, a suggestion posed ever-so-politely by a coach to his team.

“Now listen, girls,” first-year Coach Brad Sand said before his Troy High basketball team took the court against Orange Monday.

“No stupid dribbles tonight, OK?”

They shook their heads in unison. No, they wouldn’t stand for stupid dribbles. Not tonight. No way. Tonight was their official home opener and--unbelievable as it was--there were people in the stands. People--fans, even--had actually come to watch the Troy girls’ basketball team play.

A year ago, they were lucky to get their parents in the gym. Of course, they were probably better off. Who’d want to watch a team that won one game all season? With players who didn’t know the difference between a post and a pivot?

Last year was comedy. It must have been--all the players smile about it when asked. What better way to treat a 1-16 season than with a good chuckle? Anyway, it wasn’t as if they were letting anyone down. No one expected much. This wasn’t Brea-Olinda. This wasn’t La Habra. This was Troy, winner of 17 games overall--and loser of 76--over the past five years.

Sure, last season had its moments. Like that time against La Habra. Everyone went crazy--players high-fiving each other, parents standing and cheering . . . all because Troy finally managed to score more than 10 points.

It didn’t matter that the final score was La Habra 81, Troy 18. It felt good just to be able to get the ball across midcourt.

Talk about a turnaround. Under Sand, who last year led the Troy junior varsity boys’ team to a league championship, the Warriors are 7-3. Practices have structure, routine . . . meaning. Did we forget to mention pain? All that running, all those drills, for up to two hours at a time. The players have a word for it. It’s spelled u-g-h.

It was to be expected. When Sand agreed to take over the program last spring, he first assessed the situation by watching a videotape of one of the Warriors’ games last season. He was impressed--how could all that raw talent add up to such a bad batch of basketball?

Players couldn’t dribble without keeping their eyes on the ball. They couldn’t pass without traveling. When opponents guarded them with raised arms, the Warrior players nearly did back bends to try to keep the ball from being stolen. On defense, some stood like mannequins, letting opponents drive at will.

People asked Sand why he wanted to coach such a team, why he would put himself through such misery. He merely shrugged. He knew the girls needed help. And he was willing.

And so were they.

They went over one fundamental at a time. Dribbling, passing, pivoting . . . nothing was too elementary to overlook. Gradually, Sand added offensive plays and defensive schemes and basketball philosophies. He was patient, as were his players. They started seeing results.

They went 9-4 in summer league play, thanks not only to the new coach and the new outlook but two new players, two future standouts. One is 5-foot-1 point guard Dinah Shah. The other, 6-3 forward Jenny Gadd.

Gadd and Shah, both freshmen starters, are veterans of national junior basketball--an all-star league for serious kiddie hoopsters. Both are exceptionally skilled for their age. Both seem to have great futures.

Neither wanted to play for Troy.

Shah moved with her family from Villa Park to Yorba Linda a year ago and figured that because her house was about a half-court shot away from Esperanza High, she’d be playing for the Aztecs. But her house falls within the Troy attendance boundary.

Gadd had dreamed of playing for Brea, the county’s dominant program. She had gone to a few Brea games, seen the huge crowds, fancied herself a Ladycat-to-be. She went to a Troy game, saw empty bleachers, a team that didn’t know how to get the ball down court--and begged her parents to move to Brea. No can do, they said.

So they made the best of it, as did the rest of the Warriors. Under the motto “Knowledge Is Power,” Sand has inspired in his players a desire to learn everything they can about the game. It shows--in their ability to fast break, to move inside, to drive, to rebound . . . and in their confidence levels.

Monday night after beating Orange, 55-37, the Warriors gathered for Sand’s postgame analysis. He praised them for their efforts, reminded them that even the Lakers make mistakes, and told them that, as their reward, he would personally wash all their game towels.

The Warriors let out a collective squeal, tossing their terry cloths at the coach’s feet.

It felt good, for once, to throw in the towel.

Barbie Ludovise’s column appears Wednesday and Sunday. Readers may reach Ludovise by writing The Times Orange County Edition, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa 92626, or by calling (714) 966-5847.