Purple Craze Inspires Estancia’s Czingula

Since Barney the Dinosaur is purple, Laura Czingula naturally has her own Barney doll.

See, she really likes purple. Always wears something purple at the Estancia High School girls’ basketball practice. Used to have a purple car, as a matter of fact.

Since Charles Barkley is her favorite basketball player, Czingula has a fitting nickname: Charles Barkley.

“They started calling me that in junior high,” Czingula said. “I guess it was because I try to play like he plays. I like the way he plays.”

So, who was Czingula rooting for when ultra-aggressive Barkley met ultra-lovable Barney on the court in a sketch from a recent episode of “Saturday Night Live,” hosted by Sir Charles? Barkley or the Prehistoric Purple One?

“I didn’t see it,” she said.

But she could figure out what happened. Yes, Barkley worked over Barney the same way he worked over Godzilla in that shoe commercial, the same way he works over the rest of the NBA.

Which is the same way the 5-foot-10 Czingula works over the Pacific Coast League. Purple or not, Barney better get out of the way if he’s going for a rebound Czingula wants.

“Off the court, Laura is the nicest person you’d want to meet,” Estancia Coach Russ Davis said. “But nobody on our team wants to practice against her because she only knows one way to play, and that’s as hard as she can.

“In the three years I’ve coached her, I’ve never had to tell her to pick up the intensity. It’s always the same, whether it’s practice or a game.”

And it has always been that way since Czingula began playing in the fifth grade. Summer leagues, spring leagues, fall leagues--if there’s a league to play in, Czingula is there, ready to lead everybody in rebounds and floor burns.

“That’s just the way I play,” said Czingula, a senior. “I still think a three-hour practice is long, just like everybody else, but since I’m there, there’s no reason not to try my hardest.”

Her devotion to basketball is impressive, if not always physically sensible. Last season, Czingula came down with a serious ear infection early in the Pacific Coast League schedule. Her doctor told her not to play basketball for at least one week.

But Czingula told no one at Estancia and went to practice that afternoon, putting out her usual full-speed ahead effort. After practice, Davis received a phone call from Czingula’s mother, wondering if he’d seen Laura.

“Laura didn’t tell me anything about going to the doctor or about not being able to play,” Davis said. “She just showed up like it was business as usual. After her mom told me what was up, the two of us told her she could not play until the doctor cleared her.

“Most kids, the doctor tells them they can’t practice for a week, and they come tell the coach they can’t play for two weeks.”

Czingula looked at the situation differently: “I just didn’t want to miss anything.”

She obviously didn’t miss much. As a junior, she averaged 13 points and 11 rebounds and was a first-team all-league selection. Her play has attracted interest from a number of Division II and Division III colleges, and Davis expects more schools to recruit her this season.

“She’s been working on her outside skills and broadened her game a lot,” Davis said. “Laura knows what she has to do to be a successful college player, and with her work ethic, she’ll get it done. There’s no way you can measure her heart, and that’s the highest compliment a coach can give a player.”

In the meantime, Czingula’s goals at Estancia are to help the Eagles win the league title and to be the league’s top rebounder.

And even though Estancia’s colors are red, gold and white, Czingula plans on working some purple in there somewhere.

“I’ll just wear something purple in my hair,” she said.