GIRLS’ BASKETBALL ‘94-’95: EMPIRE LEAGUE : Adams Is Returning in the Starring Role : Basketball: As the only starter back from Cypress’ league championship team, she will be asked to provide the leadership.

She’s looking at it as a challenge.

Entering the new basketball season, Cypress senior forward Julie Adams isn’t thinking much about all the success she enjoyed last season .

An Empire League championship, Southern Section semifinal appearance and teammates who led the county in scoring and assists made the 1993-94 season an enjoyable one for Adams.

This time around, however, Adams finds herself in a much different role. She is the only returning starter from last year’s team that finished 26-4 after losing to San Bernardino by nine points in the Southern Section Division II-A semifinals.

Adams was a “complementary” player alongside Jessica Eggleston, the county’s top scorer and Empire League Player of the Year, and Susan Flaming, the county leader in assists average. Adams averaged 17.3 points and was among the county leaders in rebounding and field goal percentage.

But graduation sent Eggleston to Cal Poly Pomona and Flaming to Biola, leaving Adams to shoulder the rebuilding Centurion program.

“Julie is the only returner with any real experience,” Coach John Selbe said. “We have six other returners, but few of them saw much playing time last season. She’s such a competitor that she will thrive on the opportunity and the challenge.”

Adams said she is ready to accept the role of team leader.

“I look forward to the role,” she said. “I may be the leading scorer or I may not, but I’ll look to the open players for a shot.

“It’s not like I have to be the leader in the major categories. If it happens to turn out that way, then great.”

Some wondered if Adams would even return for her senior year on the court.

Basketball has never been her priority when it comes to sports. It’s softball to which she has devoted nearly her entire life.

Last month, she announced she chose to accept a softball scholarship to UCLA and said she would not try to play both sports.

“It came down to gut feeling,” Adams said. “I’ve always wanted to go to UCLA since I was a little girl. After weighing all the pros and cons, it is going to be the best place for me. It was the hardest decision of my life.”

Still, Adams said there was no question in her mind that she would return for her senior season of basketball.

“There wasn’t a doubt. I’ve always loved to play basketball and I don’t just want to quit because a couple of my teammates have left or its my senior year and I’ve committed to another sport. I want to play,” Adams said.

Selbe said he wasn’t sure she was going to play until school began in September.

“Softball has always been her priority, so I wasn’t sure. She let me know sometime at the beginning of the year that she would be back,” he said.

But Cypress’ gain is the rest of the league’s loss. Not just in softball and basketball, but in volleyball as well.

A letter in softball this season will be Adams’ 11th varsity letter, tying her with 1987 graduates Elizabeth Crosdale (cross-country, basketball and track) and Nicky Luce (volleyball, basketball and softball).

She has been a four-year starter in basketball and softball, and played the last three full seasons of volleyball. She missed a letter her freshman year in volleyball when she chose to play on the JV team. However, she was called up to provide depth when the Centurions advanced to the playoffs.

“She’s the best female athlete I’ve seen in the 15 years that I’ve been at Cypress,” Selbe said.

Said Adams: “I’ve been what you could call a natural athlete all my life. I just seem to pick things up faster than a lot of other people do. It’s a blessing.”

1993-94: IN REVIEW

Standings

League Overall School W L W L Cypress 9 1 26 4 El Dorado 7 3 19 8 Esperanza 6 4 15 10 Katella 6 4 12 9 Los Alamitos 1 9 5 19 Loara 1 9 2 19

Highlights

League champion Cypress advanced its title run to the semifinals of the Southern Section Division II-A playoffs before exiting. After beating defending champion El Dorado for the league championship, the Centurions lost, 60-51, to a 25-5 San Bernardino team that lost to top-seeded Alemany in the finals. Cypress advanced with victories over El Modena, Redondo and Troy. . . . El Dorado survived the first round of the Division III-AA playoffs, topping La Quinta, 57-39. Unfortunately for the Golden Hawks, Newport Harbor ended their season in the next round with a 59-32 blowout. . . . Katella made it into the first round of the Division II-A playoffs, losing to eventual champion Alemany, 58-39. . . . Esperanza lost its Division I-AA wild-card game to Fountain Valley, 62-58. . . . Jessica Eggleston was named league Most Valuable Player for the second consecutive season and joined teammates Julie Adams and Susan Flaming collecting first-team all-league honors. El Dorado was also well represented in league honors. Michelle de Bruijn and Shanna Renken were each named to the first team and Jamie Nebeker and Jamie Sweet were named to the second. Katella had three players on all-league teams. Chris Carillo was named to the first team and teammates Stephanie Toon and Deborah Vargas earned second-team honors.