In the Army Now, Arundell Wonders What She’s Doing There

Two years ago, Fillmore High basketball player Jamie Arundell was the second-leading scorer in the state and No. 1 on the list of several college recruiters.

Arundell, who averaged 29.4 points a game, received recruiting letters from more than 50 colleges and was hotly pursued by Pepperdine, Arizona State and Santa Clara.

But she surprised everybody by taking an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

The unlikely choice was not popular with friends and advisers. Arundell, an All-State choice by Cal-Hi Sports in basketball and softball her senior year, found herself in a psychological boot camp. It was as if her mind had already gone through basic training.

Friends said she wouldn’t have any fun during what should be the most fun-filled time of her life. Jamie wrestled with the eight-year commitment to the Army.

She learned to tune out those who were critical of her decision and focus on the positive aspects such as job security, benefits and retirement.

However, Arundell continues to wonder if she made the right decision.

“That thought crosses my mind quite a few times a day,” she said. “Going to military school, it’s hard to keep your focus and keep your perspective.

“You get disillusioned sometimes. . . . Then you call your parents and they remind you what the benefits will be.”

Arundell’s mental training was valuable during two seasons of turmoil with the Cadets.

Army was 17-10 and finished third in the Patriot League in 1994, Arundell’s freshman season. But the success was dulled by in-fighting, Arundell’s disappointment with the coach who recruited her and the team’s offensive style.

The Cadets’ top scorers, Lisa Russell and Carrie Garringer, quit the team this season. Arundell, a 6-foot-1 sophomore, was forced to play center and be a team leader.

Army finished with a 4-23 record. Arundell played most of it with a stress fracture and a nerve problem in her right foot, and still led the team at 10.9 points a game and was second with five rebounds a game.

“It’s kind of strange,” she said. “We’re losing, but the morale is good and we’ve kept a good attitude up. Last year we were having a lot of arguments and fights.

“Practice was a real stressful environment. There were a lot of upset people on the court.”

Army Coach Lynn Chiviaro replaced two assistants. One who left was Barbara Affeldt, who wooed Arundell to West Point.

“She was a screamer and it was so draining to think I had practice for 3 1/2 hours each day,” Arundell said. “She wasn’t the same person who recruited me. She kind of sugar-coated the thing about the Army.”

And, borrowing a military term, Arundell called the Cadet offense “too regimented.”

Army ran a half-court system that called for a lot of motion and passing but no driving from the baseline or dribbling near the lane. Arundell would run the court like a robot, posting up at each end.

That, too, has changed.

“Now they let me shoot from the outside and bring the ball up sometimes,” Arundell said. “I play a lot better in that environment.”

Arundell responded to the new offense, scoring 20 points against Northern Illinois and 18 against Mercer in Army’s first two games of the season at the Maine Tip-Off tournament. She was selected to the all-tournament team.

Army’s season ground to a halt Friday with a 63-42 loss to Fordham in the first round of the Patriot tournament at West Point.

Even as the losses piled up, Arundell said she will miss basketball season and the road trips that break the tedium of cadet life.

“It’s very quiet here, and you live for the weekends where you can get away and take off for (New York City or New Jersey),” she said. “If we didn’t get leave at least twice a month it would be unbearable.”