By LARRY GAGE
Special to the PRESS
Serena Brown is a junior member of the Port Isabel High girls’ basketball team. She’s starting her second year as a Varsity player.
She missed most of last season due to an injury.
“Last year I rolled my ankle and I was out for about half the season. When I came back I was just kinda’ taking it slow, so I wouldn’t mess up my ankle again. This year I’m 100% healthy … and I feel that I’ve become a real asset to the team. My skills have very much improved since last year.”
“Serena’s probably one of the more physical girls on the team,” head girls’ coach Kyle DeMoss said this week. “She’s always getting rebounds she shouldn’t get, and she’s really reliable around the rim.”
“She plays mostly down low and whenever she takes a three it’s a good three. I’m fine with her letting go from the three-point line if she’s open. She’s a good shooter.”
“I enjoy playing for Coach DeMoss very much,” Brown said Tuesday. “He pushes each player to her limits and he wants each of us to be the best. He works with us very well. He joins in the plays and the drills, and he explains everything very well so that each and every person understands.”
And when it comes to actual competition; “He’s a very good game coach. He’s a very calm man but he does put forth all his effort (into the game). I like playing for him a lot.”
Brown’s other sport is softball. “Last year I did track – I was a shot putter. I stopped playing softball to focus on basket-ball but now I’m going back to playing softball.”
Outside of athletics Brown has very little involvement with other activities or organizations.
“I’m not much into clubs. I manage to just focus on sports.”
She also fully realizes the importance of academics and Brown’s curriculum includes AP History and AP Arts and Design. “I have Pre-AP Physics and I’m in Algebra II Pre-AP and my grades are very good.”
Brown is already looking ahead to college and is focused on one school in par-ticular.
“The one school I would really love to go to is Notre Dame. I believe we can start sending in applications at the end of our junior year.”
As far as a major and possible career choice is concerned; “I’m not sure about a major but I think I’d like to be a physical trainer with professional sports teams.”
Team bonding is also a prime aspect of athletic success and Brown likes where the team is at in that area.
“We do a lot of team bonding. In between games (at the McAllen tournament) we hung out at Mr. Gatti’s. We went bowling and we all had a very good time. Everybody on the team gets along very well. We click together on the court and off the court everyone is friends with one another.”
The team travels to Monte Alto this Friday and two more non-district games are on the schedule after that; Brownsville Pace and St. Joseph’s, both at home, on Tuesday, the 10, and Friday the 13 respectively. The district season opens at home against Zapata on Tuesday, December 17.