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Watkins Sisters Continuing Basketball Trek At Brevard

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Kevin Carver
After graduating high school, some athletes don’t get a chance to play collegiate ball, but East Rutherford’s Michaela and Asheley Watkins are succeeding at Brevard College during their junior year on the Lady Tornados basketball team.

Michaela, who was a exuberant point guard as a Lady Cavalier, showed quickness to the rim and excellent dribbling skills. Michaela, who’s having a great year so far is the second leading scorer on this year’s club at the point with 13.4 points per game.

Asheley leads the team in assists with 29 on the year and averages 5.8 points per game (fifth leading scorer on team) in the South Atlantic Conference of the NCAA’s Division II universities.

The Rutherford Weekly caught up with them during the Christmas break and answered these four questions.

1) How big of an adjustment is it in going from high school ball to college level?

2) What do you attribute for successes to this season in particular?

3) Where did your passion for basketball come from?

4) Playing at East, what would you say was your most memorable moment?

Michaela:

1) It is a huge adjustment. The level of competition is more intense.

2) I believe my driving force and energy is a huge tool for our team. The team feeds off of me once I am in my ‘killer mode,’ so we are very successful when I am doing that. 3) My passion for the game came to me at a young age. My parents put a basketball in my hands when I was 3 years old and I have been playing the game since I was 5. Growing up watching my idols Cynthia Cooper & Sheryl Swoops how great they were, but also once I step on the court just the feeling I get is unexplainable. I knew then I love this game & this is what I want to do forever. 4) The most memorable moment is when we beat Shelby in 2007 for the conference champ title.

Asheley:

1) College ball is totally different and a big adjustment from high school. Of course the competition is on another level, but the hardest adjustment for me was pre-season conditioning. We ran 20+ miles this year, to prepare us for our full game press.

2) We are 5-3 right now and it is mainly because we press the entire game and with me and Micheala in the front court we have been forcing 25-30 turnovers a game. My defense and ability to rebound has definitely been a plus this year.

3) I’ve played basketball since I was 8 so it caught my interest pretty quickly. My passion came from playing everyday and always watching the game. Being coached by Larry Ross also added to my passion for the game because he was always a passionate coach. Our passion and competitiveness has definitely been a result of being coached by him for all those years, AAU and high school ball.

4) My most memorable moment would have to be when we beat Shelby for the conference championship. The crowd was so hyped up and it was so intense, those are the things that I miss the most.

Note:

As for high school basketball this season, everybody is battling at Christmas tourneys this week, but there are two key games of interest coming up January 6th. East Rutherford’s boys will host Freedom that night, while the R-S Central’s girls travel to Shelby. Those games should give us a clear vision of who the SMAC’s top dogs are at the halfway mark of conference play. If Shelby’s girls were to win against Central, a three-way tie for the top spot would likely happen.
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