The Lady Jays Varsity Basketball team is having a tough season on the court, but the key players are scoring extra points in their academic classes.
The team’s record so far is a disappointing 3-12, but the key players are solid honor roll material.
Varsity players Kelly Parker, Barbara Willobee and Melissa Stroud bring fire to the court and spirit to the team, not to mention A’s to their parents.
Parker, a 17-year-old senior, averages 8 points per game and has been playing basketball for the last 10 years. Parker says that her main influences have been Michael Jordan and her brother.
But basketball is not Parker’s career plan. She maintains a 3.2 grade point average and plans to pursue a career in medicine or become a lawyer.
Barbara Willobee, 16, is fast becoming a legend at SHS. For the past 7 years, this redheaded junior has been burning up the court. In high school she has been averaging 12 points per game.
In addition to being on the Varsity Basketball team, Willobee is also on the Varsity Soccer team, is active in her church, and is a National Honor Society member. Through it all, she has maintained an A average.
Stroud has a 3..3 grade point average and averages 15 points a game. She has been playing “ever since I can remember,” she says. Her career goal is to be a doctor.
The JV Lady Jays have their own scholar/athlete. Brianna Patman, 14, a sophomore on the JV team, averages 6 points per game and has been playing basketball since the age of 2.
In addition to basketball, Patman is involved in softball, 2006 Class Board, and athletic training. She says she plays ball because “I grew up around basketball and people always said I was good at it.”
Patman, who maintain a 3.3 grade average, says she plans to go to Tennessee State University to plays college basketball. Her ambition is to become a sports doctor.