Kubasaki senior guard Nicholle Rentas and new assistant coach Fletcher Beaman engage in drills during Monday's practice at Foster Field House, Camp Foster, Okinawa. Beaman's arrival three weeks ago coincided with Kubasaki's sudden ability to force games to overtime after being beaten soundly by most foes this season. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Kubasaki senior guard Nicholle Rentas and new assistant coach Fletcher Beaman engage in drills during Monday's practice at Foster Field House, Camp Foster, Okinawa. Beaman's arrival three weeks ago coincided with Kubasaki's sudden ability to force games to overtime after being beaten soundly by most foes this season. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Kubasaki sophomore forward Sydney Johnson concentrates on foul-shooting form during Monday's practice at Foster Field House, Camp Foster, Okinawa. It was Johnson's 18-foot shot that rimmed out in Kubasaki's 55-45 overtime loss at Kadena on Friday that could have won the game for the Dragons (2-20) in regulation time. As it is, the Dragons have shown signs of life recently, taking two games to overtime before losing after spending much of the season getting beaten soundly by most foes. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa - Sydney Johnson’s 18-foot jump shot looked like it had a chance. The clock read :00. Kubasaki had rallied from a 36-21 third-quarter deficit and improbably had a chance to beat Kadena, which had beaten the Dragons seven times previously by a 25.4-point average.
Around the rim the ball spun. Again. And again. And again. Then, finally, it spun out, to the relief of the Kadena crowd and disappointment of the Kubasaki faithful last Friday at the Panther Pit.
“I have dreams about that shot,” Johnson said Monday during Kubasaki’s practice at Foster Field House.
“The look on her face said, ‘This one’s going in,’ ” said Panthers coach Willie Ware, adding his heart was “in his throat” as he eyed the shot.
Kadena won 55-45, outscoring the Dragons 13-3 in overtime, and won the Okinawa Activities Council season series 3-0; it beat the Dragons four more times in in-season tournaments.
But for Kubasaki, which entered the game 2-19, it showed a continuing sign of life — a small one, but a sign nonetheless — that began Jan. 21. The Dragons took Chatan, a top-10 Japanese team, to double overtime before falling 89-81 in the Okinawa-American Shootout.
“That was the best loss I ever had,” said coach Shane Butler of the Chatan game. “That was the start. The pilot light came on and it hasn’t gone off.”
“It gave us hope,” said Johnson, a sophomore. “People don’t talk badly about us anymore.”
“It’s the start of something big,” senior guard Nicholle Rentas said. “I’m really proud of how the team came together, to show we can make something out of nothing. Now, we’re playing ball.”
The fourth quarter, especially, seems to be a Dragons comeback breeding ground. “A light goes on and they just come out booming,” Butler said.
While the results are only just starting to show, Kubasaki’s potential renaissance took root before the season, Butler said.
There’s still much to be done, Butler said, before Kubasaki can be competitive at Far East Feb. 20-25 at Yokota, where it got their only two wins, against Christian Academy Japan in the Christmas Classic.
“We’re still committing too many unnecessary turnovers and missed shots, layups and free throws, basic stuff,” Butler said, adding that she’s working with senior point guard Angelica Juliano to “settle down, think about what we’re doing, don’t rush the plays, take her time.”
Helping in the effort is new assistant coach Fletcher Beaman, a dependent spouse who has been working with the team for three weeks, sharpening their skills and fundamentals.
“He’s been a great motivator for the girls,” Butler said.
With Beaman’s help, the Dragons have taken steps forward in “executing, moving better, playing better defense, boxing out; they’re getting more into the game,” Butler said.
The question being, is Kubasaki’s comeback penchant an upward trend? Or is this an aberration, a blip on the radar screen? Kubasaki players and Ware each emphatically say the former.
“They have renewed self-confidence since Chatan,” Ware said. “The puzzle pieces are coming together. They’re finally realizing they can play. You can see it in their eyes. They’re a totally different team.”
Aside from improved play, the Dragons are exhibiting “confidence and motivation,” Beaman said. “Before, it was just a chore. Now, they’re starting to have fun and enjoy and respect the game of basketball.”
“So far, it’s a trend,” Rentas said. “The games since Chatan have been intense and close.”
“We’re going to keep it going,” Johnson said. “We’re all excited about basketball again.”
Kubasaki hosts Kadena on Feb. 9 in its final regular-season game before Far East.
“They’d better bring their ‘A’ game,” Butler said, smiling.
