By Regina Jimenez
By Regina Jimenez
As the crowd waited to hear the sound and echo of the ball hit the ground and the ball swish through the net RCC shooting guard Shavonne Smith was more than determined to win their season opener as the Tigers huddled together before the game.
RCC opened the 2005-06 season with a 55-44 victory over visiting Cerritos.
The Tigers had a horrible night at the free throw line at 9 of 21, but they managed to hold the lead at 23-17.
Smith led Riverside with 20 points and Tyresha Calhoun added 14. Smith stands at just 5 feet 6 inches tall and loves playing for the Tigers more than anything.
“Its fun playing on a team that actually gets along with one another,” Smith said. “It is more of an experience for me than playing for my high school basketball team.”
Smith admires her coach not only as a coach but as a person too. “She is a discipline coach, and she teaches us life skills whether it’s on the court or off the court.”
Smith looks forward to this season’s basketball team. She has a lot of confidence in herself and in her team.
“We need to stay together as a family and win as many games as possible,” Smith said. “As an individual I need to improve on my defense and hopefully lead my team as best as possible.”
Smith has two brothers who also play basketball. Smith started playing basketball at the age of seven. In high school she played varsity all four years as a starting point guard.
Smith has her mind set on what she wants and expects in her future. She knows what she wants and she will get it.
“I want to transfer to a university, hopefully a Div.1 school and finish playing there,” Smith said. “After college I want to go pro either by playing for the WNBA or overseas,” Smith said. “After playing professional basketball I want to be a basketball coach.”
When asked about her abilities on this team Smith says: “Leadership is probably my main aspect that I contribute to the team. I try to be a positive person for the most part, but I will tell you what you need to hear.”
Smith enjoys hanging out being around her teammates.
“They’re fun to be around, they’re a really nice group of women and they’re really goofy,” Smith said.
When asked about her idol Smith said “Michael Jordan is my idol because he is one of the top players to ever play in the NBA.”Smith has nothing but confidence and determination this season. On Nov. 11, RCC defeated Fresno in the Mt. San Antonio tournament with a score of 83-70.
Smith, who did not start the game, scored a team high of 29 points. She hit four three pointers while three of her teammates scored in double figures.
Smith continues to prove how much of leader she can be and how bad she wants to win this season.