DREAM TEAM FOR GIRLS COMES TRUE.

Byline: Kathy Orton Daily News Staff Writer

Two years ago Michelle Coutee and her sister, Denise Davis, had a dream, a vision.

They noticed that there were so many talented female basketball players in the Antelope Valley, but no opportunity for those girls to showcase their talents to the college scouts.

So they formed the Dream Team, a girls basketball traveling team.

``It was a dream that I needed to fulfill,'' Coutee said. ``Here in the valley, I just felt the girls weren't being recognized for their talent. We just decided one day, `Let's do this.' It's going to either work or it's not.

``It had nothing to do with the Olympics. It had nothing to do with the (men's) Dream Team.''

There are now two teams that make up the Dream Team, an 18-and-under team and a 13-and under team. Coutee and Davis, who are co-coaches of both teams, believe that the Dream Team represents a vision for their players, a chance to become better basketball players and perhaps earn a college scholarship.

``Behind this is an education for a girl,'' Coutee said. ``Whether we get one scholarship a year or whether we get two or three. When I approach people that's what I tell them. It's basically a program designed to help these girls go to college.''

So far, in the Dream Team's two-year existence, no girls have received basketball scholarships. But Coutee believes that it's just a matter of time before the girls are recognized. And in the meantime, she feels the Dream Team has helped them to become better players at the high school level.

``I look at the players that were in the program last year that played in the high schools (last season),'' Coutee said. ``All those players I would say shined. I think it had a lot to do with the girls going out and playing at a different level.''

The Dream Team, which includes girls from several Antelope Valley area high schools, play in numerous tournaments from March to October in Southern California and Las Vegas. In a couple of weeks, the 18-and-under team will travel to Texas and Arizona for the prestigious Basketball Congress International tournaments. Several Division I college scouts are expected to be in attendance.

Playing in front of these coaches is one of the only ways to get a scholarship, Coutee believes.

``Your high school coach is not going to get you a scholarship,'' Coutee said. ``You have to earn it. The only way it's going to be done is showing your talent among the scouts.''

There's more to being on the Dream Team than just playing basketball. Traveling to all the out-of-town tournaments teaches the girls how to be responsible. Playing against some of the top competition in high school girls basketball gives them confidence.

``I think they get self-esteem,'' Coutee said. ``It teaches them how to go out in the real world.''

The players agree.

``I feel that I have more confidence now being out there playing,'' Natascha Green said. ``I'm not as scared as I used to be. I feel I can play with anybody no matter if I win or lose.''

Teammate Edniesha Curry added: ``I like traveling to all these places, seeing all these players that I hear about. I like playing against them because it boosts my confidence up, makes me practice a little bit harder.''

With all the time the team spends in the gym, Coutee and Davis want to make sure the Dream Team takes care of its work in the classroom as well. The coaches make the girls bring them grade checks, just like they do for their high school coaches. If they do not maintain an acceptable GPA, then they are not allowed to play. Coutee hopes to have a Scholastic Assessment Test preparation course in place for the girls within the next year.

``We all love basketball, but we have to also tell them there's life after basketball,'' Davis said.

One of the biggest problems the team has faced has been the lack of available gym time. Coutee and Davis have been unsuccessful the past two years in finding a gym to hold practice. The first year the team practiced outdoors in the hot sun at the park. This year it has had to drive to Sylmar High School to use that gym.

For that reason, Coutee and Davis have turned to Keith Wieser and the Valley Sports Foundation. The Dream Team's new base of operations will be out of the San Fernando Valley.

``I just felt I didn't get the support (in the Antelope Valley),'' Coutee said. ``I don't know if it was because it was something new and sometimes people have to really see (how things will go).

``I know you have to crawl before you walk in anything. I approached a lot of people with the idea - we can talk about what we want to do for our youth to try to keep the kids out of trouble - but no response.''

Under the auspices of the Valley Sports Foundation, Coutee hopes to put in place a fall league for girls that would run from August through November, the start of their high school season.

``There's a lot of potential, a lot of good players up here,'' Coutee said. ``It's just a matter of getting them where they need to be seen.''