GIRL'S BASKETBALL: WINNING'S NOT ALWAYS EVERYTHING AT 2-12 VASQUEZ HIGH, FRIENDSHIPS KEEP KOOPMAN HAPPY AND ON TOP OF HER GAME.

Byline: Gerry Gittelson Staff Writer

If it was just about wins and losses, about trophies and medals, even points and rebounds, then Amy Koopman probably would be playing high school basketball somewhere else.

An adroit dribbler with smooth open-court moves and a fluid jump shot, she is good enough to fit in just about anywhere.

But Koopman sticks it out at Vasquez High of Acton. The Mustangs have never won more than four girls' basketball games in a season, and Tuesday's 61-16 loss at Rosamond brought their record to 2-12, 0-6 in the High Desert League, with five games remaining.

``None of that really matters,'' said Koopman, whose 13-points-per-game average accounts for about 75 percent of Vasquez's scoring. ``I just love the game. It would be nice to have more teammates at my level, but I wouldn't go anywhere else because the girls on my team right now are real sweet. I've learned I just can't give up and always to try my best.''

Teammate Shay Anderson is Vasquez's other main contributor. In fact, she is the only player on the team other than Koopman to score more than two baskets in a game.

``Amy has a great attitude. She's totally humble,'' Anderson said. ``Even if we keep losing, she helps us keep it fun. We both love the game and keep playing our hardest.''

Koopman, who scored all of Vasquez's points in a recent 64-11 loss, also averages 12 rebounds and seven steals per game.

``She's our star. She's the heart and the soul of the team,'' coach Craig Cieslek said. ``She's just very athletic, not just in basketball but volleyball and softball, too. We have a real good player but not a real good team. But it's OK. I've been here four years and kind of grown with the kids. I'm the football coach, too, and we've done some great things in football, so it's just the way it goes.''

Cieslek said Vasquez is disadvantaged in girls' basketball because there aren't any youth leagues in the area.

``The girls here get their first exposure to basketball in ninth grade,'' Cieslek said. ``Other teams, the girls have been playing in organized ball since fifth, sixth or seventh grade. That makes a big difference.''

Koopman also is a standout in the classroom. She has a 4.0 grade-point average and wants to be a teacher.

``I've applied to some four-year schools. I might go to Cal State Northridge and maybe play basketball there,'' she said. ``What I really want to do is teach kids. I've always worked with young kids, so that's what I want to do.''

Vasquez has a new gymnasium this season but no heating. That hasn't made things easier because they practice in the morning and last week temperatures were in the 20s.

``It was pretty cold,'' Koopman said. ``It'a a lot harder when it's that cold because you get more tired. It's hard enough just keeping warm.''