GIRLIE-GIRL MODEL BECOMES HOOP STAR CHERYL STEVENS SERIOUS ABOUT GAME.Byline: Ramona Shelburne Ramona Shelburne is an American sports journalist currently writing for the Los Angeles Daily News. Shelburne was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She attended El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills, California where she was a class valedictorian. Staff Writer Two years ago, Canyon High basketball player Cheryl Stevens was drawing headlines as much for what she did in front of a camera as what she did on the court. Stevens was a professional model who happened to be a high school basketball player. Her priorities were clear though: Modeling was her career; basketball was for fun. Today, the picture couldn't be more different. ``It's like night and day,'' Canyon coach Stan Delus said. ``She used to be all girlie-girl, and now she's wearing basketball clothes all the time. She's really embraced the culture. I think she went out and bought like 13 or 14 basketball shorts.'' Over the summer, Stevens dedicated herself to the game and became a college prospect. Long Beach State has offered her a scholarship, and a handful of Ivy League Ivy League Group of eight universities in the northeastern U.S., high in academic and social prestige, that are members of an athletic conference for intercollegiate gridiron football dating to the 1870s. schools, which don't offer athletic scholarships An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on their ability to play in a sport. They are common in the United States, but in many countries they are rare or non-existent. , are vying vy·ing v. Present participle of vie. vying vie for her services. Stevens, a 6-foot-3 post player, averaged 17 points a game over the summer, playing for her club team, FBC See fully buzzword compliant. . Two years ago, she was dropped from the varsity to the junior varsity junior varsity n. Abbr. JV A high-school or college team that competes in interschool sports on the level below varsity. Noun 1. because she had focused so much time and energy on modeling. ``It's crazy. Two years ago, I don't think anyone who saw me play would have thought I'd ever be a college basketball College basketball most often refers to the American basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA. History
``He's changed my whole view of basketball. I used to just play for fun, but now I'm dedicating myself to it. I really think this could be our year.'' Canyon returns a strong nucleus from last season, including first-team all-league wing Nicole Leon. The Cowboys cowboys, in American history. 1 Tory marauders, adherents to the British cause in the American Revolution, who fought in the contested area of Westchester co., N.Y. have also added two impact transfers, Shanise Asheim, a 5-foot-7 point guard, and Brittney Smith, a 5-11 wing. Most of the team played together over the summer for FBC. ``I'd like to think there will be some special things coming from this group this year,'' Delus said. ``Last year we were really young, and we made mistakes. But I think everyone has tried to learn from them.'' Stevens is at the top of that list. ``She scored only six points a game last year and I think she'll double or triple that this year,'' Delus said. ``She came to me last year and said, 'I want to play in college.' I told her, well, you're not good enough right now, but you certainly can be. ``So she really went out and did it. She's worked extremely hard to learn the finer points of being a post player, and it's paying off for her now.'' |
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