GIRLS' BASKETBALL: ROLE HER OUT MALBON FINDS HER LITTLE NICHE AT HART.Byline: Nevin Barich Nevin Barich (born August 6, 1979) is a former American sports journalist now working as the Senior Editor of The National Notary, a trade magazine based in Los Angeles with a circulation of more than 300,000 nationwide. Staff Writer Amy Malbon's role on the Hart High girls' basketball team: stay in the background, be the consummate To carry into completion; to fulfill; to accomplish. A Common-Law Marriage is consummated when the parties live in a manner intended to bring about public recognition of their relationship as Husband and Wife. role player, make everything run smoothly. Malbon, a senior forward/center, has played her role to perfection Adv. 1. to perfection - in every detail; "the new house suited them to a T" just right, to a T, to the letter this season. She's averaging seven points and seven rebounds a game for the Indians, helping the team win the Foothill League title this year and qualify for the Southern Section Division I-A playoffs. The Indians open the postseason at home on Saturday against the winner of Thursday's Rowland vs. Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. game. With teammates Ashlee Trebilcock, Amanda Patton and Brandi Kimble scoring more than 60 percent of the points, Malbon realized she wouldn't have the opportunity to put up big numbers. So she assumed the role of, well, role player. Her job is to make plays for her teammates, capitalizing on their abilities. ``I really like where I am on the team and what I do,'' Malbon said. ``My job is just to go in there and get a few rebounds, get a few points.'' It's a job Hart coach Dave Munroe says Malbon does very well. ``Amy is one of our most consistent players,'' Munroe said. ``She's a senior who always plays within herself. She shows a lot of leadership on the court.'' Malbon's leadership is particularly important because Trebilcock, Patton and Kimble are underclassmen. Patton is a junior, Kimble a sophomore and Trebilcock a freshman. Malbon and Michelle Bauer are the only seniors on the team. ``It's very important to have the older girls to lead,'' Munroe said. ``I always like having the older girls around on the court. They're more mature players.'' Malbon has no problem with younger teammates getting the spotlight. ``This year, we've had some really great people who can step up and score,'' Malbon said. ``I'm really happy at the way things are. It's my senior year and we have a chance to win a championship. That's what all players want in their last season.'' Meanwhile, Malbon's teammates insist they wouldn't be nearly as successful without her. ``She's so important to the team,'' Trebilcock said. ``She's the glue glue: see adhesive. glue Adhesive substance resembling gelatin, extracted from animal tissue, particularly hides and bones, or from fish, casein (milk protein), or vegetables. that keeps us all together. When teams have big-time offensive players, opponents will go after them. So it's good to have a role player who can score. Patton agrees. ``Amy is a great all-around player who is such a big part of our team,'' Patton said. ``She never gets any notice, and she should. She picks up the slack 1. (operating system) slack - Internal fragmentation. Space allocated to a disk file but not actually used to store useful information. 2. (jargon) slack offensively and defensively when we need her to.'' Malbon hasn't had a big high school career. She played on the varsity as a sophomore, but got her minutes mostly off the bench. She didn't play her junior year because of ``personal reasons'' but came back and became a starter this year. When Malbon's season ends, that might be the end of her basketball career. Though she's had offers to play at some Division III
Division III (or DIII) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association of the United States. schools, including Occidental College History The Birth of Occidental College Occidental College (commonly referred to as Oxy) was founded on April 20, 1887, by a group of Presbyterian clergy and laymen. in Eagle Rock, college basketball College basketball most often refers to the American basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA. History
``I thought about playing, but I don't think I'm going to,'' said Malbon, who hopes to attend Cal Poly Cal Poly may refer to:
 `ĭs ōbĭs`pō), city (1990 pop. 41,958), seat of San Luis Obispo co., S Calif., near San Luis Obispo Bay; inc. 1856. or Portland in the fall. ``I just want to go to college and
concentrate on my academics. Sports has been such a huge part of my life
since I was 5 years old. I need to have a break. I just want to go to
college and enjoy the experience.''
MALBON FILE Player: Amy Malbon Team: Hart girls' basketball Year: Senior Position: forward/center Quote: ``It's really great to have an experienced player like Amy. She's a really calm and quiet leader. We look to her as an example more than anything.'' - Teammate Ashlee Trebilcock CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: Though she averages just 7 points and 7 rebounds a game, Hart senior Amy Malbon is nonetheless valuable. Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer Box: MALBON FILE (see text) |
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