Jaguars are on the prowl for a state title
At 5 foot 10, Capital High School senior Rachel Friend may not appear an imposing post player. At least not until the basketball is launched for a shot. Once that happens, Friend is a whirlwind of activity, battling for position to grab an errant attempt.
And woe to the rare opponent who tries to dissuade her from her mission.
“We work extensively on moving with the ball in the air, instead of when it hits the rim or backboard,” Jaguars coach Dale Lucero said. “And she has a real knack of moving without the ball and moving while the ball is still in the air.”
It’s helped Friend to an amazing 14-rebounds-pergame average, top in all classes in the state.
She also has another advantage that not only helps her control the glass, but also helps alter shots relentlessly.
“She has nice long arms,” Lucero said. “Her wing span is a little larger than a young woman of 5-10.” Likewise, her 4.2 blocks is tops in the state. “Rachel brings it every single game,” Lucero said. Being a top rebounder is about hustle, hard work and attitude, Friend said.
“My coaches have always stressed, move to the spot when the ball goes up instead of when it hits the glass,” she said. “It comes down to technique. Even shorter players can grab rebounds. It comes down to boxing out.”
And even if it’s not as glamorous as piling up the points, it’s an important factor in the game.
“It’s not really looked at very much,” Friend said. “But it’s very important, especially to get defensive rebounds so you don’t give the other team another chance to score. The coaches make it a high importance.”
She didn’t always have a nose for the ball, Friend admitted, but as she’s become ingrained in the program, she has realized the role she can play in helping the Jaguars improve as a team.
“It’s definitely evolved,” she said. “Toward the end of my sophomore and in my junior year, I started getting double-digit rebounds for most games.”
The blocks, too, have been an evolution, Friend said, as she’s had to learn to pick her spots.
“My junior year, I had a lot of trouble with fouls, getting block happy,” she said. “Anytime I’d get one, I’d try to get three more. Now I always try to get my arms straight up in the air and, whenever it’s let go, then I can go ahead and hit it.”
Friend also has been instrumental in helping the team turn around its attitude, the players said.
“Having a leader like Rachel means a lot,” said sophomore wing Kyannah Cole. “When I first came in, in eighth grade, she was open to helping everybody, making sure what post moves I was supposed to do. She would correct me and tell me everything was okay.”
Sophomore point guard Miranda Cortez said having someone like Friend down low is an advantage for the whole team.
“It’s awesome,” she said. “She really knows how to communicate with her eyes without any type of speaking. She communicates with her hands, telling you she’s setting the pick or to spin around. She really helps make my job easier.”
With Friend manning the low post and a host of young talent complementing her, Capital is hopeful of making a run at the state tournament, something the Jaguars have not achieved since the 2009-10 season.
“This is probably by far the best team I’ve coached at Capital,” Lucero said. “Not necessarily talent-wise, but who they are as team because they are coming together as a family. The older girls are lifting up the younger teammates and that’s bringing this team together a lot faster. I anticipate a lot of remarkable things from this team. They will fight and work hard. They have heart. I really believe this is one of those special teams Capital has seen. They’re learning from their mistakes. We don’t like to focus on the negative, we try to focus on the good, the positives. But we work on the negatives so we can improve the things that have gone wrong.”