Buddy up

Between August and October, women's basketball coach June Daugherty was itching to be there for her three incoming freshman: Kirsten Brockman, Kayla Burt and Kristen O'Neill. Because of NCAA rules proclaiming that time a dead period between coaches and players, she had to fight the itch like a cortisone spray.

But Daugherty knew her young guns were in the good hands of four captains that are as assorted as a bag of M&Ms.

"There's a good blend," Daugherty said of her captains, only one of which is a senior. "They bring different types of leadership, and some players relate to one type more than another. [Our captains] are like the spice of life."

The captains' first job was to pick the support sisters of a buddy system that is the backbone of a youthful team. They matched pairs of veterans with newcomers and told them they would have to be accountable for each other.

Practices have been more like class lectures than basketball games thus far. There is a constant dialogue between players and coaches, whistles blowing to correct errors while learning motion offenses, and of course, coaches yelling.

With a team boasting only one senior, Heather Reichman, the Huskies' vocal coaching staff runs the risk of hurting the fragile confidence of those still wet behind the ears. That's where the buddy has to be one step ahead of the coaches.

"There is a lot of basketball coming at them right now," Daugherty said. "We need the buddy to recognize a problem, use a quick code word and then move on."

Whether it be a code word, a hand gesture or a corny joke, the buddy has to make it work.

"If you know they are struggling you pick them up," said freshman guard Kayla Burt from Arlington High School, whose buddy is junior Loree Payne. "You go to their class, slip them a note or maybe go to dinner. The buddy system is all the time."

From sun up to sun down, the buddies have to be ever conscious of how the other is doing.

"If you show up to practice and your buddy is missing, then everyone asks you, 'Where's your buddy?'" said sophomore captain Giuliana Mendiola of the accountability.

The teammates might as well be attached with a string, because if one is missing the other is responsible. This system can help young players adapt to the rigors of college athletics. That adaptive process is ever important in a year when the Huskies have six seniors to replace from last year's team.

"We are trying to make sure they put the team first," Daugherty said. "What you do off the court can effect your play on it, like eating right, getting enough sleep and hydrating."

The team is a close-knit group off the court, which creates the perfect environment for them to keep an eye on each other. This way Daugherty doesn't have to worry so much while her freshmen are out experiencing their first taste of college life.

"There are a lot of challenges in college athletics," Daugherty said. "These kids are going from dependence to independence. They have more choices than ever, and we need them to know academics and athletics are what's important."

There are plenty of perils for 20-somethings these days, and while parties that last until a 6 a.m. can do damage to the effort to return to the top of the Pac-10 heap and the Elite Eight, which the Huskies accomplished in the 2000-01 season, most of the problems occur on the basketball court.

"There are some things teammates understand better than coaches," said sophomore Sarah Keeler, who is buddies with red-shirt junior and captain Cheryl Sorenson. "We are out there together while the coaches are on the sidelines blowing the whistle."

The more the players can learn from each other, the less the whistle blows from that sideline.

While the education of the younger players is the practical reason for pairing teammates, it also helps to crack smiles on the court.

"It's just humor," said Mendiola, whose buddy is Andrea Lalum. "She can really lighten a moment, and we connect well."

After yesterday's practice, Lalum had her jersey around her neck calling it her cape. Payne and Burt shot free throws after an exhausting practice and were smiling like the Grinch after stealing Christmas.

The buddy system most importantly makes teammates responsible for having fun, which also keeps the coaches' whistles quiet.