Darriel Gaynor never stops watching. A five-on-five offensive drill is unfolding in front of her at Wednesday’s practice. She can’t participate; a sprained left ankle, which keeps her out of the Ducks’ game against Washington State, is clad in a protective boot. So the freshman guard from Las Vegas watches.
She dribbles a basketball with metronomic precision. She works on the crossover, then the left hand, then the right hand. She never takes her eyes off the drill, the events unfolding in front of her.
Everything in rhythm.
Oregon has used 10 different starting lineups this season; Gaynor, who has averaged 11.1 minutes per game, has started exactly once, in the Ducks’ opener against San Jose State. With the successes of fellow freshmen forwards Jasmin Holliday and Amanda Johnson as starters in Oregon’s injury-depleted lineup, Gaynor has been understandably overlooked. Her position, point guard, is cemented by junior Micaela Cocks and her Olympic-level endurance, making minutes hard to come by.
To date, her statistics are modest: 1.5 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. Her on-court contributions will be negligible as the season continues, but practice is where Gaynor is destined to shine in early 2009. In practice, she learns how to become a point guard.
‘Naturally gifted’
Baseball scouts have a word for players like Gaynor: toolsy. A svelte 5-foot-6, Gaynor has great speed and ability to change direction. Everything about her is quick, from her feet to her eyes to her hands.
“Defensively, she probably has the quickest hands I’ve seen in a long, long time,” said Oregon assistant coach Velaida Harris, a veteran of the Amateur Athletic Union girls’ basketball circuit. “She’s naturally gifted.”
Gaynor first attracted the eyes of Oregon assistant coach Willette White as a freshman at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, when White was scouting some of Gaynor’s teammates. Under the direction of Sheryl Krmpotic, hired as coach of the Gaels in 1999, Bishop Gorman has become a high school powerhouse; the Gaels won three consecutive state championships, from 2006 to 2008, and Krmpotic has produced 19 Division-I players.
In recruiting her, Gaynor saw White and the coaching staff as “very loyal” to her. She committed on her official visit to Eugene, the only one she would take.
“At the time, it just felt right,” Gaynor said. “I told myself, ‘If it felt right, then just go for it. Don’t second-guess yourself.’
“(Oregon) was very exciting to see. Seeing something different, seeing the Cas Center, seeing Mac Court excited me.”
Presented with a raw but talented prospect, Oregon coaches are now in the midst of a familiar process: reshaping Gaynor’s game to fit the demands of college basketball.
Rethinking the game
“In college, everyone’s the same level as you,” Gaynor said. “It’s kinda hard coming from high school. You’re kinda like at the back of the bus again. Learning how to fit to this system is the hardest thing for me to do right now.”
So goes life for a freshman in college basketball. The transition from a remarkably successful high school team to a college team is quite a jump for a player like Gaynor, noted Harris.
“For her to be able to understand the physicality of (the college game) is huge,” Harris said. “You see Taylor Lilley or Micaela Cocks, you don’t think they’re that big and strong until you go up against them and realize how overwhelming they are.”
Early in the season, Gaynor would become visibly frustrated with a turnover, a poor shot or a defensive miscue in practice. This has become less frequent as she continues to establish herself. In turn, Gaynor has learned the essence of the point guard role: on-court leader.
“Playing the point guard position is a harder position to play,” Gaynor said. “Make sure everyone’s in the right spots. Get everyone together and focus. Pump the team up.
“You’re the second coach on the team. You’re the coach on the floor.”
Harris sees the developing understanding, but the true test lies in its application.
“I think she’s learned a lot. Now, it’s being able to adjust to the fact that everyone’s as good as you. It’s the mental aspect,” Harris said. “That’s what she’s trying to build up right now. I think she’s learned it. I think she’s learned and understands it. Now it’s her being able to apply it, and then get that self-confidence back. She’s gotta get success against that girl she’s playing with.”
In practice, of course, Gaynor is playing with Cocks and junior guard Taylor Lilley, who make up a handful for most Pacific-10 Conference starting backcourts. The coaching staff has confidence in Gaynor’s ability to draw from her trials and tribulations against them.
“Mic’s leadership out there, I try to imitate. She brings the same thing consistently every single game, every single practice,” Gaynor said.
“Dee is one who watches people and listens to what you say. It’s important for her to follow them,” Harris said. “It’s gonna be about the mental game and being able to handle and sustain all that’s being thrown at her.”
Three degrees of separation
Darriel’s parents, Darryl and Kena, and her younger brother Darryl, 12, remain in Las Vegas. Her sister, Sequoia Holmes, is a former UNLV standout and the Mountain West Conference’s scoring champion in the 2007-08 season and all-time career steals leader. Holmes, 24, is playing professional basketball in Germany.
“My sister is my favorite basketball player in the entire world,” Gaynor said.
Gaynor’s journey to Oregon began at a moment of uncertainty for her sister. Holmes signed with the Houston Comets of the WNBA as an undrafted free agent in 2007, averaging 3.1 points per game in 17 appearances. The Comets folded in December because of financial issues, and Holmes was selected by the Phoenix Mercury in the resulting dispersal draft. Holmes decided to venture overseas, initially signing with a team in Spain before joining her current team.
“Beginning of the year, I was homesick all the time,” Gaynor said. “We weren’t playing basketball. We were just training before preseason. It was kind of hard at first. My sister being overseas … that was really hard for me. I still get my crying days, where I want to sit in my room and cry.”
Gaynor and Holmes stay in constant contact through Skype or instant messaging services. The rest of her family joins in once a week for “Skype Sundays,” which have helped soothe Gaynor’s feelings of separation and open her eyes to professional basketball overseas.
“It’s a great opportunity, an exciting experience. It inspires me to work hard,” she said.
As Gaynor grows more comfortable off the court, her efforts are gaining appreciation on the court.
“At first, she was a bit timid with her role, being a freshman, being a point guard. It’s often hard to find a balance between what you can do and what you can’t,” sophomore forward Ellie Manou said. “She’s turning into quite a nice floor general at the moment in practice.”
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Biding her time
Daily Emerald
February 12, 2009
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