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GIRLS BASKETBALL: Pasco County Notebook

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By LEE DIEKEMPER

Tribune correspondent

Published: December 19, 2008

WESLEY CHAPEL - It's hard to feel sympathy for a coach and his team that is undefeated but it's easy to see that Wesley Chapel coach Karim Nohra and his Wildcats have overcome a lot and will have to dodge yet another obstacle in the coming weeks to remain undefeated.

The Wildcats didn't have Nohra until late in the summer and missed his tutoring until the season started. As a result, Nohra hasn't been able to fully implement his style of play as the girls have had to learn on the fly, bit by bit.

Just when the Wildcats were starting to grasp Nohra's offense and defense, Janelle Mils, 6-2, and Wesley Chapel's leading scorer (14 points a game) broke a wrist in a win over Land O' Lakes Dec. 10.

Mils won't be available for some time.

"We're hoping to have her back possibly the last week of the season, maybe the week of the districts," Nohra said.

Nohra added, half-jokingly, "We'll now have a four-guard offense."

The good news for Nohra is that it's only a wrist meaning Mils could still work on conditioning and other basketball skills. But Norha isn't taking chances.

He's forbade her to do anything until she sees the doctor Jan. 5 for a follow-up. If the wrist is healing properly, he'll then give Mils the green light to resume workouts.

"Right now, she's doing nothing," Nohra said. "If she's doing [some form of workout] who knows? Even though she's in a cast she could [do further damage] just by leaning on it the wrong way. I don't want her to do anything.

"The only thing I want her to do now is to drink lots of milk and build up the calcium."

Nohra denies he is affiliated with the American Dairy Association.

CALL ME IN FEBRUARY: Despite playing a strong schedule, Land O' Lakes is surprising struggling a bit with a 4-6 record. Gators coach Laurie Pacholke, however, isn't too worried.

Yet.

Most of her starters are underclassmen with limited varsity experience, though talented. She expects her team to get better as the season progresses.

"We are so inexperienced," Pacholke said. "My guards, they have a world of experience but from that we don't have a world of experience. So it's a lot of growing pains right now."

One can ask her about her record but she isn't sweating over the subpar park.

Yet.

"What my record is right now, I'm not worried," Pacholke said. "Ask me in January and February, then I'll be worried. We're growing. That's all I can ask for."

IT'S A TEAM: When Mitchell lost three games in a row -- all district games -- earlier this month, it appeared the Mustangs were about to take a nosedive.

Instead, they started another win streak. Mustangs coach Jacob Tavo claims his team's renewed fortunes results from unselfish play.

"We played as a team," Tavo said. "The more games they play together, the better they get. Hopefully they can consistently play like this, as a team. That's what it will take."

Correspondent Lee Diekemper can be reached at pinellascountyports@yahoo.com. Coaches should email notes and news to be included in this notebook.

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