Freshman guard takes lead

When Stephens College basketball coach Dane Pavlovich recruited Debbie Dooley, he thought she would lead the Stars as a sophomore in the 2006-07 season and spend her freshman year learning under the instruction of two senior point guards - Amy Burklund and Venicia Vaughn.

He was wrong.

“With Amy and Venicia graduating, we needed the point guard of the future,” said Pavlovich of why he pursued Dooley. “As it turns out, she’s a pretty good point guard right now.”

Though Dooley still has some work to do — “shooting and using my left hand more” she said of the areas she’s lacking in — she has stepped into a leader’s role for the Stars (2-9), despite the fact that she has been playing college basketball for barely over a month.

In the Stars’ 73-55 loss Saturday night to Robert Morris at Silverthorne Arena, Dooley scored five points and recorded two steals for the Stars, both of which led to Stephens baskets. After her second takeaway, she passed the ball to Vaughn, who raced down the floor and was fouled while scoring a layup. The small crowd rose to its feet and cheered after the play, an infrequent sight at a Stephens game. The loss to Robert Morris was the Stars’ ninth straight.

The leadership role is not a challenge for Dooley.

“In high school, I loved being the leader,” she said. “It was something my dad pushed me to do. In college, I push myself to do it.”

Despite her youth, she wasn’t afraid to be vocal on the floor for Stephens.

“No,” she answers immediately when asked if she ever hesitated. “I don’t care how old I am.”

Though Pavlovich didn’t expect Dooley to fit in as quickly as she has, he knew she would take charge for the Stars over time.

“With her position, she has to,” he said. “If she’s going to lead us on the floor, that has to come.”

Playing with Vaughn has helped Dooley as well as the team.

“Venicia really pushes me, especially in practice,” she said. “When we’re working together we’re always pushing the ball up the court. We usually get a lot of fast breaks, steals on defense.”

When Pavlovich saw her potential at the start of the season, he pushed her to increase her instruction to teammates on the court.

“I was on her a lot early, making sure she was directing traffic and putting people in spots where she wanted them,” he said. “She’s getting a lot better at that.”

Dooley knows she must be willing to speak up if the Stars are to improve, even if her teammates don’t always appreciate it.

“There are a few (players) that don’t like to take criticism, but that’s my job. I’m the point guard,” she said. “Coach said tonight that somebody needs to step up and take charge, and that’s what I want to do.”