SPORTS
Small Wonders
North Farmington's dynamic backcourt duo leads the Raiders
into Western Lakes competition
MIKE ROSENBAUM
Sports Writer
hile size is increas-
ingly important in
team sports, the
North Farmington
11111 High School girls'
basketball . team has started well
despite its lack of height. The team's
front line is 5-foot-10, 5-8 and 5-7. The
backcourt tandem of Debbie Wein-
traub and Kim Gurecki stands 5-3
and 5-2, respectively. But the Raiders',
quickness, speed and pressing defense
have led them to three wins in their
first four games, including a decisive
63-41 victory on Sept. 15 at league
rival Walled Lake Western, the team
which knocked North Farmington out
of last year's state tournament.
"The team's doing really well,"
says coach Greg Capling. "They are
playing very well together, very
unselfish. I told 'ern at the beginning
of the year, if they played good defense
and rebounded that we're gonna be in
the games. We've also got to shoot
well, because we're not very big, so
we're not gonna get a whole lot of se-
cond shots. But we've got a good
shooting team."
Gurecki, like Weintraub, is a
senior. This is her third year on the
varsity and her second as a starter.
She is the lead guard, the one who
runs the offense on the court. That is
a major responsibility, especially on
a team which relies on quickness and
good offensive execution to help over-
come its height disadvantage. But
Gurecki enjoys her role. "I like it. I'd
rather do that than play another posi-
tion." She says her role is "basically
the same" as last season, "but I'm ex-
pected to do a little more because I'm
Debbie Weintraub and Kim Gurecki.
older. I can't make as many mistakes."
She feels her experience helps her see
the court better and make better deci-
sions while she has the ball.
Capling says of Gurecki's role,
"We look to her to score. Also to run
Bob McKeown
the team." She averages 13.5 points
and seven assists per game, says
Capling.
Weintraub averages about six
points and three steals per contest.
"Debbie's a smart player," says Capl-
Millman Becomes Raider Golf Ace
MIKE ROSENBAUM
Sports Writer
N
the team this year" says Wilson. The
Raiders are 7-0 in dual matches this
season, 3-0 in the Western Lakes Ac-
tivities Association, with two league
matches to play. North Farmington
plays Westland John Glenn at the
Fellows Creek course today.
orth Farmington High School
senior Scott Millman is a
golfer, but he did his best
Babe Ruth impression last week
by successfully calling his shots.
Millman was the Raiders' number
Millman told coach Dick Wilson two golfer last season. North Farm-
before the Raiders' dual match ington returned six of its top eight
against Plymouth Salem Sept. 16 players this season and Wilson is
that he would shoot a one-under par looking for a berth in the state finals
34. Millman, who averages 37.8 next month.
strokes per nine-hole match, hit his
prediction exactly.
Wilson says Millman has "im-
"He's our number one player on proved quite a bit" from last year,
48
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1988
when he averaged 42.5.
"He does a lot of things well" says
Wilson, adding, "He drives the ball
well and he putts well . . . He can hit
most golf shots. He can stick it to the
pin with the iron."
Wilson describes Millman as "an
intense person, very intense about his
game. He doesn't like to lose. He's con-
trolled his emotions on the golf course
very well this year."
Wilson feels that Millman may
have a golfing future beyond high
school. "I would think he could play
college golf."
ing. "She's not fast, but she's quick.
She anticipates well, knows where the
ball's coming, gets a lot of steals. She's
a good shooter."
This is Weintraub's second varsi-
ty season. She was the first or second
player off the bench last season, star-
ting several games in place of an in-
jured teammate. "As a senior," she ex-
plains, "I think part of my role is to
have a little senior leadership. But
also the coach has me out there for
shooting, when I'm open, and to hit
the open person on the pass."
Weintraub says she and Gurecki
blend well on and off the court. "We're
good friends, so I think we work
together well. She's a good leader out
on the court. She really gets things
going."
Gurecki says simply, "I think we
get along well."
The other Raider starters are
junior center Vikki Seamons, senior
forward Donna O'Brien, the team
captain, and sophomore forward-
guard Eve Claar. Claar and Gurecki
are the top shooters. Capling
describes the team as "quick, ag-
gressive, scrappy. Earlier in the year
I called 'ern 'scrawny and scrappy? To
see us out on the floor we almost look
like a JV team."
Gurecki, who also plays varsity
softball, played for the 1986 Detroit
Maccabi basketball and softball
teams in Toronto. She lists basketball
as her favorite and best sport. Wein-
traub plays varsity volleyball — her
best sport, she says — and softball. A
National Honor Society student,
Weintraub carries a 3.8 grade point
average. Playing three sports is
"tough, with school," she says. "But
I just learned to make good use of my
time . . . You get out of school and you
go practice and it's a lot of fun. It's not
that it's that easy, but it's something
I like to do."
Capling says the two have very
different personalities. "These two
kids are great. They get along with
everybody, they're very friendly.
Kim's a little on the quiet side. Deb-
bie's more extroverted. If anybody has
anything to say in practice or raises
her hand it's usually Debbie.
Sometimes she questions plays or of-
fers suggesstions, which is good,
because I encourage that with the
kids. I do a lot of kidding with Deb-
bie." Weintraub says, "I like to have
a positive attitude and keep the team
spirit going."
Capling says Gurecki is "more
vocal this year . . . but she needs to be