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Irvin
prepares to take on leadership role next year
Sandora
Irvin has already made a name for herself with the Lady
Frogs, but she has bigger things planned for next season.
By
Brent
Yarina
Sports Editor
Not even honorable mention All-American honors can make
junior forward Sandora Irvin content.
After becoming the first Lady Frog to earn a postseason
Associated Press honor, she now wants something even bigger.
Irvin wants to dunk.
And she’s already working on making that incredible
goal, which has only occurred five times in the history
of women’s college basketball, a reality.
“I want to improve my jumping a lot,” Irvin
said. “I’ve been saying I’m going to (dunk)
for a while and I really want to do it now.”
Head coach Jeff Mittie doesn’t put the flush past
Irvin.
“I definitely think she has the athletic ability,”
Mittie said. “Sandora is as athletic as there is
out there. If anyone can do it, she is certainly on the
top of the list.”
Irvin has her mind focused on more important aspects of
her game, too. The forward wants first-team All-American
honors next season. She’s determined to improve every
facet of her game. From passing to dribbling to outside
shooting, Irvin wants vast improvement.
It will be hard to improve upon her 16.8 points, 12.2
rebounds and 3.9 blocks a game as a junior, but Irvin
wants it that bad.
“I want to be first-team All-American,” she
said. “Every player wants their name there. That’s
one of my biggest goals next season.”
If her game continues to improve as much as it has in
each of her first three seasons, her stats will warrant
such recognition next year.
“I expect to get better every year because we’re
getting better every year,” Irvin said. “And
that is good for our program and me because that brings
us in better recruits.”
No one knows Irvin’s game better than Mittie, and
he doesn’t think first-team honors is out of the
question.
“I think it’s a possibility,” he said.
“I hope she gets it. That will mean she’s had
a great season, guiding us to another good season. Her
potential is better than anyone in the nation.”
As much as Irvin wants the first-team accolade, she has
no gripes about settling for C-USA player of the year.
“I want to be Conference USA player of the year,
now that Chandi (Jones) is gone. I told the C-USA people
at the tournament that I’m winning it next season
since Chandi isn’t going to be around anymore.”
And to think some people recommended she not attend TCU,
saying the program wouldn’t make her a better player.
“When I came here people told me that TCU wouldn’t
help me become the player I need to be,” she said.
“I feel like Coach Mittie has made me into that type
of player. I’m glad I’m getting recognition
here now and that I chose to come here. I think I’m
proving those people wrong.”
Mittie never had any doubts.
“They said she would have to carry the weight of
the program on her shoulders if she came here,” Mittie
said. “That didn’t happen. I knew with her abilities
and the other players we had here, she would develop into
this someday.”
Irvin has a chance to prove even more people wrong during
her senior season, with a big challenge awaiting her.
Irvin will become the team’s leader for the first
time next year, a duty Ebony Shaw and Tracy Wynn held
this season. While being the team’s leader from a
star perspective, she has never been the vocal leader.
Irvin is ready for the challenge.
“I’m gonna have to step up leadershipwise,”
she said. “I’ll have to be more of a leader.
I’m real laid back and this year Ebony and Tracy
were the ones leading and being hated by all the teammates
for being the leader. I guess I’ll just have to be
hated next season. No matter what, if I want to be the
leader or not, I have to step up and be it.”
Hated or not, Irvin will still be her teammates’
favorite target on the basketball court. And that can
only benefit her run at the TCU record books.
“Everyone remembers those records that I’ve
broken,” she said. “I have a chance to put some
of them away for a long while. It is really cool to do
something like that.”
Irvin is the Lady Frogs’ all-time leading rebounder
with 980 and shot blocker with 330. Her 12.2 rebounds
a game this season were the most in the program’s
history.
In fact, Irvin made such a name for herself with the Lady
Frogs during her junior season, setting school records
with 504 points, 366 rebounds and 195 field goals made,
that she finally got out of her uncle Michael Irvin’s
shadow.
She is no longer just the NFL legend’s niece who
plays college basketball. Now, she is “San,”
one of the best frontcourt players in the nation.
“I’m making a name for myself,” Irvin said.
“Michael Irvin’s now Sandora Irvin’s uncle.
I never minded anyone referring to me as his niece at
all. It’s definitely different now though. One of
my friends says the commentators comment about me too
much.”
The elder Irvin won’t concede his rank.
“Michael’s always trying to give me some pointers,”
she said. “He’s always trying to tell me how
to post somebody up. He’s a football player. I just
tell him you play football, not basketball. Do I tell
you how to catch a ball?”
Irvin may want to confront her uncle pretty soon about
life in the pros ranks, though.
The forward doesn’t want her basketball career to
end after her senior season. Instead, Irvin hopes to play
in the WNBA and save her marketing degree for life after
basketball.
“If you love the game as much as I do, that is what
you want to do,” Irvin said. “I don’t think
I’ll ever not want to play basketball. I’ll
go overseas if need be. I really can’t see myself
not playing this game.”
Mittie said Irvin should have a future in the game after
her senior season.
“She has all the potential,” he said. “I
know numerous pro scouts like her game a lot. There hasn’t
been a player to leave here with more accolades than her.” |
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Stephen
Spillman/Staff Photographer
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| With
support from her team and head coach Jeff Mittie,
junior forward Sandora Irvin is making plans to
improve her playing ability in the coming season. |
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