By JIM DABBELT
NEW CARLISLE – It’s almost time for the start of another school year, and
the way the summer has gone, Tecumseh sophomore Bianca Quisenberry (pictued left on defense) probably can’t wait for the start of another basketball season to begin.
The 5-foot-7 point guard left her impressions around the Central Buckeye Conference last season, and now, Quisenberry wrapped up a summer basketball season where she left her mark on the entire Midwest.
“It was a fun, successful summer with our AAU team, and I really enjoyed it,” Quisenberry said in an interview from her home last week. “We were a quick, pressing team and I just wanted to help out with dealing with the pressure. Last year, I worked a lot on my shooting, now I am spending a lot of time with my ball handling.”
The Lady Arrows guard is no longer a secret around the area. In fact, the experts in the field have her as the top ranked sophomore player in the Miami Valley. Even with her accolades, she knows she still has a lot of improving to do.
“This year, I want to be able to handle the ball better, and get the ball to Chelsey (Davis) and Brittany (Frappier) to score more. We have a good group of players coming back, and I am just hoping to make us a tougher team.”
“This summer, Bianca has worked very hard in developing some new offensive moves to add to her arsenal of weapons,” Tecumseh coach Danielle Thomas said. “She has started to develop her outside shot, which will only make her tougher on her defenders to shut her down.”
“We were down to Arcadia in a shootout 26-10 at halftime this summer, and Bianca was feeding her teammates the ball in transition. (She) ended up hitting five three’s in the second half, and we ended up coming back to win the game.”
While she is ready to go to the next level, Quisenberry has had plenty of time to develop her total game. In addition to several games with the Lady Arrows in June, she has made strides with her AAU team, the Dayton Lady Hoopstars by playing in several college exposure events late in the summer. She was coached this summer by Kenton Ridge assistant Terry Toliver, and her father Richard, who has coached varsity basketball for several years.
“Playing all of these games has helped a lot,” she said. “AAU is a tougher game than school ball, and it has made me better and has helped a lot toward the school season.”
“The exposure events are a good opportunity for me and for this whole team,” Quisenberry added. “I get nervous sometimes, but I hope the coaches see some good things, so I might have a chance to be a part of their program.”
Some of the bigger events her AAU team has played in this summer were the Run for the Roses in Lexington, and Showtime Nationals in Bloomington, while she has also been a part of some very elite individual events, such as the Border Battle this past weekend, along with participating in the Top 64 Showcase in October.
She has also dealt with some nagging injuries all summer long, which was originally diagnosed as a stress fracture, but has what is generally termed as severe shin splints.
“I sat for awhile, and it started getting to me,” she said. “After I returned, things were getting better.
“Bianca had a tremendous summer,” said Toliver. “She has made big improvements, such as changing direction and speed. She has a better understanding at going different speeds, she has throttled down.”
“Her three point shot has improved, and she is tremendously hard to guard. She can beat you off the dribble or the three-pointer.”
So now after a fall sports season with the Tecumseh volleyball team, Quisenberry will prepare for a basketball season that saw a seven-game improvement in wins last year from the year before. That means loftier goals for the Lady Arrows.
“In open gym, we have talked about the league this year,” she said. “A lot of seniors have graduated from the CBC, and we need to work hard to compete with Tipp City and Kenton Ridge. We want to work hard to be league champs by this year or next.”
“Bianca has learned more situational basketball this summer, and how to execute to win a tight ball game,” Thomas said. “She is the point guard so she has to lead her teammates in these types of games.”
“She is more determined and focused than any player I have ever known, and is continuing to take her game to the next level,” she added. “If people didn’t know before that they are witnessing a gifted player on the court, they will this season.”
Jim Dabbelt wrote this for the New Carlisle News, appearing August 4.
