Published December 20, 2007 - By AARON GRAY, Staff Writer

Spalding basketball player Janay Brinkley has been there before.

As the lone freshman on a solid Cavalier squad last year, Brinkley was a double-digit scorer and had a breakout season in the ultra-competitive IAAM A Conference.

This year, the sophomore is now a team captain. She's the communication bridge between the team's three seniors and a group of four talented newcomers making their varsity debut just like Brinkley did a year ago.

"Janay is the heart and soul of this team," said Spalding coach Deb Taylor, who is in her 12th year at the helm. "What's been nice is that the four freshmen have come in with talent and enthusiasm but the seniors have paved the way. Janay fits right in the middle."

Putting freshmen into the spotlight is not unusual in Taylor's program. In fact, she's hoping this crop of youngsters can develop together and bring home a conference title like the Cavaliers did in 2002. That was when three seniors - Kylie Bestul, Angela Schaech and LaToya Strong - led a star-studded cast past St. Frances in the championship game. All three players had been playing at the varsity level since their freshman season.

"As a group, I would put these freshmen at the same level as the girls that won the title," Taylor said. "That team was very unselfish and put aside their individual goals. That's why they won. Individual success only comes with team success."

Which is something Brinkley knows all about.

"I love playing with this team," the Pasadena resident said. "It's a great mix. We have the seniors that have been here and the freshmen play with a lot of intensity. It's something this team needed."

Freshmen Sherae Swinson, Maggie Morrison, Shaquilla Curtis and Brya Freeland each saw significant time - Morrison and Swinson started - during the Cavaliers' 61-37 victory over archrival St. Mary's last night in Severn. Each player scored and Swinson, a center, led the team in rebounding.

"I try to help (the freshmen) as much as I can," said Brinkley, who scored a team-high 13 points last night. "I see myself in them a lot."

Brinkley admitted that last season was a challenge but she also said it was well worth it.

"It was a great experience for me because it helped me grow as a player," she said. "It helped me get stronger physically and mentally."

During the offseason, she stressed conditioning and weight training.

"It's not that I was smaller than anyone," she said. "I just want to be more physical for me as a player."

Brinkley uses a quick first step and likes to pull up for short jumpers in the paint. She is "5-foot-8 on a good day" and plays tenacious defense in the Cavaliers' full-court press.

She came to Spalding with big-game experience thanks to a year-round commitment to her AAU team, the Shooting Stars. That's where she started playing with Curtis and Freeland.

Taylor estimated that about half the players on her team play with some kind of year-round travel team. Other players, sucha s senior guard Christine Nairn, a standout soccer player, are accomplished in other sports and bring a wealth of knowledge.

"Christine has been coached by some of the best soccer coaches in the country," Taylor said. "It's a huge advantage for the other players. They soak up what she brings to the table."

Nairn, along with fellow seniors Emily Griffith and Katie Kirk, have seen Brinkley's game evolve on the court and are ready to direct the newcomers.

"We're taking them under our wings and showing them how this works," Nairn said. "I think it's good that there are four freshmen because if they have questions, they can always look to each other. Janay is a great leader and can help them out if they feel intimidated by the older players."

Taylor closely monitors her players' grades every week and said that in the past, freshmen have not had trouble balancing homework with basketball. It all plays into her philosophy that playing basketball at Spalding means more than scoring points or pulling down rebounds.

"There was Spalding girls basketball before they got here and it will be here long after they leave," Taylor said.

But is a new group of freshmen, a solid corps of seniors and standout guard in the middle the right combination to win the A Conference title?

"Oh yes, definitely - I'll say that right now," Brinkley said. "Keep your eyes on us because we're full of surprises."