Freeman Five Have Been A Force On The Courts

For nine years, through thick and thin, five Freeman athletes have stuck together.

“There were a couple of times when we stressed out,” said Brook Watson. “But we moved on from there.”

When they’re done this spring, the five - Watson, Angela McCathern, Jennifer Wilkerson, Jamie Watkins and Christina Graham - will have amassed 35 letters in four sports.

The five are the heart of Freeman’s girls basketball team, which over the last three years has won just 10 games.

They’ve had their greatest success in volleyball, where Wilkerson, Watkins and McCathern played major roles.

Both Wilkerson, who has lettered four years in both volleyball and basketball and once in tennis, and McCathern, who has lettered four years in softball, three in basketball and two in volleyball, will finish high school with nine varsity letters.

Watkins has lettered three years in volleyball and basketball. Watson has lettered twice in basketball and will do so three times in softball.

Graham is a four-year tennis player and has lettered twice in basketball.

“They are a neat group, win or lose,” said basketball coach John Hays. “I’m going to miss them a lot.”

In his third year as coach, Hays expressed disappointment that the Scotties haven’t had more success. But he also knows it shows a strength of character in the athletes, who could just have easily bailed out.

“This group has gone through a multitude of adversity and lack of success, weathered it and evolved,” he said.

The five athletes began their athletic odyssey in the fourth grade.

“When we were younger, we did everything together,” said McCathern.

She remembers that as seventh and eighth graders losses were few.

Four years in high school, Freeman volleyball teams finished among the Northeast A League top four, including a tie for second in Wilkerson’s sophomore season. This year they just missed state.

It is the favorite sport of Wilkerson and Watkins, who both made all-league.

For McCathern, an all-conference pitcher on Freeman’s district qualifier, and Watson, the Scotties’ shortstop, softball holds their hearts.

“She and I have been playing summers since fourth grade and played on a select team, the Lady Patriots,” said McCathern.

Graham is the Scotties No. 1 tennis player.

So why, when the players admit it’s frustrating to have won three and five games their first two seasons and just two so far this year, do they stick basketball out?

“We would get bored,” said Wilkerson.

Added McCathern, “I think it would be weird if we didn’t play. Something would be missing.”

She added that if the players concentrated on basketball only they would be successful. Wilkerson, for instance, was fifth in the NEA in scoring last year and McCathern was 10th.

Offensively, the Scotties have struggled midway through this year. Wilkerson said it is because of the pressure put on seniors to do well.

Improved defense, however, has meant five of the losses have come by seven or fewer points. “After a loss, they keep coming back,” said Hays. “In my opinion that’s what a winner is.”

Besides, the girls wouldn’t know what to do if they weren’t hanging out together on an athletic venue.

As Graham told her teammates, “Just staying together means we’ve been a success.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo