Ramblings of a small town freelance journalist: For LB frosh, team is family

By Kay M Roth

Sami DeVore living her hoop dreams at LBCC

With her teammates practicing in the background, Sami DeVore takes aim at the basket. Ball in hand, DeVore eyes the distance, takes a breath and pushes the ball up and away. Arms overhead, her right wrist bends, both hands together forming what appears to be a swan’s head. It is a form she has perfected over almost her entire 18 years and one that has taken her from tiny Scio High School to the court at LBCC.

Being on the sidelines is something DeVore is unfamiliar with. “I rolled my ankle coming down with a rebound,” DeVore said between shots. She doesn’t expect to be sidelined long. “I should be back for our first game.” The Lady Roadrunners open the season on November 20, when they host Treasure Valley Community College.

DeVore is used to being busy but it is a different busy than she experienced in high school. At Scio High School, DeVore was active in many activities and was a very accomplished student athlete. Now, it’s all about playing basketball and studying for the 15 credits she is taking this term.

Mark Ferguson, the assistant girls’ coach at Scio, watched DeVore grow from a rough and tumble freshman to a composed senior. Her contributions to the team led the Lady Loggers to the final eight in the Class 2A state playoffs for the first time in decades.

“She contributed in so many ways to our success,” Ferguson said. Hard work and hustle are just two in a long list of traits that endeared DeVore to her high school and now to her college coaches.

Teresa Guerra is in her third year at the helm for the Lady Roadrunners. She began following DeVore’s high school career almost from her first day as coach. Watching the speedy little guard work the court, scramble for rebounds and be the team’s leader for her final two years in Scio, Guerra liked what she saw.

Her quickness and basketball IQ were two of the attributes Guerra liked when she studied DeVore’s play. “Overall, she is the kind of student athlete I want to be in my program.”

Guerra likes DeVore’s attitude, calling her a good teammate. Heidi Halemeier is one of those teammates. Halemeier, a graduate of Santiam High School in Mill City, used to be one of DeVore’s rivals. Now, the pair, both from small towns in eastern Linn County, share the court.

According to their coach, it’s more than just about sharing space. The pair works really well together and loves every minute of it. “They’re happy to be playing together instead of against each other,” said Guerra.

Despite her height- just 5’3”- DeVore can hold her own on the court. While in high school, she led the Lady Loggers in rebounds her freshman, sophomore and junior years.

“She was second her senior year when we finally got a six foot freshman post to shoulder the load,” Ferguson said. “Rebounding is all hard work and heart.”

Clearly, DeVore has both. She also was known as a great shooter in the always-tough Tri River Conference. According to Ferguson, DeVore could “hit a big three when her team needed it most.”

In DeVore’s mind, it’s all about the team. Ferguson agrees, noting DeVore’s penchant for passing up an open shot to give the ball to a teammate. “I’d have to remind her to shoot.”

While the work is much harder and quicker than the high school game, there is a constant. “Everything I do right now revolves around team,” said DeVore. She looked longingly as her teammates scrimmaged and she could only shoot. “No jumping.”

“Team is family.” Sounds simple enough for the young freshman. In the case of her high school career, family was team. Or, more to the point, DeVore was coached her first two years by her mother, Linda Miller, and then by her stepfather, Tony Miller for her final two seasons.

DeVore’s basketball roots run deep. Both her mother and stepfather also played for Scio. So did her older sisters, and her aunt and uncles. In DeVore’s world, basketball truly is a family affair.

“I was always at the gym,” DeVore said of her basketball life. “I started playing basketball as soon as I could walk.”

On hand during the team’s first scrimmage, her family watched as DeVore’s injury forced her from the game she loves. In addition to the Millers and her sisters, DeVore’s fan club included her grandparents and her aunts and uncles.

For the first time in her long career, DeVore is beside herself. “I’ve never sat out because of an injury.” She glances down at the heavy black brace around her ankle, smiles and looks on as her teammates bang the boards. “I’ll be back soon.”

Now, as when she was a little girl, basketball is her life. While the game is different- quicker, more physical and a much longer season- the game remains the same. For DeVore, that means throwing herself into the game she loves.

In Ferguson’s opinion, DeVore’s height has nothing to do with how high she can soar. “She will probably be the smallest girl on the floor any given night, but she's been the smallest girl at just about every level she has played and it has never stopped her before.” Don’t look for that to change any time soon.