Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for December 6, 2007 MICHEL'LE HOUSTON

Expectations high for Cairo's Houston

by pete spitler, the southern

Michel'le Houston, whose on-court exploits have reached folklore and urban legend status, enters her senior year as the centerpiece of a Cairo team led by first-year coach Jim Drew.

The Co-Pilots have played just once this year, beating Jackson (Mo.) Lutheran 52-39 on November 27. Houston scored 29 points and hauled down 26 rebounds in the victory. The schedule ramps up for Cairo starting tonight against Goreville.

As the area's leading scorer in 2006-07, averaging 23.4 points per game, Houston was named to the all-Black Diamond East first team for the second straight year and was picked to the All-South team while averaging 15 rebounds and three blocks per game. The 6-foot-1 center has a renewed emphasis on improving her game away from the basket in 2007-08.

"I'm working on shooting more outside shots and not just layups," Houston said. "I want to improve on my jumping too."

Last year was especially tough on Houston, who lost her mother, Pamella Taylor. She has also gone through three coaches during her high school career.

"My former coach, Kelly Shepard, got wrist bands with my mom's name on them and we played with those every game," Houston said. "It was pretty hard."

But with colleges becoming increasingly interested, the future appears very bright for Houston.

"She's gotten several phone calls from coaches already," Drew said. "Southeast Missouri State is interested, so are a lot of junior college teams. She'll definitely play somewhere next fall."

Houston's abilities have won over Drew, who agreed to coach the team after a brief two-year retirement from his last coaching stop in Anna-Jonesboro, and she could be a valuable commodity during the spring signing period.

"She's a true 6-1," Drew said. "With her physical stature, it's just real hard to handle her inside. Everybody in the springtime is looking for that."

"One thing she can immediately do next year is rebound for somebody. Once a coach gets a hold of her, she's going to be a big-time player."

Drew has been careful not to focus too much on Houston and believes the Co-Pilots will be a team to be reckoned with by January. A deeper supporting cast has gone a long way towards improving Cairo's outlook and everybody seems to be benefitting from Drew's expertise.

"Coach Drew is a good coach, I like him," Houston said. "He doesn't just focus on me, he works on everybody to help them get better."

Houston spends just as much time in the weight room as she does on the court. Her strength is among her assets, along with her endurance and leadership capabilities.

"She has tremendous physical strength for a young lady," Drew said. "She can play 32 minutes and wants to play 32 minutes. She's very vocal on the court and shows pretty good leadership."

Houston hasn't decided where she would like to be next fall, although staying close to home is an option. But, she has decided that if the right opportunity comes along, she'll grab it.

"If I get a full ride, I'll take it," Houston said. "I'm not picky."