No. 1 Gorman girls receive boost from 6-2 Kline...
Las Vegas, Nevada- How does the area's top-ranked girls basketball team suddenly get even better?

The answer is simple - it adds one of the state's top players. Bishop Gorman (14-2) has been ranked No. 1 by the Review-Journal all season, and the Gaels got even tougher last week when South Florida signee Jen Kline became eligible. Kline had to sit out a year after transferring from Basic, but shook off the rust quickly, totaling 37 points in two victories last week.

The 6-foot-2-inch Kline was picked as the Southern Nevada Player of the Year by coaches as a sophomore after averaging 20.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.2 steals, 4 blocks and 2.3 assists.

"She brings a tremendous amount of leadership," Bishop Gorman coach Sheryl Krmpotich said. "Most impressively is that she brings defensive awareness on the floor because she's 6-2. She has great quickness, great court awareness of where her offense is, and she just adds another major scorer on the floor."

Kline joins a lineup that already features the area's two leading Class 4A scorers - sophomore Breona Gray (20.6) and senior Liz Cansdale (19.6). Having those two on the court with Kline will be a nightmare for the opposition.

"She can play inside as well as outside," Cansdale said of Kline. "And that gives us a lot of variation, because a post can't guard her, but a guard can't guard her. So it's harder for teams to adapt to just her. And then with me and Breona Gray and Charity Renfro and all the other players on the team, it'll be hard to guard us and stop us."

Kline downplays her role for the Gaels, pointing to the team's 12-2 record without her. Both of Gorman's losses came to tough out-of-state competition. The Gaels lost to Pope Pius XI from Milwaukee, Wis., which is No. 25 this week in the Fox Fab 50. Gorman's other loss came to Berkeley (Calif.), which also has been ranked in the Fab 50 this season.

"They were incredible before I even came," Kline said. "They've proven that they can win without me, basically, which doesn't bother me at all. I just add another piece to the puzzle."

Though Kline often played point guard at Basic, she's starting at power forward for the Gaels. But Krmpotich said Kline is capable of playing all five positions.

"Right now she's starting at the four spot, but I have put her at the three guard, and she's not afraid to grab the ball, which is so nice to have a four player who can grab the ball and go," Krmpotich said. "And there's not many four players defensively that can handle a guard that big. Normally, they're the ones that slack off and are helping help side, but they can't do that because she can shoot the three and she can drive."

Kline said spending a year away from the court was difficult, but she thinks it made her stronger. Because she was unable to play in games, she was more focused in practice.

"It was extremely tough, but it made me better, because I worked harder at practice," Kline said. "It was tough, though. There were days I didn't want to be here, but I always was."

Now that Kline is eligible, Gorman is looking to make a splash at the state tournament. An upset loss to Cimarron-Memorial in the Sunset Regional kept the Gaels from making a trip to Reno last season. Because Gorman starts a freshman and two sophomores, seniors Kline and Cansdale - the only Gaels with state tournament experience - should play important roles in the postseason.

Kline played at state as a sophomore with Basic, and Cansdale was a starter for Gorman's state tournament team that year. No Southern Nevada team has won a large-school state title since Chaparral in 1980. But Kline and Cansdale think this Gorman team has the talent to end that drought.

"That's one of my biggest goals for our team all together is to win a ring," Kline said. "I can just imagine winning a ring. But we've just got to take it game by game."

Cansdale said: "We can go all the way. That's what we work for. That's why we practice hard, and that's why we love the game."

JEN KLINE FILE
YEAR: Senior
HEIGHT: 6 feet 2 inches
POSITION: Forward/guard
POINTS AVG.: 18.5
POINTS AVG. (1998-1999 at Basic High School): 20.8
ASSISTS AVG. (1998-1999 at Basic High School): 2.3
REBOUNDS AVG. (1998-1999 at Basic High School): 7.4
HONORS: Southern Nevada Player of the Year (1998-1999)