Lady Falcons get proven PG

By Duane Cochran
For the Times West Virginian

FAIRMONT May 12, 2008 11:19 pm

— On paper it appears like a match made in heaven.
On the court Fairmont State Lady Falcon coach Steve McDonald hopes that’s exactly what it turns out to be.
FSU’s women’s basketball team was in desperate need of a veteran point guard. Cara Waybright, a three-year starter at Davis & Elkins College, was looking for a new home for her final season.
Now the two have found each other.
Waybright, a 5-4 senior-to-be point guard, will transfer to FSU this summer and will be eligible immediately for the Lady Falcons.
“I’m very, very excited about this opportunity,” said Waybright, who played her high school ball at Ripley. “It’s like a fresh start for me. I don’t think going to D&E out of high school at the time was the wrong decision for me. I’m a goal-oriented person and I knew how their program was. I saw myself going there and trying to build something great, but it just didn’t happen while I was there.
“Going into my senior season and knowing how hard I’ve worked and knowing now I’m going to be a part of a program which has enjoyed a lot of success in recent years and has a wealth of talent in it, I think, is only going to help me in my career in a way I’ve always envisioned. I’ve always had the dream of competing for and winning a conference title and having the chance to go on the compete at the national level. Transferring to Fairmont State is going to put me in a position to have a chance to achieve those things.”
Waybright was the second-leading scorer for the Lady Senators, who finished 6-22 overall last season, 3-17 and in 15th place in the 16-team West Virginia Conference. She averaged 13.9 points per game, which ranked her 12th individually in the league. She was also second in the conference in minutes played per game (37.3), fifth in assists (4.7), ninth in steals (54) and 11th in made 3-pointers (47). No less than 13 times last season she led D&E in scoring.
“Cara will give us a pure point guard along with (junior to be) Melissa Henry,” said McDonald, who guided FSU to a 25-7 overall record last season, the WVC’s Conference Tournament Championship and a second appearance in four years in the NCAA Division II National Tournament. “She sees the floor exceptionally well and is an above-average shooter from 3-point range.
“Cara has a very high basketball I.Q. and will give us the opportunity to push the ball on offense and pressure full-court on defense.”
As noted, Waybright has had a solid career at D&E. She comes to FSU with 999 career points, but says she knows her role as a player will change somewhat with the Lady Falcons.
“I’ve come to the realization that the role I’ve been used to playing the last three years is going to change probably a lot at Fairmont because they have so much talent there, but that’s fine with me,” she said. “I’ve always felt that I can be a player who can adapt to doing whatever my team needs me to do. Believe me distributing the basketball to their shooters and scorers will be no problem for me.
“I feel like I had a solid career at D&E, but like I said before I’m really looking forward to being surrounded on the court by a number of very good players. I think that fact is only going to make me a better overall player. That’s exciting and it’s something I’m really looking forward to.
“Coach has talked to me about wanting to play uptempo more on both sides of the ball and that’s great for me. I was used to playing that style in high school so in those terms it’s a good fit. I know because of the point guard situation Fairmont had last year they had to be a lot more deliberate on offense. Now hopefully we can get back to more of the style that coach McDonald wants to play.”
Despite the fact that Waybright, who is majoring in marketing with a minor in communications, will more than likely be FSU’s starting point guard next season the talented youngster says she’s not taking anything for granted.
“My summer job is to get better as a basketball player,” she said. “I spend a lot of time in the gym over the summer working on my entire game from shooting, to ball handling, to agility and everything else.
“I’m not taking anything for granted. I want to come to Fairmont and prove that I deserve to run the point for them. It’s a wonderful opportunity for me and I just want to make the most of it.”