Former Lady Eagle soars high in the SEC

By Marcus Stone, Staff Writer
mstone@williamsonherald.com

Just because basketball season has officially ended in Williamson County does not mean the awards have stopped pouring in for athletes familiar to the area.

Former Brentwood Academy Lady Eagles standout Victoria Dunlap was named South Eastern Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Year last week as voted on by conference coaches.

Hard work paid off for Dunlap according to her former coach.

“She wasn’t home a lot this summer, but every time she was she was calling me to get her into the gym,” said BA Coach Rhonda Brown. “I knew she was going to have a great year because she put forth such a great effort.”

Dunlap averaged 17.2 points per game and 8.4 rebounds this season for the University of Kentucky, leading the team to a school-record 11 conference wins.

Graduating in 2007, Dunlap is Brentwood Academy’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder with 1,442 points and 984 rebounds. A two-time Tennessee Miss Basketball finalist, she piloted BA to 19-consecutive wins and the school’s first girls basketball state title as a junior.

“She was definitely the focal point, but she had a lot of good pieces around her,” Brown said. “She’s just a great kid. She doesn’t take herself too seriously. God gave her tons of athletic ability, but the fun thing about her is she’s a great teammate.”

Five other classmates were part of the Eagles run to the state title, while in their senior year the team featured 12 upperclassmen.

The 6-foot-1-inch forward has improved her game every year since joining the Lady Wildcats, her free-throw shooting in particular. Dunlap has bettered her average over 40 percentage points since the beginning of her college career.

Brown noted that Dunlap missed 500 free throws in high school, a number that most don’t even attempt in a career at that level. The coach credits this to her not seeing herself as an offensive player, rather a defender.

“She’s always seen herself as a defender,” she said. “She’s a great defender, but you have to play on both ends. It’s not hockey - they’re not going to sub you out.”

Practice makes perfect as Dunlap is definitely a threat on both sides now, shooting 49 percent from the field and 70 percent from the foul line.

Four years after winning a state title, the junior came within one game of winning an SEC crown, falling to Tennessee 70-62 in the championship game March 7. A national title is still in sight for the Lady Cats as the team is a predicted No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament according to ESPN’s women’s bracketology.

Posted on: 3/11/2010