Anshonee Addison is a big reason why Kinston’s girls basketball team is currently undefeated in conference play and a favorite to reach the regionals yet again.
But that hasn’t always been the case.
Addison, a junior who transferred from North Lenoir following her freshman year, has overcome some personal obstacles as well as those associated with entering a new program to be a prominent figure for the Vikings this season as they seek their third straight Eastern Plains 2A Conference title and a third consecutive trip to Fayetteville.
The 5-foot-7 guard has always had the work ethic, but when she got to Kinston she found she was one player on a team comprised of many good players instead of being the go-to player she said she was at North Lenoir.
Having found her role, she’s now a starter on a first-place team that is 15-4 overall and 8-0 in league play entering tonight’s contest at Farmville Central.
“When I was at North Lenoir I was a leader and my team depended on me,” Addison said. “When I came over here I actually had some help.
“I felt like I was putting pressure on me that wasn’t (necessary).”
Her first workout with her new teammates was “intense” — more so than at North Lenoir, she said — almost to the point that she didn’t know if she was cut out to play in coach Hubert Quinerly’s system.
But she hung in there, and did what she could to earn herself a spot on the team.
“She’s such a good player with a solid work ethic,” Quinerly said. “She’s really helped us out a lot on both ends of the floor.”
Addison’s talent was never a question — it’s why she’s now at Kinston, she said — but somewhere along the line she began to press herself too much. She was taking shots that weren’t there. She was making passes that weren’t there.
In essence, she was trying to be more than what her team needed to be.
“She was just trying to do too much,” Quinerly said. “We had a heart-to-heart talk, and once she settled down and let the game come to her things got much better for her.”
This season, though, she’s figured out that she doesn’t need to score 20 points or have 10 assists per game for both her and her team to be successful. She just needs to be one of the girls on a team full of talent.
With four games left on the regular season schedule she’s currently averaging 6.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.7 steals and a single assist per game, according to stats on Maxpreps.com.
Addison’s role is to contribute anyway she can, and to have fun doing it.
It’s a role she’s embraced with open arms.
“I love it here,” she said. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
Ryan Herman can be reached at 252-559-1073 or Ryan.Herman@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter: @KFPSports.