North Carolina State University Athletics
Bell and Jasmin Play Key Role In Wolfpack Success
2/28/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 28, 2005
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH -- When Kendra Bell and Darlene Jasmin are introduced for the final time tonight at Reynolds Coliseum, they can assume some of the credit for the success in what has been a most unusual season in the history of Wolfpack women's basketball.
It's been both joyous and trying, a season of thrills and concerns, because of the exceeded expectations of the team, which was picked to finish seventh in the preseason poll, and because of the health problems of head coach Kay Yow.
"I have said many times that this is a special team," Yow said. "If you had to choose a year for all of these things to happen - the staff I have is special and the team I have is special - I couldn't have picked a better year for it to happen."
Regardless of the outcome of tonight's regular-season finale against Clemson, the Wolfpack (20-6 overall, 9-4 ACC) will be the third seed in the ACC Tournament, which begins Friday at the Greensboro Coliseum. A win tonight would give Yow's team sole possession of third place in the final standings, while a loss would put it in a third-place tie with Florida State. (The Wolfpack wins the tie-breaker for the tournament seedings by virtue of its win over Florida State earlier this year.)
Yow preached all through the preseason that everyone was underestimating her team, which she believed was one of the most versatile in her 30-year career at NC State.
Using a well-diversified attack, the Wolfpack sailed through regular season, winning championships in the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands and at the St. Peters Classic and finishing the ACC season by winning eight of its last 10 games. Three of the four ACC losses came by a total of eight points to North Carolina and Duke, which tied for the regular-season title with 12-2 records in the league.
"It's not so much about being right that we were under-estimated," Yow said. "I am just glad it is a reality. From Day One, I have said this is one of the hardest working teams I have ever had. They have one of the best chemistries. It's really nice to see that hard work and chemistry really do make quite a difference."
Bell is the unsung leader on the court. She averages 7.3 points and 3.1 assists per game, but has cashed in on her experience as a two-year starter to be an effective floor general.
"She plays a great floor game," Yow said. "She's not flashy. She doesn't look to score herself, though I have often said I wish she would score more, because she has a nice shot, a good shooting touch and she is smart. She is the player who has taken care of the ball for us so much this season, she has called the offenses and defenses and she has a feel for when to up the tempo more and when to gear it down. She has had great control of the team all season long.
"I think that she plays a key role in what this team has been able to do, with her leadership and her floor game. She has created shots for other people or created one for herself."
 Darlene Jasmin  |
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That leadership came in handy during the three games that Yow missed because of her recurrence of breast cancer and the flu. It's the first time in 30 years that the Hall of Fame coach has missed a game. Fortunately, her team never missed a beat, going 2-1 in Yow's absence.
"Some of the best things we can do for her, to make her feel better, is for us to play well and do good while she is gone," said Bell, who has started all 26 games at the point this year. "We tried to do that, and to go out as a senior like this makes it that much sweeter."
Jasmin, a 6-2 center, has played a different role. The junior college transfer from Miami has played in 10 games this season, averaging 1.9 points a game, but she has made other valuable contributions to this year's success.
"Her role is completely different, sort opposite from Kendra," Yow said. "She has been a person we have relied on as a practice player, a person who has played on the scout team, game-in and game-out and has helped to prepare the starters and the other people who have played more for each game. The thing is, she always comes to practice ready to play that role and do it to the best of her ability. It has helped us be a better team as a result of it."
Jasmin will savor the game - particularly the pre-game introductions - because this is the first time her parents, Decius and Marie Jasmin, have ever seen her play at Reynolds Coliseum. While she has never been a star for the Wolfpack, she has enjoyed being a valuable contributor.
"I think having a chance to play in one of the biggest conferences in the nation, being able to improve everything we needed to improve from last year to this year, has been special," Jasmin said. "We became a much improved team. I always dreamed of being ranked in the AP poll and winning 20 games.
"I know we will do great in the ACC Tournament and in the NCAA Tournament. We have the ability to go all the way to the Final Four."
And that would certainly cap a season that has been unlike any other in Wolfpack history.
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
