VIEW ATHLETE OF THE MONTH

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Shirley Pitts Durango High School Sophomore

SPORTS: volleyball, basketball, track and field

GPA: 3.2

ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

Earned varsity letters as a freshman last year in basketball and track.

Took fourth place in the 400 meters in the 2006 Class 4A state track and field championships.

Named to the all-tournament team in November's Tip-Off Classic tournament at Tarkanian Basketball Academy.

Recovered from knee surgery in 2005 to play her first year of volleyball in 2006, helping to lead the Trailblazers to the playoffs.

COACH: "She has a lot of athletic ability a lot of girls don't have, but she's also made herself into a better basketball player by taking time in the offseason to become a better player. She's really put time into becoming a much better shooter and ball-handler. This year I'm completely comfortable with her shooting the ball. She's become more of an offensive threat. We try to push the ball up and run and get a shot off quickly, and she does thrive in an (uptempo) game like that." John Bartleson, head coach, Durango girls basketball.

FUTURE: "My goal (in athletics) is just to get into college and play one, if not two sports."

PARENTS: Susan and Gerald Pitts