Lady Eagles excellent on the court and in the classroom

BRONSON -- The Bronson High girls varsity hoops team is off to a great start this season, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out why.

Coach Greg Hamilton is blessed with talent plus girls who play smart ball.

Backing up the smart part are five players who are straight A honor students, making life a joy for Hamilton.

Juniors Christine Schroeder, Sarah Parkin, Samantha Cabrera and Kamize Johnson and her younger sister Rasheedah Johnson, a sophomore, have been a joy to coach.

"They come to practice ready to learn," Hamilton said. "There are no silly quarrels. They make everything better."

Their classroom work has even rubbed off on teammates,

"A couple girls were scoring in the 40s in algebra," coach said. "They helped them get up to the 80s."

Schroeder , a guard who comes off the bench, has a grade point average of 3.93. Her favorite subject is chemistry.

"I've been playing since I was 5 years old," said Schroeder, who lists film producer as a possible career. "I have a hoop at home. I also play volleyball and am a cheerleader."

Parkin, who sees lots of action as a post player, has a GPA of 4.0 and says psychology is her favorite subject.

"She has the highest score in her class in every subject," Hamilton said.

Parkin also stays busy in drama and is flag captain in the band.

"Basketball is a good release from the studying," she said.

Cabrera is a transfer over from Fort Lauderdale-Western. She has a 3.8 GPA and loves literature, although she would like to study forensic medicine in college.

"I love it here," she said of moving to Bronson. "I love watching CSI and Law and Order."

Cabrera is also a cheerleader and is in color guard. She also is a guard on the hoops court.

"This is my first year playing basketball," she said. "It's really intense. It's exhausting. Everybody's close on the team."

The Johnson sisters are also in their first year at Bronson. They are originally from Indianapolis and attended P.K. Yonge in Gainesville last year.

Kamize is a post player who previously played guard. She is a starter and has a good outside touch.

Kamize has a 3.8 GPA who loves math. She would like to be a plastic surgeon someday.

Both sisters are sprinters on the track team

Rasheedah plays wing. She has a 4.0 GPA and loves English. Rasheedah would like to become a doctor.