Lady Cajuns Blanche on target {i-camera}
Point guard helps Cajuns mount impressive start.
LOUISIANA La. — Parents know how it is.
A son or daughter expresses interest in a toy or activity. Equipment is purchased. The game is new and exciting, and the youngster can’t stay away from it.
Then, two weeks later, it’s on to something else.
Sometimes, though, the fascination lasts longer, and that initial investment looks like a smart move.
That’s the way it’s been for Ashley Blanche and the game of basketball. Since taking up the game as a child, she hasn’t stopped dribbling and passing the ball.
“I’ve been playing since I was 6, in my backyard,” said Blanche, the starting point guard for Louisiana's Lady Cajuns.
“My dad (Rodney) bought me my first goal, and wanted to see if I would stick with it. After a couple of years, he said ‘I guess you do have an interest’ and I started playing on teams at the playground.
“He worked with me on my game.”
Blanche went on to a stellar career at Cabrini High School in New Orleans, leading the team in scoring for four years and pacing coach Tony Labella’s squads to four straight state playoff appearances.
She also was a National Honor Society member and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Cabrini, showing she’s capable of handling several interests at the same time.
Now, each time the Cajuns play close enough, the Blanche family is likely to be in the stands.
“My parents (Rodney and Diane) try to make every game,” Blanche said. “They’re fanatics. I have my own expectations, plus I want to make my parents proud, so they can say, ‘My daughter did that.’
“I also have twin sisters who play for Cabrini. They’re good at the game, too. I try to be a role model for them.”
Blanche has been a willing participant in coach J. Kelley Hall’s “defense first” philosophy, something she was familiar with from her prep days, but she has also had to adjust to a different scheme to achieve that.
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Bruce Brown
bbrown@theadvertiser.com
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