Miyamura alumnae reconnects with former coach

By Barbara Boxleitner
Special to the Times

GALLUP

A reunion with a former coach has Autumn Enote happy and comfortable on the basketball court again.

The Miyamura High School graduate is playing for the Lyon College (Ark.) women’s basketball team after being an occasional starter for Baptist Bible College (Mo.) last year, when she averaged 6.2 points and 2.7 rebounds in 24 games.

Her transfer reunited her with Casey Fowler, Lyon’s first-year head coach who was her coach during her freshman year at Baptist Bible.

The move has revitalized the shooting guard.

“This season I feel a lot more confident,” she said. “He (Fowler) believes in me.”

She decided to transfer after Baptist Bible no longer was the right fit, mainly because the team’s 2-3 zone defense did not play to her strengths.

“Her freshman year we made a ton of progress,” said Fowler, who last year coached at Arlington Baptist University but still kept tabs on Enote. “Last year hurt her confidence a lot. It’s really taken a lot to forget all of that.”

In choosing Lyon, she joined a program that has reached the national tournament yearly since the 2011 season.

During the summer she prepared by playing one-on-one against her younger brother. She practiced six days a week and got in as much shooting as she could.

“I knew I was coming into a program that’s really, really good,” Enote said. “I really improved my shooting.”

At 5-foot-2, shortest on the team, she was a reserve in playing the first 10 games (4-6) and ranked eighth on the squad in minutes per game. She averaged 4.8 points, seventh on the squad, and 1.1 rebounds.

“I’m trying my best to get ready, working hard,” she said. “I’ve got to help my team any way I can.”

Enote had a season-high 12 points in a season-high 15 minutes Dec. 12 against Bacone. She tied her season highs of two rebounds and two steals.

She had eight points against Missouri Baptist and seven against Harris-Stowe in earlier games.

“She’s really doing well on both ends of the floor,” the coach said. “She’s a great shooter. For her size, she’s a very good rebounder and can also score in the paint.”

Lyon uses a press defense–typically full-court pressure–that suits her one-on-one ability. She usually matches against another guard.

“She plays hard. She’s got a really great basketball IQ,” Fowler said. “She’s not the quickest on the floor. She’s got good skills.”

Enote is tied for third on the team with 12 steals. “I really prefer playing defense. I like going after the ball,” she said. “I’m trying to defend the players in front of me, trap the player.”

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