By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
Porter’s Danielle Ocampo is passionate about basketball.
There is just something about it.
“I have always played since I was in third grade,” she said. “I have played basically everything, but I don’t know what it is. This is what I love to do. It’s my passion just being (on the court).”
The senior is playing in her last season and has been a part of the varsity since she was a freshman. Ocampo came off the bench and played several minutes for Porter during her first year and was a starter as a sophomore and has remained there ever since.
“Danielle’s one of the most dedicated players I’ve coached at Porter,” Porter coach Tony Saavedra said. “Basketball is her sport. She’s one of the few that that’s the case.”
Ocampo also was a member of the soccer team at one time. Last year, an ankle injury late in the basketball season ended her soccer season before it started.
Porter has a senior-laden squad this season, but Ocampo is the clear leader for the Cowgirls.
“She’s my leader. She leads by example, but she isn’t a vocal leader,” Saavedra said. “Danielle gets the girls going. When we need a bucket, we call her number. She’s aggressive, she takes it in. Whatever we need, she’ll play. She’s an all-around player.”
The soft-spoken Ocampo embodies that quality.
“Leaders aren’t just ones that talk,” she said. “It’s the one that shows up to practice on time, one that shows everything you’re made of. Everyone makes mistakes, but we push through everything together. We show dedication and responsibility.”
The senior averages 10 to 11 points per game and leads the team in both rebounds and assists.
Ocampo said she learned how to be a leader from Saavedra and others on the basketball staff. They have taught her what she needs to be a leader and show the team the way.
The senior also is a leader in the classroom.
“She’s in the top five percent in her class,” Saavedra said. “She just got accepted to college, so she’s very excited.”
The Cowgirls’ coach wasn’t sure if she would continue her basketball career in college, but he said she wanted to focus on getting her education first.
“That’s what I try to teach the girls on the court that they can transfer off the court,” he said.
Several members of the team, including seniors who Ocampo has known since they were kids, look to her for leadership. Saavedra admires the way she plays and how the team follows her example.
“She’s loyal to me. She plays her butt off, she plays hard,” he said. “She sets the tone for practice and in games. If she throws herself on the court (for a loose ball), everyone follows, everyone follows her hustle.”
Ocampo says it’s simple. She wants to pass along her leadership qualities for next season and beyond.
“I want the girls to love basketball as much as I do,” she said. “I feel like they pick it up for me. There is potential, you just have to want to learn, you have to want to win. If you want to win, you have to be committed, be dedicated, that’s what it takes (to be a leader).”
Saavedra says Ocampo just makes the Cowgirls a more complete team.
“Danielle is our floor general, she gets everyone where they need to be,” he said. “I need her to be selfish (scoring) sometimes. She always wants to get others involved. She could play all five positions if I need her to, that’s the kind of heart she has. Whatever I ask her, she’ll do for the team.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.