Cape Henry Athlete of the Week
Khajae Hester

It has been a new year for the Cape Henry girl’s basketball team. With new faces bringing energy and excitement, the Dolphins have stormed out to a 15-1 record, a record that has them in the conversation as one of the top teams in Division 2 of Virginia’s private schools. Many factors have gone into the success of the Dolphins in 2010, but the play and leadership of this week’s Athlete of the Week, Khajae Hester, stands above all.

“Khajae is the engine that makes our team go,” head coach Richard Plank said of Hester. “Our offense starts with her, whether it is a fast break or settled half court offense. “

And she is a beast defensively as well. Hester is a tenacious player with an unmatched competitive drive, and those intangibles have helped rebuild the program. With six games remaining in the 2010 season, Hester is averaging 13 points a game (second on the team), and a team leading 4.5 assists and 3.1 steals a game. Those statistics are impressive enough on their own, but one of Khajae’s more unsung feats is the fact that she has been to the free throw line close to 50 times more than any of her teammates—and she’s shooting 78% from the line.

“Whenever we play an opponent, they are always accounting for her,” Plank admitted. “Whether it is a box and one or double teaming her. She knows this and does a great job of not getting frustrated.”

Not only does she keep frustration in check, but she also finds a way to produce. Over the course of last week’s competition, Hester helped the Dolphins fight through their first real hurdle of the season. After a tough loss to conference rival Norfolk Christian on January 22nd, Cape Henry had a quick turnaround to face another challenging TCIS opponent, Walsingham Academy. The Dolphins trailed 20-13 at halftime, but a second half surge saw the Dolphins earn a 38-36 victory. The win was a true team effort, and Khajae led the charge from the point position. She dropped in nine points and helped lock Walsingham down in the final quarter with a strong man-to-man defensive effort.

Cape Henry followed that win with a home date against Nansemond-Suffolk last Thursday, and this time the Dolphins regained their groove. Cape Henry had a two-point lead at the half (18-16) before exploding for 37 second half points. Hester paced the offense with a game-leading 14 points, and the Dolphins successfully cleared the midseason wall.

“Often times I have to remind myself that she is only a sophomore,” Plank finished. “In 15 years of coaching sports I have never had a sophomore captain. Without a doubt Khajae has been a leader on and off the court, and she certainly represents what a captain should be. She is never worried about her stats, just the end result. As we near the conference and state tournaments, we know that with Khajae helping to lead our team we have the ability to not only play with any team, but we have the ability to beat any team.”

And with six conference games remaining the team confidence, and the leadership of Hester will help determine the Dolphins postseason positioning.