Familiarity breeds success, especially when it comes to
Johnson C. Smith's volleyball program.Third-year head coach Mark Raley and junior Marquisha Clayburn have been associated with each other in volleyball or basketball for nine years. Raley coached Clayburn when she
was a seventh-grader at Sedgefield Middle School and then at Myers Park High.
Their relationship paid impressive dividends in 1998: a school record 8-1 record and a berth
in the CIAA championship game. They also received individual kudos. Raley won conference coach of the year honors while Clayburn won the team most valuable player award.
What is the secret to their success? Both said that they have a mutual respect for the other, but Raley knows Clayburn's breaking point.
"She played on my seventh grade basketball team," said Raley. "Even though she was so young, she could have played on my varsity team. She had the desire and zeal to play. The
more aggressive I got on her back, the more aggressive she got as a player.
"When she was in seventh grade, I wanted so bad to make her cry, but she quit the team.
After I talked to her, she realized that I wanted the best for her and I saw so much potential in her as a leader. She is my prize."
"First of all, he taught me to have fun," said Clayburn. "He has also taught me to be aggressive and to talk more. When I first came here, I was a little shy and I would not talk to anyone. He
told me to be a leader and to get my teammates more involved."
Raley said that the two are almost identical thinkers. Having her on the court, he said, is almost like having another coach on the team.
"She is a coach's dream," he said. "I wish I had more players like that. It's like I fathered her, like I raised her up in sports. Even though her mother and father were there with her, I've
been there with her all the time. It's what a coach's dream is: to have a player that knows you as a coach. I can get on her and she does not take it personally. She knows what is best for her and her teammates."
Even with the success of the 1998 season behind them, both Raley and Clayburn think they can eclipse last year's run. Five starters return to the lineup, including senior Jacardada Banks
and junior Lawanna Davis. When the season starts Sept. 11 at the CIAA roundup, the Bulls' goals will be much higher winning the conference tournament in October.
"We surprised a lot of teams last year and a lot of people at this university," Raley said. "We were basically the talk of Smith. The way the team is coming together, I think we can do it again."
