MOBILE, Ala. – On more than one occasion this preseason, head coach Terry Fowler referred to Shaforia Kines as the "straw that stirs the drink" for the University of South Alabama women's basketball program.

A third-team preseason all-Sun Belt Conference selection, the 5-foot-5 guard is certainly doing her part to live up to that expectation.  Although a pair of teammates — Savannah Jones and Antoinette Lewis — garnered the headlines as the season was about to begin after being voted first-team preseason all-league, it's been Kines who has stepped up her game to earn consideration as one of the best players in the conference.

While all coaches hope that their upperclassmen develop into leaders of the program, it has taken time for her to move into that role.  Coming to South from Huffman High school in Birmingham, Kines averaged 16.9 points, four rebounds, 4.5 assists and four steals per games as a senior to help the Vikings to a 26-8 record while receiving third-team all-state recognition.  But her first year in the program, she totaled just 71 points and 71 rebounds in 29 appearances while playing just over 14 minutes per contest.

Her scoring average has climbed — going from 9.2 points per outing as a sophomore to 12.9 last season — while she has handed out over 100 assists each of the last two years as she has worked her way from role player to starting point guard.  But it wasn't an easy process.

"I think I've grown a lot, especially maturity-wise," she explains.  "Coming into my freshman year, I thought I would be on the court helping my teammates but it was hard coming from high school playing 40 minutes to not playing at all.  That was a big adjustment for me, but I had juniors and seniors in front of me so I had to mature at that level and come along.

"Honestly, I just thought college was all about fun but once I got into the classroom I realized I had to focus on my work."

"Like any freshman, Shaforia had a tough time; she didn't play that much," says Fowler.  "But from where she was then — not just from a basketball standpoint, but academically and maturity-wise — to where she is now, we can depend on her every day in everything.  We ask Sha to do a lot of stuff for us and she has not let us down."

As the end of January approaches, Kines not only leads the Jaguars in scoring average (14.5 ppg) and assists (58) while standing second in steals (26) and three-point field goals (36), but she is among the Sun Belt leaders in multiple statistical categories.  But her impact is not just taking place on the court, it's behind the scenes where she is truly proving to be the heart and soul of the program.

Take, for example, her work with Mahogany Vaught.

"Sha has showed me the ropes on and off the court," says the sophomore guard.  "She doesn't just help me with the plays, but when we are scrimmaging she shows me where to go; she gives me a lot of advice on the game and how the program works.  Over the summer we spent most every day together in the weight room, and in team and individual workouts.  She helped me get better with a lot of one-on-one instruction."

"Growing up I have always been the leader on any team I played on so being the leader I am now is not new to me," Kines says.  "But now that my teammates depend on me more it brings more of the leader out of me.  Coach Fowler and [assistant] Coach [Dan] Presel always tell me I am a great leader by example but that they want me to talk a little more so I have been trying to do that, but that's not me."

Born and raised in Birmingham, she didn't get on the court until middle school approached.  "I was in the fifth grade when I started playing basketball, I started at the YMCA," Kines recalls.  "I think my mom wanted me to play a sport and she just threw me out there.  When I started playing you could see everyone saying how small I was and how I wasn't going to do anything, but I have a big heart so when I got on the court I wasn't going to let them talk to me that way.  I just played my heart out and everybody loved that, from then on I kept playing."

Basketball wasn't the only sport Kines played growing up, but as she developed in high school she knew that would have to change if she wanted to achieve her goal of playing at the next level.

"In middle school I played softball, volleyball and basketball, and I wanted to continue to do that once I got to high school," she says.  "But once I reached my junior year, I wanted to focus on basketball and stopped playing the other sports — the coaches were kind of mad about that — to be able to continue my career in college."

As a junior, Kines averaged 20 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and four steals per game and was named second-team all-state.  But it was her efforts for the Essense Girls Basketball AAU program that finally gained her some recognition from college coaches including Fowler.

"First we got a couple of phone calls about her and then we got some film," he explains.  "At the time she was playing against one of the top programs in the state and she had 32 points and was just running the show; she just had complete command of the game.  I remember after watching the film — we literally had two games — pounding on the desk and yelling to everybody that I want to coach this kid.  After that all the assistants had a chance to go see her play live, she came on an unofficial visit to one of our home games and committed a couple of weeks later and then came back for an official visit.

"You could tell she is just a gym rat who loves basketball."

"I knew that God had something in store for me, I wasn't worried and knew that I would make it to college," says Kines.  "I stayed patient and waited my turn.  When I played for Essense Girls Basketball that brought a lot of exposure, it really helped."

In the end, she would end up choosing the Jaguars over Alabama State.  "When I first came to the school, it was a wonderful day and the campus was so beautiful and I knew that was what I was looking for.  When I met the team and the coaching staff, they made me feel like family so I knew that day that I wanted to come to South Alabama," she says.  "I definitely didn't want to stay in Birmingham and this was the perfect spot — not too close but not too far from home."

Her game is not all that has grown in her time in Mobile, even if she is not the loudest presence in South's locker room.

"Sha is quiet, but she has her own little sense of humor, she is a behind-the-scenes jokester," Fowler states.  "She comes off as innocent, but the players will always say, 'Sha started it Coach, you let her get away with stuff.'  She'll tell me I know she wouldn't do that, but you can tell she has a little slyness in her."

"She was really quiet when I got here," adds Vaught.  "Sha is a silent leader, but she works hard and is humble so we all love and respect her."

Off the court, Kines has found several ways to spend her time away from the game.  "I play a lot of video games, I like to go outside on days when it feels so good and just relax," she explains.  "I grew up around a lot of male cousins, so that's all I did.  Right now I am hooked on 'Call of Duty,' before that I was playing 'Mortal Combat 2K' and 'Madden.'  I will play just about anything, I know that sounds weird but that's what I do."

But Kines has taken up more responsibility outside of basketball as well with an addition to her household.

"Growing up my aunt had an all-white husky, it was so beautiful and I just loved that dog," she recalls.  "One day we came home from school and my mom told us that the dog had passed.  It broke my heart, and ever since then I have always wanted a husky.  Last year around Christmas my mom and step dad surprised me with Luca [a Siberian Husky], that was the best Christmas gift I could ever get.  When he was a puppy I had to get used to it, he was a lot to handle.  But as he is gets older he lets me know when he has to go out so it's been easier."

A leisure studies major, she would like to remain involved with the game after earning her degree from South.  "If I get the opportunity to play professionally I think I can do it," says Kines.  "But I am thinking about trying to become an AAU coach, I really like traveling and I think I want to start working with elite players.  Wherever God want me, I will take that opportunity and run with it."

As her collegiate career comes to a close, Kines isn't quite thinking about days when she won't "stir the drink" for the Jaguar women's basketball program.

"To be honest, I don't think it's hit me yet; I think it will hit me around the last game of the season," she says.  "I've enjoyed my time here, it's been a great experience but I'm not ready to leave."

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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