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very good and play against good competition. She played at invitation-only camps against girls in her age group. "I don't think a coach needs a long period of time to evaluate girls. She had done a ton of workouts and stood out as a point guard both on the AAU circuit and the EBYL team." Boyle, admittedly, was impressed with Venson's skill set plus her effort, intensity and competitive nature — "Her intensity and competitive level went beyond her skill level," she noted — but the coach still had to ask herself one pertinent question. "It's one thing to look at her talent, but as a coach you can look at a player and ask if she can make the transition to college," Boyle said. "She was compet- ing against other players and against herself. "All those things came through. We knew she would transition to college because she had the work ethic and skill set." The story within the story regarding Venson's offensive skill set is her ability to bury three-point shots. In fact, last season she set a Virginia freshman record for treys (61) in one season. "Mikayla is a player, like some shooters, who must feel freedom," Boyle said. "She has the green light. She knows the difference between a good shot and a bad shot. "She's good at creating a good shot and gets a lot of freedom." Conversely, Virginia has shown an ability to limit opponents' good shots. Through 21 games, op- ponents were averaging only 60.0 points per game. "Coach Boyle emphasizes the defensive end of the floor," Venson said. "When I got here, I picked up my defensive intensity even more. "Making stops makes it easier to get into transi- tion. Make the effort on defense so you can create easier opportunities on the offensive end." Venson's ability on the court plus the fact she comes from an academically oriented family also factored into the equation when Boyle was on the recruiting trail. "She wanted a good academic school," Boyle said. "We're in the process of building a program and needed somebody who could play right away. "It was a no-brainer for me." ◆