After having baby, gaining eligibility, Roosevelt hoops star is back

Darnellia Russell is driven to raise her game and her daughter.

Her priorities include taking care of the basketball as well as taking care of a baby. And there's homework, too. It's a lot to balance for a high-school student.

There's as much diapering as dribbling. As many baby bottles as water bottles.

Yet Russell, 19, refuses to let go of her goals. She loves her 1-year-old daughter, Trekayla, but still has a passion for basketball and believes it can be the means to bettering both lives. The fifth-year senior playing for Roosevelt is determined to use her skills on the court to earn a college education.

For Russell, rebounding has taken on a whole new meaning. It's not just about a ball against a backboard. It's about a gifted young woman bouncing back from an unexpected pregnancy to fight to return to her high-school team and pursue her college dreams.

Those who know her believe success will be a slam dunk, with assists from her large support group.

"I don't have any doubt," said Roosevelt coach Bill Resler.

Back in March 2002, few doubted Russell's future in basketball. She was a 5-foot-6 guard full of jukes and jumpers. She led the Roughriders to fifth place at the Class 4A state tournament, capping a 25-2 season. Russell averaged 14.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and about six steals, four assists and three blocks as the only junior on the Star Times all-area team.

Then the girl with all the promise learned she was pregnant. Suddenly, Russell felt she was on a fast break to nowhere.

"I was mad," she said. "I just felt I kind of let everybody down."

Later, she felt the system let her down. Russell twice was denied athletic eligibility, most recently last month by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association. She began to wonder if she would ever play high-school basketball again.

Tuesday, a King County Superior Court judge granted a temporary restraining order precluding the WIAA from enforcing its ruling pending a full hearing yet to be scheduled.

That set the stage for Russell's return to the court. She played her first high-school game in nearly two years last night in the sixth-ranked Roughriders' 73-45 victory over No. 13 Kent-Meridian.

While her daughter, mother and grandmother cheered her on, Russell made 10 of 13 shots and finished with 20 points, eight steals, six rebounds, five assists and two blocks in only 18 minutes.

Resler believes she is better than ever.

"She is substantially a better player," he said. "She's really astute, alert and mature on the court, and she's quicker than she used to be."

The journey, however, has been long and slow.

When Russell scored 14 points to help Roosevelt beat Snohomish for fifth place on the final day at the 4A state tournament in March of 2002, not even Russell knew she was pregnant.

She and her boyfriend, Secoy Clemmons, have dated since eighth grade. At times, she didn't have the energy to get up and go to school in May and June but didn't bother to find out why.

"I always wanted to sleep," Russell said.

Near the end of June, Darnellia took two home-pregnancy tests. Both were positive. A visit to a pediatrician confirmed that she was pregnant. The baby was due Nov. 17, about the time basketball turnouts were scheduled to begin.

The lives of both Russell and Clemmons, a junior at Ballard High School at the time, were turned upside down.

"I was happy, but at the same time I knew we weren't ready," Clemmons said.

Russell's mother, April Swafford, was angry and hurt, but she could relate. April was two weeks shy of her 15th birthday when she gave birth to Darnellia.

Members from both families agreed they would care for the baby while Russell attended Seattle's Marshall Alternative School and returned to basketball at Roosevelt.

Her teammates were supportive and threw Russell a baby shower.

"We were all behind her 100 percent," said Tracy Leddo, now a senior.

They planned to have Russell back by January, in time to make another playoff run.

As it turned out, Trekayla had her own timeline in mind. She was two weeks late and, after 15 hours of labor, Darnellia finally gave birth to her by Caesarean section Dec. 1.

Darnellia returned to the gym the first week of January in hopes of playing in the King Holiday Classic at KeyArena on Jan. 17 against Seattle Prep, the defending 3A state champion at the time. She logged the required 10 practices, then found out she was academically ineligible for the season based on her poor attendance the previous spring.

Angry and disappointed, Darnellia faced another decision: Get her GED and play basketball at a community college or return to high school, appeal for a fifth year of eligibility and pursue a scholarship to a four-year university.

It didn't take her long to make up her mind.

"I wanted my diploma," Russell said. "I want to go to a university."

Refocused, she began working harder in the classroom and currently carries a 3.6 grade-point average at Marshall, which offers a more flexible schedule than Roosevelt. Resler believed it would be "a no-brainer" for Russell to qualify for a hardship exception and gain a fifth year of eligibility through the WIAA.

He was wrong.

Russell's appeal was denied. In a letter to Darnellia, WIAA executive director Mike Colbrese said her decision to miss classes during May 2002 was within her control because at that time she did not realize she was pregnant.

Darnellia was frustrated and ready to fight the ruling.

"I was really stressed out because I didn't know if they were going to let me play," she said. "And I also thought the whole big ordeal was uncalled for."

So did attorney Kenyon Luce, who had battled the WIAA in court on a variety of eligibility cases. After talking to Resler and Russell, he agreed to take the case pro-bono — on one condition.

"She has to in her life help some young person with her ability, as I have helped her," Luce said.

There is no doubt how much Russell helps Roosevelt's playoff chances.

"She's an exceptional athlete," Garfield coach Joyce Walker said. "She's a great anticipator and she has the heart of a champion. When she's focused and driven, I don't know if there's anyone better."

Walker, who starred at Garfield in the 1970s and was an All-American at Louisiana State, believes Russell can succeed in college. Resler said he has been asked by several schools, including Washington State and Eastern Washington, about Russell's status.

"I imagine it's going to be like a forest fire now that she's playing," Resler said.

The fire still burns within Russell. Not only to be a great player but a great mom, and by all accounts, she is becoming both. Watch her at practice, and you'll get a dazzling behind-the-back dribble and no-look pass to a teammate. Watch her at home and you'll see a priceless peek-a-boo moment with her daughter.

Russell is the first to admit this isn't the way she would have mapped out her life. It was always basketball first, babies later. Now that she has both, she couldn't imagine doing without either one. Especially Trekayla.

"She's so sweet," Russell said. "I love talking to her and playing with her and reading to her. I love her a lot."

And, at long last, she loves being back on the basketball court.

Sandy Ringer: sringer@seattletimes.com