By GEORGE MAHL

NEW ORLEANS – Joevone Markey, a 2001 graduate of Destrehan High School, is picking up for the University of New Orleans this year right where she left off on the basketball court during her senior year at DHS.

A four-year DHS letterwinner for head coach Ulyses Frontha, the 6-foot, 3-inch tall sophomore is UNO’s top rebounder this season and is a big presence in the post.

“We could be playing better right now. I think we are having trouble adjusting because of the new players we have on this year’s roster” Markey said.

Markey, a former 2001 all-state selection, relished the opportunity to play for Frontha during her high school years.

“I guess he looked at us as his daughters sometimes. He would get on our case at times, but he only meant well. He wanted us to do our best,” she said.

The biggest thing the former DHS center said Frontha emphasized was, “Do your best and have fun.”

Her current coach, Joey Favalora, is different in his coaching style, according to Markey.

“Coach Favalora is more quiet in practice than coach Frontha was. Sometimes I think he is too quiet because we will be talking with each other and the next thing you know he’ll have us doing sprints,” she said.

Career highlights for the Lady Privateer include recording her first double-double against Wofford on Dec. 18, 2001 and a career-high 12 rebounds versus Louisiana-Lafayette in February 2002. With the emergence of women’s basketball over the last couple of years, the daughter of Joseph and Della Markey is excited about the future of women’s basketball.

“I was part of a basketball camp for 8-10-year-old girls this past summer,” Markey said. “I think I ended up having about 30 kids at the camp. I was amazed at the turnout for girls that age. Who knows, maybe one day they will have women doing 360-degree dunks the way the men do today.”

One thing she does not envision doing in the next few years is playing professionally for the Woman’s National Basketball Association.

Markey, who is averaging more than five rebounds per game, is majoring in Business Management at UNO and would like to go into pharmaceutical sales in the future.