February 4, 2005

     Yep, sounds like your typical college basketball recruit.
     While people often snicker at the term "student-athlete" when it's used in reference to those on scholarship playing football or basketball, no one will doubt Cain's credentials when she enters Sacred Heart University in Fairfield this fall.
     "I like to do lab-related things that have to do with a research field," Cain said. "If I could do something like find a cure for cancer, that would be cool." While some athletes go on to be a cancer in the locker room, Cain is talking about finding a cure for perhaps the most deadly killer in the world. Her priorities are clearly in order.
     Cain has proven to be such a talented student and artist that it's easy to forget that she's an exceptional basketball player. That's why she has been given a scholarship to attend Sacred Heart. That's one of the reasons why the Manchester High girls basketball team is undefeated and top-ranked in the state in any poll you'll find. That's why she is the latest to earn the distinction of being the Journal Inquirer Athlete of the Week.
     If there were a JI Student of the Week, Cain would eventually be selected for that too. "Khalia has always been a great student, an honor student, and in the top 10 in her class," Manchester girls basketball coach John Reiser said. "She's meant a lot to our program. She has a very strong team work ethic. A lot of the younger girls look up to Khalia. She works so hard that she sets an example that way. Besides being a tough, competitor, it's her work ethic that stands out."
     Cain may well be the Tom Brady of Connecticut high school basketball. Her numbers aren't all that flashy - she is averaging just under 15 points per game this season - but all her teams do is win. In Cain's four years at Manchester, the Indians have gone 83-9. That record includes three Central Connecticut Conference East titles and one Class LL state championship in 2003. Manchester's conference record over the last four years is 42-1. That includes a 37-1 mark in the CCC East and the current 5-0 record in the CCC North. Reiser saw a foreshadowing of such success the first time Cain stepped onto the basketball court wearing a varsity uniform.
     "I remember the first quarter of the first game we played at Fermi," said Reiser, whose own coaching career at Manchester began with the 2001-02 season. "Khalia had eight points, four steals and four assists - all in the first quarter. I thought right there, 'oh boy, she's going to be a real good player for us.' "
     Cain may be Manchester's leading scorer and the second-leading scorer in the CCC North, but passing is what she does best. She's on the verge of surpassing Tanya Iwanski's career assist mark (233). Like any good quarterback, however, Cain prefers to heap the praise on her receivers. "It helps that all the players that I pass to on the team have good hands," Cain said. "It's not that I'm a good passer. They're good catchers. And I've had really good coaches who have helped me learn to play the point."
     It's left to Reiser to praise Cain because his 5-foot-6 senior guard is not one to toot her own horn. "She's so strong with the dribble," Reiser said. "She can create her own shot. She's really hard to stop or contain because of how strong she takes it to the basket. She's been running the point for us for four years and you see how good our record has been."
     Cain has developed a good rapport with her teammates. Cain, Leanne Crockett and Stephanie Goss have played on travel teams together since the eighth grade. Madel Gimpes and Erica Santos played with Cain at Illing Middle School. She also learned a lot as a freshman playing with her sister Rainelle DeCastro-Cain and Shakeya Evans. DeCastro-Cain went on to play college ball at St. Anselm College.
     "I've always had good competition from playing against AAU teams and on my own team when I was a freshman," Cain said. "I learned from Shakeya and Rainelle and now I'm getting good competition from Leanne, Madel and Shanika Hines. They are very good players."
     Cain knows she'll be matched against even better players in the Division I college ranks. A few pickup games have given her an indication that she'll do just fine. "I got an opportunity to play with the players and see how I fit in at Sacred Heart," Cain said. "They gave me a chance to run the point and see how it works. I think I held my own, but I know I have room for a lot of improvement."
     A torn MCL kept Cain on the sidelines last March when Manchester lost to Fairfield in the state tournament and failed to make a successful title defense. She didn't much care for sitting out. Now, she's back giving it her all for a Manchester team that everybody's gunning for. "Being No. 1 is kind of a double-edged sword," Cain said. "It's good because it means our hard work is paying off and the team is getting accolades. But you also have a bulls-eye on your back. People really want to beat us. But that bonds us together as a team."
     Cain would like to make another state championship her high school swan song. Of course, she's one of the rare athletes who could play her own on the violin. "I'm alright I guess,"' Cain replied when asked about her prowess with a musical instrument. Her ability with a violin may not receive all that much notice, but those who have seen her play can tell you that Cain makes sweet music with a basketball.