Corral, Gilbreath have special bond

Junior guards Ashley Corral and Briana Gilbreath first met at the USA Junior National team trials in 2007.

At the time, the two high school juniors from very different backgrounds were both considering a number of schools, including USC.

“We both knew we were thinking about USC at the time,” Corral said. “By the time we got to the McDonald’s [High School All-American] game we were really good friends.”

There are striking differences between Corral and Gilbreath.

Corral, a point guard who is equal parts scorer and distributor, holds the school record for career three-pointers.

Gilbreath is a quick, athletic slasher who earned Pac-10 Co-Defensive Player of the Year last season.

Yet the two have forged a rare connection on and off the court and, in the process, played their way into the history books.

“We have a special bond that nobody else does,” Gilbreath said. “There were only three of us in our freshmen class.”

The third member of that freshman class, redshirt sophomore forward Michelle Jenkins, has been plagued by injuries during her time at USC, leaving Corral and Gilbreath to develop an on-court relationship that borders on telepathic.

“There’s something about Bri where I always know where she’s going to be,” Corral said. “If I’m driving to the basket or in trouble, I know Bri will be there. Over the past three years our chemistry is so strong we know where each other is going to be all the time.”

A versatile guard who can lead the team in rebounding one game and assists the next, Gilbreath’s career at USC has been marked by consistency.

She started all 32 games her freshman year, earning conference Freshman of the Year and establishing herself as a fixture on the team.

“Growing up, my dad kept [my sister Stephanie and I] in the gym,” Gilbreath said. “He always told us, ‘If you’re not in the gym, somebody else is. Everybody is getting better every day and you have to be right there with them.’”

Corral’s experience was different. Stuck behind eventual WNBA draftee Camille LeNoir, she spent a good part of her freshman season watching from the bench.

Corral started three games that season, averaging just under nine points and three assists per outing.

“I had to watch from the sidelines,” Corral said. “[Camille] was a great leader and example. She taught me a lot of things.”

Despite their different backgrounds, the pair’s uncanny connection has helped both members of USC’s starting backcourt reach a rare milestone: 1,000 career points.

Earlier this season, Gilbreath became the 22nd player in school history to pass the mark. Two weeks later, Corral reached the plateau by draining a baseline three-pointer against Oregon State.

The milestone puts Corral and Gilbreath among select company. Some of the biggest names in the history of college basketball, from Cheryl Miller and Lisa Leslie to Tina Thompson and Cynthia Cooper, all scored more than 1,000 points in their time at USC.

In a sports culture that too often emphasizes individual accomplishments, Corral and Gilbreath seem to represent a basic ethos of basketball: get recognition by scoring points.

But few people who have watched the pair play would accuse them of being selfish.

Along with redshirt senior guard Jacki Gemelos, Corral and Gilbreath refer to themselves as the “three-headed monster.”

Each is capable of and willing to help the team by any means necessary.

Some nights that means scoring the ball; other nights it means making plays for others.

“You try not to think about it,” Corral said. “You set your own personal goals at the beginning of the season but it’s all about the team. We wouldn’t have the point totals we do without our teammates setting us up.”

Corral and Gilbreath refuse to let individual accomplishments distract them from their ultimate goal: making the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 2005-2006 season.

“It’s nice when you have individual accomplishments but I’d be happier about this if we make it to the tournament,” Gilbreath said. “It’s kinda 50-50 on how we feel about it as individuals.”