Telgram and Gazette: Warburton Leads Nation in Steals

COMPLETE TELEGRAM AND GAZETTE FEATURE

PAXTON — "It's all about anticipation," says Anna Maria senior star Trafficia Warburton when describing her very effective technique of making steals on the basketball court. "I study the opposing players, watch their moves and just anticipate what they are going to do." 

So often the ball goes out of the opponent's hands and into Warburton's on its way to the hoop. 

Oh, if it were that easy for any basketball player. With her uncanny instincts and amazing talent, Warburton has notched 88 steals so far for the AMCATS, making her the nation's leader in steals per game with 5.2. 

"Trafficia is the leader in that category among any other woman playing college basketball in the country — Div. 1, 2 or 3," said Anna Maria coach Kevin Bigelow proudly. "We just let her go, and she has great defensive skills. Other teams really worry about her when they bring the ball upcourt." 

Yet it's not all defense with Warburton. She also leads Anna Maria in points per game with a 16.2 average. 

Earlier this month, the 5-foot-8 Warburton was named for the second time this season as the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Player of the Week. That honor came after Warburton scored a game-high 20 points in leading the AMCATS to a 61-59 win over Norwich. She made seven of 13 field goal attempts and the winning basket — after a steal, of course — at the final buzzer. 

Warburton, who lives in Worcester and has a 9-year-old son, Kayvaun, starred for Burncoat High and later at Quinsigamond Community College. After five years away from the game, she decided to continue her education and her basketball career at Anna Maria. She joined Bigelow's team last year and made an immediate impact. 

Majoring in social work and maintaining an impressive 3.24 grade-point average, Warburton, who is 28, will graduate in 2016. She hopes to become a clinical social worker in a hospital setting. 

Born in 1986 in Montego Bay, Jamaica, Warburton came to the United States when she was 10. 

"I really fell in love with the game when I was a freshman at Burncoat," she recalled in an interview after a recent practice at Anna Maria. 

That love for the game has endured, even after a five-year hiatus before her triumphant return last season, winning GNAC Defensive Player of the Year. 

"No one believes me when I say I'm 28," said the youthful-looking Warburton, as if 28 were over the hill. A team leader, she captains the squad with Lindsay Bond and Katie Pryor. 

"I always say to our players that free throws win games, and it's not over until the clock says zero," said Warburton, summing up what she believes are the key elements of successful basketball. 

Now in his third season with the AMCATS, Bigelow has steadily increased the win count in each campaign. With six victories so far amid a very challenging schedule, he's hoping his team can make some noise in the postseason GNAC Tournament. 

With careful planning and organization, Warburton, a single mother, balances well her busy schedule that includes her own college studies, basketball and motherhood. 

Her son, Kayvaun, is a budding hoop star himself. 

"We both go to school during the day, and we both have practice after school," Warburton said. 

While she still has another academic year at Anna Maria, Warburton's basketball eligibility will be expired. But she will still be close to the game. 

"I plan on coaching here," Warburton said. 

To which Bigelow said with a smile, "That would be all right by me, for sure."