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During the state high school basketball tournament this year, McGee entertained the media during postgame press conferences by clutching tight to a dark-brown teddy bear. The bear's name was Nik'Ole, which accentuated the cuteness of a young girl's relationship with a stuffed animal.

With an infectious smile, Las Cruces Mayfield's star junior forward - smooth and captivating on the court - said the bear brought her good luck.

That's what I remember of McGee. More accurately, that's what I choose to remember. The nightmare of her offseason is too painful.

McGee, 16, has been charged with two counts of attempted murder after she was accused of stabbling her sister and mother, police said. She was being held without bond at the Do?a Ana County Juvenile Detention Center.

Officers say they found Anita McGee, 44, and her daughter, 17-year-old Marie McGee, in a neighbor's front yard with numerous stab wounds.

The initial reaction to this news hit me like a screen from a power forward.

Get this story away from me, I thought.

If anything can taint the peaceful image I have of Carissa, this is it. Every athlete is subject to mistakes, but why McGee?

She's too good. She entertains too much. She attracts too many Division I colleges. She's too funny in news conferences.

In a state where blue-chip athletes are scarce, she was a rarity. A lanky junior, the Gatorade Player of the Year in 2004, McGee was the most athletic girls player in New Mexico, hands down.

What can I say? Her basketball charmed me.

You fall for a performer's stage work while disregarding the tantrums they might throw in the green room.

It's funny how a player's messy demeanor is forgiven by a fast break or two. Kobe Bryant is the classic example.

Truth is, there's no way to have a close view of McGee's life by interviewing her four times in two years. I don't know who she really is. Maybe nobody does.

And maybe, that's the beauty of sports. If we really measured athletes, or anybody for that matter, by our flawed personalities, we'd all fall short.

That's why when I think of McGee, I'll focus on her ability.

The way she played in The Pit.

And I'll think of that bear.

Besides, McGee could probably use a warm hug from Nik'Ole right about now.