Women?s Basketball Begins Practice Friday

Statesboro, Ga. - The Georgia Southern Women’s Basketball team begins practice Friday in preparation for their season opener against Brewton Parker on November the 15^th in Hanner Fieldhouse at 1 p.m.

The Georgia Southern Women’s Basketball team is looking to replace 45% of their scoring from last season, despite only losing one starter from a year ago.

Gone are two of last year’s seniors, Shawnda Atwood and Tiffany Brown, who accounted for 30% of the team’s total points last season.

The Lady Eagles return four starters including: Senior Ashley Melson (Newnan, Ga.), Junior Jessica Geiger (Stone Mountain, Ga.), Junior Carolyn Whitney (Duluth, Ga.) and Junior J'Lisia Ogburn (Dublin, Ga.).

Melson is the top returning scorer from last season. She averaged 9.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg and 1.2 apg a year ago. She played in all 30 games last season and started 22 of them. Ashley also scored in the double digits 15 times.

Geiger and Ogburn return in the post for Georgia Southern and will need to provide leadership for the three freshmen that will back them up. Jessica played in every game last season and started in all but two. She averaged 7.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg and 1.2 apg while making 36% of her shots from behind the three-point line. Ogburn made 12 of her 13 starts in conference play and averaged 6.9 ppg and 4.2 rpg during SoCon play.

Former SoCon freshman of the year, Carolyn Whitney (Duluth, Ga.) is back for her junior campaign. She was down in scoring by almost 3 ppg last season but improved her field goal percentage from .293 to .320 and her three-point percentage from .288 to .371. Whitney will need to step up and help fill the scoring hole left by Atwood and Brown.

Georgia Southern has experience on the bench in senior Ashley Rivens (Charlotte, N.C.) and junior Elise Whitney (Duluth, Ga.). Rivens played in every game last season and was a starter in her sophomore season. She may be called upon to return to the starting lineup and could help fill the scoring void.

Whitney has yet to complete a season due to season ending injuries in both her freshman and sophomore campaigns. The Lady Eagles will need her to remain healthy in order to provide experienced depth to this year’s team.

Georgia Southern also returns sophomore guard Jamie Navarro (Naples, Fla.) and redshirt freshman guard Logan Youngblood (Sylvester, Ga.). Navarro played in 26 games and started one game last season. She will be looked upon to be one of the regular contributors this season.

The Lady Eagles welcome six freshmen to this year’s team and will need some of them to step up and contribute immediately. Georgia Southern added three forwards and three guards.

Freshman forwards Dawnieka Green (Ellenwood, Ga.), Candice Ivy (Roswell, Ga.) and Ashley McKenzie (Loganville, Ga.) will be asked to make an immediate impact this season. The Lady Eagles only return two post players and will rely on these freshmen to add depth in the paint.

Green was named the best rebounder and best post player at Lucy Craft Laney High School her senior season. She helped her team win their region in back-to-back years.

Ivy was a first team all-region and all-Fulton County player at Milton High School. She averaged 14 ppg, nine rpg, five apg and three bpg during her senior season.

“Candice is a swing post player for us and can play the three or four spot. She runs and jumps well and will bring athleticism to the team,” said Coach Cram.

McKenzie averaged 14.5 rebounds per game her junior season at South Gwinnett High School and 12.1 rpg during her senior campaign.

The freshman guards will bring size to the program. Both Britney Nelson (Rochester, Mich.) and Krista Tate (Atlanta, Ga.) stand at six feet tall. Also joining the team at guard is Samantha Williams (Kingsport, Tenn.) who stands at five foot nine.

Nelson set 14 school records at Stoney Creek High School in Rochester, Mich. She averaged 19.1 points per game, 10 rebounds per game and four assists per game in her senior season. Britney averaged double digit points in each of her four high school seasons.

Tate helped lead St. Pius X Catholic High School to back-to-back 30 win seasons and two state championships. She was named to the Atlanta Tip Off Club three times in her high school career.

Williams scored 1600 points and pulled down 800 rebounds during her career at Sullivan South High School. She was a prolific free throw shooter making 88% of them in her career at Sullivan South.

The Lady Eagles will face a tough non-conference schedule in order to better prepare themselves for conference play.

“The schedule is a typical Georgia Southern Women’s Basketball schedule,” said Coach Cram. “We like to go after four or five major teams. We have six freshmen coming in here, and the way to get them seasoned is time and by playing some of the better competition you can play against.”

 The biggest name on that schedule is Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish’s season ended in the Sweet Sixteen after losing to the eventual National Champion, Tennessee.

“We are trying to broaden their [The Lady Eagles] horizons and let them see what is really out there,” said Coach Cram. “There is such great tradition and history at Notre Dame. It will be a trip these girls will never forget. When you play against Notre Dame, you are playing against the best. They are going to expose our weaknesses and expose them early so that we have time to work on them before we get hard into the conference schedule.”

The second biggest name on the schedule is the Auburn Tigers out of the Southeastern Conference. They will travel to Statesboro in mid-November to face the Lady Eagles.

“Playing this type of school gets us ready for conference play, and if we get to the NCAA tournament these are the type of teams that we are going to play anyway,” said Coach Cram on facing an SEC foe.

The Lady Eagles will be participating in the Florida International Tournament in Miami, Fla. before diving into the heart of the conference schedule.

“The Florida International Tournament is a very strong tournament. Eastern Carolina and Florida International both are very good quality programs, but the best team in the tournament is Marist, who has been in the top 10 or top 20 the last couple of years and are a very solid ball club,” said Coach Cram.

The Lady Eagles open up the season at home in Hanner Fieldhouse against Brewton Parker November the 15^th at 1 p.m.

Category: Women's Basketball

Published on Wednesday, 15 October 2008 00:08