Anna Claire Knight is the sixth player in program history to reach 1,000 career points in her junior season.
Young Eagles Ready for New Sun Belt Challenges
11/4/2014 3:40:00 PM | Women's Basketball
2014-15 Women's Basketball Preview, free admission to Thursday's exhibition
STATESBORO, Ga. - Just one senior and a whopping seven freshman will don the Georgia Southern jersey when the women's basketball team opens the 2014-15 campaign with an exhibition contest against Coastal Georgia in Hanner Fieldhouse Thursday.
With more speed and athleticism than in years past, the Eagles will continue the implementation of an up-tempo style of basketball head coach Chris Vozab brought with her from Dayton when she arrived at Georgia Southern two years ago.
"We want to be the aggressors - put our opponents on their heels and make them work for the full 40 minutes," said Vozab. "These are principles we've instituted over the last two years, and I think the speed and athleticism on this year's roster will help us in that regard."
Though the Eagles want to play faster, Vozab and the coaching staff have had to slow preseason workouts down to make sure the newcomers are absorbing the material. The pace of the workouts has picked up over the last month as the Eagles started full team practices.
"We spent a lot of time in the summer and the first part of the fall teaching, and I think that's been a positive both for our newcomers and the returners," said Vozab. "There's a lot of new terminology, and we've broken our offensive and defensive systems down to really emphasize our technique."
A large part of the nucleus from last year's team also returns as three of the top-5 scorers and rebounders are back, including Preseason All-Sun Belt selection Anna Claire Knight. The senior ranked third in the Southern Conference in scoring with 15.9 points a game, was an all-conference selection and all-tournament honoree and became the sixth Eagle to reach 1,000 career points in her junior season.
"Anna Claire's game has grown a lot in the last two years," said Vozab. "She's extremely versatile on both ends of the floor, and we're excited about her improvement defensively. We're asking her to be even more of a leader this year and happy with her growth in that area as well."
Second-leading rebounder and third-leading scorer Briana Jones, a junior forward/center, is back along with front-court mates junior Sierra Kirkland, junior Kelsey Corcoran and sophomore Jessica Marcus.
Jones was named a Preseason All-Sun Belt selection by College Sports Madness after averaging 7.7 points and 6.8 rebounds, and Kirkland averaged 5.4 points and 5.8 rebounds a contest.
"Though Briana is a junior in eligibility, last season was really her first taste of game action on a college basketball court," said Vozab. "She took some good steps forward, and we expect her to elevate to the next level. Sierra has always been a rock for us in the post and she has added to her offensive game over the last two years."
Marcus played in 30 contests as a freshman, and Corcoran saw action in 14 games.
"Jess just keeps getting better and better," said Vozab. "She's learning the intricacies of the game – like how to play angles both offensively and defensively. Kelsey has great size and athletic ability, and she's learning how to compete on every play."
Sophomore Angel McGowan, who averaged 14.3 points a game in the final eight contests, returns in the backcourt along with classmate Danielle Roberts. Roberts saw action in 23 contests and played 4.9 minutes a game.
"Angel really began to thrive once we got into conference play and really emerged late in the year," said Vozab. "Danielle has gotten more and more comfortable with the offense at both guard positions, and we expect her to take a step forward this season."
Add to the mix a pair of redshirt sophomores, and the Eagles have a nice blend of veterans to complement the newcomers. Alexis Sams, who started 24 consecutive games at point guard before an injury in the second game of 2013-14 ended her season, and Patrice Butler, a 6-foot-2 post player who transferred from Furman, return for the Eagles.
"Alexis is about as steady as they come, and she became our coach on the floor at the end of her freshman year so we're excited to have her back," said Vozab. "Patrice is very skilled offensively with a tremendous amount of potential."
Five guards and two post players make up the freshman class, and each one brings a little something different to the table. Vozab is encouraged by their development over the summer and fall.
"Our freshman have really bought into our program, and have an eagerness to learn both from the coaching staff and the upperclassmen," said Vozab. "Their progression is going to be a key for our team as the season goes on."
Georgia Southern continued its growth in 2013-14 as the Eagles improved in scoring, rebounding, shooting percentage and 3-point percentage. The Eagles posted a 5-4 record through their first nine games of the league schedule and wound up recording their best win percentage in conference play since the 2010-11 campaign. Georgia Southern also won a SoCon Tourney game in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2006 and 2007.
In order to continue the progression in 2014-15, the Eagles will need to improve defensively and start winning the turnover battle consistently. Vozab thinks this year's squad has the athleticism to do just that.
"We've got some long athletes who know how to play," she said, "and if we stay disciplined within our system, I think we'll have the ability to try and force the issue more than in the past few years."
The Eagles enter the Sun Belt Conference, a historically multi-bid women's basketball league, and will play a 20-game round-robin conference schedule – all doubleheaders with the men's team. In a league that stretches from the middle of Texas to the east coast of Georgia, protecting home turf will be paramount to finishing in the top-8 and advancing to the Sun Belt tournament in New Orleans in March.
"Protecting our home court will be a key to our season," said Vozab. "We need to demonstrate to our home fans our toughness, our passion and our energy so that they can help us make Hanner Fieldhouse an extremely tough place for our opponents to play."
Season tickets are on sale now for a substantial savings of the single-game price. General admission season tickets start at just $65 with reserved seats available starting at $90. Fans can purchase a reserved combo ticket for men's and women's games for $120.
Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics, iOS app Georgia Southern Eagles and Android app Eagles GATA. Tickets to Georgia Southern athletics events can be purchased by calling 1-800-GSU-WINS or by visiting GSEagles.com and clicking on the tickets link in the top menu.
With more speed and athleticism than in years past, the Eagles will continue the implementation of an up-tempo style of basketball head coach Chris Vozab brought with her from Dayton when she arrived at Georgia Southern two years ago.
"We want to be the aggressors - put our opponents on their heels and make them work for the full 40 minutes," said Vozab. "These are principles we've instituted over the last two years, and I think the speed and athleticism on this year's roster will help us in that regard."
Though the Eagles want to play faster, Vozab and the coaching staff have had to slow preseason workouts down to make sure the newcomers are absorbing the material. The pace of the workouts has picked up over the last month as the Eagles started full team practices.
"We spent a lot of time in the summer and the first part of the fall teaching, and I think that's been a positive both for our newcomers and the returners," said Vozab. "There's a lot of new terminology, and we've broken our offensive and defensive systems down to really emphasize our technique."
A large part of the nucleus from last year's team also returns as three of the top-5 scorers and rebounders are back, including Preseason All-Sun Belt selection Anna Claire Knight. The senior ranked third in the Southern Conference in scoring with 15.9 points a game, was an all-conference selection and all-tournament honoree and became the sixth Eagle to reach 1,000 career points in her junior season.
"Anna Claire's game has grown a lot in the last two years," said Vozab. "She's extremely versatile on both ends of the floor, and we're excited about her improvement defensively. We're asking her to be even more of a leader this year and happy with her growth in that area as well."
Second-leading rebounder and third-leading scorer Briana Jones, a junior forward/center, is back along with front-court mates junior Sierra Kirkland, junior Kelsey Corcoran and sophomore Jessica Marcus.
Jones was named a Preseason All-Sun Belt selection by College Sports Madness after averaging 7.7 points and 6.8 rebounds, and Kirkland averaged 5.4 points and 5.8 rebounds a contest.
"Though Briana is a junior in eligibility, last season was really her first taste of game action on a college basketball court," said Vozab. "She took some good steps forward, and we expect her to elevate to the next level. Sierra has always been a rock for us in the post and she has added to her offensive game over the last two years."
Marcus played in 30 contests as a freshman, and Corcoran saw action in 14 games.
"Jess just keeps getting better and better," said Vozab. "She's learning the intricacies of the game – like how to play angles both offensively and defensively. Kelsey has great size and athletic ability, and she's learning how to compete on every play."
Sophomore Angel McGowan, who averaged 14.3 points a game in the final eight contests, returns in the backcourt along with classmate Danielle Roberts. Roberts saw action in 23 contests and played 4.9 minutes a game.
"Angel really began to thrive once we got into conference play and really emerged late in the year," said Vozab. "Danielle has gotten more and more comfortable with the offense at both guard positions, and we expect her to take a step forward this season."
Add to the mix a pair of redshirt sophomores, and the Eagles have a nice blend of veterans to complement the newcomers. Alexis Sams, who started 24 consecutive games at point guard before an injury in the second game of 2013-14 ended her season, and Patrice Butler, a 6-foot-2 post player who transferred from Furman, return for the Eagles.
"Alexis is about as steady as they come, and she became our coach on the floor at the end of her freshman year so we're excited to have her back," said Vozab. "Patrice is very skilled offensively with a tremendous amount of potential."
Five guards and two post players make up the freshman class, and each one brings a little something different to the table. Vozab is encouraged by their development over the summer and fall.
"Our freshman have really bought into our program, and have an eagerness to learn both from the coaching staff and the upperclassmen," said Vozab. "Their progression is going to be a key for our team as the season goes on."
Georgia Southern continued its growth in 2013-14 as the Eagles improved in scoring, rebounding, shooting percentage and 3-point percentage. The Eagles posted a 5-4 record through their first nine games of the league schedule and wound up recording their best win percentage in conference play since the 2010-11 campaign. Georgia Southern also won a SoCon Tourney game in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2006 and 2007.
In order to continue the progression in 2014-15, the Eagles will need to improve defensively and start winning the turnover battle consistently. Vozab thinks this year's squad has the athleticism to do just that.
"We've got some long athletes who know how to play," she said, "and if we stay disciplined within our system, I think we'll have the ability to try and force the issue more than in the past few years."
The Eagles enter the Sun Belt Conference, a historically multi-bid women's basketball league, and will play a 20-game round-robin conference schedule – all doubleheaders with the men's team. In a league that stretches from the middle of Texas to the east coast of Georgia, protecting home turf will be paramount to finishing in the top-8 and advancing to the Sun Belt tournament in New Orleans in March.
"Protecting our home court will be a key to our season," said Vozab. "We need to demonstrate to our home fans our toughness, our passion and our energy so that they can help us make Hanner Fieldhouse an extremely tough place for our opponents to play."
Season tickets are on sale now for a substantial savings of the single-game price. General admission season tickets start at just $65 with reserved seats available starting at $90. Fans can purchase a reserved combo ticket for men's and women's games for $120.
Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics, iOS app Georgia Southern Eagles and Android app Eagles GATA. Tickets to Georgia Southern athletics events can be purchased by calling 1-800-GSU-WINS or by visiting GSEagles.com and clicking on the tickets link in the top menu.
Players Mentioned
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