Women's Basketball Hits The Court For First Team Practices Of 2021-22
10/7/2021 2:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Eagles hold first practice at midnight, Coach Howard emphasizes defense in first week on the court
STATESBORO - Georgia Southern Women's Basketball began its first week of practice for the upcoming 2021-22 season by holding a midnight practice on Thursday at Hanner Fieldhouse.
The Eagles have completed their first week of practice and according to Head Coach Anita Howard, the team has benefited from having a more normal preseason than the COVID-19 affected preseason of a year ago.
"To have that consistency is priceless," Coach Howard said. "Last year, it was a little like Forrest Gump - you never knew what you were gonna get. But now our young ladies know what to expect. They're following a regimented routine as far as study hall, weights, individual workouts and now our team practices. We have that sense of stability that the pandemic took away from us. Our freshman from last year, are now understanding what it takes to be a Division I athlete, and we're taking advantage of having more hands-on opportunities with them."
The Eagles were one of the youngest teams in NCAA Division I a year ago, with 10 players on the squad having less than two years of collegiate experience at the Division I level. This year's squad has more experience, but 11 of the 15 Eagles are either sophomores or juniors, meaning there is still a lot of room to grow.
How was that first practice at midnight for Coach Howard and the Eagles? "They're really ready to go," Coach Howard said. "They're just as hungry as the coaches are to see what we're going to look like come November 4th. I saw some young ladies that came in locked in for that midnight practice. We actually wrapped up early, because I believe you have to stop on a good note. The intensity in the gym was great for a time like midnight."
Defense is a staple of Coach Howard's coaching philosophy and last year, the Eagles ranked among the nation's leaders in rebounding (7th, 45.24 rpg) and in steals (15th, 10.9 spg). So it's no surprise that the focus of this first week of practice was on the defense.
"We want to be a strong, defensive team," Coach Howard said. "In preseason this first week, we harped on our defensive principles and strategies. Just the intricate details of what we want in the verbiage and how we want our defense to be run. I think we did a really good job of just honing in on what our defensive intensity is going to look like. What our 'swarmification' is going to look like come November. We want to see the swarming and suffocation not just in our halfcourt defense, but also in transition."
So what does the next phase of preseason practice look like for the Eagles coming up?
"Our next phase is just trying to put stuff together," Coach Howard said. "We changed up this preseason by doing a lot of individual work, and so now it's putting the pieces of the puzzle together in a team setting. We'll be trying to figure out what offense is the best for the personnel we brought in, and the personnel that we return. We'll be fine tuning some things and getting players comfortable with their positions, because I do like to play players in multiple positions. So now it's time to learn your other position."
Georgia Southern will hit the floor for an exhibition contest on Thursday, November 4, taking on Allen at 5 p.m. at Hanner Fieldhouse. The 2021-22 regular season begins for the Eagles on Saturday, November 13, playing at SEC foe Auburn at Noon.
