The University of Mississippi Athletics
1998-99 Women's Basketball Preview
6/21/1999 | Women's Basketball
July 22, 1998
OXFORD, Miss. - The University of Mississippi began a new era in Lady Rebel basketball last year when Ron Aldy took over the reigns of a program rich in tradition and success. Aldy set a plan in motion to keep the Lady Rebels among the nation's elite. The first portion of his plan was to build a solid foundation. That foundation would be made up of a new attitude and hard work. In his first season as head coach, Aldy had the difficult task of maintaining a winning program with a young and inexperienced team. Only two players returned with any significant playing time on a roster that consisted of five freshman and two sophomores. Furthermore, before the season even started, the lone senior on the team tore her anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee and missed the first half of the season. Regardless of the outcome, the Lady Rebels gave a 100 percent in every game. By the end of the year, Aldy's plan had begun to take shape as the Lady Rebels won three of their last five, including a win over final four participant Arkansas and an upset victory over Georgia in the first round of the SEC Tournament. With a solid foundation set and the pieces in place, the Lady Rebels are ready to build on that success. In his second season, Aldy has all five starters back, including All-SEC performer, Tarsha Bethley (Hollandale, Miss.), and a talented slate of recruits. The other leading returnees include Tiffany Adkins (Yorkville, Tenn.), Becky Myatt (Bon Aqua, Tenn.) and Stephanie Murphy (Webb, Miss.).
THE FRONTCOURT
The Lady Rebels have a solid frontline with three returning seniors and two juniors. Leading the way is All-America candidate, Bethley, who is expected to have an outstanding senior season. She needs only 44 more points to become the 18th Lady Rebel to notch a 1,000 points for her career. As a junior, Bethley was named to the All-SEC second team and the Associated Press All-SEC third team. She led the team in scoring, rebounding, steals and blocked shots. Bethley started all 31 games and averaged 17.3 points (eighth in the SEC) and 7.2 rebounds (seventh in the SEC) a game. She posted career highs of 32 points against Georgia and 17 rebounds versus Pepperdine. A versatile player, Bethley recorded six double-doubles and 24 double-figure games on her way to earning the team's Most Valuable Player Award. She had back-to-back double-doubles against Arkansas and Arkansas State and posted double figures in every SEC game except two.
