The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Women's Basketball Season Outlook
10/17/2008 | Women's Basketball
Most coaches will tell you that experience is a priceless attribute that is essential in any team's quest for a championship. In the case of the 2008-09 Ole Miss women's basketball team, having another year of experience under its belt may just be the recipe the Rebels need to return to their status as one of the SEC's elite teams.
The 2007-08 edition of the Rebels featured a starting lineup that included a freshman point guard and two sophomores that had experienced very little playing time as freshmen. In addition, two of the top three reserves off the bench that saw significant playing time were also sophomores. On paper, Ole Miss appeared to be a veteran team with a great deal of experience given that four seniors who had experienced three straight trips to the postseason remained on the roster, but those four seniors accounted for just 24.9 percent of the team's minutes from a season ago.
"You learn through experience," Ole Miss head coach Renee Ladner said, who is entering her second season at the helm of the Rebels. "We put our kids in some situations that would be very difficult for a seasoned team, much less an inexperienced team. Our schedule was a beast as we opened up on the road in an Elite Eight environment with a group of girls that had very little experience in those types of games."
"I'm very excited that, although we didn't fare as well as we wanted to, we showed that we could play with the top teams for 40 minutes. However, I think those are experiences that are going to help us tremendously in the upcoming season. Having played such a tough schedule last year is going to help my girls overcome any fears that they might have heading into this season because they were tested quite early and often last year."
Overall, the Rebels lost a total of six players following the 2007-08 season, but still return a core nucleus that brings back 74 percent of the team's scoring and 73 percent of last year's minutes. The Ole Miss players should also benefit this year from having a better knowledge and familiarity with Ladner and her coaching philosophies following a season in which there was an adjustment period early in the season.
"I learned a great deal about myself and my team last year," Ladner said. "Anytime you move six inches over on the bench, it's a whole different ball game. I had great suggestions when I was an assistant coach, but now I have to make decisions as the head coach. A lot of last year was a learning experience on both ends, but I think that is going to help everyone in the upcoming year."
Along with last year's adjustment period, the Rebels were bit by the injury bug early and often, which resulted in a very thin roster right from the beginning of the season. Due to the lack of bodies and substitutes on the sidelines, the Rebels were forced to sacrifice the fast-paced, up-tempo style of play that had brought the program so much success in the past. Ladner, however, vows to return to that style this season, a system that has proven to work in every stop of her coaching career. Due to an influx of depth and athleticism provided by five newcomers and two returnees that have recovered from injury, the Rebels should be one of the fastest and most exciting teams in the conference.
"We have players this year that I believe can make better decisions," Ladner said. "When you play fast, you have to make good decisions. My two point guards went to Point Guard College this summer in order to improve their decision-making because they are invested in what we are trying to do. I like to play with the point guard running the show, getting the ball down the floor and seeing the open man. I like to play very aggressive defense because you are going to have to defend the ball, rebound the ball and take care of the ball. Usually those three things help you get a win."
FRONTCOURT
The Rebels' frontcourt enjoys a wealth of experience and should feature some of the top post players in the conference. Highlighting that group is senior and 2007-08 All-SEC Second Team performer Shawn Goff. As a junior, Goff paced the Rebels and ranked 12th in the SEC with 13.0 points per game. The Tallahassee, Fla., native also finished the year second on the team and 13th in the conference with 6.8 rebounds per game. She scored in double figures in all but five games and ended the year tied for second on the team with four double-doubles.
Goff also made her presence felt on the defensive end of the court as well. She finished the season ranked second in the SEC and 23rd in the country with 2.31 blocked shots per game. During the course of the season, Goff collected three blocked shots or more in 16 games, including a career-high six rejections in mid-December in a victory at Miami. She went on to finish the season with a total of 67 blocks to set the single season school record for rejections in a season, surpassing a record that stood for 14 seasons. Goff enters her senior campaign on pace to set the school record for most career blocked shots.
"Shawn Goff provided us with a lot of production last season, and she did it against some of the top players in the country," Ladner said. "The great players in this league want the ball in their hands, and that is not because they are selfish, it's because that is their job and that is what they know. If she understands that part of it, she can be as productive as she wants to be because she has athleticism to go with her talent. I think Shawn has the ability to become an All-SEC First Team member this season."
The Rebels landed a big splash this off-season as Ladner inked JUCO All-American Katorra Lewis to an NLI. Lewis arrives in Oxford via Arkansas-Fort SmithJunior College, where she starred for the past two seasons as one of the top JUCO post players in the country. In fact, Lewis played in 35 games a season ago for the Lady Lions and finished the year ranked ninth in the nation by averaging 20.5 points per game. She also ranked 43rd in the country in rebounding as she pulled down 8.7 boards per game en route to numerous postseason accolades.
Lewis played an instrumental role in leading the Lady Lions to a 34-2 overall record, the Bi-State Conference East Division title, the NJCAA Region II tournament championship, a third place finish in the national tournament and a No. 2 final regular season ranking.
"Katorra Lewis is very physical and very dominating," Ladner said. "She likes to catch and finish, and she doesn't mind banging in the lane. She is a very competitive player and she expects to finish, and that is what I am most impressed with."
The Rebels will have the luxury of a second JUCO post player as Tori Slusher will provide added depth to the frontcourt. Slusher spent the last two seasons at Midland College where she was selected as an All-Conference and All-Regional player as a sophomore. She averaged 11.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in helping the Lady Chaps to a 31-6 overall record, a Regional Tournament championship and a fifth place finish in the NJCAA National Tournament.
"Tori Slusher is going to be thinking and looking for the open man because she is a very good passer," Ladner said. "She is also very good at sealing off her man, playing the high-low game, or hitting a little chip shot from inside the lane. She also brings the intangibles to the game and those never show up in a box score, but they can be the difference in whether or not you win or lose a particular game."
Freshman Nikki Byrd is another outstanding frontcourt player who is expected to extended minutes in her first season in red and blue. A native of Brookhaven, Miss., by way of Brookhaven High School, Byrd was a Clarion Ledger Dandy Dozen after averaging 16.7 points, 10.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists last season as a senior for the Lady Panthers.
"Nikki Byrd is a true, raw post player who will thrive in the environment of the SEC," Ladner said. "She has a really versatile game because she can play inside or out, and I know she is going to get better and better as the year goes on."
Ole Miss will also be the beneficiaries of the services of freshman Kayla Holloway, who is expected to be ready for action this season after sitting out all of last year recovering from a knee injury. A 6-4 post player, Holloway averaged 13 points and 10 rebounds as a senior in high school and should serve as one of the tallest players in the SEC this season.
"Kayla has been working hard to get back into basketball shape," Ladner said. "After those two years of injuries kept her off the court, Kayla had a really good summer and is ready to compete again."
BACKCOURT
Much like the Rebel frontcourt, Ole Miss should also have the luxury of inserting a number of different players into a number of different situations thanks to the experience and depth at the guard position. The Rebels return both of their starting guards and added another pair of guards in their recruiting class to help bolster that position. Junior point guard Shantell Black enters the year coming off a sophomore season in which she led the SEC with just over five assists per game.Black, who can play either guard spot, finished the season second on the team with 9.3 points per game, including a 38.1 shooting percentage from the three-point line. In addition to leading the SEC in helpers, Black also ranked sixth in the conference with 2.3 steals per contest.
"Shantell is more of a quiet type leader that is just a defensive demon," Ladner said. "She loves to get after people and she competes and plays really heard."
Kayla Melson, who became the Rebels' starting point guard as a true freshman due to a season-ending injury to Alliesha Easley, put together a year in which she averaged 7.0 points and finished with 90 assists and 51 steals. In addition, Melson brings leadership characteristics that Ladner believes are a necessity from the point guard position.
"Kayla is a very vocal leader," Ladner said. "She got thrown into the fire very early in the season, but she was able to play with a level of confidence that you have to have as a point guard."
Along with Black and Melson, the aforementioned Easley makes her highly anticipated return to the Rebel lineup after suffering a season-ending ACL injury last season in the opening game of the year. Easley served as the team's starting shooting guard her freshman season and helped the Rebels to an Elite Eight run in 2006-07. She finished that season averaging 11 points, three rebounds and just over one steal and assist per game en route to earning a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team.
"I'm excited about having Alliesha back and I really believe she is going to come back full speed," Ladner said. "Alliesha brings with her swagger, confidence and toughness because she played on that Elite Eight team and she knows what it takes to get back to that level."
Junior Bianca Thomas is expected to see extended minutes this season as she provides the Rebels with a bona fide weapon from beyond the three-point arc. Last season as a sophomore, Thomas hit nearly 40 percent from down town and finished fourth on the team with 8.3 points per game.
"Bianca Thomas has the ability to be an explosive offensive player," Ladner said. "She is an excellent three-pointer shooter with the ability to take it to the basket.She can be a real matchup problem for our opponents."
Two incoming freshmen, Whitney Hameth and LaTosha Laws, are both expected to provide depth at the guard position. Hameth is an excellent outside shooter, while Laws is a slasher that excels in driving the ball to the basket and finishing. Hameth capped her senior year at Dumas High School by averaging 28.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. She also holds the school record for most points in a game (46), most rebounds in a game (18) and most three-pointers in a game (8).
"Whitney Hameth is going to bring intelligence to the floor," Ladner said. "She is a very athletic guard who is great on the defensive end. She also brings the ability to shoot the long ball for us."
LaTosha Laws averaged 17.8 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two blocks as a senior and arrives at Ole Miss as one of the top recruits from Memphis.Look for Laws to provide an immediate impact for the Rebels from the guard position.
"LaTosha Laws is a big, strong and true SEC guard," Ladner said. "She has long arms and can play outside and can post up inside. One other thing I like about her is that she can get to the rim."
The small forward position is also expected to have several viable candidates competing for time on the floor, beginning with junior Elizabeth Robertson. Robertson started 18 games for the Rebels last season and averaged just under eight points per game. She was third on the team by shooting 33 percent from three-point range, while also serving as one of the team's best free throw shooters.
"Liz played a lot of three for us last year and was very difficult for other teams to defend because she was a forward who was a three-point threat," Ladner said."She plays with a lot of energy and I expect her to contribute much the same way she did last season."
Fellow junior LaKendra Phillips, who started 10 of the 21 games in which she appeared last season, could see significant playing time for the Rebels at the small forward position. Phillips is an athletic forward that has a knack for rebounding due to her jumping ability. Phillips, who sat out nearly half the season last year due to NCAA transfer rules, should benefit from a full season of action.
"We need rebounding from that position regardless of who is playing," Ladner said. "We received plenty of point production from that position last year, we just didn't get as much rebounding as we would have liked. The one that shows me they can rebound and defend is going to be the one that sees the most time."
Ladner added that, although Robertson and Phillips are the two most likely to see the most minutes at the position, both Thomas and Byrd could also easily be inserted into that position depending on what type of lineup the Rebels want on the floor.
No matter which of the Rebels find their way into the starting lineup, Ladner made it clear that each and every position will be an open competition once practice begins this fall, cementing her confidence in the depth and experience of her team. Add those two ingredients to an already talented team, and the Rebels are poised to put together one of those special seasons to which Ole Miss women's basketball is accustomed.
