Rebels Open Preseason Practice Friday

OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss women's basketball team is slated to begin its preseason practices in preparation for the upcoming 2009-10 season Friday afternoon at 5 p.m. from the Gillom Center on the Ole Miss campus.

The Rebels enter the 2009-10 season with one thing on their mind - unfinished business. Ole Miss put together a winning season with an 18-15 overall record and a trip to the third round of the WNIT a season ago, but several close losses throughout the season cost the Rebels their 18th NCAA Tournament appearance in school history. In fact, Ole Miss lost six games by seven points or less, including four of which the Rebels held a lead late in the second half.

There was no doubt that Ole Miss possessed the talent to be an NCAA Tournament team, but a handful of critical mistakes down the stretch in those aforementioned games proved to be the Rebels' undoing. Ole Miss showed it could play with the top teams in the country, as the Rebels defeated four NCAA Tournament teams, including SEC Tournament Champion Vanderbilt, and came within seconds of upsetting national powerhouse Tennessee in Knoxville. However, Ole Miss' inability to close games in the final minutes proved costly and left the Rebels wondering what might have been.

"When you look back at the season, there are at least five or six games that we left on the table," Ole Miss head coach Renee Ladner said, who is entering her third season with the Rebels. "I think the biggest issue with us is that we just didn't know how to finish games. We proved we could play with anyone in the country, but there were just sometimes during the course of a particular game where we got away from what we did best and let other factors control the outcome.

"I am very optimistic heading into this season because we have a team with a lot of veterans who are anxious to get back on the floor and atone for last season," Ladner added. "I think having experienced what we did last season will only make us better heading into this year.

Experience is an aspect of the game Ole Miss definitely won't be lacking this season as the Rebels return four starters from last season and all seven additional letterwinners. In fact, the Ole Miss roster will feature six seniors who are hungrier than ever to cap their Rebel careers with a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Although Ole Miss returns 81.3 percent of its scoring and 85.3 of its rebounding from last season, the Rebels are faced with the daunting challenge of replacing All-SEC center Shawn Goff. Goff, one of the all-time greats to ever wear an Ole Miss uniform, served as one of the best post players in the SEC the last two seasons, averaging over 13.0 points per game and 6.5 rebounds during that span. She was also a force on the defensive end of the floor and finished her career as the school's all-time blocked shots leader with 208 rejections.

"Shawn Goff is one of the best players in Ole Miss history, and I don't think you can really replace her," Ladner said. "One thing I do feel good about is that we have a lot of depth in the post and have several candidates who we feel like can contribute at a high level for us this season."

Despite losing one of the league's best in Goff, the Rebels also return one of the conference's top players in senior guard Bianca Thomas. An All-SEC first team selection last season, Thomas finished the season fourth in the SEC with 15.8 points per game to go along with her 5.1 boards per game. In addition, Thomas ended the season with nine games in which she scored at least 20 points, including a career-high 31 points against Arkansas in the first round of the SEC Tournament.

She also proved to be one of the top shooters in the conference, finishing sixth in the SEC with a 35.3 shooting percentage from beyond the arc. Thomas tied the school record for most three-pointers in a single game with the seven she sunk at MississippiState. She went on to set the school record for three-pointers in a season after hitting a total of 73 treys. In addition, Thomas also shot 82.5 percent from the free throw line and ranked third in the SEC in that department.

"Bianca Thomas carried us on her back last season and was nothing short of spectacular," Ladner said. "We knew when we recruited Bianca that she could be that type of player, and we were just waiting for her to break out of her shell. She was without question one of the best players in the conference last year and we are looking forward to her taking her game to even another level this year."

Thomas is just one of several returning guards that factor into whether or not the Rebels return to the NCAA Tournament. Fellow senior Shantell Black, who can play both point guard and shooting guard, joins Thomas as the only returnees to have started all 33 games for the Rebels a season ago. Black finished the season third on the team with 8.2 points per game and was second in the conference with 5.5 assists per game. In fact, Black turned in four games in which she dished out at least 10 assists. On defense, Black paced the team and ranked third in the SEC with 2.2 steals per game.

Junior guard Kayla Melson came on strong late in the season last year and started the final seven games of the year at point guard. Melson flourished in her new role and averaged 5.1 assists per game during that span and even hit the game-winning shot to help Ole Miss upset 17th-ranked Vanderbilt inside Tad Smith Coliseum. Overall, Melson averaged 5.7 points per game. 2.4 rebounds per game and 2.8 assists per game.

Sophomore LaTosha Laws and Whitney H.meth provide the Rebels with depth at the guard position. Both players saw limited action last year, but are expected to have a greater role this year after gaining experience as freshmen. Laws provides Ole Miss with a slashing guard who gets to the basket rather easily, while Hameth can be a very dangerous shooter from three-point range.

"We are really excited about our guard corps this year because we have two of the fastest guards in the conference when you talk about Kayla Melson and Shantell Black," Ladner said. "Both of them can get to the basket at the drop of a hat and both of them are two of the best tenacious, in-your-face defenders in this league."

Elizabeth Robertson started the final seven games of the season last year as a forward and is the leading candidate to win the position again this year. Robertson can be a mismatch for opponents from the forward position as she is a weapon from the three-point line. Last season, Robertson shot 31.3 percent from beyond the arc and averaged 6.1 points per game to go along with 3.7 rebounds per game.

Senior LaKendra Phillips, one of the most athletic wings on the Ole Miss roster, is expected to see time as a forward this season. She appeared in 28 games last season and provided the Rebels with depth and energy from her position.

"Liz Robertson is a gritty player who leaves everything on the floor and gives you everything she has and that is all you can ask for as a coach," Ladner said. "She has a great shot from three-point range and we are looking for her to play a vital role in our offense this year."

The Rebels will feature five players who will by vying to earn a starting role in the post and replace Goff in the process. Each of those post players brings a different style of play to the table, leaving Ladner with several options she can throw at her opponents throughout the course of the season.

"Every one of our post players does something very well," Ladner said. "Some of them are good scorers, some are good rebounders and some are good defenders. We are working hard this year to transform our post players into the most complete players they can be. I feel confident that by the start of the season we will be in a good position in the post and that our players will be ready for the challenges that we will present to them."

Sophomore Kayla Holloway started 14 games and appeared in all 33 for Ole Miss last season and might be considered the front-runner to start the season in the post. Holloway averaged 2.5 points per game and 2.9 rebounds per game. In addition, Holloway finished third on the team with 49 offensive rebounds and pulled down 1.5 of those per game.

Another sophomore, Nikki Byrd, saw extended action in the paint as a freshman is another weapon Ladner can use on the low block. Byrd appeared in 30 games last season and drew the start in a total of 13 games. In fact, the Rebels were 10-3 in games in which Byrd started. She finished the season with an average of 3.1 points per game and 3.6 rebounds per game, ranking fourth on the team in rebounding department.

The Rebels will also look to a pair of JUCO players to provide production in the post after their first season at Ole Miss was hampered with injuries. Senior Katorra Lewis, who was one of the top junior college players in the country during the 2007-08 season, appeared in all 33 games for Ole Miss last season despite suffering from a knee injury. She averaged 3.2 points per game and 2.4 rebounds per game in limited action due to the severity of her injury. Look for Lewis to fight for the team's starting role in the post.

Tori Slusher is another senior who the Rebels will look to for added depth in the post. Slusher's first season at Ole Miss was cut in half when she suffered a season-ending ACL injury midway through the season. At the time of her setback, Slusher averaged 1.7 points per game to go along with 2.0 rebounds per game.

Rebel freshman Courtney Marbra, the lone player in the 2009-10 signing class, is also expected to add depth of an already strong nucleus of post players. Marbra arrives in Oxford after an outstanding career at Forest Hill High School in Jackson, Miss., where she was named a Clarion-Ledger Dandy Dozen.

"Courtney is a very athletic post player that has a tremendous upside," Ladner said. "She is very coachable and possesses an incredible work ethic. She also comes from a very good high school program and we feel like she will fit in well at Ole Miss."

Ole Miss will once again play a very difficult schedule that features 12 games against teams that reached the postseason ago, which includes marquee non-conference matchups against Ohio State and Texas.

The Rebels will host a total of 13 regular-season games in Oxford after entertaining Christian Brothers University in an exhibition game on Nov. 5. Following that game, the Rebels will open the season Nov. 13 against Southeastern Louisiana in a doubleheader with the men's team. Ole Miss closes out its November home schedule on the 20th against Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the Rebels' annual School Day Game at 11 a.m.

Ole Miss hits the road thereafter to take on Pac-10 foe Arizona in the first meeting between the two schools since 1989. The Rebels continue on the road and travel to Boca Raton, Fla., to take part in Florida Atlantic's Thanksgiving Tournament Nov. 27-28. The Rebels will take on San Jose State on the first day of the tournament and will play either host Florida Atlantic or Fordham the following day.

"I think we are going to be tested early because we are going to have to load up and go out west and play a pretty good Arizona team on its home floor," Ladner said. "We are going to be tested very early against a very good basketball team in front of a lot of people. Florida Atlantic is an up and coming team with a new coaching stuff. To ultimately win the tournament, we are going to have to beat them on their home turf."

The Rebels continue their non-conference schedule to open the month of December with trips to UALR (Dec. 2) and Old Dominion (Dec. 6). The Rebels return home Dec. 13 to take on NCAA Sweet Sixteen participant Ohio State before heading back out on the road to face Texas.

"I don't think there is anything easy about our games during the month of December," Ladner said. "UALR beat us in overtime last season on our home floor, and now we have to face a big challenge in trying to go into their gym and take one from them on their home floor. Then you come back and face two teams who will probably be ranked in the Top 25 in Ohio State and Texas. It is definitely going to be a tremendous challenge for us, but we feel like this stretch is going to prepare us for the rigors of SEC play."

Ole Miss puts the finishing touches on the non-conference portion of the schedule with back-to-back home games against Winston-Salem State (Dec. 20) and Centenary (Dec. 29), which will also be the second doubleheader of the season with the men's team.

This season also marks the first season the conference schedule will include of slate of 16 games. Ole Miss opens the conference schedule on the road against 2009 SEC Tournament Champion Vanderbilt (Jan. 3). The Rebels will also make in-conference visits to Georgia (Jan. 24), South Carolina (Jan. 28), Kentucky (Feb. 4), LSU (Feb. 7), Mississippi State (Feb. 14), Arkansas (Feb. 18) and Tennessee (Feb. 28).

"There is not one night that you can ever take lightly or ever take off in the SEC," Ladner said. "Ours kids have to understand that we have to play at a high level every single night, much like we did last season against Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Auburn. We play in the toughest league in America and you can't ever take anything for granted if you want to be successful."

The Rebels also play four of their first five conference games at home, beginning with a visit from Alabama on Jan. 7. Other home games include Arkansas (Jan. 10), LSU (Jan. 17), Mississippi State (Jan. 21), Florida (Jan. 31), Tennessee (Feb. 11), Vanderbilt (Feb. 21) and Auburn (Feb. 25).

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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