Women's Basketball
Same Players but Not Same Team
November 14, 2005
By Tom Aluise
Sportswriter, Charleston Daily Mail
On paper, there's no reason to think the University of Charleston women's basketball team won't have the same kind of success it enjoyed a season ago.
Five starters return from last year's 29-5 team that advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament Elite Eight.
Fifth-year Coach Sherry Winn admits there's cause for optimism in the program.
Yet, she knows how important chemistry is to a team.
"It's good to have a lot of players back, but that doesn't mean it's going to be the same team," Winn said. "People evolve and change. The team chemistry changes.
"Certainly the talent exists. But we're back to discovering who plays well with whom. There is a lot of discovery to do and discovery usually comes through competition."
The Golden Eagles, picked to win the West Virginia Conference and ranked in the top 10 of several national preseason polls, open the 2005-06 season at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Clarion (Pa.). UC beat Clarion, 79-57, in last year's D-II regionals.
Winn, on Tuesday, will pencil in five familiar starters: seniors Lisa Lee and Laura Kinsler and juniors Courtney Thomas, Rachel Pike and Erica McElroy.
Lee, a former Capital High star, is coming off a wildly productive junior season and is on pace to become UC's all-time scoring leader.
The 6-foot forward averaged 19.4 points and eight rebounds last season and needs only 133 points to pass Denise Wentz (1,750 from 1980-84) and become the school's career points leader.
Winn isn't looking for anything more from Lee one of two West Virginians on UC's roster than what the player already has provided.
"I think it's really important that Lisa just perform like she's done in the past," said Winn, a former UC player.
"She doesn't need to do anything different."
Kinsler, a 5-10 guard, averaged 10 points and six rebounds a season ago, while the junior trio of Thomas, Pike and McElroy combined to score 30 points a game for the Eagles.
Also back is 5-10 sophomore Emily Jones (8.1 ppg.).
"The talent is still there," Winn said. "The work ethic is still there. They still have a positive frame of mind.
"I've learned from them you can't tell them what they can't do. Having been to the Elite Eight, the players want to take another step."
UC lost in the first round of the Elite Eight to Washburn, 73-60.
Still, the Golden Eagles earned enough respect around the country to land in a number of this year's preseason national rankings.
UC even received a first-place vote in the Women's Coaches Association poll, where it was ranked fifth.
"It's great," Winn said. "The recognition means our program has come a long way.
"But the bottom line is what you do on the court. That ballot will be changing as the season goes on."
UC opens conference play on Dec. 3 at home against Concord. Winn doesn't expect an easy trip on the way to a possible WVC title.
"Glenville will be extremely tough," Winn said. "You also have Wheeling, Fairmont and West Liberty. A lot of teams in the conference are going to be good."
Another concern for Winn is finding playing time for everyone on a deep and talented roster, including freshmen Jihann Williams, Veronica Carman and Jennifer DeMeyer.
Williams is a 5-11 forward who plays about 6-3, Winn said.
"I'm really excited about my freshman class," Winn said.