Women's Basketball News

UC's Winn Hopes to Keep Eagles Among Elite Teams
April 29, 2005

By Jack Bogaczyk
Sports Editor, Charleston Daily Mail 

The women's basketball team at the University of Charleston is getting bigger. Coach Sherry Winn thinks the Golden Eagles are getting better, too.

UC, coming off an NCAA Division II Elite Eight appearance and 29-5 season, has signed three recruits who will be freshmen in 2005-06, including a pair of players 6 feet or taller. They'll join a program that didn't have a senior on the roster.

"Our mission is now to stay in the top 10 in the country," Winn said.

"We think the players we've added will help us do that. ...We look for players with a passion. What kind of desire do they have?"

The UC signees:

Veronica Carman, a 5-foot-8 guard from Cleveland Heights High in University Heights, Ohio. Carman averaged 16 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists per game.

Jihann Williams, a 6-foot frontcourt player from Cleveland's Glenville High, averaged 18 points, 14 rebounds, four blocks, and four steals for a team that had eight players sign letters-of-intent.

Jennifer DeMeyer, a 6-1 post player from Osbourn Park High in Manassas, Va., averaged seven points, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks per game.

Williams and Carman were selected honorable mention on the All-Plain Dealer team in Cleveland.

DeMeyer, "while she didn't have great stats, is a player we think can really develop," Winn said. "She has size, good speed, and is very agile."

The UC coach, while saying she doesn't like to compare players, said of Williams, "We see her as kind of the next Lisa Lee (UC's honorable mention All-American from Capital High). When she learns our system, she could be a huge impact player. There's a lot of talent there, but she's still a diamond in the rough."

Winn said Carman can play at either guard spot or even at small forward.

"She's very intense, a coach's daughter, the kind of player who on the floor will make the intelligent move or decision," the UC coach said.

Charleston's 29 wins were one shy of the school record. The Golden Eagles have 72 victories in the last three seasons.