West Virginia Conference Expected to be Strong Again
October 20, 2005
By Lee France
For the Charleston Daily Mail
After finishing the 2004-05 campaign with an appearance in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight tournament, the Golden Eagles will begin the 2005-06 season as the third-ranked women's basketball team in the country.
Coach Sherry Winn, who is set to begin her fourth season at the helm, is not concerned about keeping that lofty standing. It is more important that the squad goes out and gives it their all, night in and night out.
"You have to in this league," Winn said referring to a tough West Virginia Conference schedule.
"We have so many good teams here, and I respect what all of the coaches are doing at their respective programs. If we don't come to play every night, we are going to get beat."
Charleston finished last season without winning the conference tournament. They got knocked out in the semifinals by Glenville State, 63-42, and eventually took an at-large bid into the regional tournament.
"That just shows you how tough our league is," Winn said. "Besides us, there were three other schools that went to the regional tournament from our conference."
The Golden Eagles return every member from last year's tournament run, and looking up and down the roster gives Winn some sort of comfort.
"It's nice to see those same ladies returning," Winn said. "It has been a great feeling to see them advance, not only as athletes but personally as well. I get attached to them and treat them like they were my children."
Lisa Lee, a former Capital High standout, will return for her senior season. Lee averaged 19.4 points per game and just over eight rebounds per game, all while shooting 55-percent from the floor.
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Reggie Carrick, in his second year at West Virginia University Tech and his first without the interim label attached, believes his team will be better in 2005-06 than last season's team that finished seventh in the 15-team conference.
"We are going to be a little bit quicker," Carrick said. "We have good senior leadership that starts with a Division I transfer at the point guard position."
Even though Carrick's troops cannot compete for the conference title because the school's athletic department is on probation, don't count on the Golden Bears to come out and stand still.
"We can't worry about the things beyond our control," Carrick said. "I am not quite sure we are ready to contend for the title just yet, but we are making great progress toward our ultimate goal."
Carrick said practices have been going very well at the Neal D. Baisi Athletic Center so far.
"This is the first time in my 11 years of coaching that I haven't lost my voice during practice," Carrick said. "Usually I am pulling my hair out trying to get things right, but this year, things are going pretty smooth."
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Expectations are running high in Institute as the Yellow Jackets prepare for the upcoming season.
Last year, head Coach Gill Heasley watched early season injuries turn into season-long nagging injuries, and that kept West Virginia State in the lower-middle of the pack in the West Virginia Conference.
"Our regular starting five was only on the floor once all year and that was the first game," Heasley said. "So, I am anxious to put them on the floor and find out what we should have had last year."
This year, the injuries have healed, and the regulars are ready to go, but a tough conference schedule will really be a tough test for West Virginia State.
"When we play non-conference games, everybody says we have the strongest league," Heasley said. "On any given night in this conference, as we found out against Bluefield State last year, you have to be ready to play. This year is no exception."
Heasley said you can expect a little more fire in this year's version of the Yellow Jackets.
"In our recruiting, we went out and got some kids that brought a little more intensity to their game," Heasley said. "I thought we played kind of laid back at times last year, and the kids in the new class are all fiery."