Oct. 14, 2009
The George Mason women's basketball team is set to begin its second season under head coach Jeri Porter, and the Patriots plan to continue improving while establishing themselves among the most competitive teams in the Colonial Athletic Association.
"We think people are going to see a much more competitive team, a lot more energy and a little bit of a different style that I think will all come together to make for a better season for us then we had last year," Porter said. "I think the goal is to just change the way we think, and in turn we will change how we work and that will help us to be a lot more productive in how we work when we get on the floor everyday."
Coming off a 2008-09 season which was marked by many ups-and-downs, including an historic victory over Old Dominion which was the program's first-ever win over the Lady Monarchs, Porter believes the team will continue its growth and development.
"I think we laid a strong foundation with regards to the direction we want to take the program in, and I think now the returning players understand our expectations as a coaching staff, what we want from them, and how we expect them to come in everyday and work and plan to make themselves better."
Mason returns eight players from last season's squad. At each position on the court, the 2009-10 Patriots blend a mix of veteran experience and talented newcomers.
GUARDS
The lone senior on the roster, guard Rashauna Hobbs anchors the Patriots' backcourt and will be counted upon for her ability as well as her leadership. Last season, Hobbs was the only Patriot to appear in every game and finished the season ranked 11th in the conference in 3-pointers.
"The expectation from Rashauna is just to provide as much leadership as possible," Porter said. "She is a basketball-savvy kid, she understands what it takes to be successful and she works extremely hard. She shoots the ball pretty well but does have that point guard savvy and understanding of how the game should be played and she's picked up our system very well."
The top two returning scorers from 2008-09, guards Brittany Poindexter and Brittany Eley saw marked improvements in their abilities last season thanks to extensive playing time. Poindexter averaged more than 10 points a game while Eley contributed nine points per outing and both bring solid skills to Porter's lineup.
"Brittany Poindexter has a wealth of ability and saw a major role as a sophomore," she explained. "We're expecting her to come up big as a junior with us changing our system a little bit. She needs to be a little more pressure orientated on the defensive end; it fits her style of play the way we think she plays best."
"Brittany Eley is just a great kid, great student, and a great athlete," Porter said. "Getting the opportunity on the floor and playing as many minutes as she did as a sophomore will pay huge dividends for her this year. She proved in spurts last year that she can be as good as guard as any in this league and we're just looking for her to settle in consistency in that role."
Two sophomore guards will compete for playing time after having excellent debut seasons. Becky Cox will work her way back into the rotation following arthroscopic knee surgery in October, while Amber Epps will be counted upon for depth.
"Becky's conditioning is probably better than anybody in our program in terms of how quickly she can recover from an injury," Porter said. "We're really excited about her and really want to help her doing everything we can at this point from a rehab standpoint to help her get back on the floor as quickly as possible."
"We feel that Amber can carve out a role for herself if she focuses on being a defender out on the perimeter and doing a good job rebounding the basketball for us out on the wing," Porter explained. "She is a a hard worker and came from a high school situation where she is very well prepared and she understands what it takes on this level to have some success."
Guard Ashleigh Braxton will make her on-court debut in 2009 with the Patriots after redshirting last year's campaign. The Pittsburgh transfer will immediately be counted on to contribute with her sharp shooting and experience.
"If there is a purer shooter in the league we would really like to know who it is," commented Porter. "Ashleigh has range beyond belief and has one of the prettiest strokes I've ever seen in twenty years coaching. She does so many other things well on the floor which probably get overlooked because she's a specialist to a large degree."
Two freshmen will contend for playing time. Shavonne Duckett averaged 17 points and eight rebounds through her high school career, while Rahneeka Saunders will challenge for the starting point guard role after an outstanding prep career.
"Shavonne has the prototypical CAA body; she is just this great 5'10 athletic guard who runs like a deer and gets up and down the floor," Porter explained. "All the tools are there, and I think that she can be a great defender on the perimeter and as good a perimeter rebounder. She is a really difficult assignment for people to block out and keep off the boards."
"Rahneeka has the ability to be one of the best four or five freshmen in this league," Porter said. "We are really excited at the prospect of having her play on the floor for us this year and really looking forward to just throwing her out there and watching her get better as the season progresses."
Radford transfer Taleia Moton, who previously played under Porter in her freshman season with the Highlanders, will redshirt the season and have two years of eligibility left.
POST PLAYERS
Headlining the crop of returning post players is redshirt junior Angelee LaTouche. The Kingston, Jamaica native sat out the 2008-09 season and is ready to contribute underneath the basket for the Patriots this year after an successful junior college career in Florida.
"We are really excited to see how Angelee creates her own niche in the league, since she shoots the three, can put the ball on the floor and attack the basket but is also versatile enough to go down to the block and post up around the rim," Porter said. "We think the sky is the limit for Angelee - she has the ability to be one of the best post players in this league."
The lone other returnee in the paint is sophomore Rachel Robinson, who had a strong freshman season in which she started 16 games and developed her skills at the college level.
"We challenged Rachel to work as hard as she possible can this year to really settle into a role, whatever that role might be this year," explained Porter. "She looks a lot more confident, she looks a lot more comfortable with what she is doing on the court and we think that's going to make a huge difference for her on the floor."
Freshmen Amber Easter and Janaa Pickard will provide crucial depth down low this season. Easter, who at 6'0" is listed as a guard/forward, was a McDonald's All-American nominee who scored more than 1,300 points and 500 rebounds in her high school career.
"Amber is versatile enough to play both the three and four positions but because our fours are very perimeter-oriented we've asked her to face the basket a lot, handle the ball a little bit, and be a good passer," Porter said. "She fits all of that very well and also gives us a very athletic look when she is on the floor at the four spot."
Pickard is joining Mason following a successful prep career in which she averaged 16 points, 12 rebounds and eight blocks while helping lead Central High School to a record 101 consecutive Public League wins and two league championships.
"Janaa is a super smart kid with savvy on the floor - she picks things up very quickly so our expectation is that she is someone people will see improve with each game," Porter said. "From a skill-set standpoint, she is as skilled as any post player that we've got. So for Janaa, I think the curve for her comes from learning our system and becoming stronger."
Evelyn Lewis, a 6'3" forward/center joins the Patriots this season after transferring from Penn State, where she played two seasons. She will redshirt this year and have two years of eligibility remaining.
SCHEDULE
Mason will welcome seven non-conference opponents to Patriot Center during the 2009-10 campaign, the most in 11 seasons, as well as hosting nine CAA opponents.
Following a home exhibition on Monday, Nov. 9 against Virginia Union University, the Patriots will officially open the 2009-10 campaign on Friday, Nov. 13 with a home matchup against Norfolk State, part of a doubleheader with the men's basketball team. Following the women's game, the Patriot men will take on Liberty that evening in their season opener.
Mason will hit the road for its next two games, facing a pair of in-state rivals with a Monday, Nov. 16 game at Richmond. Three days later, the Patriots will take on the Virginia Tech Hokies in Blacksburg.
The Patriots' next four games will come at home, beginning with a Monday, Nov. 23 game against Jacksonville University, followed by games against North Carolina Central (Nov. 27) and Fairfield (Nov. 30). Mason will square off against High Point on Friday, Dec. 4 to close the homestand. A quick road trip to Philadelphia for a Sunday, Dec. 6 tilt at Saint Joseph's is followed by a Saturday, Dec. 12 home game against Howard, part of a men's/women's doubleheader at Patriot Center.
Following a 10-day break for final exams, the Patriots host local rival George Washington on Tuesday, Dec. 22, then close out their non-conference slate of games with a Wednesday, Dec. 30 contest at Appalachian State.
Mason opens CAA play at Towson on Jan. 3 and follows with its conference home opener against Delaware on Jan. 7. During January and February, the Patriots will host Northeastern (Jan. 17), William & Mary (Jan. 24), Georgia State (Jan. 28), Hofstra (Feb. 4), Old Dominion (Feb. 14), VCU (Feb. 21) and UNC Wilmington (Feb. 25). Mason travels to James Madison (Jan. 10), ODU (Jan. 14), Drexel (Jan. 21), Northeastern (Jan. 31), Delaware (Feb. 7), Hofstra (Feb. 18) and Georgia State (Feb. 28).
On March 3, the Patriots close out the regular season at home against JMU, then will compete the following week at the CAA Championship from March 11-14, hosted by the Dukes in Harrisonburg.
"We think with the talent we are putting on the floor this year, with the returning players that are a year older and the young players that are extremely talented, and if we keep moving forward from last March, we will be a team that can potentially be right in the thick of things come tournament time in Harrisonburg," Porter said.
