Wednesday, October 29, 2008

11 Days of A-Sun Basketball tips off with a closer look at Belmont. The Bruins will be led by Preseason All-Conference post player Jessica Bobbitt looking to improve on a 14-16 season last year. As a junior, she broke into the elite 50-50 club, recording over 50 blocks and 50 steals, becoming one of only two players in the country to do so.

Tony Cross notched his 500th win as the head coach at Belmont when his Bruins upset Alabama 75-58 on Nov. 28, 2007. With the win, Belmont became only the second school in the nation to boast men’s and women’s head coaches with 500 or more career victories. Cross now has 511 career victories to go along with head men’s coach Rick Byrd’s 541. The only other school with two 500-win coaches is North Carolina (Roy Williams, 560; Sylvia Hatchell, 784).

Coach Tony Cross on the Bruins

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2007-08 Statistics

SEASON PREVIEW - (Courtesy Belmont Media Relations)

Two thousand and eight looks to be a promising year for the Belmont women’s basketball team. Only two seasons removed from the NCAA Tournament, the veterans on the squad are eager to get back to the national stage while the newcomers are excited for an opportunity to make history on their own watch.

Despite being a young team with only one senior and three juniors, BU believes it has the drive, agility and experience needed to reach the postseason once again.

“For these five returners, this is their time to get it done,” said Head Coach Tony Cross. “We expect all of them to excel with their experience and ability. “Overall, I would say we have very talented players. We have a lot of good parts to the team. Everyone has the ability to excel if they improve on what they can do today. I think we will show a lot of growth as the season goes on.”

Returners

The Bruins will look to lone senior Jessica Bobbitt to lead them into the Atlantic Sun Tournament. Bobbitt, who was named to the 2008-09 Atlantic Sun Preseason All-Conference Team, should earn more recognition for her dynamic play in her final season. Last year, the Trenton, Tenn., native broke into the elite 50-50 club, recording over 50 blocks and 50 steals, becoming one of only two players in the country to do so. The team’s top returning scorer and rebounder also held the number 20 spot in the country for blocked shots per game and led the A-Sun in the same category.

Bobbitt, who was one of only two players on the team to start and play in all 30 games last season, averaged 11.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game and recorded 73 blocks and 60 steals.

“Jessica will be key for our team's success,” said Cross. “We anticipate her having a great year. A lot depends on her. She is going to be our go-to player and her presence will give us confidence.”

Returning on the wing for the Bruins is junior Amber Rockwell. The Tuscaloosa, Ala., native was the only Belmont women’s basketball player to earn an Atlantic Sun Player of the Week nod last year. The shooter will continue to rain shots from all over the floor in her third year, being more deadly from behind the arc.

Rockwell, who was the Bruins’ third leading scorer, averaged 10.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore.

“We think this will be Amber’s breakout year,” Cross said. “She showed flashes of being an outstanding player last year. We are looking for her to be one of top scorers. Having Jessica and Amber in the game together will give good balance to our offense. She is putting together a more complete game than in years before.”

Classmate Kristin Bunch was eager to hit the hardwoods again after breaking her leg in the next to last regular season contest of the 2007-08 campaign. After a tremendous amount of rehab and dedication to returning to pre-injury form, Bunch is back and ready to contribute right away. The Fayetteville, Ga., native averaged 5.5 point and 4.7 rebounds last year.

“We are fortunate to have her back after the injury. The experience has made her a strong and mature athlete,” Cross said. “We expect more production for Kristin. She has a lot of experience and now is the time for her to use it. She should be a factor in every game.”

Junior LaWanna Holiday rounds out the list of veterans on the Bruins squad. The team’s veteran point guard will be integral to the success of the Bruins during this season. After coming off the bench in every contest last year, the Henderson, Tenn., native is eager to be a starter and demonstrate all she has learned over the past two seasons.

Holiday averaged 1.3 points and 1.3 rebounds last season.

“She is our most experienced point guard,” said Cross. “We will depend on her maturity, leadership and ability to guide us this season. She has more responsibility than she has ever had this year.”

The Bruins are excited to welcome back Tereva Moore to the lineup this year. Injured in the preseason of the 2007-08 campaign, the versatile Moore has spent more than a year rehabilitating and is hungry to get back on the floor. Now a redshirt sophomore, the Memphis, Tenn., native looks to pick her promising hardwood career up right back where she left off.

Two years ago, Moore averaged 5.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.

“It was a huge loss for us last year with Tereva gone but we are glad to have her back,” Cross said. “Tereva can play more than one position and with her experience, size and ability we expect her do well for us. Because of her injury, we think she will quickly get better as the season goes along. She has the ability to be an outstanding player in the conference.”

True sophomore Rachel Swisher will return to the post position for the Bruins in 2008-09. The Franklin, Ky., native proved to be a threat from almost anywhere on the floor. She led the Bruins in three-point shooting percentage (.485) and knocked down 70 percent of her attempts from the charity stripe. Swisher came off the bench in all 30 contests and provided quality minutes down the stretch.

“Rachel had some really good moments as a freshman,” Cross said. “She is a more experienced player than we anticipated her to be. She has always been a fundamentally strong player and now she has improved her strength and the physicality of her play. She should be a factor in several games for us this year.”

Whitney Seals rounds out the list of players returning to the floor for the Belmont women’s basketball team. Despite only coming off the bench in 14 games, the true sophomore gave quality minutes to the Bruins.

“Whitney has so much athletic ability,” Cross said. “Once she believes in herself like we do, she will do well. We are looking for her to play with more confidence and be a good contributor during the season.”

Newcomers

Head Coach Tony Cross did not have to go far when he started looking for new members of his team. Three of the freshmen are from Tennessee and one is from Alabama. The lone transfer, who hails from Alabama, spent a season at Mississippi State before joining the Bruins. “All of the freshmen have got to contribute right away. Their time is now and we are counting on them to be a significant part of the team.”

Cacy Burtnett, a 6-0 guard/forward, comes to the Bruins from Cleveland High in Cleveland, Tenn., where she helped her team to 117-25 record during her career. The three-time All-District and All-Region honoree is ranked fifth in all-time scoring at CHS. Burtnett recorded her 1,000th point as a senior and was named team MVP.

“We wished ever player played with as much determination and effort as Cacy,” Cross said. “She has the ability to overachieve. Cacy is very intelligent and has the physical and mental ability to play more than one position. She can set the tempo with her energy. She can play in a lot of spots to help us out.”

Five-foot-eight Knoxville, Tenn., native Crystal Kesler will add depth to the Bruins’ guard lineup. The all-time leading scorer all-time at Knoxville West High with a total of 2,160 career points was a four-time All-Region selection. Kesler, who was also named an East All-Star, also earned All-State and All-KIL honors during her career.

“Crystal really gives us something to work with. She has great speed, power and agility,” Cross said. “She has a good understanding of the game. We are looking for her to be a defensive stopper. Crystal really has the ability to be a starter by the end of the season. She and Tristan could challenge for a starting position.”

Tristan Daniel will help shore up the post position for Belmont. The 6-2 Waynesboro, Tenn., native received All-District, All-Region, and All-State honors during her career at Wayne County High. In her final year at WCHS, she helped the team to a 31-6 record and earn a trip to the State tournament. She also earned a spot on the WCHS 1,000 point list.

“Tristan is such a fundamentally sound player,” said Cross. “She made a lot of progress physically in the preseason. We cannot wait for her to become the player that we know she can be. Tristan could play herself into a key role on this team because of her strong work ethic. Sometime in her career, she will become the go-to player. Tristan and Rachel are two players who we expect to excel in three-point shooting.”

The lone rookie from Alabama is Haley Nelson, who will also add depth to the post. She led her Scottsboro High team in points, rebounds, and blocked shots both as a junior and senior. Upon completion of her career at SHS, the two-time All-Area and All-State honoree became the all-time leader in blocks and rebounds and was ranked third in all-time scoring.

“Haley plays hard and practices hard,” Cross said. “She has the opportunity to be an important player early in her career. She will have the opportunity to get minutes right away.”

Although she will have to sit out a year due to NCAA transfer rules, Shai Wilkins will still have an impact on the team. The Harvest, Ala., native came off the bench in 10 contests last year at Mississippi State, averaging 1.3 points and 1.1 rebounds per game. During her high school career at Sparkman High, she helped her team to the 2007 Alabama Class 6A State Championship. Wilkins earned Huntsville Times Metro Player of the Year and Montgomery Advertiser All-State Super Five honors as well as participated in the Mississippi-Alabama and North-South All-Star games.

“Shai is a great addition to our team in the short and long term,” Cross said. “She will help our players improve in the post. This is not an off year for Shai. She will be working to improve her skills and we expect her to be ready to contribute come next year.”

The Schedule

After playing one of the toughest schedules regular season schedules under Head Coach Tony Cross, Belmont is poised to rebuild on its legacy of excellence and vie for a return to the NCAA Tournament. This year, the Bruins’ slate features match-ups with several intrastate rivals and appearances in two tournaments that should give the team confidence heading into the always competitive Atlantic Sun.

“We open the season at home with Memphis,” said Head Coach Tony Cross. “They are a very well known team and play in the competitive Conference USA. Then we take on Tennessee Tech the next weekend. TTU has been a long time rival with Belmont, from the early days of the program. Tennessee Tech and Belmont were among the first schools to offer women’s basketball as a varsity sport (in the state of Tennessee).”

BU officially opens the 2008-09 schedule with its first three games of the season against teams from around the state of Tennessee. The Bruins officially open the season hosting Memphis at the Curb Event Center on November 16. The Lady Tigers finished last year tied for sixth in Conference USA and will enter this season with a new head coach. The following weekend, Belmont hosts Tennessee Tech. In the Tony Cross era, the teams have only faced twice with each claiming a victory, however the contest will be the 35th meeting between the programs since the 1969-70 season. BU’s first road game of the year will not be very far from home as the team travels to Clarksville to take on Austin Peay. The teams haven’t met since the 2005-06 campaign but the Bruins hold a commanding 15-4 advantage.

“I think it’s great that we continue to play schools like Tennessee Tech, Tennessee State, Tennessee-Martin and Austin Peay. These are good games for local interest and we should have a lot of fans be able to come to those games,” Cross said.

Belmont closes out the month of November with a stop at Southern Mississippi for a tournament. Also invited to participate are Alcorn State, Michigan and host-Southern Miss. The Bruins have never faced off against ASU, who went 12-18 in regular season action, and have only taken on the host Golden Eagles once, back in 1973. SMU went 21-14 during the regular season and advanced to the semifinals of the Conference USA Championship. The Wolverines and Bruins met for the first time last year at the Vanderbilt Thanksgiving Tournament. Michigan advanced to the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Championship with a 19-14 overall record at the end of the 2007-08 campaign.

“We will play Michigan first at the Southern Mississippi tournament and we are looking forward to another challenging match-up with them.”

December marks the beginning of Atlantic Sun play with the Bruins taking a brief break away from local action to travel to Florida for games at Jacksonville and North Florida the weekend of December 4. BU then returns to the confines of the CEC when it hosts Tennessee State and Tennessee-Martin on December 9 and December 17, respectively. The team closes out the first half of its schedule with an appearance at a tournament hosted by Alabama. Ball State and Richmond, both potential first time opponents, have also been invited to participate. BSU finished second in MAC’s West Division with an 11-5 league record and a 15-15 overall mark while Richmond was tied for sixth in the Atlantic 10 after going 6-8 in the league and 14-17 overall.

“This year, we have a 20 game schedule in the A-Sun with the return of round-robin play,” said Cross. “A lot could happen over 20 games so we will just have to keep playing to see how things will shake out.”

The Bruins open the 2009 portion of their schedule with a four-game Atlantic Sun homestand, hosting Stetson (Jan. 3), Florida Gulf Coast (Jan. 5), Campbell (Jan. 10) and close with part one of the Battle of the Boulevard against Lipscomb on January 12. The remainder of January finds Belmont on the road for contests at 2008 A-Sun Champion East Tennessee State (Jan. 15), USC Upstate (Jan. 17), Stetson (Jan. 29) and FGCU (Jan. 31). Part two of the Battle of the Boulevard will be at Lipscomb on January 26. Highlights from the month of February include hosting ETSU on February 15 and closing out the regular season with North Florida on February 26 and Jacksonville two days later.

11 Days of A-Sun Basketball Schedule
Oct. 29 - Belmont
Oct. 30 - Campbell
Oct. 31 - ETSU
Nov.  3 - FGCU
Nov.  4 - Jacksonville
Nov.  5 - Kennesaw State
Nov.  6 - Lipscomb
Nov.  7 - Mercer
Nov. 10 - UNF
Nov. 11 - USC Upstate
Nov. 12 - Stetson