Wednesday, November 12, 2008

11 Days of A-Sun Women's Basketball wraps up with a look at the Stetson Hatters. The Hatters have a new head coach in Lynn Bria, replacing long-time head coach Dee Romine who retired in March after amassing over 300 wins

Bria is no stranger to the Atlantic Sun Conference. Bria coached former conference member UCF for three seasons, (1996-99) compiling a cumulative record of 50-36. In 1998-99, Bria's Knights took both the A-Sun regular season and tournament titles to earn the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Senior guard Sharnesha Smith was one of three players in the conference who led her respective team in both scoring and assists last year, along with Mercer’s LaToya Jackson and USC Upstate’s Courtney Hawkins. Smith averaged 9.4 points and 3.0 assists per contest.

Coach Lynn Bria on the Hatters

Team Page

Roster

Schedule

2007-08 Statistics

SEASON PREVIEW - (Courtesy Stetson Media Relations)

The Hatters return three starters and four other letterwinners from the 2007-08 team that finished 9-21 overall and 7-9 in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Stetson caught fire down the stretch, winning five of its last six regular season games and the core of that squad is back for more in 2008-09. The team’s top six scorers and top three rebounders (five of the top six, in fact) have all returned deeper in experience and chemistry. The returning depth is best highlighted by the numbers: 79.5 percent of the scoring, more than 81 percent of the rebounding, 73 percent of the assists, 94 percent of the blocked shots and 79 percent of the steals in 2007-08 were recorded by this season’s returning veterans.

Added to that mix are four talented and athletic freshmen that will assist Coach Bria in implementing the new up-tempo, aggressive style of offense and defense she has designed for the Hatters. The exciting brand of basketball on display at the Edmunds Center this season should leave no doubt with fans that “The Hat is Back!”

BACKCOURT

A major weapon in any basketball team’s arsenal is a savvy veteran point guard and the Hatters have one in senior co-captain Sharnesha Smith (Kingsland, Ga.). Smith led the team in scoring (9.4 ppg), assists (3.0 apg) and steals (62) last season and was second with 4.7 rebounds per game while rarely leaving the court – she averaged 36.5 minutes per game as a junior, more than any other player in the Atlantic Sun.

“Sharnesha has such a great awareness of the court and is a solid fundamental player,” Bria said. “We’re very confident in her ability to lead the team.”

2007-08 Atlantic Sun All-Freshman Team selection Tierra Brown (Orlando, Fla.) is expected to claim the starting shooting guard position after a rookie campaign that saw her average 8.5 points and 3.2 rebounds per game with 45 steals. She immediately proved fearless on the court, scoring 20 points in her first college game and tying a decades-old school record with 27 field goal attempts a few weeks later in a near-upset of SEC powerhouse Florida. Brown had 18 points, seven assists and six rebounds in a win at Mercer on February 16 and came back two nights later with the game-winning layup in the final seconds to defeat Kennesaw State.

“I anticipate Tierra having an even better season this time out because she has worked so hard on her ball-handling ability. She and Sharnesha are our best options at the 1 and the 2 and will be on the court together a lot,” Bria said.

Sophomore wing player Brittany Carannante (Clearwater, Fla.) reprises her invaluable role as defensive stopper and under-the-radar scoring option. The 5’8” Carannante, who averaged 5.0 points per game with 26 steals, routinely frustrated opponents with her smothering on-ball defense and uncanny shot-blocking ability. She registered 22 rejections on the season, tied for fourth-most in the nation among players 5’8” or smaller and the national leader among freshmen in that height range. She is capable of playing shooting guard and small forward as well as bringing the ball up the floor against pressure.

“Brittany is one of our most talented guards and she has really bought into what we’re trying to do,” Bria commented. “She’s in great shape to play a lot of minutes.”

Two freshmen that will provide depth in this year’s backcourt are Jessica Bivins (Orlando, Fla.) and Kelly Ellison (Columbus, Ga.). The 5’5” Bivins was a Third Team All-State selection in Class 6A for Edgewater High School as a senior, helping lead EHS to a state championship, two metro titles, a district championship and a region crown. Ellison was a two-time Honorable Mention Class AAA All-State pick in Georgia and paced Hardaway High School to the state final four as a junior. She led the state with 214 assists (7.2 apg) that season. A Wendy’s High School Heisman nominee, Ellison starred in the classroom as well, graduating #1 in her class this past spring.

“Kelly is an unbelievable student who learned so much in AAU basketball. She can hit the three-point shot, plays hard and has gotten a lot stronger since the time she came here,” noted Bria. “Jessica Bivins did her summer work excellently, got strong like we asked. Both of them will give us options at shooting guard and Jessica can play some point for us as well.”

Sophomore guard Kerri Simpson (Charleston, Tenn.) will not be eligible until next season after transferring from Florida, but the former Gator has already emerged as a team leader in pre-season practices.

“Kerri is so fast and quick and she plays terrific ball pressure defense, which has forced our other guards to adapt to that,” Bria mentioned. “Those kids are going to see those looks all the time in games and Kerri really simulates tough defense well.”

FRONTCOURT

The bulk of the returning depth for the Hatters is on the block, led by senior center and co-captain Ayesha Barkley (East Orange, N.J.). The 6’2” Barkley ranked second in the conference with 1.33 blocks per game last season and her 40 total rejections were good for fifth on the school’s single season list. She enters her final season ranked fourth all-time at Stetson with 69 career blocked shots. She was one of the team’s top offensive and defensive weapons, leading Stetson with 5.0 rebounds per game and ranking third at 7.4 points per game. Barkley pushed the Hatters to a comeback 71-68 overtime win at Gardner-Webb on January 29 with her first career double-double of 21 points and 10 boards.

“Ayesha has been a tremendous leader for us in terms of buying into what we’re trying to do and getting her teammates to do the same,” said Bria. “For this year, we need her to continue working on her low block consistency and scoring.”

The team’s third and final senior, 6’1” forward Shayna Swinson (Atlanta, Ga.), returns for her fifth year with the program after medically redshirting back in 2004-05. She has served a valuable role both in terms of leadership and minutes off the bench for the Hatters, playing in every game and twice recording eight rebounds.

“I’m so glad Shayna came back for her fifth year,” Bria said. “Her teammates love her and her leadership has been so positive. She plays hard all the time and will give us some valuable minutes on defense.”

Junior forward Ashli Jackson (Opelika, Ala.) will be asked to play a dual role this season, guarding power forwards on defense and stepping out to the wing and using her potent three-point shot on offense. The 5’10” Jackson broke out as a sophomore and proved to be one of the team’s top threats from distance. She became only the second Hatter ever to hit five of six threes in a game February 9 vs. ETSU and two weeks later made four of five against Florida Gulf Coast. She averaged 5.9 points per game on 40 percent three-point shooting.

“We’ll step Ashli out on offense and put her inside on defense this season,” said Bria. “She really worked hard this summer, committed to us and has done everything we ask of her. Ashli is a strong competitor and team player and her three-point shooting will definitely help us. I would like to see her drive more and get to the free throw line.”

Sophomore forward/center Jessica Conner (Cocoa, Fla.) may have the highest upside of any player on the team after a freshman season in which she led all A-Sun rookies in rebounding with 4.7 boards per game. Standing 5’11” and one of the league’s leanest and most athletic post players, she was the team’s top rebounder six times and its top scorer in two games. Conner finished with 5.1 points per game, 16 blocked shots and 16 steals.

Coach Bria calls Conner “a tremendous athlete who we need to crash the boards and be part of our ‘scoring by committee’ in the post.”

Just as in the backcourt, the Hatters will have two freshmen ready to step in and help up front. 5’8” Lyllique Roman (Poinciana, Fla.) averaged 15 points per game as a senior at Poinciana High School, leading her team to the Class 4A state playoffs and picking up her third All-Osceola County award. She needed no introductions to a number of her Hatter teammates, having played AAU hoops in the Orlando Comets organization with Bivins, Brown and Carannante. 5’11” Ayiesha “Ayce” Vickers (Orlando, Fla.) paced Boone High School to three district titles, two regional championships, two metro titles and a pair of Class 6A state semifinal appearances. Although hampered by injuries as a senior, she notched seven double-doubles in her junior year.

“Lyllique Roman is our steadiest player; she brings the same thing every day,” noted Bria. “You just don’t see a player make such a smooth adjustment from high school to college as she has very often. I can already tell she’s going to be a great small forward for us. Ayce has been hampered by injuries and hasn’t been able to show us her full game in practice, but I know she can be a strong powerful player that finishes around the basket with a nice 15-foot jumper as well.”

Perhaps the most intimidating member of Stetson’s frontcourt will be the one sitting on the bench in street clothes this season: 6’4” Ole Miss transfer Daphnee Frieson (Mobile, Ala.). In two seasons with the Rebels, Frieson played in 30 games and was a part of the historic 2006-07 Ole Miss team that knocked off defending national champion Maryland and powerhouse Oklahoma on the way to the Elite Eight. Last year, Frieson blocked a shot every eight minutes on average, best showcasing her ability last November 15 when she notched six points, five rebounds and three blocks all in just 15 minutes against Louisiana-Lafayette. She will have junior eligibility next season.

“Daphnee didn’t get to see consistent minutes at Ole Miss so she got a bit out of basketball shape, but she has already worked herself back into great condition even before her year in residence,” Bria said. “She’s a left-handed player with great touch around the basket and her presence in practice at 6’4” has been crucial. It gives our players experience when they face the posts not only in our league but from our power-school opponents as well.”

SCHEDULE

The schedule for the Hatters this season will be a daunting one, especially in the non-conference portion, where they will play eight out of nine games on the road. The regular season begins Friday, November 14 with a matinee at UAB before quickly flying home for the Edmunds Center opener with Norfolk State next Sunday, Nov. 16 at 2 p.m. All other non-league games will be away from home, including matchups at Big EAST member USF (Nov. 18) and SEC foes Florida (Nov. 20) and Arkansas (Dec. 31). The Bulls and Gators both made WNIT appearances last March while the Razorbacks are receiving votes in both national polls to start the 2008-09 season.

The Atlantic Sun conference schedule returns to a 20-game double round-robin format after the departure of Gardner-Webb for the Big South Conference. The January 22 home game against North Florida, tipping off at 9 p.m., will be televised live on Comcast Sports Southeast. The A-Sun slate begins Thursday, Dec. 4 with a home game against Florida Gulf Coast. Other key home dates besides the TV game with UNF include Saturday, Jan. 10 against defending champions ETSU, Jan. 31 vs. Lipscomb (featuring the Orlando Magic Dunkin’ Dancers) and the Feb. 14 Senior Day contest with Kennesaw State. The Atlantic Sun Conference tournament returns to Lipscomb’s Allen Arena March 5-8 as Stetson attempts to win the title and earn its second NCAA Tournament bid.

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