Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - Depth gives women a full house

Marketplace \| Services \| Contact Us \| Community \| Arts & Entertainment \| Local Guides

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

Wednesday, November 15, 2000

Depth gives women a full house
Team's goal of 18 wins may not satisfy everyone
By Matt Young
Caller-Times

Women's team at a glance

LAST SEASON: 14-12
COACH: Sheryl Estes
CAREER RECORD: 197-74 (9th yr.)
KEY RETURNERS: Detra Johnson, F, 6-2/Sr. (17 ppg, 4.4 rpg); Jean Clark, C, 6-2/Jr. (12.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.8 bpg); Kristin Rogers, F, 6-2/Soph. (12.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg); Rocky Grayson, G, 5-8/Sr. (9.8 ppg, 9.4 rpg).
KEY NEWCOMERS: Anna Hartzell, F, 6-2/Fr.; ShaKayla Hawkins, G, 5-7/Fr.; Jessie Monlux, G, 5-9/Jr.; Kendra Smith, F, 5-11/Jr.; Roberta Plaza, C, 6-4/Fr.

Twenty wins. It's a milestone that signifies the rarefied air of established programs, an accomplishment college basketball teams point to when trying to earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
   In just its second season of existence, the women's basketball program at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi can hardly classify itself as an established program, and with the provisional status still hung on them by the NCAA, the Islanders aren't eligible for the postseason.
   Still, 20 wins is something the Islanders can't help but keep an eye on.
   In a preseason meeting, the players and coaches gathered to set some team goals. Goals of winning every home game and earning a 3.0 team grade-point average passed without much discussion. When it came to setting a mark for the season win total, however, things got a little more heated.
   Some of the players wanted to set their sights on 20 wins, while others shied away from such a number. When all was said and done, the team settled on 18 wins as a reasonable goal. But several players left the meeting with their eyes still set on 20.
   "I think 20 wins is possible, personally," Islanders co-captain Kristin Rogers said. "We decided to set our goal at 18, and if we hit 20, then great. I certainly don't think 20 wins is an unreasonable goal, though."
   Twenty wins would be a classic example of setting your goals high. Real high, but perhaps not impossible. A&M-Corpus Christi finished 14-12 in its inaugural season and with all five starters returning and a solid recruiting class adding depth, the Islanders should be an improved team.
   But, will they be six wins better than last year?

A&M-Corpus Christi plays 27 games this year.

Twelve of those are against teams the Islanders beat last season.

Another is against a Division III team that the Islanders should be favored to win.

A&M-Corpus Christi also has home games against Tennessee State and Loyola (Chicago), which combined for just 11 wins last season.

The Islanders lost road games at Weber State and San Diego State last season, but both teams have to come to Corpus Christi this season, and both are possible wins at home.
   That makes for 17 games the Islanders can very realistically win. Will the Islanders find three more wins on that schedule?
   "We won 14 games last year, and we're obviously a better team," Rogers said. "When you look at our schedule last year, there were some games we lost that we were plenty capable of winning. If we can get over that hump this year, then you can see where we could possibly get to 20 wins."
   No matter the final win total, there's little doubt that the sequel to the Islanders women's basketball program will be better than its predecessor.
   In addition to the five starters, the Islanders also return 91 percent of their scoring. Shaquanda Thompson, who averaged five points per game off the bench last year, is the only contributor from last season not returning to A&M-Corpus Christi.
   The list of returning contributors is much lengthier. When the Islanders ran into problems last season it was when they had to delve into a shallow bench. The five starters were never a problem, and all five are back.
   Detra Johnson, who played her first two seasons at Texas Tech, is the scorer of the bunch. Johnson, the team's leading scorer at 17 points per game, likes to shoot from everywhere on the floor. Her 15 shots per game came on the inside where she used her big physique to muscle her way in, and on the outside where her shooting touch led her to lead the Islanders with 23 3-pointers.
   The Islanders look to Jean Clark, who played her freshman season at Connecticut, to do a little bit of everything. The 6-foot-2 center can score inside, but she contributes just as much with her defense. Clark's 2.1 blocks per game would have ranked 17th nationally if not for A&M-Corpus Christi's provisional status. She also was second on the team with 12.4 points per game.
   Despite the solid starting lineup, newcomers Anna Hartzell, Jessie Monlux, ShaKayla Hawkins and Kendra Smith are all pushing for starting spots.
   "The depth will be awesome this year, because we won't all have to do so much," Rogers said. "It will be so nice to be able to put so many different combinations on the floor, and we'll all be able to go out on the floor and work hard the whole time, but still be able to stay fresh because we'll have someone backing us up. That alone will make us a much better team."
   Good enough to talk about 20 wins?
   "Twenty wins is a high goal. That's why we're looking more at 18," A&M-Corpus Christi coach Sheryl Estes said. "But we're not ruling anything out. We have high expectations."


Staff writer Matt Young can be reached at 886-3702 or by e-mail at youngm@caller.com

| Talk about this story | Next Story | Home |

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

[ Printer-friendly version ]
[ Subscribe to newspaper ]

SEND THIS PAGE TO A FRIEND

[an error occurred while processing this directive]