A new season for Georgia State’s women’s basketball team is around the corner and with it come renewed expectations.
The Panthers enter the 2014˗15 season with more experience than last year’s squad that ended the season with a record of 12˗19 along with a mark of 8˗10 in the Sun Belt competition. Georgia State only has two freshmen on this year’s 15˗player roster.
“I think this spring, summer and fall preseason has been different than in the past with our 12 players coming back,” Head Coach Sharon Baldwin˗Tener said at the Sun Belt media teleconference. “We’re a little bit deeper than we were a year ago and a little bit more balanced than we were a year ago.”
Last season was one of ups and downs for the Panthers as they entered a new conference. In January, Georgia State was in the midst of a five˗game winning streak that included a 76˗74 upset of Arkansas State who was ranked number one in the conference at the time.
The Panthers would then struggle down the stretch as they lost nine of their final 11 games including being eliminated in the first round of the Sun Belt tournament by a final of 78˗44 to Texas State.
“I think they’re ready to start winning,” Baldwin˗Tener said. “I think that the way that they’ve approached everything that we’ve been doing proves that. We’ve had some misfortunes last year. We had a lot of injuries. We had a couple of season˗ending injuries.”
“But we also throughout the year would sometimes practice six or seven players,” he continued. “I think that affected us. I think we’re healthier, stronger and deeper this year.”
Baldwin˗Tener is in the fifth year of her tenure with Georgia State after inking a year deal to become head coach in 2010. Her teams have made their respective conference tournaments every year they have been eligible.
This year’s team has been predicted to finish fourth in this year’s preseason Sun Belt coaches’ poll behind Arkansas State, UALR and Texas State.
Among the many veteran players on this year’s team include 4˗foot˗11˗inch redshirt senior Alisha Andrews. She is the smallest player in the entire NCAA, but her presence on the court can be felt when her sneakers hit the hardwood. Last season, she led the conference in assists, averaging 4.6 assists per game. She also was second in steals with nearly three a game.
“Alisha has played basketball a long time,” Baldwin˗Tener said. “She is very skilled. She can do a lot of things with the basketball. She’s a great passer and great ball handler. Probably because of her height she can also put a lot of pressure on the basketball when she’s guarding the basketball.”
Andrews also reached a career milestone in March when she scored her 1,000th career point in a game against Western Kentucky.
“Alisha, to me, is one of the best point guards if not the best point guard in our league,” said junior guard Gaby Moss. “Really with her it’s just about keeping her healthy. But when we can have her at her best, we’re a much better team.”
Also returning from last year’s team is 6˗foot˗4˗inch senior center Brittany Logan. She was second in the Sun Belt in rebounding in 2013 with nearly nine boards a game. Logan was also in the top ten in the conference for field goal percentage and she is the top offensive rebounder in the Sun Belt with 3.6 per game.
“Brittany has worked extremely hard this past spring, summer and fall. I’m really excited about where she is on the court, off the court and attitude˗wise, she’s been a great leader for us as well,” Baldwin˗Tener said. “One disadvantage for her last year was she wasn’t able to join us until August. She really had to kind of play herself into basketball shape again and do those kinds of things.”
The team also has three other seniors. They are 5˗foot˗8˗inch guard Kayla Nolan, 5˗foot˗6˗inch guard Ashley Watson and 5˗foot˗9˗inch forward and guard Miranda Smith.
Juniors
Four juniors will suit up in the blue and white uniforms this year. They are 5˗foot˗8˗inch guard Ashlee Cole, 6˗foot forward Morgan Jackson, 5˗foot˗8˗inch guard Gaby Moss and 5˗foot˗10˗inch guard Tatianna Jackson.
Sophomores
Georgia State also has the same amount of sophomores as it does juniors. They are 5˗foot˗10˗inch guard Mariam Hannoun, 6˗foot˗2˗inch forward and center Ashanti Groover, 6˗foot˗4˗inch forward and center Jamila Mayfield and 6˗foot˗2˗inch forward and center Haley Gerrin. Gerrin along with the senior Logan were both in the top ten in the Sun Belt in field goal percentage last season.
Freshmen
The two true freshmen for the Panthers this year are 5˗foot˗8˗inch guard Makeba Ponder and 5˗foot˗11˗inch forward Kennesha Nichols. Jordan Ulm, a 5˗foot˗7˗inch guard from Lawrenceville, Georgia is also on the team as a redshirt after arriving to Georgia State as a walk˗on.
Replacing Kendra Long
One player the Panthers are sure to miss is Kendra Long, the 5˗foot˗9˗inch guard who graduated last season. Long was last year’s leading scorer for Georgia State as she averaged 13 points per game which also put her in the top˗10 in the Sun Belt in 2013˗14. She was also the team’s leading free throw shooter.
Long finished her career as the top three˗point shooter in history as she made 221 threes from downtown. Her 1,258 points also put her at 11th in Georgia State history.
The Panthers hope to present a more balanced scoring attack after Long’s departure.
“Really this year we’re trying to spread out our scoring,” Moss said. “Kendra was a main part of our scoring last year. This year’s it’s just going to take a lot more people stepping up. So, now we not just one threat. We have multiple threats which is harder to guard.”
Team Attributes
Baldwin˗Tener mentioned how she feels the team has more depth and balance than last year’s squad. The high level of experience Georgia State has should also provide the team a strong boost as it hopes to be more competitive in the Sun Belt this season.
A pair of other keys to success for the Panthers in 2014˗15 will be rebounding and defense. Georgia State was in the top five in the conference in offensive rebounding percentage with .348. The Panthers also averaged 26.3 defensive rebounds for third in the Sun Belt.
Georgia State was near the bottom in giving up points as they allowed over 73 per game in 2013˗14. Opponents also shot a .419 field goal percentage against the Panthers for eighth in the conference as well as a .334 three˗point percentage, also putting Georgia State at eighth in that category.
“A lot of the games that we lost were simply off of missing rebounds and not playing defense. Those are all things that if we change, it has a lot of effect on the outcome,” Moss said.
New and Old Sun Belt Teams
The conference lost one Sun Belt team from last year in Western Kentucky but gained two others when Georgia Southern and Appalachian State moved from the Southern Conference into Division I basketball.
“We’ve played Georgia Southern and Appalachian State since I’ve been here and they’ve got good coaching. They’ve got good players and I’m really excited. I think that there are a lot of good coaches in this league and I’m excited about this season,” Baldwin˗Tener said.
One of the teams Georgia State saw from last year that is expected to a tough opponent again this year is Arkansas State. The Red Wolves were the top˗ranked team in the preseason coaches’ poll were the Sun Belt runners˗up to Western Kentucky and are returning junior guard Aundrea Gamble who was named the conference’s Preseason Player of the Year.
The goal for the Panthers is as it is every year: win the conference.
Where it All Begins
Georgia State will play an exhibition matchup against Montevallo on Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. at the Sports Arena before opening the regular season on Nov. 15 at the University of North Florida.
The Panthers’ first home matchup of the regular season will be on Nov. 24 against Thomas at 7 p.m.
Sun Belt preview
Appalachian State: (2013: 13˗16, 10˗8 SoCon)
The Mountaineers ranked near the top in several defensive categories in their last year in SoCon including three˗point percentage defense where opponents shot less than 30 percent from behind the arc. Returning is Maryah Syndor who was SoCon’s leading scorer with an average of 19.4 points per game.
UALR (2013: 18˗12, 12˗6 Sun Belt)
Arkansas˗Little Rock finished third in the conference last season and was picked by the coaches to come in second behind their in˗state rival Arkansas State. The Trojans had the top˗ranked defense in the conference in 2013 and returns a team that has only two true freshmen.
Arkansas State: (2013: 22˗12, 14˗4 Sun Belt)
The Red Wolves lost by one point to last year’s conference champion Western Kentucky who was since departed the conference. Arkansas State enters this year as the preseason favorites to win the conference and junior guard Aundrea Gamble who averaged nearly 19 points a game last year and was named preseason Sun Belt Player of the Year.
Georgia Southern: (2013: 10˗21, 7˗11 SoCon)
Junior guard Anna Claire˗Knight returns for the Eagles after averaging nearly 16 points a game for what was third in SoCon. A point of emphasis for Georgia Southern will be their free throw shooting as they were ranked first in that category in their old conference last season.
Louisiana˗Lafayette (2013: 14˗16, 7˗11 Sun Belt)
The Ragin’ Cajuns enter the 2014˗15 season with roughly half of their team being either freshmen or players who will redshirt. Louisiana˗Lafayette was extremely adept in forcing turnovers as the team had a turnover margin of plus˗4.90 in 2013.
Louisiana˗Monroe (2013: 11˗20, 7˗11 Sun Belt)
Teams facing the Warhawks this year will be facing a team that was number one in the Sun Belt in assists, averaging just over 14 per game. They will need someone to fill the shoes of Ashleigh Simmons who graduated and averaged nearly 15 points a game.
South Alabama (2013: 8˗20, 6˗12 Sun Belt)
The story for the Jaguars last season revolved primarily around the three˗point shot. South Alabama was ranked first in the conference in three˗point shooting percentage as well as in defending the three. A large part of that was attributed to junior guard Rachel Cumbo who was the Sun Belt’s leading three˗point shooter last season.
UT Arlington (2013: 4˗25, 3˗15 Sun Belt)
The Mavericks finished at the very bottom of the conference standings last season. Despite their struggles with many aspects of their game, including turnovers, they were second in the Sun Belt in offensive rebounding last season. They will need someone to step up and replace their leading scorer from last season, Desherra Nwanguma, who averaged 13.5 points per game.
Texas State: (16˗16, 12˗6 Sun Belt)
After the graduation of leading scorer, rebounder and shot blocker Ashley Ezeh from last year’s team, the Bobcats need someone to pick up the load. Texas State will primarily count on a pair of juniors to fill that role in guards Erin Peoples (10.4 points per game in 2013) and Ayriel Anderson (10.1 points per game in 2013).
Troy: (12˗18, 8˗10 Sun Belt)
Despite fielding a team that was tops in the Sun Belt in scoring, rebounding offense and blocked shots, the Trojans finished in the middle of the pack last season. They lost the conference’s leading scorer Joanna Harden who averaged over 25 points a game but returns a team that has only one freshman.
