Whitney Smith, Brittany Brooks close to scoring mark
12/24/2009 9:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Two seniors on the 2009-10 women's basketball team - Whitney Smith and Brittany Brooks -- are on the edge of making history for Sam Houston State.
Smith, a 5-11 forward from Missouri City, has scored 970 points in her 95 games as a Bearkat. That puts her 30 points away from becoming the 10th Sam Houston State women's player to score 1,000 points in her college career.
Brooks, a 5-5 guard from Spring, has totaled 845 points in 95 games and now stands 12th in SHSU career women's scoring.
Sandwiched in between Smith and Brooks in the Bearkat career scoring standings is their head coach, Brenda Welch-Nichols. As a two-year All-Conference player for Sam Houston in 1988 and 1989, Nicholls totaled 923 points in 52 games, an average of 17.8 points a game.
"It's exciting to see Whitney and Brittany so close to such an outstanding achievement," Nichols said. "Those two along with our other four-year senior Ray Alexander mean so much to this team. Those three have been part of our program since the day our coaching staff set foot on the campus. They've really developed as players and people in the last four years."
Brooks is averaging 12.1 points and Smith is adding 11.8 points per game for the Bearkats this season. Smith has scored in double figures in seven games this season and in 52 during her career. Brooks has five double figure performances this year and 37 in her career.
Brooks also has climbed into the top five in Sam Houston career assists with 296.
"Whitney is a strong ball handler who excels at creating scoring opportunities off the dribble," Nichols said. "Brittany is a great guard who excels at coming off of screens for jumpers. She penetrates well off the dribble."
The women's basketball team is in the midst of a seven-game series of road contests. The Bearkats' next contest is Tuesday, Dec. 29, at Arkansas. The Kats open Southland Conference action on Jan. 9 at Stephen F. Austin.
"Missing out on a Southland Conference tournament berth last year because of a tie-breaker was disappointing. We're really focused on getting into post-season play this year," Smith said.
While all-time Sam Houston scoring leader Sherry Pfister, who scored 1,975 points from 1980 to 1983, probably is out of reach for the pair, both Smith and Brooks have an opportunity to move up in the standings with good seasons.
Following Pfister in the all-time scoring ranks are Shayla Teague (1,487 points in 1995-99), Stacy Allen (1,302 in 2000-04), Sirena Autman (1,270 in 1988-91), Alicia Ferguson (1,140 in 1997-2000), Andee Sheiron (1,129 in 1996-99), Altanette Denley (1,118 in 1980-82), Alice Johnson (1,109 in 2000-04) and Cathy Hooks (1,054 in 1977-80).
Next action at home for Sam Houston State is the Bearkat women's final non-Southland Conference game of the season on Tuesday January 12 against Texas Southern at 6:30 p.m. at Johnson Coliseum.
Tickets are on sale now on-line at www.gobearkats.com.
