Exhibition Game vs MHB Saturday At 6 p.m.
11/7/2014 1:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
According to head coach Brenda Nichols Sam Houston's women's basketball players can't wait to tip off their exhibition game with Mary Hardin-Baylor Saturday at 6 p.m. at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
“Our young ladies are ready to play someone else,” Nichols said. “They're tired of battling each other. Playing Mary Hardin-Baylor is a great opportunity to see exactly where we stand as a team.”
Nine letter winners return from the 2014 squad. They are joined by a solid group of recruits. Nichols also has three new assistant coaches – Rosalind Jennings, Stacy Stephens and Jessica Salera.
“It's very exciting. We've had a great preseason,” Nichols said. “My coaching staff is amazing. They have really pick up the tempo. The ladies are working hard.”
Three starters return from last year's squad, headlined by All-Southland Conference center Amanda Beadle. The 6-3 senior comes into her final season ranked as sixth all-time rebound leader (677 boards) and 17th all-time top scorer (858 career points).
Junior guard 5-5 Amanda Barnes and senior forward 5-11 Jazmin Wiley also return as starters. Barnes has played in 55 games the past two seasons, starting 20 times. Wiley has played in 92 games during the past three games, starting 37 times.
“We're still a pretty young team. We're still trying to rebuild right now,” Nichols said. “We've worked hard on defense. We want more 'umph' in that area.”
Other returning letter winners include seniors Jasmine Robinson and Summer Fife, juniors Jasmin Anderson and sophomores Morghen Day and Taylor Dorsey. Sally Clavelle, a 5-8 junior guard who red-shirted last season, also returns.
Four newcomers look to make an impact on the 2014-15 team.
Shernise Robertson, a 5-6 guard, averaged 18.2 points per game leading Tyler Junior College to the final eight at the NJCAA national tournament last year. Shadijah Moore, a 6-2 center, started every game for a 30-4 conference championship team at Shelton State in Alabama as a sophomore.
Two freshmen also join the squad. Angela Delaney, a 5-8 guard, averaged 14.7 points for Killeen / Harker Heights as a senior. Saundra Guillory, a 6-1 forward, posted 11.6 points and 9.7 rebounds for Anderson High School in Austin.
“We're very excited about the newcomers,” Nichols said. “Coming from an outstanding junior college program, Shernise is going to be a big offensive threat for us. Shadijah gives us another player underneath. We're going to depend a lot on our post game.
“Again, we're just excited to finally get on the court against an opponent. We'll see when the ball goes up what we're going to do.”
Regular season action begins for the Bearkat women begins with a trip to LSU in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, November 15.
The first regular season home game for Sam Houston's women will be the annual “Pack the House” event Friday afternoon, Nov. 21, against Wiley College.
Season tickets for both Bearkat men's and women's basketball are on sale now at www.gobearkats.com and at the SHSU ticket office. The ticket office telephone number is (936) 294-1729. The Sam Houston women's team begins preseason practice Monday.
