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Thursday
March 11, 2010 Since 1922 |
Lady Ganders set sights on winning season
By Michael Pineda
Baytown Sun Published November 4, 2007 During the offseason, the Lady Ganders had as much turnover on the roster as the Houston Rockets.
Lee lost its starting backcourt of T.J. Hart and Katherine Henderson to transfer and has picked up four new players through transfer. Despite the shift in the backcourt, optimism is high in the Lee camp as the team looks to continue to make strides on the competitive front.
Last season the Lady Ganders won 13 games and ended a six-year winless streak in district competition. Under head coach Terry Gray’s plans, this year will be one that Lee looks to finish .500 if not better.
“I’m sticking with the plan,” Gray said. “I want to see improvement. Last year we were three games away from finishing .500 and it’s frustrating because three of the games we lost in district were in overtime.
“I’ll be disappointed if we don’t compete. We’re going to have a young roster but so will everybody else. The district is shaping up a lot different this year because of graduation and transfers,” he said.
With the loss of the starting backcourt, the Lady Gander’s strength will lie in the post. Gray has implemented a system that will rely heavily on the pivot. The offense will run through Damequia Montgomery as the Lady Ganders take an inside-out approach.
“In my opinion this is the opposite of how we have been playing,” Gray said. “We’re stronger inside than we have been since I’ve been here. The key will be how well we are shooting the ball. We will also have to handle full court pressure. I think we will be better defensively. We are more athletic and the kids understand what we want to do. We are way ahead of where we have been in the past.”
At 5-10, Montgomery will spend most of her time at the elbow of the free throw line. Joining the junior as a captain will be 5-8 junior Shauniece Lewis who will spend the majority of her time in the low post.
“Lewis is extremely physical,” Gray said. “There will be a lot of the two-man game with her and Montgomery.”
Junior Sade Joseph will also see time in the paint. The 5-9 junior has been on the junior varsity the last two years and has shown a lot of improvement. Carolyn Williams, a 5-7 sophomore will serve as a utility post player.
Lee will show a triple post look with sophomore Felicia St. Luce who will start at the three spot. The 5-9 forward joined the varsity at the end of last season and came into her own in the overtime loss at Kingwood playing 36 minutes.
“She is athletic and has good instincts,” Gray said.
The job of point guard will fall in the hands of Shareta Godfrey. The 5-5 junior saw extensive playing time last season off of the bench and will take over point guard responsibilities as well as give Lee an outside scoring threat.
“She is older and a lot more experienced,” Gray said. “She made seven three-pointers in our scrimmage against Sam Rayburn and is a streaky shooter.”
Joining Godfrey in the backcourt will be 5-6 sophomore Tyisha Jiles. Jiles started as a freshman on the junior varsity team last season and gives the Lady Ganders another outside shooter.
“I expect her to come into her own by Christmas,” Gray said. “Shooting guard will get a lot of open looks in the pivot offense and we will also be doing a lot of screening, even against the zone.”
Sophomore Kirneshia Warren, a 5-6 transfer from La Porte, is the only one of four transfers that has gained eligibility. Warren will come off of the bench and serve as a utility guard as she becomes acclimated to the system.
Lee will open the season Thursday when they face Huffman at 11 a.m. in the first round of the 2007 Lady Gander Tip-Off Classic.
Baytown Sun Published November 4, 2007 During the offseason, the Lady Ganders had as much turnover on the roster as the Houston Rockets.
Lee lost its starting backcourt of T.J. Hart and Katherine Henderson to transfer and has picked up four new players through transfer. Despite the shift in the backcourt, optimism is high in the Lee camp as the team looks to continue to make strides on the competitive front.
Last season the Lady Ganders won 13 games and ended a six-year winless streak in district competition. Under head coach Terry Gray’s plans, this year will be one that Lee looks to finish .500 if not better.
“I’m sticking with the plan,” Gray said. “I want to see improvement. Last year we were three games away from finishing .500 and it’s frustrating because three of the games we lost in district were in overtime.
“I’ll be disappointed if we don’t compete. We’re going to have a young roster but so will everybody else. The district is shaping up a lot different this year because of graduation and transfers,” he said.
With the loss of the starting backcourt, the Lady Gander’s strength will lie in the post. Gray has implemented a system that will rely heavily on the pivot. The offense will run through Damequia Montgomery as the Lady Ganders take an inside-out approach.
“In my opinion this is the opposite of how we have been playing,” Gray said. “We’re stronger inside than we have been since I’ve been here. The key will be how well we are shooting the ball. We will also have to handle full court pressure. I think we will be better defensively. We are more athletic and the kids understand what we want to do. We are way ahead of where we have been in the past.”
At 5-10, Montgomery will spend most of her time at the elbow of the free throw line. Joining the junior as a captain will be 5-8 junior Shauniece Lewis who will spend the majority of her time in the low post.
“Lewis is extremely physical,” Gray said. “There will be a lot of the two-man game with her and Montgomery.”
Junior Sade Joseph will also see time in the paint. The 5-9 junior has been on the junior varsity the last two years and has shown a lot of improvement. Carolyn Williams, a 5-7 sophomore will serve as a utility post player.
Lee will show a triple post look with sophomore Felicia St. Luce who will start at the three spot. The 5-9 forward joined the varsity at the end of last season and came into her own in the overtime loss at Kingwood playing 36 minutes.
“She is athletic and has good instincts,” Gray said.
The job of point guard will fall in the hands of Shareta Godfrey. The 5-5 junior saw extensive playing time last season off of the bench and will take over point guard responsibilities as well as give Lee an outside scoring threat.
“She is older and a lot more experienced,” Gray said. “She made seven three-pointers in our scrimmage against Sam Rayburn and is a streaky shooter.”
Joining Godfrey in the backcourt will be 5-6 sophomore Tyisha Jiles. Jiles started as a freshman on the junior varsity team last season and gives the Lady Ganders another outside shooter.
“I expect her to come into her own by Christmas,” Gray said. “Shooting guard will get a lot of open looks in the pivot offense and we will also be doing a lot of screening, even against the zone.”
Sophomore Kirneshia Warren, a 5-6 transfer from La Porte, is the only one of four transfers that has gained eligibility. Warren will come off of the bench and serve as a utility guard as she becomes acclimated to the system.
Lee will open the season Thursday when they face Huffman at 11 a.m. in the first round of the 2007 Lady Gander Tip-Off Classic.