November 12, 1998
November 12, 1998
| The game of basketball was intended to be
played a certain way. Women’s Head Coach Barbie Breedlove explained,
“Fans should expect us to play hard; they deserve that. Basketball was
meant to be played that way, and that way only.”
With a great deal of work done in the off-season, ASU’s women’s basketball team is enthusiastic about the new season. Breedlove agrees, “We had a really good off-season, and we are very excited about the season. We expect a lot of good things.” Appalachian is looking to improve on an 8-8 Southern Conference record, finishing the season in sixth place. The team that is expected to do this is a unique team. “We are old women with talented young women,” Breedlove said. The Lady Mountaineers are a young team; however, they are an experienced team. Appalachian only has one senior on the roster: co-captain Beth Schoolfield. ASU is returning eight letter winners from last year’s team. Of those eight letter winners, four were starters, bringing valuable experience and leadership to this year’s team. Appalachian returns the top five scorers from last season, led by Schoolfield, who will be looked upon to provide leadership to the young team. She not only averaged 16 points, but she was also second in rebounding last season. Schoolfield will be an important factor in the team’s success this year. The Lady Mountaineers will also look to the other co-captain, Noel Dolan for leadership and scoring. The Augusta, Mich., native was the team’s number three scorer last year, averaging eight points per game. “I expect great things from both Beth and Noel this year. They are experienced and know our system,” Breedlove said. “Noel is ready to make major contributions to the success of our program.” Another player to watch is Tiffany Chappell, the second leading scorer from last year’s team. Chappell begins this season healthy after battling a number of foot injuries from last season. Chappell’s good health is a positive sign for Appalachian; especially since last year’s team was riddled with injuries. The top five scorers bring with them 79.3 percent of last year’s offense, a stat that Coach Breedlove is relying on. “This nucleus of returning players will be relied upon to provide leadership as well as scoring and defense,” she said. Sophomore post players Jamie Gagliano and Natasha
Lettsome will also bring valuable experience to this year’s team, and are
expected to rise to the occasion. Junior Eva Hegerova and sophomore
Sharonda Green both had an outstanding off-season, and will be asked to
contribute this year. Laura Edwards, a Salisbury native, also brings experience
to the Mountaineers and will provide solid and constant play for ASU in
the backcourt.
|
 She believes that this year’s freshman class is one of the best that have come to ASU. As a result, they will be asked to contribute immediately. “They give us valuable minutes, athleticism, and depth. We are counting on them contributing,” she said. As a result of the talented freshman class, Appalachian will play a more exciting form of basketball. “We will play an up-tempo, full-court man, and run the ball,” said Breedlove. “We will be in attack mode.” Post players Lucia Borcinova and Teresa Richardson will provide ASU with much needed height in the post. Guards Lauren Romano and Tiffany Cole will also see a lot of action this year. Resting on last year’s laurels won’t be enough for Breedlove. “We are going to be more competitive this year. This year, an eight and eight record just won’t be good enough.” |