Women's Basketball Season Preview
11/6/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
With the third year of the Anne Donovan era set to begin, the Seton Hall University women's basketball coach is confident that this season all of the changes the program has seen over the previous two years will translate into wins on the court. And with a balanced mix of returnees and new faces there is reason to believe this season will indeed result in continued improvement.
While Seton Hall saw two starters graduate last May in guard Jasmine Crew and forward Tajay Ashmeade, the Pirates return three starters and seven letterwinners for 2012-13, including a core of seniors that includes guard Brittany Morris (Raleigh, N.C.), forward Terry Green (Brentwood, N.Y.) and forward Alexandra Maseko (Harare, Zimbabwe).
Morris started all 31 games at guard last season, one of just two SHU players to start every game, and she ranked second on the team with 11.0 points per game while shooting 32.0 percent from three-point range.
Green appeared in all 31 games and made one start, primarily playing the role of the sixth man for Seton Hall, averaging 7.0 points while providing an additional outside shooting threat. She made 47 three-pointers and shot 31.0 percent from long range a year ago, tying a BIG EAST record by pouring in 21 points on 7-of-7 three-point shooting against No. 23 DePaul.
Maseko also played in every game and started 28 times. The low-post presence averaged 3.5 points and ranked second with 4.7 rebounds per game and 26 blocks. She scored a career-high 12 points against Michigan.
Rounding out the Class of 2013 is forward Breanna Jones (Springfield, Va.), who provided Donovan and the Pirates with consistent minutes off the bench. She played in 25 games last season, making one start, averaging 11.1 minutes per game while pulling down 2.8 rebounds per contest.
Two of the seven new faces on this year's team comprise the junior class in post players Brittany Webb (New York, N.Y.) and Janee Johnson (Matthews, N.C.). While Seton Hall was limited in the number of front court options it had last season, the addition of Webb and Johnson will start to provide Donovan with an array of options to turn to in order to start to establishing a consistent presence in the paint throughout the season.
Webb transfers to Seton Hall after playing last season at ASA in Brooklyn, N.Y. The 6-foot-4-inch St. Michael Academy product averaged nine points and 6.9 rebounds per game for ASA last year, earning honorable mention NJCAA All-America accolades.
Johnson started her collegiate career at Duke University, but missed her freshman season due to injury and transferred to Gulf Coast Community College where she came back to post 3.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. As a senior at Providence Day High School she averaged 12.1 points and seven rebounds en route to NCISAA All-State First-Team honors in 2009.
Without question one of the most important additions to this year's team actually comes in the form of a familiar face as redshirt-sophomore point guard Ka-Deidre Simmons (Newark, N.J.) returns to the court after missing all of last season with an injury.
Simmons was a BIG EAST All-Freshman honoree in 2010-11 when she averaged 7.2 points and 3.4 assists per game. The versatile point guard will once again be a key component to this year's offense with her ability to knock down outside shots helping Donovan establish a high tempo offense that consistently challenges opposing defenses.
Last season because of injuries to a number of front court players, Alexis Brown (Jacksonville, Fla.) was asked at times to move from her natural guard position to forward to help the Pirates fill an immediate need. With the added depth at every position, this season will see Brown, a physical and talented 5-foor-8-inch guard from Jacksonville, Fla., flourish in her natural position.
Brown missed the first part of the 2011-12 season because of injury but came back to play in 23 games and made 12 starts. She averaged 3.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, the third-highest total on the team.
Sophomore post Chizoba Ekedigwe (Laurel, Md.) averaged 6.5 minutes per game in 20 appearances off the bench for Seton Hall during her freshman campaign and should show improvement to become even more of a factor for the Pirates' much deeper front court.
Not eligible to compete for the Pirates this season, but sure to play a key role for Seton Hall in the years to come is sophomore forward Bra'Shey Ali (Plainfield, N.J.). Originally from Plainfield, N.J., and a product of Nazareth High School in New York, Ali attended the University of Kentucky last season where she played in 11 games and shot 68.8 percent from the field while average 2.1 points and 2.0 rebounds per game.
This year's freshman class is without question the deepest and most talented that Donovan has had at Seton Hall and will serve as a foundation for future successes for the program for years to come. Donovan has brought in four first-year players to join Seton Hall this season, again with a tremendous emphasis placed on front court specialists as the Pirates establish a consistent low-post scoring and defensive presence.
Out of Parkton, N.C., the 6-foot-2-inch Sidney Cook (Parkton, N.C.) is expected to step in and make an immediate impact for Seton Hall in her first season. Rated as the No. 63 prospect in the country by the All-Star Girls Report, Cook scored over 1,000 points in just two seasons at South View High School, leading the school to back-to-back 4-A Eastern Regional Championship games. She was selected to attend the USA Basketball U17 National Team Trials in 2010 and was ranked as the No. 17 forward by ESPN Hoop Gurlz.
Small forward Tabatha Richardson-Smith (Bay City, Texas) hails from Bay City, Texas, where she averaged 31.6 points, 9.4 rebounds and 4.5 steals per game for Bay City High School during her senior season. Rated as the No. 3 player in South Texas by River City Hoop Scoop, she was named to the Class 4A All-State Team by the Texas Girls Coaches Association.
Jasmine McCall (Manalapan, N.J.) will step in to add depth for the Pirates at guard, after scoring more than 1,000 points during her career at Manalapan High School. Rated as the No. 33 player in New Jersey by MSG Varsity and the No. 59 point guard by ESPN Hoop Gurlz, McCall averaged 21.2 points per game as a senior when she received All-Freehold Regional High School District First-Team honors.
Shannise Heady (Hazel Crest, Ill.) was a prolific scorer at Hillcrest High School in the Chicago suburb of Hazel Crest, Ill. She poured in over 1,500 points during her career which led to Second-Team All-State recognition from the Chicago Tribune following her senior season. The athletic combo forward was named the Suburban Conference Player of the Year for 2010-11.
In addition to the normal rigors associated with playing in the BIG EAST, Donovan has once again put together a challenging non-conference slate to ensure the 2012-13 Pirates are tested and prepared once conference play comes along in January.
In addition to early season non-conference road tests at Villanova and Michigan, Seton Hall will travel to Pepperdine University over the Thanksgiving Holiday to compete in a two-day tournament with Wyoming, Pepperdine and South Dakota.
Seton Hall hosts the University of South Carolina and future BIG EAST member Memphis in home non-conference contests in December, in addition to traveling down to ACC country to face Wake Forest University on Dec. 8.
The University of Pittsburgh will come to Walsh Gymnasium for the 2013 BIG EAST opener on Jan. 5, and Seton Hall will also host Marquette, Rutgers, Notre Dame, Villanova and Providence on its home court, while traveling to Cincinnati, Georgetown, Syracuse, DePaul, Connecticut and Louisville.
The Pirates drew USF and St. John's University for their conference home-and-home opponents this season. Seton Hall's game at St. John's on Saturday, Jan. 12, will be one of the most excited and unique experiences of the year as it will be played at Madison Square Garden, and the Red Storm head to Walsh Gymnasium for the regular season finale on Saturday, March 2.
The 2013 BIG EAST Championship returns to the Xcel Center in Hartford, Conn., on Friday-Tuesday, March 8-12.
While Seton Hall saw two starters graduate last May in guard Jasmine Crew and forward Tajay Ashmeade, the Pirates return three starters and seven letterwinners for 2012-13, including a core of seniors that includes guard Brittany Morris (Raleigh, N.C.), forward Terry Green (Brentwood, N.Y.) and forward Alexandra Maseko (Harare, Zimbabwe).
Morris started all 31 games at guard last season, one of just two SHU players to start every game, and she ranked second on the team with 11.0 points per game while shooting 32.0 percent from three-point range.
Green appeared in all 31 games and made one start, primarily playing the role of the sixth man for Seton Hall, averaging 7.0 points while providing an additional outside shooting threat. She made 47 three-pointers and shot 31.0 percent from long range a year ago, tying a BIG EAST record by pouring in 21 points on 7-of-7 three-point shooting against No. 23 DePaul.
Maseko also played in every game and started 28 times. The low-post presence averaged 3.5 points and ranked second with 4.7 rebounds per game and 26 blocks. She scored a career-high 12 points against Michigan.
Rounding out the Class of 2013 is forward Breanna Jones (Springfield, Va.), who provided Donovan and the Pirates with consistent minutes off the bench. She played in 25 games last season, making one start, averaging 11.1 minutes per game while pulling down 2.8 rebounds per contest.
Two of the seven new faces on this year's team comprise the junior class in post players Brittany Webb (New York, N.Y.) and Janee Johnson (Matthews, N.C.). While Seton Hall was limited in the number of front court options it had last season, the addition of Webb and Johnson will start to provide Donovan with an array of options to turn to in order to start to establishing a consistent presence in the paint throughout the season.
Webb transfers to Seton Hall after playing last season at ASA in Brooklyn, N.Y. The 6-foot-4-inch St. Michael Academy product averaged nine points and 6.9 rebounds per game for ASA last year, earning honorable mention NJCAA All-America accolades.
Johnson started her collegiate career at Duke University, but missed her freshman season due to injury and transferred to Gulf Coast Community College where she came back to post 3.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. As a senior at Providence Day High School she averaged 12.1 points and seven rebounds en route to NCISAA All-State First-Team honors in 2009.
Without question one of the most important additions to this year's team actually comes in the form of a familiar face as redshirt-sophomore point guard Ka-Deidre Simmons (Newark, N.J.) returns to the court after missing all of last season with an injury.
Simmons was a BIG EAST All-Freshman honoree in 2010-11 when she averaged 7.2 points and 3.4 assists per game. The versatile point guard will once again be a key component to this year's offense with her ability to knock down outside shots helping Donovan establish a high tempo offense that consistently challenges opposing defenses.
Last season because of injuries to a number of front court players, Alexis Brown (Jacksonville, Fla.) was asked at times to move from her natural guard position to forward to help the Pirates fill an immediate need. With the added depth at every position, this season will see Brown, a physical and talented 5-foor-8-inch guard from Jacksonville, Fla., flourish in her natural position.
Brown missed the first part of the 2011-12 season because of injury but came back to play in 23 games and made 12 starts. She averaged 3.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, the third-highest total on the team.
Sophomore post Chizoba Ekedigwe (Laurel, Md.) averaged 6.5 minutes per game in 20 appearances off the bench for Seton Hall during her freshman campaign and should show improvement to become even more of a factor for the Pirates' much deeper front court.
Not eligible to compete for the Pirates this season, but sure to play a key role for Seton Hall in the years to come is sophomore forward Bra'Shey Ali (Plainfield, N.J.). Originally from Plainfield, N.J., and a product of Nazareth High School in New York, Ali attended the University of Kentucky last season where she played in 11 games and shot 68.8 percent from the field while average 2.1 points and 2.0 rebounds per game.
This year's freshman class is without question the deepest and most talented that Donovan has had at Seton Hall and will serve as a foundation for future successes for the program for years to come. Donovan has brought in four first-year players to join Seton Hall this season, again with a tremendous emphasis placed on front court specialists as the Pirates establish a consistent low-post scoring and defensive presence.
Out of Parkton, N.C., the 6-foot-2-inch Sidney Cook (Parkton, N.C.) is expected to step in and make an immediate impact for Seton Hall in her first season. Rated as the No. 63 prospect in the country by the All-Star Girls Report, Cook scored over 1,000 points in just two seasons at South View High School, leading the school to back-to-back 4-A Eastern Regional Championship games. She was selected to attend the USA Basketball U17 National Team Trials in 2010 and was ranked as the No. 17 forward by ESPN Hoop Gurlz.
Small forward Tabatha Richardson-Smith (Bay City, Texas) hails from Bay City, Texas, where she averaged 31.6 points, 9.4 rebounds and 4.5 steals per game for Bay City High School during her senior season. Rated as the No. 3 player in South Texas by River City Hoop Scoop, she was named to the Class 4A All-State Team by the Texas Girls Coaches Association.
Jasmine McCall (Manalapan, N.J.) will step in to add depth for the Pirates at guard, after scoring more than 1,000 points during her career at Manalapan High School. Rated as the No. 33 player in New Jersey by MSG Varsity and the No. 59 point guard by ESPN Hoop Gurlz, McCall averaged 21.2 points per game as a senior when she received All-Freehold Regional High School District First-Team honors.
Shannise Heady (Hazel Crest, Ill.) was a prolific scorer at Hillcrest High School in the Chicago suburb of Hazel Crest, Ill. She poured in over 1,500 points during her career which led to Second-Team All-State recognition from the Chicago Tribune following her senior season. The athletic combo forward was named the Suburban Conference Player of the Year for 2010-11.
In addition to the normal rigors associated with playing in the BIG EAST, Donovan has once again put together a challenging non-conference slate to ensure the 2012-13 Pirates are tested and prepared once conference play comes along in January.
In addition to early season non-conference road tests at Villanova and Michigan, Seton Hall will travel to Pepperdine University over the Thanksgiving Holiday to compete in a two-day tournament with Wyoming, Pepperdine and South Dakota.
Seton Hall hosts the University of South Carolina and future BIG EAST member Memphis in home non-conference contests in December, in addition to traveling down to ACC country to face Wake Forest University on Dec. 8.
The University of Pittsburgh will come to Walsh Gymnasium for the 2013 BIG EAST opener on Jan. 5, and Seton Hall will also host Marquette, Rutgers, Notre Dame, Villanova and Providence on its home court, while traveling to Cincinnati, Georgetown, Syracuse, DePaul, Connecticut and Louisville.
The Pirates drew USF and St. John's University for their conference home-and-home opponents this season. Seton Hall's game at St. John's on Saturday, Jan. 12, will be one of the most excited and unique experiences of the year as it will be played at Madison Square Garden, and the Red Storm head to Walsh Gymnasium for the regular season finale on Saturday, March 2.
The 2013 BIG EAST Championship returns to the Xcel Center in Hartford, Conn., on Friday-Tuesday, March 8-12.
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