EMORY, Va. - The Emory & Henry College Women's Basketball Team is picked to finish ninth in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference this season. The Wasps welcome back 10 players from last year's team and have 10 freshmen on the roster. E&H may have only won six games in the past two years, but the experience gained by the freshmen last year will prove vital to the team's success this winter.
Guilford College is picked to repeat as conference champion, earning eight first-place votes. Eastern Mennonite University took the four remaining top nods and is second on the list. The Marlins of Virginia Wesleyan College round out the top three.
Second-year Head Coach Rose Katz believes that the Wasps have come a long way since last season in adding depth and talent to the roster, which will give the Wasps a jump-start on their climb back up the ranks in the ODAC. The squad has put in significant time in the offseason, working with each other to improve their skills, team chemistry and overall basketball IQs.
Leading the returners in the backcourt for E&H is third-year sophomore Jalan McPherson (Jonesville, Va.). McPherson missed the majority of last season with a knee injury, but is back and will be a leader amongst the Wasps' guards. For her career, McPherson is averaging 13.7 points per game, scoring 330 points as a freshman in 2010-11.
Also returning are sophomores Kristie Langley (Staley, N.C.), Michelle Williams (Stokesdale, N.C.) and Valerie Beale (Greensboro, N.C.). All three saw extensive playing time as freshmen with Langley leading the team in scoring (12.3 ppg) and finishing second in rebounding (5.9 rpg) and field goal percentage (40.3 %). Langley had 14 outings where she scored in double figures and had a season-high 23 at Randolph-Macon.
Williams was second on the squad in scoring (9.3 ppg) and made a team-high 38 three-pointers and blocked 10 shots as she reached double digits in scoring 10 times on the year. Beale topped the squad in assists (2.5 apg) while averaging 4.3 points and 1.9 rebounds and had a 22-point, nine-rebound outing against Hollins at home.
Nicole Roman (Honaker, Va.), Taylor Pumphrey (Woodstock, Va.) and Meredith Grant (Blountville, Tenn.) will are also returning at the guard position and will add depth to the Wasps. Each of these players were valuable reserves off the bench last year as they provided the E&H starters with a break.
Freshmen Courtney Puckett (Bassett, Va.), Tenesha Connor (Greensboro, N.C.) and Anna Green (Raleigh, N.C.) will each make a contribution early for the Wasps as all three players have the potential to be difference makers on the squad. Puckett and Connor will split time at the point guard position while Green will see action on the wing. Alison Brooks (Mosheim, Tenn.) will add depth to the the Wasps' freshman class and will compete for playing time as the season progresses.
E&H returns sophmore Carlyta Hamm (Wytheville, Va.) and junior JoBeth Wright (Mooresville, N.C.) to the frontcourt this year. Hamm was fourth on the team in scoring (9.1 ppg) and led the squad with 7.5 rebounds per contest and shot a team-high 45.6 percent from the floor. Wright was a key reserve last year averaging 4.6 points and 3.2 rebounds and made 31 free throws, wich was second on the team.
Freshmen in the post this season are Karina Farr (Graham, Wash.), Amanda Stanley (Mooresville, N.C.) and Tamara Brewster (Morrow, Ga.). Farr has the potential to be a starter very early in her career but all three players should play significant minutes this year, especially if the Wasps decide to press the tempo of the game.
Chelsea Delapp (Bristol, Va.), Kala Patton (Rural Retreat, Va.) and Haley Gilbert (Castlewood, Va.) will add depth to the Wasps' frontcourt and be valuable practice players as they learn the complexity of the college game.
Emory & Henry will open the 2012-13 season on Friday, November 16 when it travels to Westminster, Md. to participate in McDaniel College's Tip-Off Tournament. E&H will face McDaniel at 6:00 p.m., and will play either WIdener University or Lebanon Valley College on Saturday afternoon. The Wasps' first home game will be on Monday, November 26 against Averett at 7:00 p.m. and will host Randolph College on Wednesday, November 28 at 7:00 p.m., to open ODAC competition.
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