By VIC DORR JR.
Times-Dispatch Staff Writer

Rams accept prediction
with air of wariness

Virginia Commonwealth University women’s basketball coach Beth Cunningham says she sees no reason for excessive glee over the No. 2 preseason berth awarded to the Rams at the recent Colonial Athletic Association media day in Washington, D.C.

“It’s something that’s more for the media than anything,” said Cunningham, whose club posted a 26-8 record, the best in program history, in 2007-08. “As coaches and players,” she said, “the important thing is: Where do we finish? Where you start out is not so much of a concern as where you finish.”

Cunningham said she likes the composition of her club, which includes four freshmen and four returning juniors.

“It’s a good combination of experience and youth,” she said. “I’ve said all along that one of the keys to our success last year was the development of our sophomore (now junior) class. They were able to gain a lot of experience and a lot of confidence last year – particularly after (6-5 post player Quanitra Hollingsworth) went out.”

Hollingsworth suffered a severe Achilles injury, requiring surgery, on Feb. 14. She was named to the preseason all-CAA first team, but Cunningham warned against expecting too much too soon.

“She’s farther along then we thought she’d be,” Cunningham said. “She’s been cleared to play. But she isn’t 100 percent yet. I’d say she’s about 85 percent right now. I think we’re just trying to watch her and be cautious right now. The thing we don’t want to do is push her too hard.”

Cunningham said Hollingsworth will likely be in the Rams’ lineup when they begin their 2008-09 campaign with a Nov. 14 date at Liberty in the Preseason NIT. But here, too, she was cautious.

“Is she going to be (on opening day) where she was when she was healthy last year midway through the season? I’m not sure. Eventually she’ll get there.”

Hollingsworth averaged 13.3 points and 9.5 rebounds as a junior.

Porter’s stance:
Ignore the numbers

New George Mason coach Jeri Porter isn’t promising – or even hinting at – miracles in her first season in Fairfax. She says she will measure her team by the quality of its effort, not by the numbers on the scoreboard. Good idea. The Patriots struggled from start to finish in 2007-08: 3-15 in the CAA, 9-21 overall. They have been picked to finish last in 2008-09.

“Our goal this year is to show improvement,” Porter said. “We want to be competitive. We want to work extremely hard. As a coach and a team, you tend to get yourself into trouble when you talk about wins and losses. We want to be a team that competes extremely hard.” Beyond that, she said, “We’ll let the results take care of themselves.”

Patriots senior Chynelle Rogers, a 6-2 forward, will miss the season with a hip injury.

Will W&M’s Benson
make her point(s)?

The emergence of 6-1 junior Tiffany Benson as an offensive threat could play a key role in William and Mary’s success – or lack thereof – this season. Benson, a gifted athlete, averaged 8.1 rebounds and ranked second in the CAA in blocked shots with 58 last year. What she did not do was score consistently. Her points-per-game average (8.3) did not rank among the CAA’s top 20.

Tribe coach Debbie Taylor said Benson “needs to have a big year for us. She needs to start developing an offensive game.”

The graduation of forward Kyra Kaylor, one of the CAA’s premier power players, has rendered the Tribe conspicuously smaller around the basket. If Benson develops as an around-the-paint scorer, Taylor said, W&M might employ a four-guard attack with Benson in the middle.

Lancers remove Dyer
from preseason roster

Former Monacan High School standout Courtney Dyer has been dropped from Longwood’s roster for reasons that appear disciplinary. Lancers coach Kristin Caruso would say only that Dyer, a senior guard, has “been suspended for a violation of team rules.” Caruso said “the length (of the suspension) hasn’t been determined yet.”

This is a loss that could hurt this young, impressionable team. Dyer is Longwood’s top returning scorer. She contributed 8.0 ppg and 2.4 rpg to last year’s 16-13 season.

St. Paul’s adds
a regal presence

Gwen Jackson, a former standout performer for Tennessee’s Lady Volunteers, has joined the coaching staff at St. Paul’s as an assistant to Serena King-Coleman.Jackson played at Tennessee from 2000-03. She appeared in 137 games during her Lady Vols career. She averaged 11.0 points and 5.7 rebounds.

Jackson, a 6-2 post player, was selected by San Antonio in the first round of the 2003 WNBA draft. She played professionally for four seasons before her career was derailed by a pair of ACL injuries.

Posted by Vic Dorr in • College Sports
(0) Comments | Permalink