The Lady Aggies of North Carolina A&T will hit the ground running to start the 2009-10 season.
They’ll start off by playing in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament, beginning with a match-up against Marist in Poughkeepsie, NY. They will then head to a prestigious tournament in New Mexico, and then come back home to face Auburn in Corbett on December 1st.
Coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs will say hello to some old friends in Norfolk (having coached at Hampton University) and then will head to Louisiana (having coached at Grambling), to play in an LSU tournament.
The MEAC Champs are not competing against pretenders, they are going after contenders. The A&T fans are realizing that something special is happening now with the Lady Aggie program.
Who’s gone?
The key losses to this team are Amber Bland and Brittanie Taylor-James. These two potential Hall of Famers will definitely be missed.
Who’s New?
Five new faces will grace the Corbett/Irvin court this year. They have two possible centers to choose from in redshirt junior Lonise Coulter (6-2) and true freshman Nikia Gorham (6-2). A&T also has a tall guard/forward in sophomore Crystal Murdaugh (6-0), and two athletic guards in freshmen JaQuayla Berry (5-11) and Amber Calvin (5-8). Speed and height will allow the Aggies to diversify the attack and defense.
The Aggies looked small against Florida State in the ‘big dance’ and had to use their quickness to pull within three pts in the second half. They just ran out of steam. This new edition will have more options.
Who to watch:
The Aggies return five seniors in guard Tyronnica ‘Wudi’Alford ( 5-8); guard Ta’Wuana ‘Tweet’ Cook ( 5-8); forward Shantar Waddell ( 6-1); guard Reisha Bullock ( 5-9); and power forward Lamona Smalley (6-0). This five would hold its own against most league foes. But the Aggies still have guard/forward Jaleesa Sams G/F, (27 mins, 9.2 ppg); guard Tierra Thomas (17.4 mins, 4.5 ppg.) and center Nakia DeBlanc (14 mins, 4.3 ppg). With this roster Coach Bibbs will definitely be giving some opposing teams a work out. I have seen her team press an opponent for almost an entire game. They Lady Aggies caused 23.9 turnovers per game last season, and averaged 12.2 steals per game. They were 10-0 at home and 15-1 in the conference.
These sisters can flat out ball!
Final Projection:
The Lady Aggies should repeat as MEAC Champs. I can’t wait to see the new faces, and I will love the fire of the returning players. That defensive ‘trap’ is a thing of beauty! They averaged 1,030 fans last season at home, and with Auburn coming to Corbett to open the season it should make for a special game.
I suggest that you ‘hit the ground running’ to see this team this year.
part two:
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