Women's Basketball Opens Season Sunday at Appalachian State
11/18/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 18, 2000
Winston-Salem, NC - Wake Forest Opens 30th Season of Women's Basketball on the Road at Appalachian State...
The Demon Deacons, after a 2-0 showing in exhibition games, open the 2000-01 campaign on the road at Appalachian State Sunday afternoon (2:00/no TV). Wake Forest will be the first opponent to take on the Mountaineers in their new home, the Seby Jones Arena located in the George M. Holmes Convocation Center. The new facility, which seats 8,300, opened this fall. The ASU men's team christened the new building when they hosted North Carolina on Friday night. Sunday's tipoff of the new season marks the 30th anniversary of Wake Forest women's basketball. The Deacon program began in the 1971-72 season. WFU's first game was a 30-28 win over Elon College. Since then, Deacon women's basketball has 305-420 overall record in 29 seasons of action.
A Quick Look at the Deacs...
Wake Forest returns a strong nucleus this season, with 10 letterwinners returning to action, including four starters. The team's top returning scorer a year ago, 6-0 senior power forward Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick (8.9 ppg), was also the team's leading rebounder last season, pulling down 7.3 rebounds a contest. She leads a senior class which includes 6-1 forward Olivia Dardy and 5-10 guard Kristen Shaffer. Dardy spent much of last year on the injured list but was a key player for the Deacs two years ago, averaging 9.6 points and 6.8 rebounds a game. Shaffer started 20 games last year with a 7.2 scoring average. The junior class is comprised of two point guards and a center. The Deacs' returning starter at point guard is 5-4 Val Klopfer, who averaged 3.7 points and 1.5 assists in 1999-2000. She is backed up by classmate Adell Harris, who earned playing time in all 28 games last season. Center LaChina Robinson, who stands 6-4, is a continuously improving inside player who averaged 7.7 points and blocked 19 shots a year ago. Robinson will be challenged in the middle by sophomore Johanna Bj?rklund, Wake's tallest player ever at 6-5. Two other sophomores, 6-1 Tiffani Listenbee and 6-4 LaTisha Pearson, add depth as well as rebounding and shot-blocking abilities to the Deacs' post game. Rounding out the sophomore class is 5-10 forward Heather Miller, a versatile player who can contribute both on the inside and on the perimeter. The Wake Forest freshman class will be called upon to make an early impact. Tracy Alston, a 5-10 forward and Tonia Brown, a 5-10 guard, are players who provide depth and versatility. Bianca Brown, at 5-8, gives the Deacs depth at the point guard spot, while 6-1 Eafton Hill, who was impressive in the preseason, will most likely earn the starting nod at the small forward spot.
Deacs Lose Whiteside for Season...
One Deacon expected to make a big impact this season was senior shooting guard Janae Whiteside - unfortunately, she will have to contribute from the sidelines this year. After leading the team in scoring with 22 points, including four three-pointers, in the first exhibition game, Whiteside injured her right knee just four minutes into the second exhibition on Nov. 10. An MRI revealed ligament damage in addition to an already-diagnosed dislocated kneecap. Over the past three seasons Whiteside averaged 4.4 points per game, and connected on 30 percent of her shots from three-point range. She ranks sixth all-time at Wake Forest with 68 career three-pointers. Whiteside was expected to be the Deacs' starter at the shooting guard spot this season. Look for senior Kristen Shaffer to step into that role. Shaffer started 20 games last season at the small forward position, but shifted to the shooting guard spot at this beginning of preseason practice this year, and was expected to challenge Whiteside at that position.
Head Coach Charlene Curtis...
Head coach Charlene Curtis (Radford `76) enters her fourth season at the helm of the Demon Deacon women's basketball team, bringing a wealth of experience, a commitment to excellence, and a contagious enthusiasm to the program. Before coming to Wake, Curtis was an assistant coach at national powerhouse Connecticut for two seasons, helping guide the Huskies to a 67-5 record, two BIG EAST titles and a Final Four appearance. Curtis was also head coach at Temple (1991-95), where she compiled a 41-97 record and coached four Atlantic-10 All-Rookie players and her alma mater, Radford, (1985-90), where she was Big South Coach of the Year twice and posted a 121-53 record. Curtis has also served as an assistant with Georgetown (1984), Virginia (1982-83) and USA Basketball, and was a floor coach for the Olympic Trials. As a player at Radford, Curtis was the school's first 1,000-point scorer and was inducted as a charter member of RU's Hall of Fame in 1995. She earned a master's degree from UVa in 1982. Curtis has compiled a 19-64 record at Wake Forest and is 181-214 overall.
WFU in Season Openers... Wake Forest owns a 20-9 record in season openers, including victories in three of the last four years. The Deacs did drop their season opener last year to Fairfield, 56-63, at home in Reynolds Gym. That game took place a year to the day of this year's season opener - Nov. 19. Wake has never faced Appalachian State in a season opener.
The Series with Appalachian State...
Appalachian State leads the all-time series, 10-8, but the Deacs won the last meeting, 70-68, at home during the 1997-98 campaign. The series has mainly been one of streaks, as the Mountaineers took the first eight contests, from 1972 to `82, then Wake took over and won the next seven meetings. App State then won two more before WFU won the last meeting three years ago, in Coach Curtis' first season. ASU's scoring margin in its 10 victories has been 10.8 points, while the Deacs have a 13.3-point victory margin in its eight wins over the Mountaineers. Three games in the series have been decided by two points or less.
Deacs Post High Scores in Exhibition Games...
Scoring more points will be a key to the Deacon's improvement and success this season, and the team seemed to get off on the right foot in that area with high-scoring wins in both exhibition contests in early November. The team opened its exhibition schedule with a 94-52 win over the Smokey Mountain Swarm on Nov. 4. Senior guard Janae Whiteside led the balanced Deacon effort with 22 points. Wake Forest never trailed in the contest and led 44-21 at the break. The Deacons controlled the play on both ends of the floor. On offense, the Deacs shot 54 percent for the game. On defense, Wake forced 28 turnovers and made 23 steals. Fourteen different players scored in the game and 13 players registered at least ten minutes. Wake Forest dominated in the paint, outscoring the Swarm 28-10, and on the glass, with a 46-36 rebounding margin. Senior Olivia Dardy totaled a game-high nine rebounds to go with eight points. On November 10, the team notched a second victory, defeating Dyanamo Kiev of Ukraine, 69-57. The Deacons, who led nearly the entire game, defeated Dyanamo with a balanced scoring attack, with four players in double figures. Dyanamo saw their last lead of the game vanish at the 13:02 mark, as senior Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick hit a jumper to put the Deacs up 12-11. Wake Forest led by seven at the half, then continued to build on their lead early in the second period. Kiev chipped away at the lead, pulling to within two points three different times, but Wake Forest pulled away late in the game for the final 12-point victory margin. Starting junior center LaChina Robinson led the Deacons with 16 points, shooting 8-of-13 from the floor. Freshman Eafton Hill, a starter at forward, scored eight points and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds. Two seniors, Kristen Shaffer and Dardy were also offensive sparks off the bench, scoring 12 points and 10 points. Overall, the Deacs shot 42 percent from the floor and were perfect from the free throw line (7-of-7).
Rookie May Get the Starting Nod in Early Homecoming...
Freshman Eafton Hill may make her collegiate debut as a starter for the Deacons in a game that will take place in her hometown. Hill hails from Boone, and has ties to Appalachian State. Her sister attends school there while her mother works at the University. Hill started both exhibition games at the small forward spot, and was impressive, scoring 10 and 12 points. She is a product of Watauga High School in Boone, where she was a three-time Northwestern All-Conference pick.
On the Air...
Deacon women's basketball will be on the radio at least 11 times during the season on WTRU 830 AM in Winston-Salem. Tom Hart returns this season to call the play-by-play. The first scheduled broadcast is Monday, Nov. 27, when the Deacs play at High Point. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 pm. All games broadcast on the radio will also be broadcast on the internet at www.WakeForestSports.com.
Scheduling Notes...
All Deacon women's home games take place at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, except Dec. 9 vs. Virginia, which takes place at Reynolds Gym on campus ... that contest is also WFU's ACC opener ... two games are part of doubleheaders scheduled with Wake Forest men's basketball - Nov. 25 vs. Western Michigan and Dec. 2 versus Coppin State. Both games take place at 5:00 p.m. with the men's games following ... two home games will be shown on the ACC Regional Sports Network (FOX Sports South, Home Team Sports, Sunshine Network) - Sunday, Feb. 11 vs. Clemson and Monday, Feb. 19 vs. Maryland ... for the second straight year, the ACC Tournament takes place at the Greensboro (NC) Coliseum, just down the road for the Deacs.