Women's Basketball Starts Practice Friday
10/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Oct. 17, 2008
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest women's basketball team will begin practice on Friday evening, just 18 days before its first exhibition contest on Nov. 3 against Lenoir-Rhyne at the Joel Coliseum. Here's a look at the Demon Deacon lineup for the 2008-09 season.
Season Outlook
Finish.
At the beginning of preseason conditioning this season everyone on the Wake Forest women's basketball team was given a bracelet that said simply "FINISH."
For the Demon Deacons that is the goal of the 2008-09 season, to finish the strong start to last year. A start that included a win over tenth-ranked Texas A&M, a tournament title and votes in the AP Poll. It was the team's best start since 1987, but injuries set in just as conference season picked up and the Deacons were frustratingly shut out of postseason play.
"We want to finish what we started a year ago," Wake Forest head coach Mike Petersen said. "A year ago at the end of our non-conference schedule we finished 12-2. At one point we were ranked 28th in the AP poll. If we had just survived physically we could have very easily been a post-season team. We need to finish that this year."
Wake Forest has several tools for accomplishing the goal this season, including the leadership and technical skills of seniors Alex Tchangoue and Corinne Groves. The squad also returns junior starters Courteney Morris and Tiffany Roulhac in addition to the talent of newcomers Secily Ray and Brooke Thomas.
"We have a lot of our scoring and rebounding back. We like our incoming freshman. We can pick up where we left off. We need to build on the progress that we made on the start of last year," Petersen said.
"It's a matter of us continuing to build on what we started a year ago. We've got a couple of experienced seniors that will play a lot of games and should be able to lead. We've got a little more experience and a little more depth. And hopefully that will be able to translate into finishing games in conference."
At the point
Wake Forest has three standout athletes that will compete for time at the point guard slot this season.
Junior Tiffany Roulhac (Fayetteville, N.C.) started at the position for Wake Forest during the first half of the 2007-08 season, but was sidelined in January 2008 with a concussion. Through her 16 games, Roulhac recorded 81 assists and averaged 4.4 points per game.
"We're not completely sure of when Tiffany will be able to start playing again for us," Petersen said. "When she was injured last year she was playing really well, she was in the top three in the conference in assists, she was in the top three in assist/turn over ratio. Hopefully getting her back this year will really help us."
When Roulhac's season ended prematurely, Camille Collier (Washington, D.C.) had a chance to showcase her leadership ability and tactical skills at the point. Collier had eight starts and averaged 8.2 points per game before a stress fracture took her out of play at the end of January.
"Camille Collier had a super freshman year. She's a scoring point guard, she shoots it well. She has a year under her belt and that will give her additional maturity and comfort," Petersen said.
Collier's shooting abilities make her an extremely versatile player and she may see action in the coming season at the wings.
Brooke Thomas (Orlando, Fla.) is the newcomer to WFU point guard collection. Thomas helped lead her AAU team to a national championship during her prep career in addition to having a stellar background with Malcolm Lewis at Edgewater High School.
"Brooke Thomas is somebody that we are excited about. She's got great straight line speed and will be able to dictate tempo offensively and defensively," Petersen said.
"She's really a pass first point guard. She really looks to get people involved and has really good leadership skills. We're very comfortable where we're at in terms of the point ."
Wings
Senior Alex Tchangoue (Orleans, France) will be a key force in guiding the guards through the upcoming season. Tchangoue started every game for the Demon Deacons in 2007-08 and was a team leader in scoring and rebounds, averaging 11.5 points and 6.8 boards.
Courteney Morris (Riverdale, Md.) will also be returning to the wing after having a breakthrough sophomore campaign.
"We've got really good depth at the wings this year. We return Alex and Courtney who started every game for us last year," Petersen said. "Alex is a really good player and a reliable scorer. She understands offensively what we're trying to do. She is a very good on-ball defender with very good team defensive concepts. Courtney has been more of a defender, rebounder, an energy player. But her offensive package has improved as well, to the point where she's become a more reliable scorer. Those two are very dependable, reliable and durable. They've been through the rigors of a college season and can be consistent through the course of the whole year."
Brittany Waters (Orlando, Fla.) missed the first few games of last season with an injury, but was able to get to the level of play that was needed very quickly. After making her career debut on December 2, Waters earned a starting spot in the heat of conference season on February 7 where she racked up a career high 15 points against Virginia Tech.
"Brittany showed growth that we wanted towards the end of last year. Missing the first month and a half of the season set her back last year in terms of her development. But as she got a chance to play and a chance to practice I think she showed us the kind of player that she could be late in the season," Petersen said.
Fellow sophomore Kem Wilson (Frederick, Md.) played in 25 games during 2007-08 and will compete for more playing time this season.
"Kem had a very good spring and a good summer. We're hoping that she'll stay healthy and be able to contribute," Petersen said.
A new addition to the Wake Forest guard family is Secily Ray (Thomasville, N.C.), a local standout from Thomasville High School.
"Secily is very similar to Brittany. We think she'll be able to come in and compete for playing time right away," Petersen said.
One change in the Wake Forest lineup will be the rotation of junior Jessie Cain (Cincinnati, Ohio) from forward to guard.
"This year we're going to play a point guard with three guards and one post," Petersen said. "Jessie will play the 4 and so will Secily and Brittany. It will really help her to play in the perimeter more. In the past years we've been more three-up two-in and she's tried to adjust to that and been very coachable. Our offensive adjustment will make her more comfortable and she'll be able to help us more from that view point."
The Post
Senior Corinne Groves (Black Mountain, N.C.) will lead the charge at the post. Groves has been a consistent starter for Wake throughout her career and last year became a leading scorer and rebounder with 11.4 points per game and 7.4 rebounds.
"Corinne's become somebody who you can expect a double-double from on a pretty regular basis. This spring she did a good job of expanding her range a little bit, getting a little more comfortable away from the basket so we could use her in some different situations offensively," Petersen said.
Two post players that will compete for time this year are Sarah Riddle (Lascassas, Tenn.) and Jessica Bryant (Supply, N.C.).
"Sarah is a redshirt junior who has seen tremendous improvement in the last two years. She's become a reliable defender and a reliable offensive player. She can make the plays that she needs to make to help us in the post," Petersen said.
"Jessica Bryant has improved over her first two years. She brings an athletic element to the game. She can really help us defensively and rebounding wise. She just needs to grow into a reliable player offensively."
The Schedule
This year's preseason matchups include Lenoir-Ryhne and Indiana University - Pennsylvania on November 3 and 7, respectively. The regular season will kick off on November 17 with UNC Greensboro at the Joel Coliseum.
"For our non-conference schedule we try to have a balance of games that will prepare us to play in the conference schedule and at the same time to play enough home games so we don't get worn down with travel," Petersen said.
In the 2008-09 slate, Wake Forest takes advantage of the top notch competition located right here in North Carolina. The Deacons will host Appalachian State on November 21 and Winston-Salem State on November 24. The first WFU road game of the season will be against Charlotte on November 26.
On November 29 the Demon Deacons will welcome the 2008 Mid American Conference champion Miami (Ohio). The two teams last met during the 2005-06 season where Wake Forest posted a 69-61 victory at the Mildred and Roger Invitational in Evanston, Ill.
Southeastern Conference competitor South Carolina will take on the Deacons for the first time in over a decade at the Joel Coliseum on December 3.
The Deacons will host Coppin State and Presbyterian before heading south for the University of Central Florida Tournament set for December 19-21. Wake Forest will open with UCF on the 19th and follow with Ole Miss on the 21st.
"We're looking forward to the Orlando trip," Petersen said. "Aside from it being a good tournament for us, it's a chance to take Brooke (Thomas) and Brittany (Waters) back home so their family and friends can see them play."
The Demon Deacons will close play for 2008 on December 28 with East Tennessee State University and start 2009 action with UNC-Wilmington on January 1. Both games will be held in Winston-Salem.
On January 6 the Deacons will start their longest road stretch of the season, beginning in Richmond, Va. at the University of Richmond. ACC play will begin at Maryland on January 8 and continue at Virginia on January 11.
The 2009 ACC Tournament will be held at the Greensboro Coliseum from March 5-8.
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