November 20, 2007

LAURINBURG, N.C.—After making their first trip to the ‘Big Dance’ with a 20-win season last year, the St. Andrews Presbyterian College women’s basketball team will be looking to make another exciting run in 2007/2008.

“Last year was an enjoyable season for the program,” said fourth year Head Coach David Johnson. “It was very gratifying for those seniors to get the program to where it is now. We have a good core from that team coming back and looking forward to getting back to the National Tournament.”

St. Andrews is coming off a record-setting season that set new single-season win marks with 20 wins and 15 conference victories. SAPC will try and at least match that mark with a revamped roster that features six veterans and seven newcomers. Coach Johnson looks for the balanced squad to blend together with veteran leadership and young talent that will lead to an exciting product on the hardwood.

Johnson will also use the services of two new assistants in guiding the 13 Lady Knights in 07/08. Diana Martinez and Dwayne Jeffcoat, both recent graduates of St. Andrews, will assist Johnson.

“I am excited about the addition of Diana and Dwayne,” commented Johnson. “Diana, a four year player for St. Andrews, has really worked hard to help make the program be successful. To have her come back as an assistant to help the younger players develop is something I am looking forward to watching. Dwayne had a chance to play for Coach (Billy) Lee, who is a very good teacher, and having him join our staff to share that knowledge will be an asset to the program.”

With the loss of five seniors that all played in a combined 148 games last season including 78 starts, the Lady Knights will take the court with great patience to start the 2007 portion of their schedule. Four of the five graduating seniors were guards so St. Andrews will be very young and inexperienced at the guard position.

“We had a lot of very good senior guards last year that played well together for a number of years as they built a good chemistry,” explained Johnson. “We will start this season with only one returning guard with playing experience. As a coach you always want to bring in good talent to keep the program going in the right direction but experience plays a big roll in your overall success.”

Erika Thompson (Kalamazoo, Mich.) enters her senior as the only guard with playing experience in a St. Andrews uniform. Thompson, who transferred to SAPC from Kalamazoo Valley Community College before her junior season, played in 25 games (19 starts) in her first year in Laurinburg.

Thompson was plagued by injury late in the year last season but still provided a spark by averaging 9.4 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. Thompson also returns as the team’s leading three-point shooter hitting 34 treys at 33.7-percent accuracy.

“Erika will be relied on heavily for a scoring punch from the outside, as a ball handler, and just being the leader out on the court for us,” expressed Johnson. “She is a competitor that will battle and give us that toughness from the guard spot we need.”

Johnson will use four newcomers at the guard position to try and fill the void left by graduation. Junior Desiree Jones (Tulsa, Okla.), sophomore Franchaze Waters (Annapolis, Md.), and freshmen Lalita Middleton (North Charleston, S.C.) and Kristin Zipkin (Canton, Ga.) will all see a lot of court time in their first campaign at St. Andrews.

Jones, who will move right into the starting point guard roll for the Knights, played the past two seasons at Palm Beach Community College.

“Desiree has come right in and has taken to the team,” stated Johnson. “The biggest thing for her is to make that transition to being able to run a team full time. She is super quick, a good penetrator, handles the ball well, and can knock down the open shot.”

Waters is the second transfer guard that Johnson brought in after playing one season at Montgomery Community College.

“Fran has had an ankle injury that slowed her down but she is learning the system and her ability to come in games and hit shots for us will be a key to our offense,” uttered Johnson.

Zipkin is the only true freshman guard but will jump right into the lineup.

“Kristin gives us the big guard that we need to do all of the versatile things,” added Johnson. “She can knock down the three; use her size and strength to rebound for us; and also to take some of the ball handling responsibilities. She is one that loves to play defense, throwing her body around taken charges, that helps keep the team intense and focused.”

Middleton brings some familiarity to the guard position at SAPC as a red shirt last year.

“Lalita will be coming off the bench but will be relied upon this season for her versatility,” remarked Johnson. “She is a shooter, but we have worked intensely on her ability to drive to the basket, take contact, and finish.”

St. Andrews begins a demanding early schedule with seven games before Christmas break including six on the road. The coaching staff will look to use this portion of the schedule to acclimate these young players to the collegiate level and as a teaching point as they head into the bulk of their conference schedule in January.

For the second straight season, Coach Johnson will rely on a senior class of five to provide the backbone to the team. Unlike last year’s seniors that were primary comprised of guards, this season’s class will contain a core of four posts.

Other than Thompson in the backcourt, the Lady Knights senior posts consists of a quartet of players that battled in a combined for 105 games of experience last season. Danielle Norman (Bronx, N.Y.) and April Johnson (McColl, S.C.) are two returning starters while Jackie Cromer (Greensboro, N.C.) and Jessy Perkins (Goldsboro, N.C.) bring back the most experience as the only two 4-year letterwinners.

Norman , a 2006 All-Conference Second Team selection, is coming off an impressive first season at SAPC after transferring in from Felician College. Norman almost averaged a double-double with team-high’s of 13.5 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. Norman also drew a lot of fouls going to the free throw line 187 times. Norman also made 44 steals on the season but will need to lower her turnover total from last season.

“Danielle is an exceptional athlete who works hard on both ends of the court,” boasted Johnson. “She sets the tone in practice and that transfers into the way she plays in games. Danielle is our returning top scorer and rebounder from last season, and she knows she will have to take it farther this year. We will look to take her away from the basket to get her more touches.”

April Johnson has made a big impact on the defensive end for the Lady Knights in her first two seasons averaging 5.2 rebounds per game each season. Johnson also has led the conference in blocked shots the past two years swatting away over 100 shots during that span. Johnson, who went from 5.7 points in ’06 to 4.8 points in ’07, will be looked to develop into a complete player by providing more of a scoring punch in ’08.

“April is a very good shot blocker and rebounder and has the potential to be a good offensive player,” added Coach Johnson. “We look for her to improve on the offensive end and take some of the load off our seniors. April’s ability to defend the paint takes a lot of pressure off our guards knowing we have a shot blocker near the basket.”

Cromer and Perkins will be the first two players to play four years under Coach Johnson and they both have over 60 games of playing experience under his system.

“Jessy’s roll will be even more significant this year,” predicted Johnson. “She has done a good job this preseason to get in shape and understand for us to be successful she needs to step up and she is ready for that challenge. She gives us a true low post presence and a size to match up with bigger post players.”

“Jackie is our energy player,” enlightened Johnson. “She does all the little things that get’s the team going. She practices hard, encourages her teammates to keep working harder, and a player that any coach would love to have on their team.”

The Knights will rely on their depth down low that will also include significant playing time from freshmen Jacquelyn Adcock (Damascus, Md.) and Brittany Johnston (Holly Springs, N.C.).

“ Brittany is coming off ACL surgery in her senior year of high school,” informed Johnson. “She is not 100-percent, but is working hard and getting there. We are looking forward to her competing and battling for us inside.”

“Jacquelyn is an undersized post but one that will fight for us,” continued Johnson. “She is a very good rebounder and she uses her body very well to defend the post area.”

The coaching staff will look to rely on the players back that enjoyed the 20-game win season.

“The upperclassmen keep talking about the battles we had last year and that is rubbing off on our younger ladies,” said Johnson. “Overall, during the early part of the season our posts will have to be our backbone as we have the size and depth. Once our young guards come around they will then be asked to do a lot for us.”

St. Andrews will look to be strong in all areas of the game in 2007/08. The Knights, who only shot 40.3% last season, have better shooters than the past few years. The Knights dominated the glass last year, out-rebounding their foes by more than seven boards per game and will look to continue that trend. The SAPC defense was also strong in holding opponents to just 60.5 points.

Two of the biggest areas the Lady Knights will need to improve on in order to be successful will be in handling the ball and shooting at the free-throw line.

St. Andrews averaged over 20 turnovers per contest but will try and protect the rock better, lowering that number significantly as the players gain valuable game experience and mature into the meat of the conference schedule.

The Knights ‘Achilles Heal’ over the past couple of years has been its performance from the charity stripe. SAPC went to the free throw line an average of 22 times per game last year but only converted on 64.7-percent of the freebees. The Knights will look to increase that number over 70% to help finish off games.

St. Andrews will once again compete in a demanding 20-game conference schedule in the newly renamed Conference Carolinas (previously named Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference). The Lady Knights put together an impressive 15-5 run in the league last year including a first round victory in the conference tournament. St. Andrews was picked fifth in the preseason coaches’ poll after finishing fourth in last years regular season standings. The Knights will try and put together another run at a conference title against the likes of national tournament qualifiers Anderson University, Barton College, and Pfeiffer University. Mount Olive College received one more point than SAPC in the poll.

The Lady Knights also compete in a demanding seven-game, non-conference schedule that includes four road contests. SAPC will battle Saint Augustine’s College in a home-and-home series before Christmas while also traveling to Chowan University. In mid-December, the Knights will make the trek to Kentucky for two games in the Travel America Northern Kentucky Classic. St. Andrews begins the New Year by hosting local rival UNC-Pembroke and then wraps up non-conference play when they entertain the University of the District of Columbia.

“I am excited about the team. We have a chance to be very good and with some patience we should be able to make an exciting run for our fans,” concluded Johnson.