Women's Basketball Preview - Part 2: Detroit
Oct. 31, 2006
The Detroit Titan Women's basketball team looks to rebuild a team that lost its top six scorers from a year ago. Head Coach Mickey Barrett will count on the improvement of young players, as well the arrival of a number of very talented freshmen and transfers. This year's team does not enter the season with high expectations from others, but hopes that a tough early schedule, combined with the experience gained in the first half of the season, will allow them to be contenders for the Horizon League crown at the end of the season.
Guards
After losing key perimeter players from last year's team, the Titans will count on a group of players, led by Kandace Evans, Zemora Davis, Stephanie Carvin, and Marcella Cavitt. Evans, a 5-7 junior, is the team's leading returning scorer and rebounder from last year with an average of 4.9 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. Barrett believes that her improvement on the defensive end, along with her ability to push the ball up the floor, is one of the keys to the season.
Sophomores Carvin and Cavitt also figure to be give key contributions on the perimeter. Carvin is a very skilled passer whom Barrett believes will be a very big factor as her shooting and other perimeter skills improve. Cavitt is a very hard worker that can play inside and outside whose toughness will be a big lift. "When it comes to toughness," Barrett said, "there is nobody in the league that will be as tough as she is, with the big heart."
Davis, a 5-9 sophomore, has been one of the hardest workers in the preseason and looks to give quality minutes with her ability to score and defend.
Freshmen Chanica Hall and Brigid Mulroy could provide some significant minutes in their first collegiate seasons. Hall, a 5-7 guard, is a talented and very quick player that should provide a key contribution to the team as she grows accustomed to the collegiate level. Mulroy, 5-10 guard, has shown the ability in practice to be a very good shooter and could provide minutes this season in that role.
Swing Players
Three players will be counted on to contribute minutes on the perimeter and in the paint. This group will be led by Joyce Massey, a 5-9 junior transfer from UMass. Barrett believes that Massey has the ability to be one of the best players in the league. She has impressed her teammates and coaches in practices over the past season with her knowledge of the game and tremendous talent on the offensive end.
The other swing players will be Sandi Brown and Keashawn Bond. Brown, a 5-11 sophomore, is one of the best athletes in the Horizon League and a very skilled offensive player who will provide a key contribution this season. Bond, a 5-9 junior, is a versatile player whose athletic ability will allow her to make a contribution to the team both in practices and in games.
Posts
Like the other positions, the post spots will be manned by a combination of talented young and improving players. Dominica Whittaker, Katy Dunlop, Heather Hatter, and India Brewster all look to provide contributions on the floor this year. Dunlop, a 6-4 junior, has returned in very good condition and gives the post position an inside-outside look. She shot 48 percent from the three-point line a year ago, and hopes to provide an inside scoring presence this year as well.
Whittaker and Brewster look to provide the strong defensive and rebounding presence inside this year. Whittaker, a 6-3 sophomore, has shown the desire and competitiveness to battle players who might be more skilled. Her size should be a valuable asset to this year's team, along with Brewster, a 6-4 junior transfer from Southern Illinois University. Brewster will not be able to play for the Titans until December 17 due to transfer rules, but will improve the defense both inside and outside with her athletic ability and her ability to block shots.
Hatter, a 6-0 freshman, will be counted on to make a big contribution right away. She is a fundamentally sound player who has impressed the coaches from the start, and looks to be a very important piece to this year's team, as well as a big part of the future.
The post position was dealt a blow before the season when Lauren Yurgens, the Titan's lone senior, suffered a hip injury. The injury will keep her out of game action for much of the season, but Coach Barrett hopes that she will still provide a valuable contribution to the team. "It will be a loss," Barrett said, "but I think with her heart and her attitude she'll be a big bonus for us just being a support system."
Schedule
Once again, the Titans will play a very difficult out of conference schedule. "We want to play the best so that we can become the best," Barrett said. Five of the thirteen teams they play to begin the season were ranked in the RPI top 50 to end last season, and nine of them were ranked in the top 100. Bowling Green, which has been ranked as high as 20 in some polls, visits Callahan Hall to open the season on November 10. This year's biggest out of conference tests figure to come at LSU, ranked as high as 9 in some preseason polls, and at Kentucky, which is ranked as high as 14. The out of conference schedule also includes the program's first ever tournament outside the country when it plays in the Caribbean Classic in Cancun, Mexico on December 19-20. The Titans will also play in the Lady Luck Classic in Blacksburg, Virginia on December 28-29.
The Horizon League schedule begins on January 4, when the Titans host league favorite UW-Green Bay. That game is followed by a home contest against last year's league champion UW-Milwaukee on January 6. The Titans hope that the experiences gained during the tough out of conference games will provide an edge for them as conference play and league tournament come around. The Horizon League tournament will be held from March 5-11.
Story provided by the Detroit Sports Information Office.
