Women's Basketball Preview - Part 5: Wright State

Nov. 4, 2006

The Wright State women's basketball program has made a great deal of progress the past two seasons.

After posting their second-best record all-time and advancing to the Horizon League Tournament finals for the first time in 2004-05, the Raiders faced a more difficult schedule last season, including playing each of the first seven games away from home.

Despite that, WSU still posted double-digit wins for the second consecutive season, the first time that's been done in nearly a decade, and finished 8-8 in the League, which matched the 2002-03 squad for the second-most conference wins in program history.

This season, Wright State will have one of the smallest rosters in the League in terms of both numbers with 10 players on the roster and size as no player is taller than 6-2, but head coach Bridgett Williams looks for the Raiders to build upon their recent success and add onto it.

"I am excited about the potential of this year's team," says Williams. "They spent five weeks together training, conditioning and working on their game this summer and I hope that commitment pays off for us."

RETURNERS

Leading the list of Raider returnees is senior guard Brittney Whiteside, who was named to the League's Preseason Second Team.

"Brittney has been one of the top players in the Horizon League the last three years," says Williams. "She continues to improve each season and will end her career as one of the best ever at Wright State. She spent her summer training and took time out for mission work."

Whiteside, who was chosen to the Horizon League First Team last season for the second consecutive year after being to the All-Newcomer Team as a freshman, led the Raiders and was eighth in the League in scoring average at 13.9 points per contest. She was also 10th in the League in both assists per game at 2.96 and in free throw percentage at .735.

Along with her being one of the top offensive players in the conference, Whiteside also shines on the defensive end as evidenced by her being named to the Horizon League All-Defensive Team all three years. She ranked fourth in the League in rebounding last season at 7.4 caroms per game, including a 4.64 average on the defensive end, good enough for fifth. She was also fourth in steals per game at 2.14.

Whiteside became the 15th member of WSU's 1,000 point club last February 7 at #7 Ohio State and enters her senior campaign 10th on the all-time scoring list with 1,087 points, just 221 away from second. She currently appears in the Raider Top Ten in field goals made and attempted, free throws made and attempted, assists and steals and should crack the list in games played, rebounds and minutes played by the end of this season. Whiteside will also attempt to become the first WSU basketball player, both men's and women's, to ever lead the team in scoring and rebounding in all four seasons.

After starting just eight games her first two seasons, fifth-year senior forward Tyanda Hammock stepped up her game last year as she made 18 starts, including in each of the final 12. She averaged nine points a contest during that closing stretch and scored in double figures five times, including a career-best 19 at Loyola and 15 in the regular-season meeting at UIC. Hammock averaged 7.9 points per game overall, was second on the team in three-pointers made with 29 and was third in rebounds at 3.8 per outing and in blocked shots with 18.

The third senior on the team, guard Steph Comisar, proved to be a pleasant surprise for the Raiders once she entered the starting lineup in mid-January. Comisar, a former walk-on and a four-year starting goalkeeper for the WSU women's soccer team, started 11 of the final 12 games and averaged just over six points per contest, up from her 2.3 average through the first 16. She scored a career-high 18 points at Cleveland State and had 11 at Loyola as she scored seven or more points eight times overall.

Junior forward Whitney Lewis had another solid season on the heels of her Horizon League Newcomer of the Year campaign as a freshman. She finished second in the conference in offensive rebounds at 3.0 per game, fourth in free throw percentage at .800, sixth in blocked shots at 0.82 per contest, seventh in the conference in both overall rebounding at 6.1 and field goal percentage at .483 and 20th in scoring at 10.3 points per game. Lewis scored in double figures 17 times, 10 of those coming in League competition, and had six or more rebounds in a game on 20 occasions.

Two other junior forwards round out the list of returnees. Sierra Crayton played in 22 games with two starts last season and provided one of the top highlights as her half-court three-pointer, the first of her collegiate career, gave the Raiders a win over Ball State. Danielle Duncan appeared in 26 contests off the bench in 2005-06, scoring seven points at Toledo and collected five rebounds versus Ball State and Loyola.

NEWCOMERS

Along with the six returnees, the roster also includes four freshmen. Guard Heather Parrish was named all-region by the Burlington Times-News as she averaged 17 points her senior year for Williams High School in North Carolina. Another guard, Kanisha Ward, was selected Second Team All-State as she helped lead Detroit Renaissance to the Michigan Class B state title last season.

Forward Tanni Scott received Special Mention All-State honors in Division II as a senior, averaging 16.8 points, 13.2 rebounds and 3.2 blocks for Centennial High School in Columbus while forward Erica Richardson was chosen Honorable Mention All-State in Division II in averaging 17 points and 12 rebounds per game for nearby Wilmington High School.

THE COACHING STAFF

Along with four new players, Wright State will also have three new faces on the sidelines as well in assistant coaches Jenerrie Everette and Molly Marrin and director of basketball operations Joshua Snyder.

Everette, who played at Kentucky, was an assistant at Longwood last season while Marrin was an assistant coach at Northern Colorado for three years Snyder comes to WSU after serving two years as an assistant men's coach at Olivet Nazarene.

SCHEDULE

While Wright State again faces a tough schedule, more of those battles will be at home this season. After having just 11 games in the friendly confines of the Nutter Center in 2005-06, the Raiders will be at home 14 times this year compared to 13 on the road, marking the first time since 2003-04 that WSU will play more game at home than away.

Wright State opens the season on Saturday, November 18, at Ball State before welcoming the Miami RedHawks for the home opener on Tuesday, November 21. The Raiders then head to South Florida for the UM Thanksgiving Tournament where they will take on Indiana in the opening round followed by either Nicholls State or the host Miami Hurricanes. If the matchup with the Hurricanes materializes, WSU would face both Miami teams in the span of five days.After returning home, the Raiders will have five of their next seven games in the Nutter Center leading up to the Christmas holiday, including matchups with Ohio rivals Toledo and Dayton along with a contest against ACC member Wake Forest.

The 16-game Horizon League slate, which begins the week after Christmas, comprises the rest of the schedule. With the conference tournament pushed back a week this year, the travel partner format returns with all the League games set for Thursdays and Saturdays.

The Horizon League Tournament begins on Monday, March 5, with the opening round, followed by the quarterfinals on Wednesday, March 7, the semifinals on Friday, March 9, and the championship on Sunday, March 11.

"The nonleague schedule is very challenging and should prepare us for the Horizon League slate and for the postseason tournament," says Williams. "Most of the teams in the League have their top scorer returning this year, so I expect a very competitive race."

With a mixture of youth and experience along with a challenging schedule, it should be an exciting season of Wright State women's basketball.