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Recently in Women's Basketball Category
Virginia Tech women’s basketball signee Hannah Young was
recently featured with her father Lewis in the Newcastle Herald (New South Wales, Australia). Hannah will
follow in her father’s footsteps by playing collegiately in the United States.
Lewis competed at Gardner-Webb in the 1970s where he ranks fifth amongst the team's all-time leading scorers. He followed that up with a year with the
Harlem Globetrotters and later competed professionally in Scotland.
Read the complete article here.
To check out the women's basketball Fan Page, please click here.
Players and coaches teach students the value of reading as part of News & Records’ NIE Program
Tickets for the 2011 ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament, to be held March 3-6 at the Greensboro Coliseum, are currently on sale at the Coliseum advance box office, Ticketmaster outlets, on-line at www.ticketmaster.com and by charge-by-phone at (800) 745-3000.
Fenyn, who started 22 games for the Hokies and was third on team in scoring as a freshman averaging 7.5 points, is an Empire State Games veteran as she helped Western win a gold medal in the scholastic division in 2007. She also was fourth on the team in rebounds with 4.3 per game and earned ACC All-Academic Team honors last season,
This year, Fenyn is one of three Division I players on the Western team, along with Megan Shoniker (Rhode Island) and Liz Flooks (Niagara). Shoniker had 19 points in the win over Hudson Valley.
The basketball tournament continues through Sunday's noon gold medal game.
w with Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York. After the program, Kotb, a 1986 Tech alum, came outside into the NBC Studios lobby to meet the team along with her co-host. Tech will face UAB on Saturday at 3 p.m. in the first round of the tournament. The game can be heard locally on SuperSports 101.7 and on Hokies All-Access with Jerry Massey calling the action.
Here are a few quotes from men’s
coach Seth Greenberg and women’s coach Beth Dunkenberger concerning various
topics:
SETH GREENBERG
(On the health of his team)
“I would have hoped that we would have been a little healthier the past few weeks than we have been. But it is what it is. Losing Victor [Davila] last week after he had such a tremendous scrimmage was disappointing, but he’s recovering from the flu. He’s actually looked really good the last two days of practice. I thought he’d be a little weak, but he’s looked good. Cadarian [Raines] is slowly but surely rounding into shape and we’re hoping, with a little luck, that we’ll have him back by Dec. 3. JT [Thompson] went full blast yesterday in practice for the first time in two weeks (high ankle sprain). He has a high pain threshold, so we’re pleased he’s back. Jeff [Allen], with his knee, thumb and wrist, he’s practiced only about seven days. We hope he’ll be ready to go on Sunday.”
(On implementing more motion
into his offense)
“This isn’t exactly a Bobby Knight motion offense. This is a work in progress. We’re force-feeding it to them at this point. It’s a continual work in progress. It’s not easy to understand, but it gives them more freedom. With more freedom, there are some spacing issues. You’ve got to make sure you meet the pass, you've got to make sure you’re waiting on screens, and you’ve got to get people the ball when they’re posting up. There’s a lot to it. To simplify, it comes down to spacing and setting good screens and waiting on screens. If we’re patient and wait on screens, eventually it’ll be good.”
(On why he added this element
to his offense)
“I’m doing it to move Malcolm [Delaney] to different spots so people can’t mark him as easily. That’s the main thing. We want to be less predictable because people are going to add at least an extra half of a defender on him.
“I’m doing it, too, because I think it will make our defense better. If your offense gets better and you work against it every day, then your defense is going to get better.”
(Does Delaney play the same
number of minutes at point guard?)
“We’ll play it by ear. I think Erick [Green] is making progress and he’s going to have to play. One good thing about motion is whether Malcolm is on or off the ball, he’s still going to get scoring opportunities. Whether he’s the point guard or not, once he gives it up, we’re going to get it back to him somewhere. We’re just not going to be as predictable as to where we get it to him.”
(On Victor Davila)
“Lewis [Witcher] has had a pretty good preseason, but Victor has probably been our most pleasant surprise up front. He scores buckets. He makes shots. He’s a big target and he wants the ball. That’s why it was disappointing he got so sick – he lost about 12 pounds. But I was talking to him Sunday night and he said to me something that I thought was important. He told me that he was confident, but more importantly, that his teammates were confident in him. That was a huge step for him.”
BETH DUNKENBERGER
(On the upcoming season)
“It’s an exciting time for us. We have very high hopes and great anticipation of an exciting season. For the first time in a long time, we have three seniors and two of them were our top two scorers from last year, Utahya Drye and Lindsay Biggs. We have 13 players on our team who are cleared to go and healthy. We’re working hard and very much looking forward to our first game on Friday.”
(On Drye and Biggs as senior
leaders)
“They have taken ownership of that role. Our team recently elected captains and they elected those two and Nikki Davis as their three captains for the year. What’s been nice is that when we hit lulls in practice – which every team does in the preseason – they’ve been very quick to gather the team up and then I’ve seen the intensity rise. They are hard workers who tend to lead by example, but they’ve been much more verbal than they have in years past. They’ve done a great job of setting high expectations and holding others to the level that they want to compete at.”
(On Davis as the third captain)
“As a point guard, you tend to be a natural leader from that spot – it’s kind of like the quarterback on a football team – and she has assumed that position. I’ve noticed that she’s been very active in the offseason as far as setting times for pick-up games, getting the girls to show up and keeping them organized.”
(On the freshmen)
“Alyssa Fenyn has started for us in scrimmages against the practice squad and in the exhibition game, and she has the ability to go out there and put up 20 points. Aerial Wilson is used to putting points on the board, but she is still trying to find her way. She played solely at shooting guard in high school and now we’re playing her at the point spot. She’s quickly starting to figure out how she can score from there. Porschia Hadley and Taylor Ayers were great rebounders in high school and I think they’re both going to find their way to that in college. Right now, Porschia is our first post player off the bench. And Abby Redick is one of our most fundamental, solid players. Her numbers might not be flashy, but she is in the right place 95 percent of the time. She understands what we’re trying to do and she makes players around her better.”
(On being chosen to finish 12th
in the ACC)
“We talked about it once. Every single person on our team and in our program is adamant that’s nowhere near where we’re going to finish. We decided that the only No. 12 we’re going to talk about from this point on is Nikki Davis. Talk is cheap and action speaks. We can say everything we are going to do and what we want to do, but that doesn’t change anything. It’s up to us to step up and show it, and we start that on Friday against Longwood.”
Alyssa Fenyn led her team, Newark High School, to the New York State Championship title last weekend. The 6’0 guard was named the MVP of the tournament with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and four steals in the game. Fenyn was named First Team All State, Region MVP, and has scored 2,458 points in her career.
Aerial Wilson, a 5’8” guard, was named the Florida 4A Player of the Year after leading the state of Florida in scoring for all divisions with an average of 31.2 points per game. Wilson is now a finalist for Florida’s Miss Basketball and scored 2075 points in her career at Rockledge High School.
Abby Redick returned late in the season to help Hidden Valley to the State Championship Tournament for the fourth consecutive year. The 6’1” forward scored 1,038 points in her career and helped the Titans win two State Championships.
Porschia Hadley, a 6’3” forward, recently competed in the Georgia High School All Star game. Hadley averaged 17 points and 14 rebounds last season as a senior at Macon County High School.
Haskins is currently third in the ACC in assists (4.7), fourth in assist/turnover ratio (1.5) and 12th in steals (2.1). She is fifth on the Tech career assist list (372) and seventh in steals with 170. Haskins, who earned a degree in business management in three years, was recently selected to the 2009 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America District III Women's Basketball University Division team and is eligible for the national team. Additionally, Haskins has been named to the Dean's List and the Athletic Director's Honor Roll every semester and also has been chosen on three occasions to the All-ACC Women's Basketball Academic team and to the ACC Academic Honor Roll. She is currently working on a M.B.A.
The evening got off to a great start as the Virginia Tech volleyball team defeated ACC foe Wake Forest, 3-1, to maintain its lead in the conference standings. Approximately 20 minutes following the end of the match, Late Night began with skits by the men’s and women’s teams. The women and freshmen men each performed dance routines, while Paul Debnam, as Coach Seth Greenberg, brought down the house, as he put the Hokies through a short practice.
The student winners in the Knockout Contest were Jen Libbares and Trey Smith. Libbares lost in the women’s Three-point Shootout to Lindsay Biggs, while Smith fell to Hank Thorns in the men’s Three-point Shootout. In the Slam Dunk Contest, Lewis Witcher defeated teammates J.T. Thompson and Terrell Bell, as well as a special command attempt from Thorns for the title. Brittany Cook and Jeff Allen defeated Lakeisha Logan and Malcolm Delaney in the Two-Ball Contest.
Brian Reid missed a half-court shot for a chance at $250 in books, courtesy of the University Bookstore and Sebastian Lange missed a shot from half-court for a possible $10,000 in cash.
The first 4,000 fans received t-shirts courtesy of the University Bookstore and throughout the evening’s program; other gifts were tossed into the stands for the fans.
The men’s and women’s basketball teams will open the 2008-09 regular season on Friday, Nov. 14, as part of a tripleheader. The day begins at 3 p.m., as the volleyball team plays conference rival Boston College. The women’s basketball team will play UNC Greensboro at 6 p.m., and the men’s team will play Gardner-Webb in the nightcap, at 8 p.m.
Late Night will begin with skits by both the men’s and women’s basketball teams, followed by a performance by the High Techs. Next will be a Knockout with fraternities and sororities and both the men’s and women’s teams will be introduced.
Following a short warm-up period, there will be a half court shot by a selected student for books from the University Bookstore. Then, a slam dunk contest and three-point shooting contest with A.D. Vassallo and Brittany Cook facing the winners of the earlier Knockout contest. A Two-Ball contest will follow and then one lucky student will get the opportunity to shoot from half court for a $10,000 grand prize. The night will conclude with a scrimmage by the men’s basketball team.
The first 4,000 fans will receive free T-shirts, courtesy of the University Bookstore. Fans attending the volleyball match can get coupons that can be redeemed during Late Night for a T-shirt.
Latvia will open play in the 2008 Olympics on Sat. Aug. 9 against Russia in Group A. The Latvians defeated Russia, 74-69, in their opening game of the Diamond Ball tournament. The United States defeated current world champion Australia, 71-67, in the title game.
China 63, Latvia 51
Latvia trailed only 71-67 before the US finally put the contest away with a 13-3 run. Kublina added four rebounds with one assist and a steal. Sylvia Fowles led five players in double figures for the US with 13 points. The Americans will next face Russia in pool play. Latvia defeated Russia, 74-69, earlier in the tournament. Kublina had eight points and three rebounds with one block in the victory.
United States 84, Latvia 74
Latvia 74, Russia 69
Kublina's Latvian National Team qualifed with a 82-26 victory over Angola to earn the Olympic berth as she contributed 11 points and eight rebounds in the victory.
The 6-4 Kublina played for the Hokies from 2000-04 and is the third leading scorer in the history of the program (1,647). She also tops the career blocked shots list (256) and ranks second in career rebounds (845). Kublina was named the 2002 BIG EAST Conference Most Improved Player and was a CoSIDA District III Academic All-American in 2004.
Schaeffer was the lone Hokie taken in the 2007 Major League Baseball draft, as he was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 38th round. He is currently playing infield for the Asheville Tourists of the Class A South Atlantic League, and has batted .256 with one home run, 15 RBI and two stolen bases in 27 games.
Also, as was mentioned in Torye Hurst’s Italy/Greece blog recently, another former Hokie is succeeding professionally as well. Former women’s basketball player Kerri Gardin, who graduated in 2006, has made the roster of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun and started the first two games, averaging seven points and six rebounds in 22.5 minutes per contest.
Click below to visit the player pages of these two Hokies to keep up with their progress.
Warren Schaeffer
Kerri Gardin
• What were your thoughts during your historic 36-point game?
“It was just one of those nights when everything was falling. I didn’t even realize how many points I had until after the game, because I was so focused in on the game and how we were doing as a team. My teammates did a good job of setting screens and finding me in good positions to score.”
• Have you ever been in the zone like that before? What is the most points you’ve ever scored in a game at any level?
“In high school, I think I scored 48 or 49 in one game. You have those nights every once in a while when you’re the zone and everything is dropping, so it’s nice to take advantage of it when it happens.”
• Was it sweeter knowing that the point total came during the team’s first ACC win of the season?
“Absolutely. It wouldn’t have meant anything if we would have lost the game. It just made it extra special that it was our first win and that it was such a close game. We’ve been in that position so many times this year, but we hadn’t been able to come out with a win. We were ecstatic with the win, and it was just icing on the cake that I was able to contribute that much.”
When the women's basketball team hosts No. 5 Maryland on Monday, the first 200 Virginia Tech students to the game will receive a free pair of VT Crocs. Sizes are limited and available on a first come-first serve basis.
Please enter through the Washington St. entrance of Cassell Coliseum and have your student ID and game ticket in your hand.
Click here to see more upcoming promotions.
