Photo by: Army Athletics
2015-16 Women’s Basketball Season Preview
11/10/2015 2:01:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Preseason Prospectus
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh women's basketball team is poised and ready to begin a season-long journey that hopes to end with a fourth Patriot League Championship. The team returns an experienced group of 12 upperclassmen and welcomes three newcomers as the Mountain Hawks look to build upon the momentum from a 2014-15 season that saw Lehigh make a championship game appearance.
"Playing in the championship game last year gave this team a sense of needed confidence where they know they can compete at the top of our league," said head coach Sue Troyan, who enters her 21st season at the helm. "The team truly believes that they can win a championship because we were there last year, have an understanding of what it takes to get there, and feel like we have some unfinished business out there. We want to focus on the process and getting better game by game."
The championship game appearance, Lehigh's first since 2010, capped off an impressive 2014-15 season for the Mountain Hawks who finished the campaign with a 19-12 overall record and 9-9 mark in league play. Lehigh earned the No. 6 seed in the Patriot League Tournament and picked up road wins at No. 3 Holy Cross and No. 2 Army to advance to the championship.
Lehigh loses two of last season's players in Katie O'Reilly and Sarah Williams, but returns 12 letterwinners and three starters from the 2014-15 campaign. The returning Mountain Hawks accounted for 73 percent of last year's total points, 80.1 percent of made three-pointers, 84.7 percent of total rebounds and 72.3 percent of total minutes.
This season, early injuries have forced three Mountain Hawks (Kiernan McCloskey, Meagan Eripret and Bryce Menendez) to be ruled out of game action indefinitely, but a strong core of experienced players have the coaching staff excited about the season's potential.
"We have quality depth at every position," said Troyan. "There are some areas where we can't afford injury right now, but we have a lot of players who have the ability to score the ball at every position. Our four seniors (Amina Affini, Elizabeth Jordan, Kerry Kinek and Elizabeth Sharlow) have all played large roles over their four years and they bring a lot to the table in terms of leadership, talent, drive and urgency. I believe our experience and leadership are not only our strengths, but keys to taking that next step towards a championship."
"Our post play is one of the major strengths of our team," said Troyan. "We'll continue to play through our posts because we have three of the best players in the league in our post rotation. Lexi, Kerry and Liz bring a dynamic trio to our rotation as each of them complement one another with their styles of play."
Martins was recently named to the five-person preseason All-Patriot League team. The Irvington, N.Y. native is coming off a breakout sophomore campaign in which she was the Mountain Hawks' leading scorer (14.0) and rebounder (11.1) and broke Lehigh's single-season rebounding record with 344 boards. She finished the 2014-15 season with 18 double-doubles, which led the league and ranked 18th in the nation. She earned second team All-Patriot League honors in addition to a spot on the All-Patriot League Tournament team after helping lead Lehigh to the championship game.
"Lexi is one of the best in the league and has the ability to be very special," said Troyan. "She has continued to grow in her understanding of work ethic and consistency, and is coming off a very strong preseason. She's an incredibly bright player who understands our motion offense and has the ability to make good decisions within it."
Kinek, a three-time All-Patriot League member, finished last season as the team's second-leading scorer (11.5 ppg) and rebounder (7.6 ppg). The Whitehall, Pa. native became the sixth-ever Mountain Hawk to join the 1,000 point/500 rebound club and enters her final season in the Brown and White with 1,215 career points and 715 career rebounds.
"Kerry is another versatile post who can be one of the best in the league given her versatility to play inside and out," said Troyan. "She's putting less pressure on herself to be a scorer because there are other people around her who can help out in that area. We have very high expectations for Kerry in her senior season and feel like she is poised to have a big year."
Sharlow led last year's squad with a 54.2 (71-for-131) shooting percentage. She finished her junior campaign with 5.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per contest.
"Liz is our glue player," explained Troyan. "She's the tough kid who does all of the little things that make a team successful: defending, rebounding, diving on the floor for loose balls, taking charges, and basically setting the tone for our team's toughness. She's one of the most important people in our program because of what she brings as a leader and the intangibles that she brings to the court with her play."
"The combination of Quinci and Kayla gives us two very dynamic point guards and I think two of the best point guards in the league," said Troyan. "They're two very different looks in terms of point guard play and I think that will play to our advantage in and out of conference play."
Mann started all 31 games for the Mountain Hawks last season and earned a spot on the Patriot League All-Rookie team. The Oakland, Calif. native played a major role in helping Lehigh to the championship game thanks to her strong tournament play and finished her rookie campaign with an average of eight points per game.
"Quinci has played at a very high level in the preseason," said Troyan. "She has shown a lot of growth and maturity coming out of her freshman year and has gained a high level of confidence through the summer and our overseas trip. We're looking for her to take a big step in her game this year and I think she has the potential to be one of the strongest point guards in the league."
Burton is coming off a sophomore campaign in which she saw action in all 31 games and provided a spark off the bench. She scored a season-best 13 points in a victory over Hampton.
"Kayla was a big spark for us last year and I believe she can have an even larger role this season," said Troyan. "She's very strong in the open court and playing an up-tempo game, has a great ability to handle the ball well against pressure, the ability to knock down the perimeter shot and scores the ball well."
Moffat returns after seeing action in 15 games during her sophomore campaign.
"Kari has done a great job during preseason and will be more of a role player for us this year," said Troyan. "She has done a great job in her role in practice and has pushed Quinci and Kayla to get better every day. She's a smart player who can provide a spark to the team coming off the bench giving us quality minutes."
The Mountain Hawks will use a combination of four different players at the shooting guard position in senior Elizabeth Jordan, freshman Hailey Pascoe and sophomores Bernadette Devaney and Taylor Campbell.
Jordan saw action in all but two games a season ago and scored a season-high 12 points by making four first-half three pointers in a win over Eastern Illinois.
"Liz has always played really well in a practice setting and the focus has been gaining confidence in a game setting," explained Troyan. "She had significant minutes in Europe this summer and that has really translated to her practicing at a high level. She is one of the best shooters I've ever coached. There is a lot of opportunity in front of her and I think she could have a breakout senior year."
Pascoe comes to Lehigh from Concord, Calif. where she was the all-time leading scorer at Clayton Valley Charter High School with 1,840 points. She held the school's single-season scoring (707) and single-season free throws (105) records.
"Hailey is right in the mix to start at the wing position," said Troyan. "She's a strong, physical player who can shoot the ball and is a great, versatile scorer. Like most freshmen, the defensive concepts will need a little time to develop, but she has a lot to offer to our program on the offensive end and once she learns the defensive systems she'll get better and better throughout the course of her freshman year."
Devaney and Campbell hope to take on a larger role this season after gaining valuable minutes as freshmen. Devaney made 20 appearances a season ago and scored a career-high six points to help Lehigh to a 72-69 win over Eastern Illinois. Campbell saw action in 13 games and scored her first career points against East Stroudsburg.
"Bernie gives us somebody who has a really good sense for the game and can play the point or shooting guard," said Troyan. "She's a strong perimeter shooter who fits very well within our motion system with given her high basketball IQ and offensive skills.
"Taylor is an aggressive wing who brings a scoring mentality to the position," continued Troyan. "She has been practicing at a very high level in the preseason, but has recently been hampered with illness. We look forward to getting her back onto the court and working her into the rotation."
Senior Amina Affini will get the start at the wing position, while Mann and Pascoe are expected to see time in that slot as well. A strong all-around player, Affini saw action in all 31 games last season and made 14 starts. She finished her junior campaign with an average of 3.5 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.
"I think Amina has grown more than any other player over her four years in our program in terms of her ability, understanding and work ethic," said Troyan. "She's by far our best defender on the floor and gives us great versatility as someone who can defend any position (1-5) on the floor. She is a player who has the ability to score, play inside and out, defend and rebound. We have very high expectations for what she will bring to the floor this season."
Also expected to see time later in the season after she recovers from illness is sophomore Mae Williams whose versatility allows her to play in the wing and small forward spots.
"Mae had a great preseason and really benefitted from playing in Europe," said Troyan. "She's taken a lot of strong steps in developing her game and confidence and she'll provide us good depth at both the wing and post. She's one of those gritty kids who does all of the little things that are needed to win games and we have high expectations for what she can bring to the program."
"Our end goal is to win a championship, but we'll work towards that by getting better each game and focusing on the process," said Troyan. "We need to do the little things well and continue to capitalize on our strengths while developing areas where we're weaker and making adjustments as the season goes along. I have a high level of confidence and belief in this group of players; they are tough-minded, hard-working, unselfish and led by a great group of seniors. We're excited for the journey to begin on Friday."
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh women's basketball team is poised and ready to begin a season-long journey that hopes to end with a fourth Patriot League Championship. The team returns an experienced group of 12 upperclassmen and welcomes three newcomers as the Mountain Hawks look to build upon the momentum from a 2014-15 season that saw Lehigh make a championship game appearance.
"Playing in the championship game last year gave this team a sense of needed confidence where they know they can compete at the top of our league," said head coach Sue Troyan, who enters her 21st season at the helm. "The team truly believes that they can win a championship because we were there last year, have an understanding of what it takes to get there, and feel like we have some unfinished business out there. We want to focus on the process and getting better game by game."
The championship game appearance, Lehigh's first since 2010, capped off an impressive 2014-15 season for the Mountain Hawks who finished the campaign with a 19-12 overall record and 9-9 mark in league play. Lehigh earned the No. 6 seed in the Patriot League Tournament and picked up road wins at No. 3 Holy Cross and No. 2 Army to advance to the championship.
Lehigh loses two of last season's players in Katie O'Reilly and Sarah Williams, but returns 12 letterwinners and three starters from the 2014-15 campaign. The returning Mountain Hawks accounted for 73 percent of last year's total points, 80.1 percent of made three-pointers, 84.7 percent of total rebounds and 72.3 percent of total minutes.
This season, early injuries have forced three Mountain Hawks (Kiernan McCloskey, Meagan Eripret and Bryce Menendez) to be ruled out of game action indefinitely, but a strong core of experienced players have the coaching staff excited about the season's potential.
"We have quality depth at every position," said Troyan. "There are some areas where we can't afford injury right now, but we have a lot of players who have the ability to score the ball at every position. Our four seniors (Amina Affini, Elizabeth Jordan, Kerry Kinek and Elizabeth Sharlow) have all played large roles over their four years and they bring a lot to the table in terms of leadership, talent, drive and urgency. I believe our experience and leadership are not only our strengths, but keys to taking that next step towards a championship."
Forwards
Seniors Kerry Kinek and Elizabeth Sharlow, along with junior Lexi Martins, will comprise the Mountain Hawks' post rotation. Troyan and the coaching staff feel that all three forwards are some of the top post players in the league and that the rotation will be a significant strength of the team. Martins, Kinek and Sharlow shot a combined 47.5 percent (351-for-739) from the field, scored 45.6 percent (972-of-2,131) of Lehigh's points and accounted for 54 percent (695-of-1,286) of Lehigh's rebounds during the 2014-15 campaign."Our post play is one of the major strengths of our team," said Troyan. "We'll continue to play through our posts because we have three of the best players in the league in our post rotation. Lexi, Kerry and Liz bring a dynamic trio to our rotation as each of them complement one another with their styles of play."
Martins was recently named to the five-person preseason All-Patriot League team. The Irvington, N.Y. native is coming off a breakout sophomore campaign in which she was the Mountain Hawks' leading scorer (14.0) and rebounder (11.1) and broke Lehigh's single-season rebounding record with 344 boards. She finished the 2014-15 season with 18 double-doubles, which led the league and ranked 18th in the nation. She earned second team All-Patriot League honors in addition to a spot on the All-Patriot League Tournament team after helping lead Lehigh to the championship game.
"Lexi is one of the best in the league and has the ability to be very special," said Troyan. "She has continued to grow in her understanding of work ethic and consistency, and is coming off a very strong preseason. She's an incredibly bright player who understands our motion offense and has the ability to make good decisions within it."
Kinek, a three-time All-Patriot League member, finished last season as the team's second-leading scorer (11.5 ppg) and rebounder (7.6 ppg). The Whitehall, Pa. native became the sixth-ever Mountain Hawk to join the 1,000 point/500 rebound club and enters her final season in the Brown and White with 1,215 career points and 715 career rebounds.
"Kerry is another versatile post who can be one of the best in the league given her versatility to play inside and out," said Troyan. "She's putting less pressure on herself to be a scorer because there are other people around her who can help out in that area. We have very high expectations for Kerry in her senior season and feel like she is poised to have a big year."
Sharlow led last year's squad with a 54.2 (71-for-131) shooting percentage. She finished her junior campaign with 5.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per contest.
"Liz is our glue player," explained Troyan. "She's the tough kid who does all of the little things that make a team successful: defending, rebounding, diving on the floor for loose balls, taking charges, and basically setting the tone for our team's toughness. She's one of the most important people in our program because of what she brings as a leader and the intangibles that she brings to the court with her play."
Guards
Sophomore Quinci Mann and juniors Kayla Burton and Kari Moffat will all chip in at point guard. Mann will get the starting nod, but will also see time at the other guard positions, allowing Burton to have a more significant role this season."The combination of Quinci and Kayla gives us two very dynamic point guards and I think two of the best point guards in the league," said Troyan. "They're two very different looks in terms of point guard play and I think that will play to our advantage in and out of conference play."
Mann started all 31 games for the Mountain Hawks last season and earned a spot on the Patriot League All-Rookie team. The Oakland, Calif. native played a major role in helping Lehigh to the championship game thanks to her strong tournament play and finished her rookie campaign with an average of eight points per game.
"Quinci has played at a very high level in the preseason," said Troyan. "She has shown a lot of growth and maturity coming out of her freshman year and has gained a high level of confidence through the summer and our overseas trip. We're looking for her to take a big step in her game this year and I think she has the potential to be one of the strongest point guards in the league."
Burton is coming off a sophomore campaign in which she saw action in all 31 games and provided a spark off the bench. She scored a season-best 13 points in a victory over Hampton.
"Kayla was a big spark for us last year and I believe she can have an even larger role this season," said Troyan. "She's very strong in the open court and playing an up-tempo game, has a great ability to handle the ball well against pressure, the ability to knock down the perimeter shot and scores the ball well."
Moffat returns after seeing action in 15 games during her sophomore campaign.
"Kari has done a great job during preseason and will be more of a role player for us this year," said Troyan. "She has done a great job in her role in practice and has pushed Quinci and Kayla to get better every day. She's a smart player who can provide a spark to the team coming off the bench giving us quality minutes."
The Mountain Hawks will use a combination of four different players at the shooting guard position in senior Elizabeth Jordan, freshman Hailey Pascoe and sophomores Bernadette Devaney and Taylor Campbell.
Jordan saw action in all but two games a season ago and scored a season-high 12 points by making four first-half three pointers in a win over Eastern Illinois.
"Liz has always played really well in a practice setting and the focus has been gaining confidence in a game setting," explained Troyan. "She had significant minutes in Europe this summer and that has really translated to her practicing at a high level. She is one of the best shooters I've ever coached. There is a lot of opportunity in front of her and I think she could have a breakout senior year."
Pascoe comes to Lehigh from Concord, Calif. where she was the all-time leading scorer at Clayton Valley Charter High School with 1,840 points. She held the school's single-season scoring (707) and single-season free throws (105) records.
"Hailey is right in the mix to start at the wing position," said Troyan. "She's a strong, physical player who can shoot the ball and is a great, versatile scorer. Like most freshmen, the defensive concepts will need a little time to develop, but she has a lot to offer to our program on the offensive end and once she learns the defensive systems she'll get better and better throughout the course of her freshman year."
Devaney and Campbell hope to take on a larger role this season after gaining valuable minutes as freshmen. Devaney made 20 appearances a season ago and scored a career-high six points to help Lehigh to a 72-69 win over Eastern Illinois. Campbell saw action in 13 games and scored her first career points against East Stroudsburg.
"Bernie gives us somebody who has a really good sense for the game and can play the point or shooting guard," said Troyan. "She's a strong perimeter shooter who fits very well within our motion system with given her high basketball IQ and offensive skills.
"Taylor is an aggressive wing who brings a scoring mentality to the position," continued Troyan. "She has been practicing at a very high level in the preseason, but has recently been hampered with illness. We look forward to getting her back onto the court and working her into the rotation."
Senior Amina Affini will get the start at the wing position, while Mann and Pascoe are expected to see time in that slot as well. A strong all-around player, Affini saw action in all 31 games last season and made 14 starts. She finished her junior campaign with an average of 3.5 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.
"I think Amina has grown more than any other player over her four years in our program in terms of her ability, understanding and work ethic," said Troyan. "She's by far our best defender on the floor and gives us great versatility as someone who can defend any position (1-5) on the floor. She is a player who has the ability to score, play inside and out, defend and rebound. We have very high expectations for what she will bring to the floor this season."
Also expected to see time later in the season after she recovers from illness is sophomore Mae Williams whose versatility allows her to play in the wing and small forward spots.
"Mae had a great preseason and really benefitted from playing in Europe," said Troyan. "She's taken a lot of strong steps in developing her game and confidence and she'll provide us good depth at both the wing and post. She's one of those gritty kids who does all of the little things that are needed to win games and we have high expectations for what she can bring to the program."
Outlook
The talented and experienced Mountain Hawks look to mesh together to make a run at the program's fourth Patriot League title in 2015-16. The journey towards a championship begins Friday Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. inside Stabler Arena when Lehigh hosts Monmouth."Our end goal is to win a championship, but we'll work towards that by getting better each game and focusing on the process," said Troyan. "We need to do the little things well and continue to capitalize on our strengths while developing areas where we're weaker and making adjustments as the season goes along. I have a high level of confidence and belief in this group of players; they are tough-minded, hard-working, unselfish and led by a great group of seniors. We're excited for the journey to begin on Friday."
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/ Women's BasketballLehigh Sports Central: Women's Basketball
Wednesday, November 19
Season Preview - Women's Basketball
Friday, October 31
Chasing Greatness: The Road to the Patriot League Title - Part 2
Thursday, May 15
Chasing Greatness: The Road to the Patriot League Title - Part 1
Wednesday, May 14
