Season Preview: Youthful Sea Gulls ready to flock together on the court
The Salisbury University women's basketball team heads into the 2008-09 season looking to build upon the success they had at the end of last season. Three core veterans return to lead the Sea Gulls and have gelled well with the newcomers as the team is ready to embark on this season's campaign.
The Sea Gulls finished 12-15 overall last season, 8-8 in the Capital Athletic Conference, and reached the conference semifinals. The roster features juniors Kylie Hall (Baltimore, Md./Lansdowne) and Janay Johnson (Baltimore, Md./Catonsville), sophomore Chante McKinney (Gaithersburg, Md./Gaithersburg) along with five freshmen. SU coach Charisse Mapp is not fazed by the young and small roster as she has been impressed with the team's character so far.
"The team has come together, and set particular goals for the season," said Mapp. "This is a very close team and I am very pleased with our work ethic so far. The returners are demanding a certain level of hard work and breeding it into the younger girls. The freshmen are responding to it very well."
Mapp returns for her second season at the helm for the Sea Gulls and is looks to build off of the positive energy gained last season.
"I just want to thank the University and the Sea Gull community for accepting me so well in my first year," said Mapp. "They brought me in and made me feel very welcomed. I could not ask for a better introduction into this program."
Here is a look at the Sea Gulls at each position:
GUARDS
McKinney is the lone returning guard for SU and will be looked to
lead the Sea Gulls at the point guard position. In her rookie
campaign, she dished out 61 assists and had 38 steals. McKinney
came up big for SU last season on both sides of the ball. She hit
the game winning three-pointer in Salisbury's 58-55 victory over
York (Pa.) College on February 6.
"Chante does an excellent job with her decision making on offense," said Mapp. "Defensively, she is aggressive and her job is to cause havoc. One thing we have worked hard in her game is establishing consistency."
Salisbury features four other guards on its roster, all of which are freshman. These freshmen have worked very hard and have impressed Mapp. So far, each has shown good leadership traits and the ability to want to learn.
"When I was recruiting these girls, I looked for those kinds of things," said Mapp. "They are learning to play at the college level and have shown me so far that they are not only passionate about the learning process, but are very selfless and team oriented."
Meghan Dunn (Olney, Md./Sherwood) was predominately a shooter in high school and is looking to develop her game at SU. She has brought a great attitude to practice and has appeared to be very coachable. Dunn, who played at Sherwood High School, was an honorable mention selection on the Montgomery County Gazette All-County team after her senior season in '08.
Sherrita Hall (Temple Hills, Md./Potomac) is what Mapp calls "a bundle full of energy". The rookie possesses a work ethic that is non-stop and contagious. Hall will be looked at to contribute on a consistent basis for the Sea Gulls.
"She has a genuine passion for herself and her teammates," said Mapp. "The energy she gives is focused, day-in and day-out."
Glen Charlton (Landover, Md./DuVal) is another freshman that Mapp is very high on. Charlton has a great shot and absorbs information well. She's coachable and has displayed a knack for hustling. Charlton, who played at DuVal High School, was named to the Gazette's All-Prince George's County team after her senior season in '08.
Katharine Curran (Malvern, Pa./Great Valley) comes from a strong high school program in Pennsylvania. According to Mapp, she knows about transition and what it's all about. Curran was a part of a group of girls that helped resurrect Great Valley High School's women's basketball team with a 21-3 record last season. Curran will be looked at to shoot more often for the Sea Gulls.
"KC (Curran) is used to dishing the ball," said Mapp. "We are working hard on getting her to score as well. There has been a point made in practice for her to get shots."
FORWARDS
The Sea Gulls feature two returning forwards in Johnson
and team captain Kylie Hall. The two juniors have both done an
outstanding job so far in helping the freshmen on the team.
"Kylie and Janay are always working hard," said Mapp. "Their passion is evident and they are requiring the rest of the team to do the same."
Hall is looking to build on her strong finish at the end of last season. In the CAC tournament, she tallied double-digit point totals against St. Mary's (Md.) College (12 points) and Marymount (Va.) University (11 points). She became a regular member of the starting lineup (19 starts) last season after she posted an impressive performance off of the bench against Virginia Wesleyan College (eight points, two rebounds) on November 20. Hall was among the team leaders in field goal percentage (.412), rebounds (163), minutes (689) and points per game (6.2).
"Kylie is a natural leader," said Mapp. "The hard work she exemplifies is contagious. I love her physical presence and her feel for the game. She never takes a break and her level of intensity is always high. Kylie has also come back very improved offensively, something I am very excited about."
Johnson started in 22 games for SU last season and was among the
team leaders in rebounds (151), blocks (seven) and points per game
(7.6). She posted big games against York (13 points, six
rebounds), at Gallaudet (14 points, five rebounds) and at Hood (13
points, 13 rebounds).
"She is a phenomenal kid," said Mapp. "Janay is a power player and is passionate about what she does. Her goals are high and she is not satisfied with just going through the motions. She is all about playing with intensity."
The other forward on the roster is freshman Kelly Ryan (Greenlawn, N.Y./Harborfields). Ryan exemplifies patience and is a very coachable. She has a nice shooting touch and carries a great attitude into the gym for the Sea Gulls.
SCHEDULE
Salisbury has a very demanding schedule and almost every
single one of their non-conference opponents were invited to the
NCAA tournament last season. With such a tough schedule, the women
will be tested early.
"The schedule will be tough," said Mapp. "But, the thing about this team is that they are young and they are going to be excited."
SU will kick off its 2008-09 season in Union, N.J., for the Kean University Tip-Off Tournament and will face Baldwin-Wallace on November 15. Baldwin-Wallace is ranked No. 12 in the preseason by D3hoops.com. The host, Kean, is ranked No. 4 in the country after the Cougars went 28-4 last season. The Sea Gulls remain on the road to face Virginia Wesleyan College on November 19 before SU opens its home schedule on November 22 against No. 18 The College of New Jersey. The Sea Gulls will be home for six straight games as the maroon and gold host Washington (Md.) College (November 25), begin the conference schedule with defending CAC champion University of Mary Washington (December 3), host the annual Optimist Classic (December 5-6) and close out the fall semester against York (Pa.) College (December 9). SU will face non-conference opponents Widener University and Lebanon Valley College on December 5 and 6, respectively, in the Optimist Classic.
"The team is going to need the presence of the Sea Gull community at all of our home games this season," said Mapp. "They will ultimately be our sixth man."
Salisbury begins the New Year on January 3 as the Sea Gulls participate in the New York University Classic (January 3-4) where they will face Brockport State and College of St. Elizabeth. SU will then play six conference games on the road and two at home during the month of January. The two home games will take place on January 17 (Gallaudet) and January 19 (Stevenson). In February, SU will host four CAC home games and travel twice before the CAC tournament. SU welcomes St. Mary's on February 2 in a rematch of last year's CAC tournament quarterfinal game that the Sea Gulls won, 79-78. Route 13 rival Wesley College travels to the Maggs Center on February 7. SU will travel for two back-to-back games before it will conclude its regular-season at home with games against Marymount (Va.) University, ranked No. 22 in the preseason, on February 18 and Hood College on February 21. Marymount ended SU's season last season in the CAC semifinals, 75-66. The Hood game is the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) "Pink Zone" game this season. Last year, SU had 325 fans attend the WBCA "Think Pink" game to show their support and help promote breast cancer awareness.
SUMMARY
The Sea Gulls are very enthusiastic and excited to build
off last year's success in the CAC tournament and will strive for
bigger and better things in 2008-09. The mix between veterans
wanting to lead and freshmen passionate about learning plays
particularly well for this year's team. The lineup is not fully set
but it is certain that these women will continue to compete and
push each other for the starting jobs. The Sea Gulls have
shown promise in making everything about the team. The
selfless approach will be needed for the women to pursue their
first conference crown since 2002. Salisbury's ability to
come together and work hard every day appears to be their
motto to success for the upcoming season.
"There are only five players that can play at one time," said Mapp. "It doesn't matter how deep your bench is, everyone needs to be ready to play. Each player must be prepared to be on the floor at all times. If the girls can continue to keep pushing each other, then this group is really going to be special. I cannot tell you how excited I am about the team this year."
2008-09 Salisbury University Women's Basketball
