ELON, NC -- Elon enters the 2003-04 season dealing with many changes. The team will have to look to replace players such as Jayme Chikos, the Big South Conference’s and school’s all-time assists leader, Anestha Blakeney, a force for the Phoenix on the block, and Ivey Ghee, the most athletic player on last year’s squad. This season will also mark the first season of membership in the prestigious Southern Conference.
Head Coach Brenda Paul knows that life in the Southern Conference is no cake walk. “We have to adjust to the level of play in the Southern Conference, a league ranked in the top half of the RPI (the Southern Conference finished the year rated 15th out of 32). We are excited about facing these challenges and we are looking forward to this season.”
Paul has reason to be optimistic for the upcoming season. The team returns the 2001-02 Big South Conference Player of the Year and a two-time First Team All-Big South selection in Holly Andrews. Also back for the Phoenix this season will be 6’5” Courtney Nyborg, Elon’s single-game record holder for blocks in a game with seven, and Rasalynn Jones, a tenacious defender. All three players were starters last season and are entering their senior years.
"We have three starters returning and are a veteran club," Paul says of her squad. "Because we are a veteran team, I believe we will be able to be competitive within our league."
THE PERIMETER
Elon’s backcourt will be anchored by seniors Holly Andrews (Hudson, N.C./South Caldwell) and Lisa Miller (Beaver Falls, Pa./University of Toledo).
Miller (pictured right), a former Pennsylvania State Player of the Year, averaged 16.1 minutes, 1.3 assists and 3.1 points in a backup role at point guard last season. In 2003-04, Miller will be looked to for more production as she will be running the Phoenix offense.
Andrews led the squad in scoring for the second consecutive season, netting 14.9 points per contest as a junior. She also grabbed 3.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game last year. Andrews enters the season with 1,100 career points and was Elon’s 16th women’s player to eclipse the 1,000 point plateau. She will be relied upon for the same kind of scoring numbers that she has put up in each of the past two seasons when she averaged 15.6 points. Last season, Andrews scored 20 or more points six times, including a career-best 30 points in a victory over Charleston Southern.
Adding depth to the guard position will be a deadly three-point shooter in Jessica Williams (Delbarton, W.Va./Burch) and role player Jane Bartley (Olney, Md./Sherwood), both juniors.
Williams connected on 30 three-point attempts last year en route to scoring 131 points. Against 13th-ranked North Carolina, Williams bucketed a career-high five threes. This season she will be counted on for even more production.
Bartley, a walk-on two seasons ago, saw action in six games as a sophomore, scoring 14 points and grabbing three rebounds.
A new addition at guard for Elon this season will be Cowley County Community College transfer Alexandra Schafranek (Budapest, Hungary). At Cowley County, Schafranek helped lead the Tigers to a 28-6 overall record last season and a runner-up finish in Region Six. She averaged 7.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per contest in 2002-03 and helped guide Cowley County CC to a final national ranking of 21st last season. Schafranek has the size to play inside and the ball-handling skills to run the point.
Returning at the small forward position will be senior Rasalynn Jones (Townville, S.C./Pendleton). As a junior, Jones started 21 games, averaging 13.7 minutes per contest. She will be expected to match up with the opponent’s top offensive threat this season as she is a tenacious defender.
Paul added more depth to the small forward position this season by bringing aboard freshman Brittany Winner (Minster, Ohio/Minster).
Winner shot 47.3 percent from the field, scoring 267 points (12.7 ppg) in her senior season at Minster High. She led her Minster squad in scoring and rebounding (5.0 rpg). Winner also averaged 2.7 assists per contest over 21 games as a senior. Paul says she is a very smart player and a confident defender as well as a consistent offensive player.
THE POST
Brianne Gray (Dunkirk, Md./Northern) will also see plenty of action this season. At 6’2”, Gray is the second-tallest player on the team and developed her game nicely last season as a reserve who averaged 13.5 minutes and 2.7 points per game. Now in her junior season, Gray will be expected to up her production even more to make the Phoenix’ first season in the Southern Conference a successful one.
Joining Gray in the post will be the team’s lone sophomore, Samantha McComas (Huntington, W.Va./Huntington). In a back-up role last season McComas averaged 1.8 points and 6.2 minutes per contest. The coaching staff looks for her role to increase in her second season. Her physical game should help the inside defense for the Phoenix.
Another new addition to the Elon program this season is Kitara McMoore (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial). McMoore will have to sit out the 2003-04 season due to NCAA transfer regulations. As a senior at First Colonial last year, McMoore averaged 21.2 points per game. She is a three-time All-Beach District First Team selection and First Colonial’s first All-State AAA First Team honoree. She has also been honored as Beach Player of the Year and played in the 2003 Virginia High School Coaches Association All-Star Game.
Senior Courtney Nyborg (Apex, N.C./Southeast Raleigh) will be a force at center for the Phoenix. The 6’5” Nyborg (pictured left) enters the season second on the career blocks list with 126. Even without blocking shots her size forces the opponents to alter shots, creating rebounding opportunites. As a junior, Nyborg led the team with 7.0 rebounds per outing. She also finished third on the squad in scoring, averaging 8.1 points per game. In 2002-03 she rejected 51 shots and she is expected to provide more of the same this year.
THE SCHEDULE
The non-conference slate for the Phoenix will be daunting once again. Elon will face up to four 2003 NCAA Tournament teams this season in Duke (Final Four), Villanova (Elite Eight), New Mexico (Sweet 16) and Chattanooga (First Round).
The year begins with a trip to ACC powerhouse Duke. Also appearing on the non-conference schedule are William & Mary, Longwood, North Carolina A&T and American. Over Thanksgiving weekend, Paul’s squad will head to Albuquerque, N.M. to participate in the Holiday Inn Mountain View Invitational hosted by New Mexico. Here the Phoenix will square off with Big East contender Villanova in its opening game. The following night will see Elon battle either New Mexico or Youngstown State.
With the move to the Southern Conference, Elon will be facing a more challenging conference schedule than it has in years past. This season Elon will do battle with Appalachian State, College of Charleston, Chattanooga, Davidson, East Tennessee State, Furman, Georgia Southern, UNC Greensboro, Western Carolina and Wofford. Paul says, "We've got a tough challenge ahead of us this year. Not only do we face teams like Duke, New Mexico and Villanova, but we have to adjust to the level of play in the Southern Conference.”
A tough schedule and new conference affiliation has the Phoenix eager to begin the 2003-04 season. The team looks forward to the new challenges that it faces and is ready to meet any and all obstacles head on.
-- ELON --
