Women's Basketball Season Outlook
Nov 4, 2015 | Women's Basketball
Loyola Exhibition All-Access Stream
NEW ORLEANS - The 2015-16 Tulane women's basketball team will make their debut Thursday, Nov. 5, when they take to the court at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in Devlin Fieldhouse for an exhibition showdown vs. Freret Street neighbor Loyola at 5:30 p.m. CT. The contest kicks off a doubleheader with the Wolf Pack, with the Green Wave men's team to follow at 8 p.m. Tickets to Thursday's game will be $5 and will also allow fans to stay for the men's contest, though, there will be no reentry allowed.
The Olive and Blue are coming off a successful first year in the American Athletic Conference where they finished 22-11 overall, 11-7 in the conference, reached the semis of the American Conference Championships and received their first NCAA Tournament at-large bid since 2003, thus booking their 11th overall ticket to the Big Dance.
"For us, it was an exciting year in The American because we felt like it was a national conference that you could definitely get that recognition," head coach Lisa Stockton said. "It ended up being a perfect situation. We made a tough non-conference schedule, played in a tough conference and then got an at-large bid, which is certainly what you want. Having our team play a level like UConn has certainly opened their eyes to what's out there and what a great future we can have."
Coaching familiarity still reigns supreme at Tulane, as head coach Lisa Stockton returns for her 22nd season. Stockton achieved quite the milestone at the end of last year's season, crossing over the 500-career win plateau, currently sitting with a 501-242 record, which ranks 29th amongst all active NCAA Division-I coaches. Stockton also brings back all of her assistant coaches, as the unit has now been together for over four years.
The Wave lost a senior quartet of Jamie Kaplan, Danielle Blagg, Tiffany Dale and Adesuwa Ebomwonyi, who contributed 89 wins over their four-year careers, compiling 46.1 percent of the team's scoring. To fill the void, the Tulane staff have brought in six newcomers, featuring five freshmen. It marks the first time the Green Wave have had five freshmen since the 2010 season, which also happened to be an NCAA Tournament year.
Debuting for the Green Wave this year will be freshmen Ksenija Madzarevic (Novi Sad, Serbia), Harlyn Wyatt (Atlanta, Ga.), Taylor Emery (Tampa, Fla.), Tene Thompson (Powder Springs, Ga.), Meredith Schulte (Braselton, Ga.) and junior college transfer Shakira Harding (Houma, La.).
"We have six new players, with five of them being freshmen, and it's always an adjustment when you have new players in the program," Stockton stated. "The nice thing about our new people is that they are very talented. Although the system is new and there's a lot of challenges for them to adjust, I think they've done a great job of being able to come in and contribute. Just in the first couple of weeks of practice, I've seen an increase in intensity and they understand the system more. You can also see more confidence developing. When you have this mixture with the new and the old, you expect them to get better and this is one we can build momentum as we go, especially once we get into conference play."
What's also unique about this year's roster dynamic is that the six newcomers equal the number of returners: two sophomores (Kolby Morgan & Caylah Cruickshank), two juniors (Courtnie Latham & Leslie Vorpahl) and two seniors (Chinwe Duru and Tierra Jones). Said returners helped Tulane achieve its sixth straight 20+ win season, sixth straight trip to the postseason, its ninth straight winning season, and a defense that ranked in the top-25 for over three-fourths of the season, holding eight opponents to 50 points or less.
"I think that's what's so special in my years at Tulane is that we have senior classes that really contribute and then have classes beneath them that are ready to step into their footsteps," Stockton explained. That's what our group has done. Our returners have done a tremendous job all summer, sticking around campus to work out and to take all the freshmen under their wing and trying to show them the way. Our returners are excited to take a new role and that baton and lead this team. You look at what we are returning and there's a lot of quality players there."
Point Guards
When assessing the point guard position, look no further than junior Leslie Vorpahl, who has played in 61 total games with 19 starts. Last season, Vorpahl averaged 7.4 points, 2.4 assists, and 1.4 steals, which all finished in the top-3 on the team. Vorpahl surged in conference play, ranking in the top-15 amongst all American players in assists, steals, three-point percentage and three pointers per game. Vorpahl also shined in true road games, where she averaged 8.9 points and shot over 50 percent from both the field (51.7 percent) and beyond the arc (17-33).
Harding will also see time at the point, transferring in from Hutchinson Community College where her sophomore class was just the third group in school history to reach 70 wins in their first two seasons, compiling a 71-2 record, with both losses occurring in the NJCAA Division-I National Championship game. As a sophomore, Harding averaged 7.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists while shooting 45.7 percent from the field.
Another option for the Wave is Caylah Cruickshank who played in 19 games in her debut season. The sophomore averaged 5.9 minutes setting a career high of six points, when she went on an individual 6-0 run vs Houston in the first round of the conference tournament.
"A lot of our positions are mixed but the point guard is not. Leslie Vorpahl has been in the starting lineup over her first two years in different positions. Last spring I handed her a green baton and said it's your time. Her game has improved and she's worked hard over the summer on her outside shooting. She's someone we're very confident at point. Shakira Harding has come in as a true point guard, transferring from junior college. We also have some other players that can go in and play that position when you look at both Caylah Cruickshank and Courtnie Latham, whose ball handling has really improved. There might be some changing with who plays that position, but I think we have some options."
The Shooting Guards
When looking at the rest of the guards, one must first start with sophomore standout Kolby Morgan, who started in all 33 games except the first two, averaging 28.5 minutes per game. Morgan ranked second amongst all freshmen in The American in scoring and 12th overall, with 12.2 points per game. Morgan was also the first Tulane freshman to be selected to an all-conference team, earning third team honors, in addition to becoming the ninth Green Wave ever to be selected for the All-Freshmen Team. Morgan led the team in scoring in 12 games and tallied a career high of 25 points vs. Western Kentucky.
Shooting guard Courtnie Latham, who could also see time at the point, played in all 33 games, starting in the final four of the year. Latham posted the strongest finish on the team, recording double-digit points in seven of the last 13 games. In fact, over the conference tournament, Latham averaged 13.3 points on 42.9 percent shooting, including a career best 15 points vs USF in the semis.
Up next is the freshmen trio of Taylor Emery, Meredith Schulte and Tene Thompson. Emery's 69.0 percent career shooting at Freedom High resulted in 2,689 career points. Emery really emerged in her senior campaign, racking up 1,059 points, which was a new state record in Florida for high school girls' basketball. In addition, her 36.5 scoring average ranked second in the entire nation, earning her All-American status with Parade Magazine.
Schulte finished third in Mill Creek High School history with 1,172 career points, along with becoming the first player in school history to achieve a triple-double. Schulte was ranked the 16th best wing by ESPN and was named the 2015 Region 7A Player of the Year.
Meanwhile, Tene Thompson lettered four years in basketball at Hillgrove High, where she led her squad to four straight playoff appearances, including a run to the 2012 6A state basketball championship game. Thompson was a 2015-All State honorable mention and a 2015 Naismith committee All-Metro honorable mention.
"This is one of those teams where we'll see that there's a point guard and a post and then everyone in between," Stockton said. "I think the exciting thing is that we have some players, who can score. One of Courtnie Latham's greatest improvements is that she's looking to score more. I can't say enough about Kolby Morgan. Last year she led us in scoring as a freshman. She has really improved her game and a lot is going to depend on her. You look at our Parade All-American, Taylor Emery, who has that scorer's mentality. You also have some versatility, whether it's a three or a two, with Meredith Schulte or Tene Thompson. Those players can come in and play different positions which is exciting."
Posts
Chinwe Duru started in 14 games of 32 played, averaging 20.0 minutes. Duru recorded 10 games with double-digit points, averaging 6.6 over the season, and shot an impressive 51.0 percent from the field in conference play. Duru finished the season strong, making 15 of her last 30 shots for a combined 33 points in the last five games. The Texas native also ranked first on the team and seventh in the conference with 1.2 blocks per game.
Tierra Jones started in 22 of 30 total games played, where she averaged 4.1 points on a team best 53.3 percent shooting. Jones captured a career best 16 points at McNeese State, shooting a perfect 8-for-8 from the floor. Jones tied her career high of 10 rebounds at UALR and scored 12 points vs UNI, marking her fourth career game in double figures.
Harlyn Wyatt led Benjamin E. Mays High to a 27-3 record and first championship game since 2003. Wyatt, a 5A First Team All-State honoree, was a two-time All-Region 5A selection and a 2015 Naismith Award winner. Ranked the No. 2 post in Georgia, Wyatt averaged 16 points and eight rebounds as a senior. Finally, Ksenija Madzarevic attended Rabun Gap Nacoochee in Georgia where she averaged 6.1 points, 3.7 rebound, 1.7 assists and 2.8 blocks per game. The freshman was ranked the 49th best post in the country by ESPN after leading her squad to a 2015 State championship runner-up finish.
"Chinwe Duru had a great season last year, starting for us a majority of the year. Duru has worked really hard all summer on her game," Stockton said. "She's really enjoying being a senior and being that leader out there. Harlyn Wyatt has pleasantly been one of the biggest surprises of the year. She is mentally tough and that's probably the best way to describe her. She's going to be a player that really plays for us. She's physical, she can rebound, she picks up plays very easily, and you're going to see her on the floor quite a bit. Ksenija has been injured in the preseason, but we have never had a player with her size and her length. She's also a player I think will continue to get better through her years here. Tierra Jones is one that has improved her ball handing and her ability to face the basket and drive. Anyone that has seen her over the past couple of years knows she is so vital to our defense, but she's also this year looking to take the ball to the basket and get to the free-throw line. We're looking to take advantage of the new rules. You're going to have two free throws every time you go to the line. Our players are trying to get more aggressive because of that."
The Schedule
Green Wave fans will receive 15 chances this season to catch Tulane at home at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in Devlin Fieldhouse, starting with the season opener vs. Arkansas-Little Rock on Nov. 13 at 5:30 p.m. UALR starts a very tough stretch in which Tulane plays five NCAA Tournament teams from last year in a six-game span.
"We talked about it in our first meeting and over the summer," Stockton added. "When dealing with a young team you plan on them playing better later in the season, so I really hung it on our veterans that the early portion of the season has to be theirs. If the freshmen come in and contribute, that's great, but right now in this first part of the season, our upperclassmen really have to show them the way. There's no way that this many young people can know the level they have to play, especially when you look at a Florida State or a LSU. It is a challenging schedule but we learned last year that if we want to go the Dance, we have to play it and hopefully we'll be ready to go right away."
The non-conference portion of the schedule will also feature two tournaments, with Tulane heading to St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam, where they'll play Rutgers, Green Bay and Virginia. Furthermore, the Wave will also host its 20-year holiday tradition in the Tulane Classic presented by Embassy Suites, Dec. 20-21.
Year two in the American Athletic Conference will kick-off at home as well, when the Wave welcome Houston on Dec. 30 at 7 p.m. This season's conference schedule is very similar to last year, where the squad will compete in 18 games, with only playing Memphis and Cincinnati once, but in opposite venues from last year. In addition, the American Athletic Conference Championships return to the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., scheduled for March 4-7.
"I think it's nice to know our opponents," Stocked explained. "Last year going into The American we obviously knew some of them but didn't know them all. It's nice to really know that you've played against Temple, you've played against UConn or South Florida, and to have that little knowledge going into the conference season and know what you have to do to be successful. Our players, after being in the league with UConn one year, know that they have a tremendous intensity with how they play. There's no reason we can't play like that and play with that intensity. I do think we have elevated our game by playing in the league and I think it will show as we go into this year."
With the 2015-16 team ready to roll, Coach Stockton had one last thing to say about her Green Wave:
"This year's team is very fun loving and I enjoy that because as you go into this really tough part of the year, they're embracing it. There's a great chemistry considering you have so many new and old players. I think we are going to be very versatile with different players stepping up. The players that have played more roles in the past are going to step up and show what they have, especially in this early part of the season. It's going to be fun. I've really enjoyed the summer and fall with them. They've probably worked harder than any team I've had in the last five years so I'm hoping that will really show when we step onto the court."
