2008 Woodie Awards
Looking Up
Goucher women's basketball has struggled, but an influx of young talent promises an exciting home stretch and a bright future.
Tyler Adams
Issue date: 2/9/05 Section: Sports and Wellness
It is never easy to call a year a "rebuilding year." Rebuilding usually translates to being lost and planless. Goucher women's basketball lost a lot of firepower when stars Kate Guggino and Stephanie Tolbert graduated last year, and though expectations for this season were not high, the year on paper seems a major disappointment.
Yet this is no ordinary rebuilding year. Though the 2-16 record the Goucher women's basketball team holds as of this writing may not reflect it, there has been plenty of progress this year.
Under the guidance of Coach Charleata Neal and junior point guard Stacy Hollander, the year has given playing time to no less than seven freshmen, and the flashes of brilliance are becoming more controlled and cohesive with each game.
The beginning of the season was less than encouraging, yielding a 0-9 start, the worst in Goucher's history. But after the first win, a 64-55 defeat of non-conference opponent Neumann, the team has shown more potential.
In that win, freshman forward Emily Ramsay played her first game, dropping a double-double on the Knights. Two games earlier, freshman center Colleen Orton set a Goucher record with seven blocked shots against Christopher Newport. Clearly, the freshmen are making an impact.
Veterans have stepped up too. Senior Shaye Pleasant and junior Kimberley Gordy have made significant scoring contributions, while Hollander has been Goucher's bastion of consistency, leading the team in scoring at 11.6 ppg and ranking fourth in the Capital Athletic Conference in assists per contest. With Ramsay getting back to full health and the other freshmen developing, it seems that the team's future may be realized soon.
One reason for that is the mid-season addition of Shadae Swan, a freshman guard from Delaware State, who, after dropping 31 points on Gallaudet in Goucher's second win of the season, earned Co-Conference Player of the Week. As Swan meshes with an offense that already boasts several sources of production, Goucher has the ability to put up big number on their side of the scoreboard. However, the issue throughout the year for this Gophers squad has been defense.
Yet this is no ordinary rebuilding year. Though the 2-16 record the Goucher women's basketball team holds as of this writing may not reflect it, there has been plenty of progress this year.
Under the guidance of Coach Charleata Neal and junior point guard Stacy Hollander, the year has given playing time to no less than seven freshmen, and the flashes of brilliance are becoming more controlled and cohesive with each game.
The beginning of the season was less than encouraging, yielding a 0-9 start, the worst in Goucher's history. But after the first win, a 64-55 defeat of non-conference opponent Neumann, the team has shown more potential.
In that win, freshman forward Emily Ramsay played her first game, dropping a double-double on the Knights. Two games earlier, freshman center Colleen Orton set a Goucher record with seven blocked shots against Christopher Newport. Clearly, the freshmen are making an impact.
Veterans have stepped up too. Senior Shaye Pleasant and junior Kimberley Gordy have made significant scoring contributions, while Hollander has been Goucher's bastion of consistency, leading the team in scoring at 11.6 ppg and ranking fourth in the Capital Athletic Conference in assists per contest. With Ramsay getting back to full health and the other freshmen developing, it seems that the team's future may be realized soon.
One reason for that is the mid-season addition of Shadae Swan, a freshman guard from Delaware State, who, after dropping 31 points on Gallaudet in Goucher's second win of the season, earned Co-Conference Player of the Week. As Swan meshes with an offense that already boasts several sources of production, Goucher has the ability to put up big number on their side of the scoreboard. However, the issue throughout the year for this Gophers squad has been defense.