Extreme Makover: Crimson Tide Edition
10/24/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
With over a week of practice for the 2006-07 women’s basketball team already in the books, RollTide.com takes a look at the upcoming women’s hoops season, the second under head coach Stephany Smith...
The Tide kicks off the season with its first exhibition game on Oct. 31 against West Alabama, and opens the regular season on Nov. 10 in Tuscaloosa against instate rival Samford.
After year one of the Stephany Smith era, it seems clear that the direction and energy of the program has undergone a complete renovation in short time she has been on campus. And even though that renovation wasn’t as evident in the win-loss column as the highly-competitive coach would have liked in her first year on the sidelines in Tuscaloosa, those changes have certainly been for the better.
Nothing indicates that shift in focus than the outlook for the program heading into year two under Smith in 2006-07. Indeed, after a difficult first season at the helm at Alabama, it seems everyone around the program is anxious to erase the memories of Smith’s first losing season as a head coach by getting on the floor as soon as possible.
The optimism surrounding the Tide program is due to the fact that Smith will return a talented core of veterans this season. With a year of seasoning under their belts, this year’s upperclassmen will certainly be much better prepared to implement Smith’s dangerous triangle offense and suffocating man-to-man half-court defense than 12 months ago, when all seemed new to everyone, players, coaches and support staff included.
“What a difference a year makes,” Smith said. “It is a lot of fun to come to work each day with this group. They are eager to learn and are willing to do anything it takes to get Alabama basketball back to what it once was. We have a lot of work left to do and a long way to go, but the attitudes and the work ethic are in place for us to begin taking steps forward in this program.”
Heading the list of returnees is senior guard/forward Navonda Moore, who burst on the scene in the second half of the SEC season. Moore truly proved that she belonged on the center stage of the nation’s premier women’s basketball league in the second half of her junior year, playing some of the best basketball of any player in a conference that included All-Americans and national Player of the Year performers.
Moore’s statistics over the last six weeks of the season were truly phenomenal. In her last nine games, Moore scored in double figures eight times and averaged an impressive 19.2 points per game while connecting on 44.2 percent of her shots from the floor. Moore was also deadly from behind the arc over that stretch, draining 35.6 percent from downtown over the same stretch.
Those numbers seem even better when considering who they were posted against. Indeed, Moore played some of her best basketball against the best opponents. She was especially impressive against archrival Tennessee, regarded by most as the most storied program in all of women’s college basketball.
Against the Lady Vols, Moore was simply unstoppable. In Knoxville in late January, she ripped UT for 26 points, tying a then-career high. At home in February against the No. 5 Lady Vols, Moore was even better. She torched Tennessee for a career high 31 points in that game, setting a new career scoring high for herself and becoming the first Tide player to score 30 or more in a game since 2004.
Moore was equally impressive against some of the other ranked teams in the SEC. She scored 18 points against No. 21 Vanderbilt, had 23 at No. 14 Georgia and added 13 points against No. 3 LSU.
Those efforts were recognized by the coaches around the league when Moore earned second team All-SEC honors following the season, becoming the third Tide player in as many years to be named to the league’s second team.
“Navonda is our leading returning scorer and in many ways, our best player,” Smith said. “But nothing has been given to her this season, she has to earn it on her own. She knows that there are players who are right behind her on this team, and if she lets up, they will be ready to play. I think that motivates her. I think Navonda is ready for a great season.”
Another key returning veteran for the 2006-07 squad will be Mastin, who should be ready for a senior season back at her natural shooting guard position. Mastin, who is probably the Tide’s most experience player, Mastin, who knocked down the most treys (42) of anybody on last year’s team, is the team’s most accurate outside shooter. She drained 35 percent of her three-point attempts as a junior.
The former Boaz star was just as deadly, however, from the charity stripe and became the team’s go-to player down the stretch in several big games. Mastin, a career 74 percent shooter from the free-throw line, converted 77.2 percent a season ago. She came through in the clutch three times last year, burying four key free throws to lead Alabama to victory over Southeast Louisiana and knocking down eight down the stretch to ice a victory over Georgia Southern in December.
None of those performances was as big as her efforts against bitter rival Auburn, when Mastin went above and beyond to lead Alabama to its first victory over the Tigers in her three-year career. Mastin scored a career high 20 points in the game, including seven points in the game’s final 2:20. Her efforts helped break a five-game losing streak to Auburn and earn Smith her first SEC victory.
“Kate played the point for us last year, but is not a natural point guard,” Smith said. “I think she will benefit by not having to play that position and be in a spot that is more natural for her. We will look to her as an experienced player to provide leadership on the floor.”
Joining Mastin and Moore in the backcourt will be senior Leah Drury. Drury, who had not logged much playing time in her first three seasons, played in 25 games as a junior, including 16 as a starter. Drury was a huge asset in the Tide guard court, filling in for Mastin and Moore when each went down with injuries while playing each position in the backcourt for the Tide. Drury was hampered a bit herself with a knee injury, but still managed to log 26.1 minutes per game.
“Leah is a player who will do absolutely anything for this team,” Smith said. “I have no doubt that this team is her number one priority and that she will do anything and everything to help make this team better. You have to have players like that in your program.”
In the front court, senior Harriet Barnes will be the only returning veteran for the Tide. Barnes, who was a surprise addition in the early part of the season, had a strong junior campaign after transferring to Alabama from Wallace State Community College where she played two seasons. Barnes demonstrated an ability to finish around the basket in her first SEC season, as she scored 7.8 points per outing on 46 percent shooting from the floor.
It was on the boards, though, where Barnes provided the most output for her new team. Barnes pulled down 6.6 per game last season, good enough to rank her 10th in the SEC’s individual standings at the end of the year. Her efforts helped the Tide rank toward the top of the league in rebounding as a team in 2005-06.
“Harriet is our most experienced post player,” Smith said. “She had some off-season surgery on her ankle that she needs to overcome, but she will have to provide a lot of leadership for our younger post players. She has the ability to be a good player for us, we just need her to continue getting healthy.”
Joining that group of returning players who started the majority of the games last season is sophomore Camilla Blands. Blands, a native of Denmark who is just the third international player in program history, was the one of just two players on last year’s team to have played in all 28 games. The 5-11 guard spelled Mastin and Drury at the point position and logged some time as a shooting guard as well.
“Camilla is a player who played a lot for us a year ago,” Smith said. “She needs to continue to improve as a sophomore and needs to continue to improve her understanding of our system.”
Certainly, the returning group of veterans provides Smith with a strong base on which to build. But any group of returning players needs a fresh infusion of talent from the recruiting trail, and Smith and her staff have responded in spades.
Smith and her staff pounded the road in 2005-06, recruiting as much as hard as any staff in the nation. The fruits of those labors are evident in the heralded recruiting class the Tide staff has assembled, as good as any entering the Capstone in several years. The class is not only good, it is huge, with seven members preparing to enter Alabama this fall.
Smith’s first recruiting class as a head coach in the SEC should provide her young Alabama program with several advantages that the team lacked in her first season on the sidelines in Tuscaloosa.
“There is no doubt that this class of players makes us a better team,” Smith said. “That being said, there is a lot of work and a lot of learning left to do. I am excited about the potential of this group, but much remains to be seen as to how each of these players will contribute to our success on the floor.”
First, quite obviously, the talented youngsters will give Smith a much deeper, more talented bench than a season ago. Depth was a key issue for the Tide all season, a fact that was made more evident after injuries and roster adjustments trimmed the already-thin depth down to a few players by the end of the season. Four of Alabama’s top six players missed games due to injuries last season, with several members of the bench being unable to play large parts or at all throughout the entire year.
Secondly, the versatility and athleticism of the Tide recruits will allow several returning players to move to their natural positions after being pressed in to unfamiliar roles in 2005-06. This was especially true at the point guard position, where Kate Mastin, a natural shooting guard, was forced to play the role. Leah Drury, who had also played the shooting guard role for much of her Alabama career, moved over to the point and was the Tide’s only veteran point guard for a stretch last season when Mastin went down with an ankle injury.
Finally, the availability of a deeper, more talented and versatile bench allows Smith to return to the strategies that made her one of the hottest coaches in the country after her remarkable eight-year run at Middle Tennessee. Smith, a man-to-man coach throughout her career, was forced to play zone defenses for the majority of last season to avoid foul problems with the thin front line of her 2005-06 team. The presence of a fresh roster of talented players will allow her to go back to what made her teams such a success story throughout her head coaching career.
The credentials of the class are impressive indeed. If the successes achieved by these players on the prep level is any indication, the Tide program is headed for some high levels of success in the near future when considering that this year’s class has won three high school state titles, earned 10 state tournament berths, has played in six state championship games and has won 13 regional and/or area championships at the prep level.
Accolades on the individual level have also followed the group. The class of seven can boast two state Players of the Year, three players who have earned seven all-state designations as well as three who have set six combined all-time marks at their respective alma maters.
Perhaps the most accomplished member of this group is guard Nikki Davis, of Lexington, Ky. Davis, who starred for Lexington Catholic, one of the best high school girls basketball programs in the country, ended her career as one of the most successful players in Kentucky high school basketball history, male or female. She became just the second player of either group to ever compete in four state championship games in a career, games which she started four times as well.
Davis set her school’s all-time marks in assists and steals while helping Lexington Catholic to back-to-back state titles in 2005 and 2006, her junior and senior seasons. With Davis running the point, Catholic became one of the best prep teams in the country, landing on USA Today’s top five rankings during her junior and senior campaigns. Davis’ teams at Catholic went an amazing 132-15 in her four years with Davis setting single-season records in assists and steals at the school.
Most importantly for Smith, Davis provides a natural, proven point guard who can make an immediate impact simply by freeing her backcourt mates to play their more natural positions more often this season. Davis, who plans on majoring in pre-dentistry, also gives Smith a floor general with the ability to absorb the triangle offense quickly, providing a shorter learning curve than would be normal for most incoming freshman at the point guard slot.
“We want Nikki to be a leader on the floor, an extension of me,” Smith said. “That’s a lot to ask of a freshman. I have been very vocal with her so far and she has reacted very well. We need her to take leadership of this team as soon as possible, and I think she is capable of doing that. She has a lot of things to learn and a lot of ways she can get better, but I think she will get there eventually. The question for our team is how quickly she will be able to fill the role we want her to.”
Joining Davis in the guard court will be one of the most prolific players in the state of Mississippi last season in guard Dedrea Magee. Magee, the 2006 Gatorade Player of the Year in the Magnolia state, is an athletic guard who can make an immediate impact in her freshman season. Magee set her school’s all-time scoring mark in her illustrious career by pouring in 2,126 points en route to first team All-State honors.
“Dedrea is an explosive, athletic player for us,” Smith said. “She is a little raw, but she is eager to learn and her potential is huge. She has to continue to develop her game and learn our system, but she can be a great player for us before her career is over.”
Alyson Butler, another player who led her team deep into the state tournament as a prep, will join Magee and Davis in the guard court. Butler, who played the point in high school, has the range to play the shooting guard position, where she will most likely be able to contribute the quickest early in her career. The native of Walker Valley High School in Cleveland, Tenn., was an All-State performer twice in her high school career.
“Alyson has been a pleasant surprise for us so far,” Smith said. “I knew when we recruited her that she would bring great things to our team, I just didn’t expect her to bring as much so soon. She has a mental and physical toughness that you have to love and is a great shooter. She will play this season and will bring a lot of things to this team.”
The only native of Alabama in the class of seven, Tamara Williams will also provide some depth in Smith’s back court this season. The native of Alabaster who starred at Thompson High School, Williams follows a family tradition at the Capstone. Her father, Gregory, was a member of the Tide track & field team in the 1980’s. The younger Williams helped Thompson to a sub-regional appearance as a senior while earning all-county honors.
“Tamara has the potential to be a glue player for us,” Smith said. “By that I mean she helps make her teammates better when she is on the floor. She can help build chemistry on this team and I think eventually she will be able to do that for us.”
Talisha Chandler headlines the incoming group in the frontcourt and gives the Tide an immediate physical presence in the post. Chandler, a 6-2 center from Clover High School in Greenwood, S.C., also had an impressive prep career. She led her team to an Upper State championship and one state runner-up finish during her four seasons. After her senior season, Chandler was named as the High School Sports Report Player of the Year in South Carolina.
“Talisha has the ability to be a great player,” Smith said. “I think she has made the decision that she wants to be a great player for us. If that continues and she keeps working as hard as she has recently, I expect great things from her, because she has the physical ability to do that.”
Another legacy of a former athlete in the class is 6-4 center Courtney Strauthers. Strauthers, who played at Shiloh High School in Snellville, Ga., is the daughter of Thomas Strauthers, who starred as a defensive end at Jackson State in the early 1980’s. The elder Strauthers was drafted by the Eagles in the 1983 NFL draft and played eight seasons in Philadelphia, Detroit and Minnesota. Courtney has become a prolific athlete in her own right, leading her team to a Class AAAAA state tournament appearance as a junior.
“Courtney provides us with some great size in the post,” Smith said. “She has a good wingspan and is a good athlete. She just needs to continue to improve her execution on both ends of the floor and understand what she needs to do to improve.”
The final member of the class has some extensive ties to the Crimson Tide women’s basketball family. Nathalie Reshard, a native of Niceville, Fla., comes to Tuscaloosa after a two-year junior college career. Reshard began her career at Seminole Community College in Florida, where she played under current Tide assistant coach Lisa Nuxol.
“Nathalie is a player won can be successful in our system,” Smith said. “She has the ability to pass the ball from the post and is a very intelligent player. We need her to become a more physical defensive player, but I think she can play her best basketball of her career with us.”
After Nuxol left for Alabama, Reshard went home to Okaloosa-Walton CC, where she played for former Tide standout and assistant coach Brittney Ezell. Reshard will be looked upon to provide some depth in the front court in her junior season at Alabama.
Even with the wonderful talent being assembled by Smith and her staff in Tuscaloosa, the road ahead is still a rocky one. The SEC is arguably the nation’s toughest women’s basketball league in the country, and much work lies ahead of the returning veterans and promising newcomers to turn hopes into success.
“There’s no doubt that we have a lot of work to do,” Smith said. “There is still a lot of learning to do from our freshmen and our upperclassmen, but I think we are starting to take the right steps. I’m excited to come to practice each day and work with these kids and I think that means good things are ahead for this program.”
The Crimson Tide begins its season with an exhibition game against West Alabama on Oct. 31.
