Texas Tech University Athletics
Lady Raiders Gear Up for 2002-03 Season
October 10, 2002 | Women's Basketball
Oct. 10, 2002
By Kate Golding, Texas Tech Athletic Media Relations
Warning to all Techsans! The infectious spirit of Lady Raider fans could be spreading to your town. Look for the contagious spirit in their voice, red and black running through their veins, as well as some dirt in their ears, due to the outrageous "Texas-Style" sandstorms in that infamous basketball town. With tip-off only a month away, they could be anywhere....
While the Lady Raiders fans are busy preparing for yet another promising season, Coach Marsha Sharp has been hard at work recruiting, what she believes to be one of the finest freshman classes in the country. Entering her 21st season as Texas Tech head coach, a record as elite as 479-153, many believe the Lady Raiders will again make magic on the court, under the fearless leadership of Sharp.
To recap the 2001-2002 season:
? The Lady Raiders advanced to their fourth-straight NCAA Sweet Sixteen, as they were a No. 4 seed, making it the team's 13th consecutive trip to the tournament. ? The Lady Raiders finished the season ranked 12th in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll. ? The Lady Raiders ranked second in the nation in attendance, with an average of 12,545.
Despite some adversity the Lady Raiders dealt with last season, the individuals who went above and beyond the expectations of others, helped to highlight the Texas Tech season. Jia Perkins continued her success story at Texas Tech by another productive year. The 5-8 guard averaged 16.0 points per game and 3.8 assists per game. Perkins was awarded second team All-Big 12 honors, as well as being chosen to play for the 2002 USA World Championship For Young Women Qualifying Team that was coached by Sharp and won the gold medal. Jolee Ayers proved her talent on the court last year for the Lady Raiders. Ayers, a 6-2 forward/center, averaged nine points per game and 6.7 rebounds per contest. Senior Plenette Pierson will make a return to the court, after playing in four games last season. In the previous year as sophomore, Pierson was selected second team All-Big 12. As Sharp stated," We have some returning players that really have the athletic talent to take it to another level, Pierson and Perkins, and they should be ready now to assume the role of a go to player."
The Lady Raiders open up their play to another intense non-conference schedule. " I think that it is a good, as well as a challenging schedule, and the fact that we open up with Louisiana Tech, in a setting as big as the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic, really sets the stage from the beginning,"said Sharp. Although Sharp is looking ahead to the year, she is pleased with her team's hard work this summer, as well as their dedication to better the program. " We have some high expectations this season, and we feel like this year is different in the sense, that we finally might have all the right tools to push us over the edge a little bit."
Although the toughest part of each season is finishing with a winning record, competing in a conference as tough as the Big 12, leaves no room for mistakes. As Sharp says, "The thing about a conference as good as the Big 12, there is not anybody on your schedule that is going to be an easy win, particularly when you are on the road... it is a huge test for your team."
Heading into the season Sharp believes that the strength in team lies in the hands of experience. "Our biggest class is going to be the juniors and with that we have gone to war a few times together, and they have an idea of what big time basketball is about." The Lady Raiders lost two starters, but filling in the gaps are freshmen Chelsey Dabbs from Plano, Texas, Latoya Davis from Houston, Texas, Erin Grant from Arlington, Texas, and redshirt freshman Jametra Clark, along with the two junior college transfers Miklannet Tennel and Cayla Petree.
"All five of our new recruits are great players and add a dimension that is kind of like the x-factor," said Sharp. "They have confidence in what they are doing, they are winners...they have won at every level they have played."
Other key players returning include senior Jamie Nagle, juniors Natalie Ritchie and Casey Jackson and sophomore Cisti Greenwalt. Greenwalt gained valuable playing time last season, after stepping up to fill the void of the lower post position. The Clovis, New Mexico native gained the respect of her peers rather quickly with her play, while Ritchie also put up numbers for the Lady Raiders. As well as contributing on the court, Ritchie was named the 2002 Female Big 12 Sportsperson of the Year for her community service.
With all her players in tact, Sharp is ready to start hearing the screeches from rubber soles on the court. " I feel that we will be deeper in the guard position than we have been in awhile, and more experienced in the post position. Overall, I feel like we have a good little plan."
"As always we are shooting to win 20 ball games, as well as a bid to the NCAA Tournament. We have a chance to host the first and second rounds, so a Sweet Sixteen appearance would be something that's always there for us," Sharp said. "Of course we are going to take a shot at the conference title, because I believe everyone in this program knows if things go well, we have a shot."
So to all Lady Raider fans, gather your red and black clothes, your Texas Tech signs, and begin to warm-up your basketball voices. For only a month separates you from another traditional winning season by the Texas Tech Lady Raiders, a legacy that will always prevail.
