Texas Tech University Athletics
Lady Raiders Set for 2005-06 Season
October 15, 2005 | Women's Basketball
Oct. 15, 2005
By Chelsea Thompson, Texas Tech Media Relations -
For 16 games this season the United Spirit Arena will be transformed from your average women's college basketball venue to the raucous and exciting home of the Lady Raider Nation. The Lady Raider Nation is known for its fan loyalty and the tradition of victory bells. Last season, Lady Raider fans packed the arena helping Texas Tech rank third in the nation and first in the Big 12 with an average attendance of 12, 601 fans per game. This upcoming season should be no exception for the Lady Raiders and their fans.
Coming off of a momentous 24-8 season, the Lady Raiders finished the campaign ranked 12th in the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Coaches poll and 14th in the Associated Press poll. Continuing its traditional postseason success, the team earned its 16th-straight and 18th overall appearance in the NCAA Championship and advanced to the Sweet 16 for the 10th time, where it fell to Final Four bound Tennessee, 75-59. Individually, Cisti Greenwalt and Erin Grant were named first team All-Big 12 by the coaches, while Chesley Dabbs nabbed second team honors. In addition, LaToya Davis and Alesha Robertson were selected honorable mention All-Big 12.
Marsha Sharp enters the 24th season of her Hall of Fame career in Lubbock after passing a significant milestone, earning her 550th career win against Iowa State last season. The veteran coach will lead a dominant group of returners and talented newcomers with a challenging non-conference slate.
With the graduation of Greenwalt, who led the Big 12 in blocked shots last season, the Lady Raiders will have to fill the hole in the middle, but Sharp and the team have no worries about filling the void left by Greenwalt.
"We know we are going to have a little bit of a different look about us defensively," Sharp stated. "We aren't going to have that shot blocking ability in the middle that Cisti gave us. I hope that we will have a consistency about us and maybe be able to do some different things in our offense because of our quickness at every spot, and our ability to run the floor in every spot. She was the leading shot blocker in the Big 12 conference from a historical perspective, as well as one of the best in the nation. You don't just replace that with one person. I think it will have to be several people involved in that."
The team returns this year with a powerful and experienced senior class of Dabbs, Grant and Davis. Dabbs, who started all 32 games last season, is one of the top defenders in the country. Already the Texas Tech all-time assist leader (661), Grant enters the season on pace to break the Big 12 record of 764 assists. This past summer she played on the USA Basketball gold medal-winning team at the World University Games. Davis led the team in offensive rebounds last season with 114, while shooting a Big 12-high 61.3 percent from the field.
"First and foremost, the seniors are great people who have a real passion for what we are doing," Sharp said. "They have a great work ethic and are great leaders. They have already made our team better with their leadership and the things they do day in and day out. They don't necessarily do it by talking, they do it by working. This may be one of my favorite classes to ever coach as a group and I want more than anything for this year to be a great year for them. I think all of our players feel that way too, and they want to do a good job so that they can finish it off well."
Adding to the experienced veterans is Robertson, who started every game and led the team with 57 three-pointers last year. Juniors Brooke Baughman and Patrice Edwards will both return to add depth to the Lady Raider squad. Also seeing more playing time this season will be sophomores Judith Smith and Tawanna Flowers. After successful anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee surgery, sophomore Darrice Griffin, is expected to be ready for the season. Sophomore center Erin Myrick will continue to see time on the court after playing in 30 games last year. Sophomore Enrica Johnson will be back in action after having to sit out last season due to an ACL revision surgery.
Among the new faces is sophomore Megan Morris, who was selected conference Most Valuable Player and averaged almost 18 points a game as a freshman at South Plains College. The three freshmen, Krystal Cole, Teddy Griffin and LaVonda "Tiny" Henderson are expected to make an impact as well.
"I think the newcomers will all get in the mix," said Sharp. "I have been really excited about what we have seen so far. I have been excited about the athleticism of LaVonda Henderson and Teddy Griffin. I have also been pleased with the stability Krystal Cole has given us. She is the blue collared worker that does all of the hard things. She is going to drive the charge, get after every loose ball and she shoots great. And certainly Megan Morris will have to step up and give us big minutes in the post."
The Lady Raiders' run at a championship begins with a difficult non-conference schedule that includes teams such as LSU, Ole Miss, Stanford, Penn State, Louisville and Virginia Tech, which will prepare them both mentally and physically for competition in the always tough Big 12 conference.
"I think we have one of the most difficult non-conference schedules that we have played in a while," said Sharp. "That was by design because I hope that our experience and the fact that we have had some players who have played so many minutes in their career will give us the opportunity to really use this non-conference to get ready for conference play."
Along with a tough schedule comes the chance for the Lady Raiders to showcase their talent on either national or regional television nine times this season.
"Obviously, you are always thrilled about television exposure in women's basketball because it allows recruits to watch and I think our fan base will be able to follow us a little bit easier," Sharp noted. "We are excited about the chance to do that and I know our fans will be excited about watching us, particularly those games when we are away from Lubbock and get to be on television. I always think it is a great opportunity for us to not only showcase basketball here, but also to let people talk about Texas Tech, and obviously when we are at home people are able to see the arena, the fans and everything that goes along with Texas Tech athletics."
The Lady Raiders are prepared for the challenges that lie ahead in what is sure to be another exciting year for Texas Tech women's basketball.
"Our challenge is to make sure we find that consistency about ourselves and that we can weather storms on the road, win games we are supposed to win, challenge people that are picked ahead of us and protect home court advantage," said Sharp. "If we do that, then we have a chance."
