Meredith College Basketball 2007-08 Season Preview

The 2007-08 Meredith basketball team is entering its first season in the USA South Athletic Conference and faces a tough overall schedule with a team dominated by freshmen and sophomores. However, the team returns senior Nicole Hall along with some key sophomore and juniors. 

“We start the season with a very competitive and challenging schedule and things won’t get any easier as we enter conference play. From opening weekend to late February, every night will be a challenge and we will have to be ready to play,” said Head Basketball Coach David Zinn. 

Meredith was selected to finish in seventh place in the USA South Athletic Conference preseason basketball coaches poll. Ferrum had four first place votes and was selected to win the conference championship.

The basketball team opens up their season on the road at Emory & Henry in the Emory & Henry Tip-Off Classic on November 16 at 6 p.m.

Player Review
Coach Zinn has five returnees and has brought in ten newcomers to balance out the team. The team has gained depth and has leadership on the court and off the bench. It looks to be an exciting season as all players are competing for playing time.

Returnees

Nicole Hall, #10, Senior, Guard
Hall was a first-team Association of Division III Independent selection in 2006-07 and ranked 14th in the nation last year in scoring with a 20.7 average. Hall also added 5.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists per contest. Hall ended the season with 1,250 career points and will look to add to that total.

“Nicole had a fantastic junior year where she was in the top 15 in the country scoring; we clearly look at her to lead us at the guard spot. She has developed into a leader on and off the court this preseason and we look for that to carry over into the regular season,” said Zinn.

Brittany Cornelius, #22, Sophomore, Guard
Last season, Cornelius led the team in rebounds and was the second leading scorer for Meredith.  “Brittany is coming off a very productive freshman year and has improved even more over the summer. She has had a great preseason and we are looking for her to continue to step up and be a driving force of the team,” said Zinn.

Keyotta Sanford, #23, Junior, Guard
Sanford was primarily a bench player last year and supporter on the bench. “Keyotta is much improved and is working hard for the team. She continues to be a great encourager as an upper classmen and will likely play a greater role on the floor this season,” said Zinn.

Lizzie Creech, #41, Junior, Guard/Forward
Creech was the third leading scorer last year and provided 80 rebounds last season. “Lizzie is a versatile post player who can compete at a number of positions. She’s an intelligent player whose hustle and communication will be important keys for us this year,” said Zinn.

Hunter Johnson, #42, Sophomore, Forward
Johnson ended the season strong, scoring in double figures several times late in the year and providing an improved defensive effort down the stretch. “Hunter is looking to build off a strong finish to last season. She continues to show a great capacity for learning the post position, has a great attitude, and works hard everyday,” said Zinn.

Newcomers
Caitlin McAllister, #12, Freshman, Guard
The local product from St. David’s makes her debut for the Avenging Angels. “Caitlin is an excellent passer and full of potential at the point guard spot,” said Zinn. “Her defense is rapidly improving and her ability to run a half-court set will be important for us this year.”

Jennifer Morton, #13, Sophomore, Guard
Morton returns to the North Carolina area after a year at Oklahoma Baptist University and will look to add to the Avenging Angels’ defensive attack. “Jen is a good defender, a great worker, and has a real knack for getting herself involved. She always shows up around the ball,” said Zinn.

Amanda Street, #21, Junior, Guard
Street is another transfer looking to add to the point guard spot. “Amanda does a great job at setting up the offense and shows a lot of leadership on the court,” said Zinn. “Her experience, her defensive intensity, and her ability to pass in the open court have been impressive thus far.”

Whitley Turner, #24, Freshman,  Forward/Center
Turner is a freshman from Wilmington looking to add depth to the post position. “Whitley does a great job running the floor and is capable of putting up solid rebounding and scoring numbers. We’ll look for her to be in position to gain playing time in the post,” said Zinn.

Jessie Hardee, #30, Senior, Forward
Hardee is a senior walk on that has spent time in Meredith athletics as a member of last year’s NCAA Tournament Tennis team. “Jessie is a newcomer to the basketball program but I think she will step up as a defensive player for us and provide some rebounding,” said Zinn.

Mary Woessner, #31, Freshman, Guard/Forward
Woessner is a freshman from Hillsborough looking to give some versatility to the team. “Mary has improved a great deal over the preseason and has shown the ability to play at multiple spots for us. She’s very coach-able, intelligent and is developing into a scoring threat for us,” said Zinn.

Courtney Kreber, #32, Freshman, Guard
Kreber is a freshman shooting guard out of Charlotte. “Courtney has the potential to give us good depth at the shooting guard spot. She is also developing into a solid defender and has shown the ability to make hustle plays,” said Zinn.

Suzanne Gasperini, #33, Freshman, Guard/Forward
Gasperini is a freshman forward from South Boston, Va. “Suzanne is very athletic, and has potential to be a very good rebounder and defender,” said Zinn. “With a little more experience and confidence, Suzanne’s ceiling as a player is very high.”

Camille King, #40, Freshman, Guard/Forward
King is a freshman out of Cincinnati, Ohio. “Camille has the potential to be a solid rebounder and continues to show improvement in practice in her overall game,” said Zinn.

Kristin Stewart, #44, Freshman, Forward/Center
Stewart is coming off an outstanding career at The O’Neal School. “Kristin has the potential to be a very good post player for us after she recuperates from a foot injury,” said Zinn.

Last Season Review

The end of the 2006-07 season showed great improvement as a young team came together. Meredith hit a stretch of games at the end of the season where they played tough defense and won three games in a row.

Two of those wins included victories over soon-to-be conference rivals N.C. Wesleyan (W/61-54) and Peace (W/74-69). Both wins avenged losses earlier in the season on the road.

Coach Zinn stated, “We got better throughout the year and we were playing well at the end of the year. We overcame our youth, made progress and the team never lost their work ethic. We gained a lot of experience as we started three freshmen for many games and they will bring that experience back next year. I’ve been pleased with the attitudes and efforts put forth by all 15 players so far this season. Team chemistry has been excellent and I’m looking forward to seeing how we respond to the challenges ahead this year.”