Women's Basketball Season Outlook

NORMAN, Okla. -- Head coach Sherri Coale has heard from fans and supporters at random times and in varying places.

Everyone has questions about the program. They want to know about the returning starters or the development of Leah Rush and Britney Brown. They ask about the nation's top recruiting class and how the talented and towering freshmen are doing. Some fans tell her they are excited about the ambitious schedule, others just have to convey their high hopes for Sooner basketball this season.

The lists of comments and inquiries could continue for pages and the result would be the same; the public is antsy for women's basketball season to begin. The buildup to this season rivals any of the Coale era, which hits 10 years this season and includes many of the greatest moments in the program's history.

The coaching staff is just as excited as the public to see this team hit the Lloyd Noble Center hardwood. The trio of Rush and fellow returning starters, Erin Higgins and Britney Brown, gives OU an experienced buffer for ultra-talented freshmen posts Ashley and Courtney Paris.

2005-06 Schedule | PDF | Basketball Ticket Information

Adding more credence to the excitement is the fact that, despite losing All-American Dionnah Jackson, OU still returns 67 percent of its scoring, 69 percent of its rebounding and 78 percent of its made 3-pointers.

While the coaches and fans have been unable to temper their excitement for the upcoming season, one can bet the players have it under control. After a summer and fall of grueling workouts the onus has been put on a squad that will rely heavily on its nine non-seniors.

For the first time in her tenure, Coale named preseason captains. The honors went to Brown and Rush, who have been saddled with the responsibility of guiding a team that will likely be led by its core group of six juniors.

The focus remained strong all offseason, much to the credit of Rush and Brown, and as the calendar has finally wound down from months to days, the product is awaiting its debut.

That debut will come at the Lloyd Noble Center on Nov. 11 when the Sooners face Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the Preseason WNIT and Coach Coale is confident it will live up to the crescendo.

GUARDS
Returning Players: Laura Andrews, Britney Brown, Erin Higgins, Kendra Moore and Chelsi Welch.

Do-it-all guard Dionnnah Jackson is gone and she left one major question in her wake.

Who is going to replace the three-time All-Big 12 performer?

No one on the roster is a prototype of Jackson and her all-around skills. Yet Coach had high praise for Britney Brown, the heir apparent at point guard.

Erin Higgins

“I feel more confident about our two anchors center and point guard positions than I have since we went to San Antonio for the Final Four in 2002,” said Coale.

Brown, who averaged 8.3 points and 5.3 assists per game as a starter at the end of the 2004-05 season, fits the mold of a typical point. She has the speed, handle and vision to distribute the ball while also being able to pop a 3-pointer.. With four offensive standouts likely surrounding her in the starting lineup, Brown is expected to be more distributor than scorer.

Off-guard Erin Higgins has been overshadowed since the day she stepped on campus. Her game is purposely unassuming. The long range assassin needs just a blink to get her shot off and she has become adept at creating those opportunities.

What didn't go unnoticed, especially by Big 12 opponents, was her improved field goal (.335 to .382) and three point (.349 to .370) percentages last season. After starting the last 49 games, expect more of the same from the junior.

Like Higgins, Laura Andrews can light it up from behind the arc although her game also features the ability to slash past and body-up a defender. She started a career-high 17 games as a junior while averaging 5 ppg and 3 ppg. Her versatility makes her a Coale favorite, especially since she can slide down and play as a forward.

Off-guard Chelsi Welch switched jersey numbers from 0 to 22 this offseason. According to the Plainview, Texas, native it was purely about change, which she felt was needed after her reshirt-sophomore season.

Welch was co-Big 12 Freshman of the Year after the 2002-03 season but was unhappy with her average of 5.9 points per game last season. She has worked as hard as any player this offseason and hopes to remind fans and opponents of the budding star label she received as a rookie.

Britney Brown

Kendra Moore will team with Brown to handle the point guard duties. The speedster will step into the most prominent role of her career and will carry a lot of the distributing responsibilities. A boost in minutes means Moore should improve on her career averages of 2.1 ppg and 1.4 apg.

You can count Coale among the believers in her backcourt duo.

“Britney and Kendra together are going to do a great job of taking care of the business at the point,” she said.

FORWARDS
Returning Players: Leah Rush, Krista Sanchez and Antoinette Wadsworth
Newcomers: Ashley Paris and Carolyn Winchester

Coale frequently says that she “never wants to put her players into a box.” That would be nearly impossible to do with the Sooner forwards.

For example, take the abilities of Leah Rush and Krista Sanchez. Rush can effectively play from the off-guard to center and has during her career. Sanchez can slide between the two and four positions with little to no loss in production.

Coale wants them to add another dimension. She is encouraging them to lead the fast break when they haul down the defensive rebound. Not only will it throw off opponents but the Sooner mentor believes the team will become a “completely different machine,” with those two involved.

Rush and Sanchez aren't the only players the staff is encouraging to play outside of the box.

Leah Rush

“We have a lot of guys at the three spots in between (point guard and center) that can achieve a lot of things, in a number of different ways. I think we can be very situational without sacrificing the up-tempo style of basketball OU is known for,” said Coale.

Rush returns as the leading scorer (15.5 ppg) from a season ago. The staff expects her to take her game to another level after a summer of experience and disappointment. While she learned a great deal during the USA World University Games tryouts, the letdown of missing the cut could provide the extra motivation for a run at All-America honors.

If Sanchez can follow the blueprint that Rush has laid out the last two season, she could become an invaluable player in 2005-06. She has the ability to take over the game offensively and enters the season in the best shape of her life. With added offseason strength, Sanchez could develop into a deadly offensive punch off the bench. She is another player who will improve on her career numbers (2.7 ppg, 1.5 rpg) as her court time increases.

Senior Antoinette Wadsworth was expected to fill a number of roles during her senior season. Unfortunately, those plans were derailed during offseason workouts when she tore the ACL in her right knee. The Grand Prairie, Texas native, who also tore the ACL in her left knee prior to the 2001-02 season, will be sidelined for the duration of the season.

Newcomer Ashley Paris is expected to team up with her sister, Courtney, to form a dominating low post duo. The elder of the twins is 6-3 and a shiftier player. Ashley will move around quite a bit, while also owning the ability to drive-and-dish and bring the ball down the court. She may be overshadowed by the attention paid to Rush and her sister, which could be a mistake for opponents against the rookie who averaged 18 points and 13 per game during her All-American high school career.

The lone walk-on on the squad is freshman Carloyn Winchester from Washington, Okla. Winchester has already displayed a solid skill set, which includes the ability to hit an open shot from behind the arc and in. Although listed at 5-11 and as a forward, Winchester is more likely to move around the outside, than post up in the lane.

CENTERS
Returning player: Beky Preston
Newcomer: Courtney Paris

This will be the most watched position early on as OU begins a new era with the addition of Courtney Paris.

Courtney Paris

The 6-4 freshman is a traditional power center. When she catches the ball in position, she is a nightmare to defend in the post. Her physical stature and power game are exceptional, which makes it no surprise that she average 27 ppg, 19 rpg and 5 bpg as a high school senior. Yet those are not traits that made her the consensus No. 1 recruit last season.

According to Coale, it is her, “exceptional instincts that have set her apart. Courtney really feels the game. She knows when it is time to take over. She has a feel for the game like a point guard. To have a back-to-the-basket player who instinctually understands the flow of the game is really, really special.”

While Paris may claim the headlines at the position, it will be the behind -the-scenes work of senior Beky Preston that may contribute the most to the team's win total. Preston is a savvy player who understands all aspects of the game. The more of that knowledge she can communicate to Paris the better. Additionally, Preston should see a lot of floor time in the Sooners' fast paced offense.

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