CAA Women’s Basketball is proud to announce the launch of our new Baseline Buzz blog created in partnership with NBC Sports. Our new official blog, which can be found at caawomenshoops.wordpress.com, will provide in-depth and exclusive access to CAA Women’s Hoops. With features, videos, photos, commentaries and news from inside the league, we are committed to bringing you coverage of CAA Women’s Hoops unlike any you can find elsewhere.
All 11 teams have at least a game under completed in their schedule and everyone has the day off from an actual game, which gave us time to congratulate William & Mary’s Emily Correal and Drexel’s Hollie Mershon for being named CAA Women’s Basketball Players of the Week and Hofstra’s Asia Jackson for being selected as CAA Women’s Hoop Rookie of the Week for their stellar play after the first weekend of competition. The complete CAA Weekly Report for Nov. 12 can be found at CAASports.com.
The new AP Poll came out late today and with Delaware’s loss to Georgetown, the Blue Hens dropped to No. 17 in the latest listing. Delaware (1-1) has played both games this season without the help of All-American Elena Delle Donne due to her battle with Lyme Disease. She is currently listed as day-to-day. We all wish her the best to a full recovery.
On Friday, Delle Donne and Hofstra’s Shante Evans were named to the Preseason Wooden Award Top 30. The duo landed themselves on this prestigious honor and joined last year’s award winner Baylor’s Brittany Griner along with a number of other top candidates. The Big East led all conferences with seven selections, followed by the ACC with six, the Big 12 and Big 10 with five each, the SEC, Pac-12 and the CAA with two and the Ivy League with one.
Top team facts from the past week:
Delaware: The 31 points by SHSU was the lowest amount allowed by the Blue Hens since defeating Towson 66-28 on Feb. 7, 2002.
Drexel: The Dragons will return to Philadelphia for their home opener on Nov. 14 against cross-town rival Saint Joseph’s. Drexel will be looking to move to 2-0 on the season for just the second time in the ten-year tenure of head coach Denise Dillon.
George Mason: Senior Amber Easter became the 16th player in Mason history to surpass the 1,000-career point mark.
Georgia State: Georgia State will now play eight of its next nine games at home after opening with a pair on the road. The Panthers will host Jacksonville State for the home opener on Wednesday.
Hofstra: The Pride won on opening day for the second time in the last four seasons and the first time since 2009.
James Madison: Junior guard Kirby Burkholder led the Dukes in the opening weekend averaging 24.5 ppg and 9.5 rpg. She scored a game-high 25 points, including hitting a career-high 7 treys against UVA. Her seven three’s in the single game place her in the CAA record books - ranking tied 9th. Burkholder scored 15 of JMU’s 21 first-half points, all from three-point range. Burkholder, who scored 24 against Quinnipiac, scored 20+ in back-to-back games for the first time in her career.
UNCW: The Seahawks returns to action Nov. 14 with a contest against state foe Wake Forest, head coach Adell Harris’ alma matter.
Northeastern: Deanna Kerkhof led the Huskies in scoring with 14 points, and also grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds to notch her first career double-double.
Old Dominion: The Lady Monarchs held the Hokies to the lowest opponent scoring total (35) since George Mason (35) in 2010 when ODU won 60-35 (Dec. 8).
Towson: Junior forward Nyree Williams led the Tigers with a double-double with 13 boards and a career-high 20 rebounds in the win.
William & Mary: Emily Correal averaged 25.5 points per game on the week to go along with a team-best 15.5 rebounds. She grabbed a career-high21 rebounds, which equaled the College’s single-game record and ties the fifth best mark in the CAA record book. Correal notched her 19th career double-double and became the first Tribe player to record 20 or more rebounds in a game since 1992. Additionally, she becomes only the third player in program history to post a 20 point and 20 rebound game as she joins Janet McGee ‘81 and Tiffany Stone ‘91 with the distinction. She also tied a career-high 27 points against Pittsburgh.
November 9th has come and gone. We all prepared a lot for the start of the new basketball season and for some teams, the first game is under their belt, but for others that first game is still to come. Last night was full of excitement in the CAA. We had wins, we had losses, we had close games, and we had some outstanding performances. There is so much to read about and lucky for our fans, we link all the recaps, box scores, video highlights, post-game interviews and more on CAASports.com in one location so there is one stop-shopping for all of your recap needs — so be sure to check that out. But of course, everyone wants to know the quick nitty gritty and this is why you come here, so let’s get started!
Did you know that we had two players punch their names in the CAA All-Time Record Book on the first day of the season last night? Yes! James Madison’s Kirby Burkholder made a career-high seven three-pointers against Virginia at the John Paul Jones Arena, marking her tied for ninth in the league record book. Interesting enough, she shot five of them in the first half scoring 15 of JMU’s 21 first-half points. Burkholder finished the night shooting 9-of-16 from the floor against the Cavaliers. William & Mary’s Emily Correal also etched her name into the CAA women’s basketball record book with her career-high 21 rebounds against East Carolina. Her 21 rebounds also tied a school record. Correal became the first Tribe player to record 20 or more rebounds in a game since 1992. The senior added 24 points to earn her 19th career double-double. Additionally, she becomes only the third player in program history to post a 20 point and 20 rebound game as she joins Janet McGee ‘81 and Tiffany Stone ‘91 with the distinction.
Congratulations to George Mason’s Amber Easter for earning her 1,000th career point last night during the Patriots outing against Oakland. She became the 16th player in Mason history to surpass the prestigious mark. Easter finished the evening with 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Patriots.
Delaware picked up a win over Sam Houston State in the first round of the WNIT. The Blue Hens were led by Jaquetta May’s 13 point, 11 rebound performance, while Trumae Lucas and Lauren Carra added 14 and 12 points, respectively. Delaware played without All-American Elena Delle Donne as she is currently battling the effects of Lymes Disease and her availability is listed as day-to-day. The Blue Hens will next host Georgetown, who has received votes in both the AP and USA Today Coaches Polls, on Sunday for the second round of the WNIT.
Drexel earned a 60-50 road victory over Providence for a Big East victory and Hollie Mershon led the Dragons with 24 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Georgia State had four players score in double figures to earn a victory over UCF in the season opener, 64-50. Kendra Long scored 15 points making 3-of-5 three pointers, while Kayla Nolan added 12 rebounds and 11 points. Cody Paulk and Ashley Watson added 10 and 12 points, respectively.
Hofstra earned a 77-75 victory over Stetson at the WBI Tip-Off Classic and will have to turn around to play Texas today at 2 p.m. Junior guard Annie Payton scored a career-high 17 points. Senior forward Shante Evans added 13 points and 12 rebounds for her first double-double of the season (she finished the 2011-12 season with 18). Evans now has 51 career double-doubles, ranking nationally among active career leaders. Freshman guard Asia Jackson earned the start in her collegiate debut and was one of four Hofstra players to finish in double figures, scoring 13 points. Old Dominion defeated Virginia Tech on their own court, 55-35, Friday afternoon. The Lady Monarchs held the Hokies to the lowest opponent scoring total (35) since George Mason (31) in 2002 when ODU won 69-31 on February 8. Senior guard Jackie Cook and sophomore forward Shae Kelley both missed producing double-doubles by just a single rebound. Cook poured in 17 points, 12 of which were in the second half, and added nine rebounds, while Kelley scored 14 points with nine rebounds to lead the Lady Monarchs offensively.
On the schedule today: Hofstra takes on Texas and Towson plays its season opener at Manhattan. Northeastern is the last team to tip-off the 2012-13 season and they work on the jump ball tomorrow at Eastern Michigan.
RICHMOND, Va. (Nov. 1, 2012) - Delaware’s Elena Delle Donne, Hofstra’s Shante Evans and Northeastern’s Jonathan Lee were named candidates for the 2012-13 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate basketball. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
The 2012-13 candidate classes include seven men’s players and seven women’s players who were recognized by the College Sports Information Directors of America as 2012 Capital One Academic All-Americans. Five men and 10 women were Associated Press All-Americans. Twenty men’s candidates and 18 women’s candidates have cumulative grade point averages above 3.0. The men’s Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2013 NCAA Final Four® in Atlanta April 6 and 8, while the women’s winner will be announced during the NCAA Women’s Final Four® in New Orleans April 7 and 9.
The candidate classes will be narrowed to 10 men’s and 10 women’s finalists midway through the regular season, and those names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one men’s finalist and one women’s finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
Delle Donne, studying early childhood education at Delaware, led the Blue Hens to a historical season a year ago and led the nation pouring in 28.1 points per game. She was recently a unanimous pick for the Associated Press preseason All-America team and named to the WBCA preseason Wade Watch list, to add to her number of honors over her career. Already the Delaware career scoring leader, she enters her senior season ranked third in CAA history with 2,258 career points. Delle Donne is active in numerous Delaware team community service activities, including visits to A.I. duPont Children’s Hospital and work with Delaware Special Olympics. She also was named the 2012 Colonial Athletic Association Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the 2012 CAA Women’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. In addition, she is a four-time member of CAA Academic Honor Roll.
Evans, a two-time AP All-American, is entering her final collegiate season with 1,618 career points (fifth all-time at Hofstra) and 992 career rebounds (second all-time in the program’s history). The senior is just 22 points and 39 rebounds shy of the current school records. Evans has served as a team captain for the Pride while also participating with teammates and staff in charitable initiatives like volunteering with the Interfaith Nutrition Network and giving up her time in the afternoons to help organize/sort food and clothing donations in the kitchen and clothing donation room. Evans is a three-time All-CAA honoree, including back-to-back first team member. She recently was named to the 2012-13 CAA preseason All-CAA first team. The senior forward is pursuing a degree in history.
Lee, a 3.0 senior member of the Huskies men’s basketball team, is on pace to earn a bachelor of fine arts degree in graphic design. The senior ranked nationally among all Division I players in points per game, free-throw percentage, assists per game, and steals per game a year ago. Lee led Northeastern in scoring (14.5 ppg), assists (3.45 apg), and 3-point field goal percentage (.417), and scored in double-figures in 28 of 31 games. He earned All-CAA honors at the end of last season and was named to the preseason All-CAA First Team this year. He enters the 2012-13 season ranked second in Northeastern history in career free-throw percentage and career 3-point percentage. He has participated in countless youth clinics and service organizations, working with disadvantaged youth in local Boston neighborhoods. He is one of the most visible student-athletes on campus and one of the most vocal supporters of fellow student-athletes.
To read more about the Senior CLASS Award and see the complete list for the Men’s and Women’s Basketball Candidates visit SeniorCLASSAward.com. Remember fans will have the opportunity to vote later in the season.
Today, October 31st, the holiday of disguise, gorging of candies and things creepy poking out of surprise locations - Halloween! We are eight days out from the first basketball game of the 2012-13 season and many of us have pumpkin, oh I mean basketball on the brain, but there is always time for a little holiday fun between practices, classes and recruiting. Check out this video below as the James Madison Women’s Basketball Coaching Staff takes a break to send out a special Halloween wish.
The Delaware women’s basketball team made history again this past weekend as they were ranked 11th in the Associated Press Preseason Poll on Saturday, Oct. 27. The Blue Hens have never been ranked in the preseason before, but had received votes in the past two seasons.
Delaware is the preseason favorite to capture the 2013 CAA title in March and the Blue Hens are led by All-American senior Elena Delle Donne. She helped Delaware to a historical season a year ago pouring in a national best 28.1 points per game.
The Blue Hens were ranked in the AP Top 25 for 16 weeks during their record-setting season a year ago. UD went undefeated (18-0) in league play and claimed the conference tournament title in 2012. Delaware, which finished last season with a 31-2 record, climbed as high as seventh in the national rankings and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Second Round following its first postseason win in school history, returns all five starters for its highly-anticipated 2012-13 season.
Delle Donne was named 2012-13 CAA Preseason Player of the Year and earned a spot on the All-CAA preseason first team, while teammate Lauren Carra was selected to the preseason All-CAA second team.
Delle Donne was a consensus first team All-American by the Associated Press, WBCA, USWBA, Naismith Award, and John Wooden Award a year ago. She earned CAA Player of the Year honors for the second time in three seasons during the 2011-12 campaign, and was named to the WBCA Preseason Wade Watch List last month. Delle Donne, who became only the 15th player in Division I women’s basketball history to eclipse the 900-point mark for a season, also led the Blue Hens with 10.3 rebounds per game, 86 blocked shots, 39 steals, and 52 three-pointers made. Already the Delaware career scoring leader, she enters her senior season ranked third in CAA history with 2,258 career points.
Carra also earned preseason all-conference honors after being named to the third team All-CAA for the second consecutive year last spring. She ranked second on the Blue Hens with 10.2 points per game and 51 three-pointers made, while her 78.8 free throw percentage was good for fifth in the league. Carra, who enters her senior year ranked fourth in Delaware history with 128 three-pointers made, reached double figures in 19 games a year ago, including a season-high 22 points during a win at James Madison.
The Blue Hens will open the 2012-13 season on Nov. 9 when they host Sam Houston State at the Bob Carpenter Center for the first round of the Preseason WNIT at 8 p.m. The Blue Hens are scheduled to face three opponents that either were ranked or received votes in the preseason AP Poll – Maryland (5), St. John’s (14) and Princeton (RV).
Division I women’s basketball officials are preparing for the season by attending officiating clinics and completing online testing programs. In addition to being responsible for all game rules management, officials are also being asked to monitor closely the following areas in 2012-13:
• Incidental Elbow Contact. There can be incidental contact with the elbow above or below the shoulders and not all elbow contact with the elbow is a foul regardless of where the elbow makes contact.
• Traveling. Not all spin moves are travels and legal moves by the ball handler will be permitted. After establishing a pivot foot, that pivot foot may be lifted, but may not return to the floor before the ball is released on a pass or try for goal.
• Freedom of Movement. Excessive physicality and the lack of freedom of movement will be enforced by officials. Players must be permitted to move freely and without being held, pushed or rerouted.
• Pace of Play. Stoppage of play that interrupts the flow and pace of the game will be watched closely by officials in 2012-13. In order to increase the pace of play, officials will keep the game moving following timeouts, to permit incidental/marginal contact, permit legal moves by ball handlers and to use the monitor judiciously.
• Restricted Area Rule. The restricted area is the only area on the floor in which a secondary/helpside defender is not permitted to establish initial guarding position and remain in this area to draw a charge on a player with the ball or a player who has released the ball on a pass or shot. Secondary/helpside defenders who are not defending the player with the ball or the player who has released the ball on a pass or shot are permitted to draw a charge in this area.
• Legal Guarding. Legally establishing and maintaining guarding position is critical to proper enforcement of block/charge fouls. Once a defender has legally established and maintained her guarding position, it is the responsibility of the offensive player to avoid illegal contact.
• Contact On/By the Ball Handler/Dribbler. Defenders are permitted one touch on the ball handler/dribbler in order to measure up. The next touch by the same defender on the ball handler is a foul. Too much contact on the ball handler/dribbler continues to inhibit offensive progress. Officials have been reminded that consistency from the start of the season until the end of the season, the start of a game until the end of a game and across the country is critical to a free flowing game. Likewise, the ball handler/dribbler is not permitted to create illegal contact on legally established defenders.
• Free-Throw Violations. Free-throw violations are on the rise and officials are being asked to penalize consistently players entering the lane area too soon, disconcertion of shooters and players who fake shots or violations.
• Sportsmanship. Officials will continue to enforce current sportsmanship rules on bench decorum for head and assistant coaches, players and additional bench personnel.
– Coaching box. The head coach or any other bench personnel may not be outside the prescribed coaching box except when otherwise permitted by rule. All bench personnel, with the exception of the head coach, are required to be seated on the bench while the ball is live except to react spontaneously to an outstanding play and then to immediately return to sitting on the bench. Violations by players, and especially assistant coaches, will not be tolerated. When assistant coaches or bench personnel are violating bench decorum rules in a minor way, the official will inform the head coach and request that he/she handle the situation. This is an official warning. Any further violation by bench personnel shall result in a technical foul assessed to the offender. Egregious conduct violations by assistant coaches or bench personnel need no warning and will immediately result in a technical foul. A technical foul assessed to bench personnel is also assessed indirectly to the head coach.
– Fighting. In addition, the head coach is the only person permitted to leave the bench area when a fight may or has broken out. Bench personnel, other than the head coach, including team members and assistant coaches are to be ejected when they leave the bench area during a fight situation per current rules. Assistant coaches are to remain in the bench area, along with all team members, during a fight situation.
• Basketball court-surface rule. This season a rules change requires temporary decals and logos placed on the court to be “of a consistent surface” as the rest of the floor. The change is intended to enhance the safety of men’s and women’s basketball players. While this past spring was a non-rules change year for basketball, policy permits rules committees to make changes in off years if safety issues are involved. The new rule calls for the playing court to be of a completely finished manner that is consistent throughout. The rules change does not restrict the use of decals and logos, but it does make clear that those marks must be similar to the rest of the court. That includes the three-foot area outside each sideline and the six-foot area behind the end lines. The host game management will be responsible for ensuring the court is of a similar finish, including any logos or decals that are legally allowed on the floor. Game officials will have the authority to suspend play if the surface does not comply.
How do you prepare for a season on the court? Early practices, a number of free throws, drills and work-outs in the gym? Maybe, but Georgia State women’s basketball head coachwanted to put a twist on her team’s preparations and the Panthers got just that— a twist, before dawn!
“We needed to work on our mental toughness, our teamwork, our communication skills, our leadership methods and our discipline before we ever get on the basketball court to work on our game plans and strategy,” head coach Sharon Baldwin-Tener said in explaining why she decided to utilize a former Navy SEAL instructor’s organization to come to Atlanta and support a workout with GSU’s strength and conditioning staff.
The Georgia State women’s basketball team recently completed a two-day four-hour grueling course that was led by GSU strength coach Jamal Terry and observed by 10-year SEAL John McGuire.
—Check out the complete story at Georgia StateSports.com and the photo gallery-
Snap, Snap … #CAAHoops Photo Gallery is Live
Women’s college basketball players Elena Delle Donne (Delaware), Skylar Diggins (Notre Dame) and Brittney Griner (Baylor) are visiting ESPN’s Bristol, Conn., studios Wednesday. Check back throughout the day for behind-the-scenes updates and photos as the star trio makes its way around campus. Check out the ESPNW’s website for day’s worth of blogging and videos.
