Lady Pirates Basketball Prepares for Monday's Exhibition
November 06, 2003 | Women's Basketball
GREENVILLE, N.C. -- The East Carolina women's basketball team is preparing to put the final touches on its game plan for Monday's, Nov. 10 exhibition game against the Basketball Travelers (WBC Ilirija) at Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum, with tip off is set for 7 p.m.
The Lady Pirates enjoyed a successful season under first-year head coach Sharon Baldwin-Tener in 2002-03, where they posted 12 wins and made their first-ever Conference USA Tournament appearance.
Junior guard Jennifer Jackson and senior center Courtney Willis, along with an experienced team that returns eight of 13 players, look to make their second straight appearance in the C-USA Tournament.
The Lady Pirates added four newcomers to the squad with a pair of junior college transfers from Northeast Oklahoma A&M College and two freshman. Transfer Viola Cooper, and freshmen Tamekia Powell and Keisha Anthony will bring depth to the Lady Pirate backcourt, while transfer Soraya Hellaby and her 6-2 frame will help Willis and junior forward/center Shanita Sutton underneath.
Monday's game against WBC Ilirija will give coach Baldwin-Tener and her staff the first real look at this years squad, when the Lady Pirates get a chance to bang bodies with someone outside the purple and gold jersey's.
"It's always good to play against someone else," said Baldwin-Tener. "After a while, you get tired of beating up on your teammates and want to see something new. Exhibition games are a good measuring stick for us to see how the team is progressing during practice. We (coaching staff) will be looking at a variety of things, mostly I am anxious to see how our newcomers respond in game-like situations, and to see how much our team defense has improved from last year."
The Lady Pirates will be without the services of sophomore forward Stephanie Warner and freshman guard Keisha Anthony for Monday's exhibition. Warner, who played in 18 games as a freshman in 2002-03, starting three, has been suspended for the 2003-04 season, while Anthony will sit out one game for a violation of team rules.
Pirate fans will get a chance to see the Lady Pirates in action this Saturday, Nov. 8, when they participate in the annual Purple-Gold game at 10 a.m. The scrimmage will be part of the weekend's Homecoming festivities highlighted by the Pirates' football game against USF at 2 p.m.
