ECU Women's Basketball 2014-15 Season Preview
November 12, 2014 | Women's Basketball
GREENVILLE, N.C. - Coming off consecutive 22-win seasons and a pair of WNIT appearances, the East Carolina women's basketball team is geared and ready for its first year as a member of the American Athletic Conference in 2014-15.
The Pirates were picked to finish third in the American Conference preseason poll according to a vote by the league's head coaches. Topping the poll was UConn with 100 points and 10 first-place votes, while USF was picked to finish second with 91 points. The Pirates accumulated 72 points, while Temple and Tulane both received 67 in a tie for fourth place. Redshirt junior guard Jada Payne was one of 10 players named to the Preseason All-American Athletic Conference Team, earning a second team nod.
After leading the East Carolina to back-to-back 20-plus win seasons for the first time ever, head coach Heather Macy enters her fifth season at the helm of the program and received a five-year contract extension during the summer that runs through the 2019-20 season.
ECU returns one of its most experienced squads ever, including all five starters and its three leading scorers from a year ago. Payne enters her second season after leading the team with 18.4 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, en route to being named to the All-Conference USA First Team. Abria Trice and Ondrea Shaw, who were All-C-USA Second Team and All-C-USA Defensive Team picks respectively, will join Janesha Ebron, Tatiana Chapple, Shae Nelson and Akia Jones as the squad's senior leaders.
Last season, Payne drained a program record 70 three-pointers along the way to scoring 569 points which ranks sixth on the single-season charts. The Hickory, N.C., native also set the all-time mark for free throw percentage, hitting 84.3 percent of her attempts. Shaw was a presence in the paint on the defensive end of the floor, setting the new program standard for blocked shots with 101. That total already stands as the fifth most ever.
"Having Jada Payne and Abria Trice back is a huge advantage and they are two of our five starters returning," Macy said. "I'm excited to coach a group who has been together for a bit. From what I've seen in practices, they seem to be bringing the new kids along and taking them under their wings."
Those new kids Macy refers to are the 10 total newcomers, six of which will suit up this season while the other half will be eligible to compete in 2015-16 after spending a year in academic residency according to NCAA transfer rules. The quintet of juniors who can play in 2014-15 are forwards DeVaughn Gray (Northeastern Oklahoma CC), Chelsie Keys (Coffeyville CC) and I'Tiana Taylor (Weatherford CC), while guards Khadijah Ellison (Chipola CC) and Jasmine Phillips (Tennessee) will also see extended minutes. The lone freshman joining the squad is Felecity Havens, a Wilmington, N.C., native and graduate of Eugene Ashley High School.
"We have a ton of personalities this year and there is never a dull moment," Macy said. "We do a lot of team-building because chemistry is going to be a major factor with our success this year."
Next season, junior guard Khadidja Toure (Oregon State), as well as sophomore guard and forward hybrid Gabrielle Holston (Georgia Tech) will complement junior post players Derreyal Youngblood (LSU) and Marina Laramie (Indiana State) as East Carolina's future.
"We have a blueprint as far as our redshirt program goes," Macy said. "What we've done is designed a systematic way to redshirt. For a lot of programs the redshirt is just a sit-out year, but for us, it's the way they are able to train. We continue the individual skill development with those kids throughout their redshirt year, and get them on track as far as nutrition and academically. I'm really proud of the development we've had through our redshirt program."
While the team may also turn out to be one of the most talented in recent memory, included in an increased strength of schedule will be a pair of dates with reigning back-to-back national champion Connecticut during the regular season. The Pirates and Huskies will tangle in Greenville on Dec. 31 at 2:30 p.m., before meeting again at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn., on Jan. 28.
"The American Conference is an amazing conference," Macy said. "In this league, we're going to have to bring our very best every night to compete and advance because everybody is working hard and trying to make the NCAA Tournament."
East Carolina will make a minimum of 11 appearances on national television, in addition to a pair of broadcasts on the American Digital Sports Network. Nine contests will be shown on ESPN3, while East Carolina's league opener at USF on Dec. 28 at 12 noon, as well as the second meeting between the two schools in Greenville on Feb. 15 at 2 p.m., will air on ESPNU.
The Pirates open the season Nov. 14-15 at the URI Invitational in Kingston, R.I., where it will take on Fairfield and Rhode Island. The Pirates will start their home slate with three contests in a five-day span, beginning Wednesday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m., when College of Charleston comes to Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum. ECU will then host Delaware two days later for an 11:30 a.m., tip before welcoming Bethune-Cookman on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 2 p.m.
