2010-11 Ladyjack Preview: Posts
11/5/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 5, 2010
This is the third of a three-part series taking a glance at the 210-11 Ladyjack basketball team. The defending SLC co-champion Ladyjacks open the season Nov. 12 at North Texas and begin their home season on Nov. 20 against Tulane.
POSTS
Returning: Amina Sawyer, Chantol Drennan
Newcomers: Sha Turner
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Ladyjacks return both of their true post players from a year ago and have added an athletic freshman to give the team a trio of athletic options that bring an array of talents to the low post for 2010-11.
Head coach Brandon Schneider inherited senior Chantol Drennan and junior Amina Sawyer, and could find valuable minutes from a true freshman - Duncanville's Sha Turner in the upcoming months.
Drennan started off the year slowly last season, but in the final seven games of the year was a key contributor to SFA's late-season push to a co-conference title. She averaged 10.1 points and 4.7 rebounds in the final seven games of the season, including double-double with a career best 20 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Texas State.
Schneider thinks she will bring not only the ability to score in the paint, but also the ability to step away from the basket and score from the perimeter, creating more scoring opportunities for her and also opening up driving lines for the rest of the lineup.
"Chantol gives us an advantage with her size and strength in the low post," Schneider said. "The fact that she is left-handed can be a real asset for her and she is certainly going to have a positive impact to our team."
Also back is 6-2 junior Amina Sawyer, who not only has given the Ladyjacks a solid presence on the low block offensively in her first two years, but has been a solid rebounder and led the team in blocked shots one year ago. Sawyer has also had the chance to mature on the job after seeing plenty of minutes in her first two seasons, earning 21 starts in 56 games played.
"Amina has the full skill set and we feel as though she is very, very close to having a breakout season," Schneider said. "She has all of the tools to be an impact player and a big contributor in the low post and we feel that as soon as we can get her to really turn the corner, our team is going to get a lot better in a hurry."
Also in the mix is freshman Sha Turner, who joins the roster one year after earning all-state honors at 5A Duncanville High School. There she led the Panthers to the regional quarterfinals and comes in as what Schneider describes as a power forward with an above-average low-post game.
"We are very excited about what Sha brings to our team and about what she will become down the road," Schneider said. "She can score in the post and even step out and shoot the three. We feel like physically she is ready to play at this level, but there are some very good players that are back that she will have to fight for minutes with."
Monday, Nov. 1 - Guards
Thursday, Nov. 4 - Forwards
Friday, Nov. 5 - Posts
