Women’s Basketball Looks for Big Things from Young Core in 2018-19 Season
11/7/2018 11:04:00 AM | Women's Basketball
SFA tips off 2018-19 season on Friday at Miami as part of Preseason WNIT
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – In the oldest town in Texas, one of the nation's youngest rosters will begin to take shape this week with the advent of the 50th season of Ladyjack basketball at SFA. The Ladyjacks will feature 12 players fit for duty in 2018-19, with representation by freshman and sophomores making up the lion's share of those players. Still, the expectations and promise for the Ladyjacks are high on the eve of the 2018-19 campaign, as the team is fresh off a second-straight 25-win season under fourth-year head coach Mark Kellogg and the fifth WNIT appearance in program history.
"The goals for this season aren't any different than they are for any other year", said SFA head coach Mark Kellogg. "Of course you want to win your regular season championship, you want to win the conference tournament and then move on to the NCAA tournament, and then once you're there you want to see if you can make noise within that. Now, we haven't reached a couple of those goals yet, but they're out there for us. The question is 'what do you do every day to get better and closer to reaching those goals' and for us we realized we needed to be closer as a team and form a more tight-knit group."
In racking up an impressive 25 wins last season, the Ladyjacks got it done on both sides of the floor, scoring an average of 72.7 points per game while allowing an average of just 58 points per contest to opponents. That scoring margin of 14.8 points per game was the 18thhighest mark in all of Division I women's basketball last season, and was second best in Southland Conference play. The Ladyjacks also enjoyed some success following the conclusion of the regular season, entering the 2017-18 Southland Conference Tournament as the two seed and dispatching Central Arkansas to advance to the tournament title game, the second straight for the program. Following that tournament, the Ladyjacks were offered and accepted a bid to the WNIT to qualify for postseason play for the second straight season.
GUARDS
The Ladyjacks will feature an entirely new backcourt duo this season after the departure of Taylor Jackson and the preseason injury of Kennedy Harris, which will sideline the senior throughout the campaign. It remains to be seen who fills out the openings, but the Ladyjacks have options. A pair of veteran guards in Brioenne Burns and Marissa Banfield will see their roles expand in their second season, with both possessing strong shooting ability from beyond the arc as well. Freshman duo Brianna Mitchell and Heaven Hamling, both prolific scorers in their prep careers, who should factor into the mix, but may be tasked with fitting into a modified role on the Ladyjack offense. Jack of all trades and Swedish import Stephanie Visscher brings positional versatility to the 'Jacks and carries a diverse skillset that will see her contribute in a number of ways, and will help SFA with a nice combination of length, speed and playmaking ability.
Senior Chanell Hayes and sophomore Alyssa Mayfield will play interchangeably and can be useful at multiple positions for the 'Jacks, with the size and skillset necessary to post-up smaller guards down low, and the outside shooting to hurt teams on the perimeter as well. Hayes will be a key piece for SFA after posting 12.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game last season, figures that lead all returners this season. Hayes also knocked down a team-high 51 treys last season and led the team in steals, with 55. Fellow senior Kennedy Harris will spend the season on the sidelines due to injury, but still has plenty of chances to make an impact on the team as a vocal leader and mentor to the younger players.
FORWARDS
A capable group of forwards is in place for the Ladyjacks in 2018-19, and also contains some of the team's veteran players. The group is led by 2017-18 Southland Newcomer of the Year Imani Johnson, who is poised for a big role in the new season and poses matchups issues for opposing teams due to her shooting touch. Junior Riley Harvey chipped in 5.0 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in just under 17 minutes per game, and should have a chance at more usage with the departure of Stevi Parker and her 33 minutes per game at the forward position. Senior Kia Fisker will provide some veteran presence for SFA in the post, where she can play with her back to the basket as well as step outside when needed. Johnson sisters Aaliyah and Aiyana will also factor into the mix, as Aaliyah has one season under her belt, and youngest sister Aiyana comes in with good potential and talent after a decorated prep career.
"We'll probably shoot it a little better, maybe take a few more threes this season, just because of the shooting ability all the way down the lineup", said Kellogg. "Everybody can shoot it. Teams are going to have to guard us at all five positions, but we'll be looking to create a good balance of inside and outside scoring. Some of the way we'll score depends on how good we are defensively, that's how we got some of our scoring last season, off of turnovers."
COACHING STAFF
Entering his fourth year at SFA, Mark Kellogg has already continued the tradition of success synonymous with Ladyjack basketball. A pair of consecutive 25-win seasons has set the standard for his tenure with the Purple and White, and a favorable schedule in 2018-19 shows promise for the Ladyjacks. Associate head coach Rebecca Alvidrez is in her second year with the program, working primarily with the ball handlers, while assistant coach Jessica Grayson fine tunes the guard play in her third year. Assistant coach Leonard Bishop returns for his fourth season on the 'Jacks staff, and will work with the post players in SFA's rotation.
ON THE SCHEDULE
• The 'Jacks will play a total of 15 scheduled home games as scheduled, with a further 11 true road games and four neutral site games split between two tournaments (Preseason WNIT and Lobo Invitational). The 'Jacks are slated to play two "Power Five" opponents in Miami and Texas Tech, and one opponent each from the American (Tulsa) and Big Sky (Montana State) Conferences.
• Come conference play, the 'Jacks will once again face the Southland's top teams from last season twice in conference play, facing the likes of Central Arkansas, Lamar and Abilene Christian both at home and on the road.
VOLUME L
• Friday's contest against Miami kicks off the 50th season in program history for SFA women's Basketball, one of college basketball's winningest programs. Indeed, when the conversation shifts to mainstays of women's basketball, SFA belongs in the conversation, being one of just nine programs with over 1000 wins.
• In 49 full seasons of competition, the Ladyjacks have accrued 20+ wins in 32 seasons.
OF NOTE IN 2018-19
• SFA will open the season with three sisters on its roster from the same family, one of just two such trios in NCAA Division I (Washington State). Oldest sister Imani is a redshirt senior, Aaliyah is a sophomore, and youngest sister Aiyana Johnson enters her freshman season.
• Stephen F. Austin converted on 248 three-point baskets last season, a figure that ranked second in the Southland Conference. 150 of those return with the nine players left from last season, with Hayes (51) and Banfield (42) doing the most damage from deep.
• SFA has posted 91 wins since 2013-14, a figure which ranks fourth among Division I women's basketball programs in Texas. That mark trails only three "Power 5" programs in Baylor, Texas and Texas A&M.
• The 'Jacks' roster is comprised of 75% underclassmen, with a total of eight sophomores and freshman.
"We have a lot of talent, it's a lot of young talent, which can be a little daunting because there's some new faces and you haven't seen them do it in game as much", added Kellogg. "I think that piece will take care of itself, it's just a matter of responding to adversity when the going gets tough. That will be a measure of how far we've come as a team in building that bond."
• Of SFA's 2,327 points scored last season, a total of 1262 (54.2 percent) of those points come back via returners, led by Chanell Hayes and her 393 points in the 2017-18 campaign.
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