Brief Look Into Longwood Women’s Basketball
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Khalilah Ali and Company look to return to the title game in 2014–2015[/caption]
The Longwood women’s basketball team is 2 years removed from a memorable Big South tournament run. Coach Reinson has mentioned that team was carried by a senior core and the freshman sort of tagged along for the ride. Well that freshman class is now the junior class and there are some talented players on this Longwood squad. After an injury plagued 2013–2014, the women’s team looks to make a solid run this year.
Longwood faces a tough out of conference schedule this season. That should set them up very well for conference play. The Lancers visit notable opponents in Wake Forest, Florida, Richmond, William & Mary, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Clemson, and George Mason. Reinson and his coaching staff have not shied away from stiff competition. Reinson believes the gauntlet they’ll be facing in November and December will set them up to make a run in the spring and into the Big South Tournament.
What the Lancers have going for them:
Daeisha Brown, who led the team with 15.3 points per game last season, is returning for her junior campaign. The 5–3 guard from Richmond is sure to be the centerpiece in Coach Bill Reinson’s scheme. Brown likes to press on defense and get to the basket and draw contact on the offensive end. Reinson mentioned that he expects Dae Dae to play at her full potential a year removed from an injury riddled sophomore season. Although small in stature, Dae Dae will be the instrumental piece for this Lancers group.
Raven Williams, who was named a co-captain this season, looks to build upon a solid sophomore year. The 5–8 guard works well beside her Richmond-native counterpart. Coach Reinson told Jacob Bell on WVHL 92.3fm that even though Brown is the PG, Williams thrives with the ball in her hands at the SG position. Reinson shined light on the fact that Raven is the best passer on the squad. In just 20 games last season, Williams averaged 11.4 points per game and a team-leading 3.3 assists per contest. Raven is also a tough defender as she averaged just under 2 steals per game.
Who will step up and make this team successful:
Emily Nylen will hopefully step right into the space that Heather Tobeck vacated. The 6–5 forward from Illinois could be a valuable tool for Reinson and Co. She played sparingly last season and dealt with injuries throughout the year. During interviews, Reinson seems to have a lot of confidence in the sophomore and is depending on her potential to help this squad.
Brenna Robbins hustles to play hard and does a nice job playing effort defense with some toughness.
Kyndal Skersick can bomb it from three. If the junior guard can improve her consistency, look for her to make a nice improvement in production and minutes.
Khalilah Ali has been a gritty post player for this Lancers squad. If Nylen can step up, it would create opportunities for Ali. Ali plays hard and with emotion. She is fully capable of helping on the wing and in the post.
Deborah Headen was named a captain for her upcoming junior year. The 5–9 guard out of Herndon has really grown a lot according to Coach Reinson. Look for Headen to see plenty of opportunities to prove her worth early in the season.
Autumn Childress is an incoming freshman guard out of Midlothian. Reinson has really touted the freshman and says she rivals Raven Williams with the ball in her hands. Apparently, Childress is a talented player that dealt with knee injuries during her high school career (a la Dana Smith, anyone?). It seems like Childress will get some opportunities to shine early on in the non-conference slate.
Basically, there will be several players that will be responsible for playing a role for this team to succeed. They will play an uptempo style and Coach Reinson will depend on at least 10 players any given night. They will have to be interchangeable so that the scheme doesn’t falter at any point. It’ll be an interesting team to watch because it has a lot of talent and they should play a fun style of basketball.
The women’s team will kick off their season at Wake Forest on Saturday at 2pm. Wake Forest will be live-streaming the game at wakeforestsports.com.
Also, all of the Longwood women’s basketball home contests are streamed (FOR FREE) live on the Big South Network at www.bigsouthsports.com. All road conference games are streamed as well.
