The 2007-2008 women's basketball season begins with great excitement and expectations surrounding the Lady Redhawks. Depth played a factor in some of last season's struggles, but a powerful recruiting class of eight should allow this year's squad to run a more up-tempo style offense. The addition of depth, size, and speed was the main focus in recruiting. The new class hopes to contribute immediately and play a very up-tempo style of basketball. The future for the Lady Redhawks looks very bright.
A close look, by position, at the 2007-2008 Lady Redhawks:
POINT GUARD
The Lady Redhawks will have a different look at the point guard position. Sophomore transfer Brittney Radic and senior Marlis Graves will run the point guard position. Radic is a very quick guard that can really handle the basketball and really shoot it. Graves is a lightning quick playmaker who is like a coach on the floor. We are expecting big things from Marlis and Brittney this season.
SHOOTING GUARD
Freshman Jena Kacsur and Junior Lyndi Miloszewski will be sharing the shooting guard duties. Kacsur is a deadly three-point shooter who can also move to the point guard position. Miloszewski is a very skilled and hard-nosed wing player. She is a relentless defender and a very good shooter. She comes from a much respected high school program. She will bring tons of knowledge and leadership to the team this season.
SMALL FORWARD
Freshman transfer Chantelle Jennings and true freshman Jaquaylla Kessler will compete for the starting job at the small forward position. Jennings is a very physical rebounder who loves to slash to the hoop. Kessler is a very versatile wing that can play almost every position on the court. We are expecting big things from these two.
POWER FORWARD
Freshman Sade Turner, Sophomore Alicia Tongel, and Sophomore transfer Ashley Heakins
will play the power forward position. Turner is a very athletic forward who can really run the floor and block shots. Tongel is bringing experience to the team this year. Even though she is only a sophomore, she played a ton of valuable minutes and played very well. Lastly, Heakins is a transfer from Arcadia University who played a major role on their team last year. We are looking for Ashley to make a major impact right away.
CENTER
Freshman Joycie Lawrence, Staci Menzies, and Junior Michelle Hunzinger will anchor the post position in 2007-2008. Lawrence is a very young player that can really rebound and block shots. She has a very bright future ahead of her. Menzies is a versatile low post player that can play the four and the five positions. She comes from a very good high school program that really knows about winning. We are expecting big things from Staci this year. Hunzinger will be called on for her leadership both on and off the court. She is a very physical post presence that loves to rebound and bang. She has made great strides from last year and she also had a very productive summer. She is a major part of what we are trying to do.
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Eddie Benton
Women's Basketball Coach |
ABOUT THE COACH
Eddie Benton is entering his 4 th season as head coach of the Redhawks. Prior to becoming the head coach, Benton served two seasons as the assistant coach at La Roche under Scott Lang. He also spent three years as the assistant coach at Robert Morris University under Mark Schmidt, who now coaches at St. Bonaventure. Benton took over the program in the summer of 2004 at age 29.
In his playing days, Benton was named to the Post-Gazette Fabulous Five (1992) and was also all-city performer at Perry Traditional Academy. During his sophomore and junior years, his Perry team went to Hershey both seasons and competed in the state championship, losing to York Catholic in 1990 and beating Pottstown for the title in 1991. During his senior year, Benton was selected to the Dapper Dan Roundball Classic where he won the three point shootout. He soon signed a national letter of intent to attend the University of Vermont where he became the schools' all-time leading scorer with 2,474 career points and still holds the record to this day. He also ranks third all-time in assists for his career. During his freshman year, he was selected as the conference rookie of the year. He also made the first team all-conference for four consecutive seasons. In the spring of 2006, Benton won the Frances Pomeroy Naismith award, given annually to the best player in the country under six feet tall. He had his jersey retired in 1998. After graduating with his degree in sociology, Benton continued his professional playing career in the CBA with the Grand Rapids Hoops. He then played professionally overseas in Israel, Holland, and Venezuela.
As head coach at La Roche, Benton has compiled a career record of 21-54 in three seasons. During his first year, the Redhawks finished 9-16 and made it to the first round of the conference playoffs before losing to Medaille College. In his second season, the Redhawks finished with a record of 7-18 and didn't make the playoffs. In his third season, the Redhawks finished with a record of 5-20 and failed to make the playoffs.
