The 2009-2010 women's basketball season begins with great excitement and expectations surrounding the Lady Redhawks. Last season, the Redhawks advanced to the championship game of the conference tournament. This year’s team is looking to continue last year’s success. An up-tempo style and pressure defense helped contribute to the Redhawk’s success. A powerful recruiting class of three should allow this year's squad to continue playing an up-tempo style offense and pressure on the defensive end. The addition of depth, size, and speed was the main focus in this recruiting class. 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 2009-2010 Lady Redhawks:
POINT GUARD
The Lady Redhawks will have a different look at the point guard position. Senior Brittni Evans and freshman Lexi Fontana will run the point guard position. Fontana is a very quick combo guard that can really handle the basketball and really shoot it. She is also a floor general. Evans is a lightning quick playmaker who is like a coach on the floor. Both players are great on the ball defenders. We are expecting big things from Lexi and Brittni this season. Senior Michelle Steele will be joining the team this year and will bring a ton of leadership skills to our club.
SHOOTING GUARD
Sophomore Makayla Neff and sophomore Chloe Stewart will be sharing the shooting guard duties. Neff is a relentless defender who can also move to the point guard position. Stewart is a very skilled and hard-nosed combo guard. She is a great rebounder from the guard position and a very good mid-range jump shooter. She comes from a much respected high school program in Farrell. Stewart will bring tons of knowledge and leadership to the team this season.
SMALL FORWARD
Freshman Chantelle Herring, junior Jaquaylla Kessler and junior Chantelle Jennings will compete for the starting job at the small forward position. Kessler is a very physical rebounder who loves to slash to the hoop. She is a very versatile player who can play any position on the floor. Jennings is a very versatile wing that can play both guard positions. She can really shoot the basketball. Finally, Herring is a small forward who brings a ton of energy to our lineup. We are expecting big things from these three.
POWER FORWARD
Freshman Melissa Taylor, Senior Ashley Heakins and Senior Cheronda Ransaw will play the power forward position. Taylor is a very athletic forward who can really run the floor and brings tons of energy to our lineup. Heakins is bringing tons of experience to the team this year. She was a starter last year and played very well. Heakins is an unbelievably hard worker who we need to play some very important minutes for us this year. Lastly, Ransaw is a relentless rebounder and can really score around the basket. We are looking for Cheronda to make a major impact right away this season.
CENTER
Junior Joycie Lawrence, junior Angel Daniels and Freshman Jacki Movitch will anchor the post position in the 2009-2010 campaign. Lawrence is a very young player that can really rebound and block shots. Her improvement from last year to this year has been tremendous. She has a very bright future ahead of her. Daniels is a versatile low post player that can play the four and the five positions. Movitch is a very good rebounder and shot blocker that can really run the floor. We are expecting big things from Joycie, Jacki and Angel this year.
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Eddie Benton
Women's Basketball Coach |
ABOUT THE COACH
Eddie Benton is entering his 6th 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 50-78 in five 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. In his fourth season, the lady Redhawks won 14 games and finished with a record of 14-12. In Coach Benton’s fifth season, the Lady Redhawks finished with a record of 15-12 and made it to the championship game of the conference tournament. The Redhawks won the championship at the Chatham University tip-off tournament, with a huge upset victory over Point Park University. The Redhawks have made the playoffs three times in Benton’s five year tenure. After talking with Coach Benton, he had this to say, “We have a great combination of experienced returning players to go along with a great recruiting class and transfers. I am very excited about the upcoming season and I anticipate great things will happen. Hopefully, we can build on what we started two years ago.”
