Nov. 11, 2010
ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- The Navy women's basketball team will open its 2010-11 season this weekend with a pair of games away from Annapolis. The Mids will first travel to Loudonville, N.Y., for a Friday night game at Siena (7 p.m.) before a stopping in Newark, N.J., for a Sunday afternoon game at NJIT (2 p.m.).
Links to free live statistics from both games are available at www.NavySports.com(.) Additionally, Siena is offering a live video stream of Friday's game for $7.95, while NJIT will be providing a free audio stream of Sunday's game. Links to both of those streams also can be found at www.NavySports.com(.)
Four starters return for the Mids from their 2009-10 team that compiled a 17-14 record on the year and placed third in the Patriot League with a conference mark of 8-6. Included among those returning starters are seniors Angela Myers (San Antonio, Texas) and Cassie Consedine (Bartlesville, Okla.), both of whom have been mainstays in the Navy lineup since the first game of their freshman year.
Myers, the two-time defensive player of the year in the Patriot League who also was named to the pre-season all-league team this fall, averaged 11.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.9 steals per game last season. She ranks sixth in school history with both 348 career assists and 181 career steals. Myers also enters the season 181 points away from becoming the 15th player in Navy history to amass 1,000 career points.
The 14th player to reach the 1,000-point mark was her classmate Consedine. In addition to her tally of 1,061 points over her first three years, Consedine also ranks first at the school with 167 career blocks (43 more than the second-place mark of 124) and 10th in both career three-point field goals made (95) and career rebounds (676). She led the Mids a year ago with averages of 10.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
Consedine was the most recent Mid to have been named to the Patriot League's All-Rookie (Freshman) Team until Chey Arvin (So., Noblesville, Ind.) garnered the laurel last season. Arvin joined the aforementioned duo of current seniors as the lone members of the team to start all 31 games last season. She ranked fourth on the team in minutes played a year ago, averaging 5.3 points and 3.0 rebounds a game during her time on the court.
Rounding out the foursome of returning starters is Megan Matheny (So., Lexington Park, Md.). She averaged over 20 minutes a game during the Patriot League season and shot 38.0 percent from the floor in those league games.
The lone member of the junior class on the team is Erin Edwards (Hockessin, Del.). One of just five players to appear in every game last season, Edwards shot 42.9 percent from the field and 73.3 percent from the free throw line last season.
Besides Arvin and Matheny, another freshman from last season who saw significant playing time was Jasmine Pitts (So., Long Beach, N.Y.). She started 11 games last year and averaged 5.6 points and 1.7 assists per game.
Rounding out the list of returning sophomores on the team are Destini Henderson (Huntsville, Texas), Chantel Lavender (Trenton, N.J.) and Jen Penley (Pfafftown, N.C.). The five members of the Class of 2014 on the team include Audrey Bauer (Lake Zurich, Ill.), Jade Geif (Lakeview, Minn.), Alix Membreno (Loxahatchee, Fla.), M.L. Morrison (Southlake, Texas) and Kara Pollinger (Fort Gay, W.Va.).
Siena posted an 11-18 record last year and placed seventh in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference with an 8-10 mark. The Saints return a pair of starters from last year's squad.
The lone previous meeting between the Mids and the Saints took place at the end of the 1982-83 season. Siena posted a 69-59 victory over Navy in a game played as part of the EAIAW Mid-Atlantic Regional.
NJIT, which will open its season Sunday against the Mids, also compiled an 11-18 record during the 2009-10 season. The Highlanders tied for fourth place during last year's inaugural season of the Great West Conference with a 6-6 mark.
Sunday's game will be the first between NJIT and Navy.
Opening Day Thoughts from Stefanie Pemper
In what ways has the team developed since the first official practice a month ago?
"I'm impressed with how we move the ball offensively, and how confident we are shooting the ball. I think each player feels that her teammates trust her decision-making and it's empowering. On the defensive end, we've developed into a team that can put pressure on opponents with our quickness and savvy."
Have you noticed any similarities or differences in how practice has gone this year with the earlier start date?
"The early October start date was fantastic simply because it allowed us the flexibility to ease into our season at a pace that was right for us. Taking two days off per week was nice compared to one. You can manage injuries and the players' academic challenges better."
The primary classes on the team in terms of numbers are freshmen and sophomores. While the upperclass are outnumbered, what impact have they had on the team thus far?
"It's always an adjustment when players become seniors, or in Erin Edwards' case one of only three juniors/seniors on the team. Even though you know it's coming, it presents challenges. We didn't get on the court much during preseason conditioning so we didn't have the same opportunities to become familiar with each other and gel as a group. Our upperclass players are providing better leadership every week, and understanding how to work together not only with each other but with the coaches."
How have the freshmen done through the first month of practice?
"The freshman have done great. In my experiences, it is very unusual for freshman to provide the kind of leadership that these women do. Their talent helps their credibility, no question, but they work very hard and have a passion for playing basketball that is special. They are a very likable group."
What are some of the things you have learned about this year's team?
"That if we stay healthy we have the pieces to be good. This is the first team we've had in three years that has this kind of talent dispersed through all four classes. We also have strong leaders in each class which to me is special. When each class takes ownership of the team's goals, it frees everyone to focus and perform."
What is the goal for the non-league portion of the schedule?
"To find a way to pull-out a win every night. We have a tough schedule and certainly no one expects us to win every night but if we appreciate and respect the challenge of each game, if we're prepared physically and can stay mentally tough together, we have a chance. It's very hard at the Academy to be your best every night, but why shouldn't that be the goal? It's incredibly rewarding each time you achieve it."
