Thursday, November 15, 2007

TUSCULUM WOMEN OPEN REGULAR SEASON,

HOST GREENE COUNTY EXPRESS CLASSIC THIS WEEKEND

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- A solid blend of veteran leadership and seven talented newcomers highlights the 2007-08 roster for head coach Missy Tiber and the Tusculum College women’s basketball team. Tusculum opens the regular season this weekend as it hosts the Greene County Express Lady Pioneer Classic.

TC will face Livingstone College in Friday's opener beginning at 6 p.m. Following that game, Pfeiffer University and Brevard College will face off at 8 p.m.

On Saturday, Brevard and Livingstone open day two action at 2 p.m., followed by Tusculum and Pfeiffer at 4 p.m.

The Pioneers return five letterwinners, including two starters from last year’s 16-13 squad that advanced to the semifinals of the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament. It was an amazing run for Tusculum as the Pioneers finished sixth in the league, winning four of its last five games, utilizing a line-up of only eight healthy players through most of the second half of the season.

TC will have to replace one of the top assist-makers in school and league history (Brooke Underwood) as well as one of the best three-point shooters ever at Tusculum (Chassity Martin).

Tusculum returns its top offensive threat from a year ago in 5-10 guard Ashli Oliver. The Kokomo, Ind. junior is has already shattered the TC record book in three-point shooting and is on pace to establish new league marks. Her 103 three-pointers last year were a new school and SAC single-season record. The All-Conference Second Team selection poured in 13.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in her 29 starts. Oliver was deadly accurate from beyond the arc, shooting 41.2 percent from three-point territory and was also on target at the charity stripe (86.4%).

Junior guard Shantae Shank was Tusculum’s top defender, averaging 1.93 steals per contest, which were sixth best in the conference. Shank started in all 29 contests where she posted 9.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.

Sophomore Emily French was involved in terrible car crash last March, which sidelined her from playing and conditioning for most of the summer. French, a 5-9 guard from Greensboro, N.C., came off the bench in 27 games where she connected on 14 three-pointers.

But the most anticipated return is that of sophomore forward Stephany Neptune. The 5-9 Wallkill, N.Y. forward had a solid rookie campaign in 2005-06 where she averaged 10.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, while earning a spot on the SAC All-Freshman squad. Neptune injured her knee just weeks before the start of the season and was sidelined for the remainder of the year. Her anticipated presence has been enough to earn her a spot on the Preseason All-Conference squad this year.

Sophomore guard Diana Neves is back for the Pioneers, posting 9.8 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. Neves (Gladstone, Queensland, Australia) was the top free throw shooter on the team with her 92.9 free throw percentage.

Sophomore Kat Spears is also slated to return after her rookie season was shortened to just a dozen games due to injury. Spears, a 5-10 forward from Memphis, Tenn., finished with 5.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, while also posting 20 blocks and 15 steals.

Jasmine Gunn, a 5-0 guard from Nashville, Tenn., played her prep career at Antioch High School and is anticipated to take over the point guard duties. She was named to the Associated Press All-State Team this past season where she averaged 15.3 points, 2.5 assists and four steals per game. Gunn shot 52.3 percent from the floor, including 39 percent from three-point territory. She also shot 73.7 percent at the free throw line and was tabbed to the Tennessean Mid-State Third Team. Gunn was a two-time All-Region selection and All-District pick, including 2006 when she was named the District 12-AAA Tournament Most Valuable Player. She led Antioch to three District titles and two Region Tournament appearances.

Nikki Van Dine, a 5-10 forward from Columbus, Ohio, averaged 12.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game at Owens Community College last season where she was a Second Team All-Ohio Community College Athletic Conference standout. She shot 47.3 percent from the field, including a sizzling 46.5 percent from beyond the arc as Owens posted a 20-11 record and won the league championship with a 12-2 conference mark. Van Dine finished seventh in the nation in three-point percentage (NJCAA). During her prep career at Westland High School, she was a two-time All-Conference pick and was named the league’s player of the year. Van Dine’s team won the OCC Conference title during her sophomore year, the school’s first league championship.

Jasmine Parker, a Rex, Ga. product, comes to Tusculum after a stellar playing career at Morrow High School in Morrow, Ga. The 5-8 guard was last season’s Region 4-AAAAA Player of the Year. The First Team All-County pick scored over 1,000 points during her prep career, while knocking down 86 three-point field goals, including 46 during her sophomore season.

Chloe Obasogie (pronounced O-boss-a-GEE-A) a 5-9 guard from Cincinnati, Ohio, played at Clark Montessori High School. She was a rebounding machine during her prep career as she averaged 12.7 boards per game. She was a two-time First Team All-League selection and was a two-time All-District Honorable Mention choice. Her team finished as sectional finalist last year and won the Conference title every season she was at Clark Montessori. She also lettered in soccer and was an All-League runner in track.

Jennifer Wilson, a 5-10 guard from Seymour, Tenn., averaged 10 points, four rebounds, three steals, three assists and two blocks per game at Seymour High School. She garnered All-Region honors the last two seasons and was an All-District pick in 2007. Her junior squad was Sub-State Champions and advanced to the State Tournament, while last year’s club won the District crown.

LaTasha Davis, a 6-2 rookie center from Belmont, N.C., starred on the hardwood at South Point High School. Davis averaged 14.8 points and 10 rebounds per game last season as he earned a spot on the All-Gaston Gazette Honorable Mention squad.

Rounding out the list of newcomers is rookie point guard Brittni Oliver. Brittni, sister of TC’s Ashli Oliver, was an All-Conference selection at Taylor High School in Kokomo, Ind. Brittni averaged seven points and five steals per game. In 2006, she established a new school record with 117 steals.

Tusculum played well in its two exhibition games against NCAA Division I opponents. The Pioneers posted a 71-60 road win at Tennessee Tech University earlier this month. On Wednesday, Tusculum lost 77-64 at Furman University.

Following this weekend's Greene Country Express Classic, Tusculum will host Converse College on Monday night beginning at 6 p.m.

- TC -