FARMVILLE, Va. - After Longwood University officially joined the Big South Conference on July 1, third-year head coach
Bill Reinson and his Lancers knew the 2012-13 women's basketball season would be unlike any other in the history of the Longwood program.
“Membership in the Big South is a huge step forward for our program,” said Reinson. “It changes the recruiting landscape and eliminates the disadvantages of being labeled as an independent.”
In their first year as members of a conference, Reinson and his team, which includes five returners and nine newcomers, can look forward to many benefits, such as squaring off against league rivals on their home court in Willett Hall and playing for the VisitMyMyrtleBeach.com Big South Conference Championship on March 6-10 in Conway, S.C.
“Being a member of the Big South guarantees that our students, faculty and community supporters will have nine home dates every year against conference rivals,” explained Reinson, who led his squad to a 5-3 record at home last season to give the program a 31-26 record in Farmville since becoming Division I-eligible in 2007-08 (five seasons). “Finally, it gives us a tangible goal for the end of the season. Although it will be challenging, we know that winning our conference tournament secures a spot in the NCAA Tournament.”
The Lancers are led by a talented group of returning letterwinners in 2012-13, including four senior starters in
Crystal Smith, a 5-8 guard,
Chelsea Coward, a 6-1 guard/forward,
Erin Neal, a 5-7 guard, and
Mieke Elkington, a 5-8 guard. Sophomore
Rianna Frazer, a 5-4 guard, rounds out the returners for Longwood, as the squad lost eight letterwinners from a year ago.
“We have an interesting mix of players this season. Our four seniors, Crystal, Chelsea, Erin and Mieke, have played a lot of basketball over the past three years,” commented Reinson. “Along with rising sophomore, Rianna, they will be counted on heavily to carry this program in 2012-2013. From leadership, to scoring, to rebounding, these five will be asked to do everything until we can evaluate our freshmen and determine what type of contributions to expect from them.”
Smith started 23 of 28 games last season to lead the team with career bests of 313 points, 111 assists and 85 rebounds. She averaged 31.8 minutes, 11.2 points and 3.0 rebounds, all personal bests, and shot 28.9% (100-346) from the field, 26.6% (30-133) from beyond the arc and 70.3% (83-118) from the line. Smith notched a career-high 11 assists and her first career double-double at Murray State (1.23), in addition to a career-high seven steals at Air Force (1.7). The guard, who recorded a season-high 24 points two times, led the team in scoring 10 times and in rebounding four times, while registering 14 double-figure scoring games and one game with double-figure assists.
Coward, who started 26 of 28 games, averaged 30.3 minutes, 10.3 points and 5.2 rebounds to finish third on the team in total points (288) and second in rebounds (146). She shot 35.0% (98-280) from the field, 21% (13-62) from beyond the arc and a career-high 73.8% (79-107) from the foul line. She led the team in scoring three times and in rebounding seven times, while notching one double-double at Air Force (1.7) and 16 double-figure scoring games. Coward set or tied three career highs last season including a personal-best 23 points against Richmond (2.13), four steals on three occasions and three blocks two times.
Neal started 23 of 24 games to average career bests of 28.1 minutes, 9.4 points and 2.7 rebounds. She shot career bests with 40% (74-185) from the field and 64.9% (72-111) from the foul line. She registered a career-high 20 points against NJIT (1.14) and a career-high five rebounds three times, most recently against Dartmouth (1.21). Neal, who totaled a season-high five assists two times, tallied 13 double-figure scoring games and led the team in scoring five times.
Elkington started 21 of 28 games in her first season with the Lancers after transferring from Cochise College in Arizona. She averaged 27.9 minutes, 4.8 points and 4.8 rebounds, while shooting 25.9% (49-189) from the field, 27.9% (19-68) from beyond the arc and 47.1% (16-34) from the foul line. Elkington notched five double-figure scoring games and two double-doubles in 2011-12, with a season-high 16 points at Murray State (1.23) and a season-high 13 rebounds at Utah Valley (1.10).
Frazer started three of 27 games last season, averaging 14.1 minutes, 1.1 points and 1.1 rebounds. She shot 29.4% (10-34) from the field, including 45.5% (5-11) from beyond the arc, and shot 62.5% (5-8) at the foul line. Frazer tallied a season-high five points on three occasions, with the most recent being at Murray State (1.23), and had a season-high four assists against Radford (12.3) and a season-high four rebounds against NJIT (1.14).
In addition, Longwood welcomes nine newcomers to the roster in 2012-13. Milena Bubnjevic, a 6-1 junior guard/forward and
Jessica Parker, a 6-2 redshirt freshman forward will be joined by seven freshmen including:
Khalilah Ali, a 6-0 guard/forward;
Langeda Bontemps, a 6-4 center;
Daeisha Brown, a 5-3 guard;
Deborah Headen, a 5-9 guard;
Jaclyn Reagan, a 5-9 guard;
Kyndal Skersick, a 5-9 guard; and
Raven Williams, a 5-8 guard.
“We focused on adding to our strong core by finding players that complement their abilities,” said Reinson. “I think we have assembled a talented group of players, who work extremely hard and are committed to building a winning tradition. They are a very skilled group that will definitely contribute on the offensive end of the floor. How quickly they progress will determine what type of season we have, but I am impressed with their effort thus far.”
Bubnjevic comes to Longwood from Northwest Florida State College, where she played two years of junior college basketball. Last season, Bubnjevic saw action in 28 games, averaging 1.5 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. She shot 38% (14-37) from the field and 70% (14-20) from the line, and totaled 42 points, 30 rebounds and nine assists for the Raiders, while adding seven steals and two blocks.
Parker did not play last season and received a redshirt. She played four years of varsity basketball for Clayton High School in North Carolina, averaging 13 points per game as a senior and earning the team's offensive award.
Ali was a four-year member of the basketball team at Woodrow Wilson in Suffolk where she totaled 300 career blocked shots and 250 career rebounds. An All-District First Team selection, she was a three-time MVP for her squad and was named Defensive Player of the Year.
Bontemps was a three-year varsity starter at North Miami Beach High School in Florida. In her senior season, she was voted her team's Most Valuable Player and named Third-Team All-Miami Dade. Bontemps was an All-County honorable mention as a junior, and helped lead her team to a District Championship as a sophomore.
Brown played basketball for Huguenot High School in Richmond. The team captain earned All-District Player of the Year and All-Metro Player of the Year, as well as All-Metro and All-District First Team honors during her career. A Second-Team All-State selection and Richmond Times Dispatch Player of the Week, Brown participated in the 2012 A.S.S.I.S.T. All-Star Game.
Headen was a four-year member of the varsity basketball team at Herndon High School in Herndon. She averaged 15 points per game and shot 71% from the free throw line as a senior, en route to being named First-Team All-Concord District and Team MVP.
Reagan played four years at Cumberland County in Tennessee and was a two-time All-District First Team selection. She is a member of the prestigious 1,000 Point Club at Cumberland and earned team awards for free throw percentage and three-point percentage during her tenure there.
Skersick was a four-year member of the basketball team at Boone High School in Florida, where she earned All-Metro accolades and was named Team MVP. She played in an East vs. West All-Star Game, as well as a County vs. County All-Star Game.
Williams played four years of varsity basketball for Monacan High School in Richmond. The senior captain finished her career with 1,036 career points and played in the 2012 A.S.S.I.S.T. All-Star Game. Williams was named First-Team All-Metro and First-Team All-Dominion District as a senior after leading her squad to the 2012 Dominion District Championship. As a junior, she was a Second-Team All-Metro honoree and a Richmond Times Dispatch Player of the Week.
Reinson will be assisted by
Wanisha Smith, in her fourth season at Longwood, as well as first-year assistant coaches Sarah Williams and Adria Crawford.
