SCOOBA — East Mississippi Community College women’s basketball coach Sharon Thompson and sophomore guard Briona Green are on the same page this year.
“There are not many sophomores,” said Green, who played at Columbus High School said. “For the three of us, the biggest thing is scoring. Coach Thompson wants us to lead and all of that. But the main thing is scoring. We got to lead the way with this team in scoring. Hopefully, we can get off to a good start and do a great job of leading.”
Thompson will boast a 10-player roster when the season opens at 5 p.m. Thursday at Coastal Alabama C.C. in Monroeville, Alabama. The home opener will be at 5:30 p.m. Monday against Meridian C.C.
“Hopefully, we can add a player or two in the spring semester,” Thompson said. “For now, we have 10 players. They are hard working, eager to learn. Every day is a fun day at practice because they are hungry. They want to get better. We are going to make some young mistakes. However, we are going to do that with great effort. Our sophomores are important. They really have to step up and help us become the best team we can come.”
Guard Emily Evans (Southaven) and forward Brianna Page (West Jones) join Green as the sophomore leaders.
“(Page) has the chance to become one of the best players in the state this year,” Thompson said. “She started realizing her full potential late in the season. Typically, you have a team where more than half of the players are sophomores. We don’t have that luxury this year, so this group of sophomores has to step up, they have to lead.”
Last season, EMCC finished 11-10 and 6-6 in Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) North Division play. Back-to-back losses to end the season prevented the Lady Lions from contending for a state tournament berth.
“We needed to be a little bit of a better offensive team,” Thompson said. “That is probably the biggest concern coming into the season. From our preseason games, the team has shown that it is physical, hard-nosed on the defensive end. I think we will be aggressive and play hard. The biggest challenge will be scoring and doing that on a consistent basis.”
The Lady Lions averaged 65 points per game last season. That total included three players averaging 10 points or more. All three players graduated.
Page is the leading returning scorer after averaging 6.7 ppg. last season.
“We have a lot of new players on the team,” Green said. “The biggest thing the coaches have been talking to us about is playing the next play. When adversity hits, we have to keep working hard. You can’t let a mistake hurt you. You have to keep battling. Depth is a concern, so everybody knows they are going to get to play.”
Freshmen Aamiya Rush (West Point) and Alaysha Jennings (New Hope) add a local flavor to the roster. A year ago, Rush was one of the leading scorers in Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 5A play. Jennings was also the leading offensive threat for New Hope.
“We were looking for a little more offensive punch,” Thompson said in recruiting. “(Rush) has a chance to be a special player. For the freshmen in general, how quickly does it come together for each player. That’s the biggest question mark going into the season.”
Thompson begins her 14th season in Scooba with what she considers her youngest team.
“We definitely grew as a team from the preseason jamborees,” Thompson said. “We came back from playing some talented teams and I could see our growth and maturity from playing in those games. We’re bringing effort, attitude, and toughness to practice every day, and we’re looking forward to the season.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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