2008 Woodie Awards
Coach: Basketball team right on track
Curtis Thom/Collegio Reporter
Issue date: 11/8/07 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 1
According to first-year lady basketball coach Lane Lord, everything is right where it belongs.
Following an 82-48 loss to the University of Kansas at Lawrence, and a closely contested 62-50 loss to the University of Missouri at Columbia, Lord said the execution and effort were on par considering the competition.
"The effort in the first games has been very good, considering we have essentially a whole new team with 14 new players," said Lord. "To come out and play two games against the competition that we did was an exciting effort, and we played very well."
Lord was particularly happy with the Gorillas' play against Missouri, which saw the Gorillas leading the Tigers by a score of 32-21.
"We held a Division I basketball team to 21 points in the first half, which in itself is a great accomplishment," he said. "Our team pushed the ball well on offense in transition, but in the second half we fell off slightly, most likely because of fatigue."
While the team brings 14 new players into the mix, it's an old duo of sophomore Deprice Taylor and junior Brianna Buchanan, who followed Lord from Barton County Community College, who have assumed the leading roles.
"Deprice and Brianna have been great leaders for this team so far and are familiar with the system I've brought here, which really gives them the edge," said Lord. "Brianna brings more than 70 games of collegiate experience, and Deprice, who is only a sophomore, is an immense talent. With those two together, we have a sturdy foundation."
Taylor finished the Missouri game with 17 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Buchanan netted a game-high 13 points against the Jayhawks in Lawrence.
Also joining the team this year is freshman Larissa Richards, who in her first two collegiate games has combined for 12 points, 15 rebounds and eight blocks.
Despite the two early losses to stout competition, Lord said the Gorillas are still in a learning phase and have a great chance to improve.
"We're in a transition period right now, where the girls are trying to learn a lot of stuff in a short amount of time. As long as we're willing to learn and have great effort in practice, we are going to continue to get better."
Looking toward the future, Lord said the talent is in place, even against top tier players.
"We have four or five Division I players on our team, but we don't have 12 (like Kansas or Missouri)," said Lord. "In those first two games, I don't think there was a better guard playing than Deprice, and Larissa Richards, even as a freshman, proved she can be a force on the inside."
The Lady Gorillas travel to Arlington, Texas, to face the University of Texas-Arlington at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 12, in a game that will give the Gorillas a point of reference for their season.
"At the beginning of the season we made it a point to play the best possible teams," said Lord. "We can only take these games and evaluate where we are at that point and improve on the key issues we have."
Following an 82-48 loss to the University of Kansas at Lawrence, and a closely contested 62-50 loss to the University of Missouri at Columbia, Lord said the execution and effort were on par considering the competition.
"The effort in the first games has been very good, considering we have essentially a whole new team with 14 new players," said Lord. "To come out and play two games against the competition that we did was an exciting effort, and we played very well."
Lord was particularly happy with the Gorillas' play against Missouri, which saw the Gorillas leading the Tigers by a score of 32-21.
"We held a Division I basketball team to 21 points in the first half, which in itself is a great accomplishment," he said. "Our team pushed the ball well on offense in transition, but in the second half we fell off slightly, most likely because of fatigue."
While the team brings 14 new players into the mix, it's an old duo of sophomore Deprice Taylor and junior Brianna Buchanan, who followed Lord from Barton County Community College, who have assumed the leading roles.
"Deprice and Brianna have been great leaders for this team so far and are familiar with the system I've brought here, which really gives them the edge," said Lord. "Brianna brings more than 70 games of collegiate experience, and Deprice, who is only a sophomore, is an immense talent. With those two together, we have a sturdy foundation."
Taylor finished the Missouri game with 17 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Buchanan netted a game-high 13 points against the Jayhawks in Lawrence.
Also joining the team this year is freshman Larissa Richards, who in her first two collegiate games has combined for 12 points, 15 rebounds and eight blocks.
Despite the two early losses to stout competition, Lord said the Gorillas are still in a learning phase and have a great chance to improve.
"We're in a transition period right now, where the girls are trying to learn a lot of stuff in a short amount of time. As long as we're willing to learn and have great effort in practice, we are going to continue to get better."
Looking toward the future, Lord said the talent is in place, even against top tier players.
"We have four or five Division I players on our team, but we don't have 12 (like Kansas or Missouri)," said Lord. "In those first two games, I don't think there was a better guard playing than Deprice, and Larissa Richards, even as a freshman, proved she can be a force on the inside."
The Lady Gorillas travel to Arlington, Texas, to face the University of Texas-Arlington at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 12, in a game that will give the Gorillas a point of reference for their season.
"At the beginning of the season we made it a point to play the best possible teams," said Lord. "We can only take these games and evaluate where we are at that point and improve on the key issues we have."
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