Women's Basketball 2004-05 Season Outlook
10/6/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Oct. 6, 2004
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Fresh off the best season in school history and a trip to the Big Dance for the first time in 12 years, this year's University of Houston Lady Cougar squad is ready to take on the challenge of continuing its winning ways and remaining on top.
Of course, this year's squad looks much different, and contends with a metamorphosis without mainstays Chandi Jones and Nicole Oliver, who both graduated last year. As teammates from 2000-04, the two transformed Lady Cougar basketball and carried Houston to its first league title in program history while amassing two 20-win seasons and three post-season trips. While Oliver set the precedence of defensive play, Jones became not only the best female player ever at Houston, but amongst the all-time ranks in NCAA history.
"I think we have three very, very important holes to fill," began head coach Joe Curl, in speaking of the departures of Jones, Oliver and fellow senior Amanda Barksdale. "The program is very appreciative of their humbleness and all that they brought and continue to bring to our program. You can't replace that. You just try to retool and refuel. We're not trying to find someone to fill the shoes. But we're going to be ready to play that first game.
"Filling those holes (departure of players) is what is exciting about coaching," continued Curl. "We're going to have to do what we've been doing in different ways. We cannot count on one person to go get us 27 points. We're going to have to spread those numbers out."
Heading into the Season
"I think we're going to have to be more inside-out as a team, be more post-dominant than we have in the past few years."
And leading Houston this season is senior center Sancho Lyttle, Jones' scoring partner-in-crime last season who also was a force in the post. A C-USA Preseason All Conference selection heading into the 2004-05 campaign, she pulled down a season-high 9.6 boards per game and earned 2004 Second Team All-Conference honors in 2003-04. She will be looked upon as the team's veteran leader both on and off the court this year. Though she has just one year of Division I experience under her belt, Lyttle is a force to be reckoned with in the post and is among the top returnees this year in Conference USA.
 | "I think we're going to have to be more inside-out as a team, be more post-dominant than we have in the past few years." Head Coach Joe Curl |
"Sancho is going to have to have a huge year for us in order for us to be successful, no question," said Curl. "Can we do it if something happens to her? Yes, we can, we're just going to have to play a little differently."
Joining Lyttle in the veteran leadership role, and who will be the outside scorer and director on the court as the starting guard, is Joann Overstreet. A transfer from Midland JC, Overstreet appeared in all 32 of Houston's games with 31 starts last season, and registered 13 double-digit performances on the year, good for third on the team. Most importantly, she led the Lady Cougars in assists with 143, good for seventh all-time for a single season in program history. As an added bonus, she is quick on her feet, has good command of the court and after averaging 8.5 points per game last season, should follow Lyttle in scoring in 2004-05.
"Joann is a winner, and learned a lot last year. She will be a force for us, and hopefully have another big year," said Curl.
 Senior center Sancho Lyttle will lead the Lady Cougars in 2004-05.  | |
Daphne Andre´ is also expected to be one of the five starters at the forward position. She brings versatility to the inside of the court, as she can also play the center position if necessary. Andre´ appeared in 25 games for the Lady Cougars last year, averaging 5.5 points per game, while adding 13 assists and 10 steals. She's quick on her feet and because of her strength, will be a scoring threat no matter where she is on the court.
Another force to be reckoned with is KiKi Harris, who will back-up Lyttle in the post and see full-time action in the position should Lyttle move to forward. As a senior, Harris is the veteran starter on the squad. With 71 career blocks under her belt and consistently averaging four to five rebounds per contest, Harris' strength is defense.
Junior Emily Fryters and sophomore Cynecia Robinson will also be utilized and are expected to be back-ups in the forward and post positions, respectively. Fryters has seen quite a bit of action for Houston during her first two seasons, primarily as a forward, which Curl and his staff feel she is better suited.
"Emily is a winner," said Curl. "She brings toughness, and will see playing time at forward and center. She does the little things. She'll take a charge, dive on the floor, tie up a ball. She brings a lot to this team."
Robinson, a transfer from Trinity Valley CC a year ago, is the Lady Cougars' fourth-deep at the post position.
Fellow senior Crystal Simpson, who like Harris is one of Houston's three four-year seniors, will also be looked upon for a big year in 2004-05. Simpson has been hampered by a knee injury over the course of her career, which has limited her time on the court; although she saw action in 30 games last season, she only averaged 10.8 minutes per game. When on the court, she plays the guard/forward position and is a defensive threat.
Rounding out the depth on the bench are Ashley Cotton, a four-year senior, junior Shannon Steele and sophomore Tamara Taylor.
Newcomers to Watch
With the loss of three seniors a year ago, Houston's coaching staff worked to solidify the perimeter and will enter the 2004-05 season with plenty of depth and veteran leadership.
"We needed to recruit good, young players that didn't need to step in immediately, but we wanted them to. These girls fit into that mold, and hopefully all three will fit into the scheme this year and make an impact," said Curl.
Among the three talented newcomers - all true freshman - are two guards and one forward.
> Kadi Creel (F, Fr., Duncanville, Texas/Duncanville): Creel brings heighth and strength to the forward position, where she earned many accolades during her four-year career at Duncanville High School in nearby Dallas, Texas. She was an adidas All-American, BCI All-American and All-District in basketball, while also earning All-District honors in volleyball, where she played outside hitter/middle hitter.
> Jasmin Moore (G, Fr., Houston, Texas/Langham Creek): Moore comes to Houston from Langham Creek High School in Houston, where she was a four-year letterwinner for the team that placed third in the district in 2004, her senior year, and was named to the Second Team All-City, First Team All-District, MVP of her team and named to the All-Tournament Team, earned the G.S.L. (Good Sportsmanship League) award.
> Courtney Billingsley (G, Fr., Birmingham, Ala./Wenonah): No stranger to success on the court, Billingsley was known as a scoring machine in high school in Birmingham, Ala. She led her Wenonah High team to a 32-3 record en route to claiming the state championship in 2004, and was coined 6A Player of the Year, Miss Basketball Birmingham and Metro Player of the Year. She also claimed numerous MVP titles during her high school career and played softball.
Lyttle Named to the C-USA Pre-Season All-Conference Team
Senior center Sancho Lyttle, who earned Second Team, All-Conference honors last season, was named to the 2004-05 Preseason All-Conference Team, as selected by the league's head coaches. In addition, Houston was picked to finish third in the conference, behind DePaul and TCU, respectively.
Lyttle Finalist for National Award
Senior center Sancho Lyttle headlines a trio of Conference USA women's basketball players among the 31 players selected as preseason candidates for the 2005 State Farm Wade Trophy, in an announcement made by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). The award winner will be unveiled during the WBCA National Convention held in conjunction with the NCAA Women's Final Four set for April 2-5 in Indianapolis, Ind.
Lyttle is joined by DePaul's Khara Smith and TCU's Sandoa Irvin as representatives of C-USA on the list that included seven players from the Big 12, five from the Big East and four each from the Southeastern Conference and Pac-10. The Atlantic Coast Conference also had three representatives.
Lyttle will be in the spotlight for the Cougars during the 2004-05 campaign after playing in the shadows of 2004 C-USA Player of the Year Chandi Jones. The six-foot-four center earned second-team All C-USA honors last season after ranking eighth in the league in scoring (16.5) and fourth in rebounding (9.3).
Program Milestone
This season, Houston joins several other C-USA schools that will be vying for their 500th victory in program history. Heading into the 2004-05 season, the Lady Cougars are just 16 victories away from eclipsing the 500th career milestone. Other league schools looking to claim their 500th program win this season include Cincinnati (487-419), East Carolina (486-414), Louisville (479-363) and Southern Miss (492-326).
Home Court Dominance
The Lady Cougars, who posted a 10-2 record at Hofheinz Pavilion in 2003-04, are an impressive 43-8 on their home court over the past four seasons. The squad's 13-1 home finish in 2001-02 tied the NCAA-bound 1991-92 squad for the best home record in a single season.
In the Spotlight
Houston will have two games televised this season. Its regular season conference match-up against the Louisville Cardinals on Jan. 23 in Louisville, Kentucky, will be televised by ESPN2, and its final regular season contest at TCU on Feb. 27 will be shown on C-USA TV. Over the past three seasons, the Lady Cougars have had a combined 12 games broadcast on either ESPN2 or the Conference USA Television Network, including the Conference USA Tournament Championship game and NCAA Tournament games in 2004.
About This Year's Schedule
En route to defending their Conference USA title from a year ago, Houston faces another daunting schedule in 2004-05. This year's slate features match-ups against five opponents who participated in the NCAA Tournament last year and three Texas schools.
The Lady Cougars open the season with five straight home games at Hofheinz Pavilion, beginning with Wichita State on Nov. 19. Houston then welcomes North Texas on Nov. 21 and Creighton on Nov. 24 before hosting the third annual Houston Classic from Nov. 26-28. This year's round-robin tournament features Wisconsin and Middle Tennessee State.
After its stop in West Lafayette, Ind., to take on 2002 National Champion Purdue on Nov. 30, Houston then hits the road for the entire month of December. The Lady Cougars are slated to participate in back-to-back tournaments. Houston joins Northwestern, Baylor and Virginia in the Roger L. White Invitational hosted by Northwestern in Evanston, Ill., from Dec. 3-4, then travels to Honolulu, Hawai'i to partake in Hawai'i's annual Ala Moana Paradise Classic alongside Wake Forest Dec. 16-17.
For the second straight year, the Lady Cougars open Conference USA action on the road, this year on Jan. 7 at Tulane and Southern Miss on Jan. 9. C-USA opponents visiting Hofheinz Pavilion this year include UAB (Jan. 14), USF (Jan. 16), TCU (Jan. 30), Saint Louis (Feb. 5), Memphis (Feb. 7), East Carolina (Feb. 18) and Charlotte (Feb. 20).
The Lady Cougars' match-up against the Louisville Cardinals on Jan. 23 in Louisville, Kentucky, will be televised by ESPN2.
As inner-state rivals and in keeping with tradition, Houston and TCU will play each other twice this year, the final year as conference opponents. The Horned Frogs come to Hofheinz Pavilion on Jan. 30, and the Lady Cougars go to Ft. Worth to close out the regular season on Feb. 27. The contest at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum will be shown on C-USA TV.
The season culminates during the 2005 Conference USA Tournament, March 3-6 in Charlotte, N.C. Last year, the Lady Cougars went 13-1 against conference foes to capture the C-USA regular season, and after earning a No. 1 seed at the annual tournament, went on to win their first C-USA Tournament title.
