Still Thankful

by Rhonda Rompola, Head Women's Basketball Coach

Thanksgiving certainly was a time of thanks! We were especially thankful for winning our Hoops for the Cure Tournament. We beat Western Michigan in the first game and Kansas in the final. Janielle Dodds scored 29 points against Kansas and was named Tournament MVP. I want you to know – Janielle was absolutely sensational in that game! Nellie got rolled on and squashed by a TCU player late in that game, and it made her mad. Most of you know – she plays better when she’s mad. We just hope she stays mad for the rest of the season!

Once again, we were led in grand style by our seniors. I can’t say enough about Sharee Shepherd, particularly on defense, and Katy Cobb – she may not score big numbers, but she plays a valuable role by picking up the tempo and setting the rhythm for the team.

Even though we lost by five to A & M in the season opener, I think that game showed our girls they can play with top teams. Beating TCU helped, and then beating Kansas really instilled a sense of confidence. KU is a quality team from a great conference, and FYI – they had the #1 RPI ranking coming into our tournament! Beating them helped our RPI tremendously.

As I’ve said before – I’m really excited about this team. They are progressing and playing better each game, and I expect this trend to continue. Our next game is at home on Wednesday, November 28th, against Stephen F. Austin. Come out and see what I’m talking about.

Sweet Victory!

by Rhonda Rompola

Senior leadership – it’s a beautiful thing. Last night against TCU our seniors really stepped up, meeting and exceeding expectations in the second half to pull off a much-wanted victory. I’ve been telling you how excited I am about this team, and last night gave you a taste of why that is so. The first half was nothing to talk about, so I won’t! But what a difference in the second half. Janielle Dodds rose to the occasion and played up to her capabilities. And Sharee – well, I’m thinking that was probably the best game of her career. These seniors played their hearts out and ignited the rest of the team to follow suit and the result was oh so sweet. Here’s hoping this is the start of another 19-game winning streak against the Frogs.

This is a big week for us. In addition to last night’s game, we host our Hoops for the Cure Thanksgiving Tournament on Friday and Saturday. This year’s participants are Kansas, Drake, and Western Michigan. Our first game will be against Western Michigan at 7 p.m. on Friday. Of course, we hope to stay on the winning track and win our own tournament. Games are at 5 and 7 p.m. on Saturday.

I expect this team to improve each game. We are a dangerous team when we play to our potential. (How about frosh La La Hill calmly sinking five of six free throws with the game on the line??)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING from our beautiful seniors – and the rest of us as well.

A Quick Update

by Steve Orsini, Director of Athletics

Just wanted to drop in with a short update on the search - While I can’t go into great detail, I just want to leave you with a couple of notes from the process so far.

We are working to get the best available coach in America and I’m not willing to limit my pool of prospects. As I said at the press conference two weeks ago, we’re looking at a number of different options. We’re going after the best and sometimes that takes time. There is a sense of urgency to this hire, but we’re going to get it right and won’t paint ourselves into a corner by establishing a hard timeline. I entered this process with a plan and am pleased with how it’s being executed and its effectiveness. I am perfectly comfortable with where we are in the process and am confident that we’re on the right track.

Until next time, GO MUSTANGS!