Monroe, La. - The ULM women's basketball team will open its season with some new faces on Nov. 11, in Fant-Ewing Coliseum against Centenary.
The Warhawks have 29 games slated for the 2016 season with 11 non-conference games to start things off. The non-conference games are to be followed with a full slate of 19 Sun Belt Conference play games before post season action.
ULM boasts a schedule with two SEC teams in University of Arkansas and Ole Miss. The team will also face Division III, NAIA, Southland and Conference USA opponents in the non-conference schedule. “Our approach on the season is whatever the next game on the schedule is, is the biggest game of the season,” said Head Coach Jeff Dow.
The Warhawks schedule will also reflect many teams that are located in Louisiana. Seven of the eleven non-conference opponents are located in Louisiana, not including Sun Belt Conference opponent UL-Lafayette.
The team retained five players from the 2015 roster and gained six new faces with four freshmen and two transfers. “With so many newcomers, we look to create a consistency with what we are doing on the court,” said Dow.
ULM foresees having a more balanced attack on the offensive side of the court and is making moves to continually strengthen the defensive effort. “There are going to be nights when the shots aren't falling but you've got to find a way to stick around and be competitive just by being really good defensively,” said Dow.
The Warhawks will play on Thursday's and Saturday's through the Sun Belt Conference schedule. The schedule set-up creates a short turnaround for the team to prepare for the next opponent from Thursday to Saturday.
“It makes the practices in Oct. – Dec. that much more important because you have to lay the foundation for everything that's going to happen from Jan. on. It's important that we understand the principles of the things we're trying to implement now because when conference comes around sometimes your preparing for an opponent that you will play in less than 24 hours,” said Dow.
Like any team, the Warhawks hope to be playing their best basketball in March, but until then the team will continue to focus on getting better every day. “We are always talking about the process. There are a few things that we are doing better now that we didn't do well last week,” said Dow.
RETURNERS
The returning class includes Stephanie Ratliff, Andreanna Jackson, Lauren Marker, Journee Beard and Dani Anderson.
Jackson is the only returner that started in more than 10 games in the 2015 season. Jackson played in all but one contest for the Warhawks and will take on a bigger role this season.
Other seniors looking to make waves on the court are Beard and Ratliff. Beard played in 28 of 29 contests in the 2015 season and has shown in the off-season to be a mentor to the newcomers. Ratliff has shown some improvement in the off-season as well as she led the team in blocks in the 2015 season with a total of 36.
Another player that has made improvements throughout the offseason is Marker. “Lauren Marker is most arguably our most improved player coming back from last year, which isn't a surprise,” said Dow. “She has an unbelievable work ethic and is in the gym all the time getting shots up and working on her game.” Marker will look to take an enhanced role in the upcoming season.
Dani Anderson is a red-shirt sophomore that will return to the court this season. Anderson is a high energy player that will look to make a significant contribution to the team this season.
NEWCOMERS
The incoming class of Warhawks consists of four freshmen in Destini Lunsford, Logan Oestrstreich, Carissa Moody and London Archer and two transfers in Alexis Collins and Gabrielle Cortez.
Another addition to the team is Jessica Harris. Although Harris will not be competing this season due to NCAA DI transfer rules, she has been a great asset to the Warhawks in preparing for the season. "Jessica has really done a great job as one of our leaders in preseason," said Dow. "She's done a really good job of instilling a spirit of competition in everything that we do."
As true freshman, some will look to make significant contributions right away for ULM as growth and potential wait to be tapped in these young players. “It's that consistency that needs to be improved. We've been impressed with the attitudes and the coachability of everybody. We just have some things that need to be sharpened up,” said Dow.
Alexis Collins will look to take a big role for the Warhawks right away. She has proven a strong ability in setting people up for shots in preseason. “The one thing that Alexis has shown is her ability to set other people up for easy shots,” said Dow. “She does a great job creating opportunities not just for herself, but for other people.
