FSU Women’s Basketball Team 2016-2017 Season Preview
The Frostburg State University women’s basketball program is gearing up for the 2016-2017 season with a seasoned coaching staff hoping to take the team to new heights.
This will be Carrie Saunders’ third season as head coach for the women’s basketball team, but fifth season overall with the ‘lady cats.’ Saunders served two years as a Frostburg graduate assistant following an impressive four-year basketball career at Shepherd University. Joining Saunders on the bench is FSU assistant coach Marrysa Moyer, who spent her collegiate playing career at Mansfield University and Lock Haven University.
The bobcat’s 2015-2016 season finished up with strong wins against Penn State-Altoona, St. Joseph’s College of Brooklyn, and Randolph College. Key returning players from last year’s squad include senior forward Kristen Rayner, senior guard Kache Fields, sophomore point guard Megan Kelly, and junior guard/forward Adjowa Pinkrah. Sophomore Center Amber Downey missed most of last season due to injury, but has since recovered and is ready to dominate at the center position.
The women’s team lost only one player in the offseason, with forward Courtney Young completing her fourth and final year of athletic eligibility at the end of last season.
In addition to an established returning core, the FSU women’s basketball team is excited to add several new players to the program. This season, the Bobcats have added four new freshmen to go along with transfers Alexis Welch and Sharyce Warren.
Anxious to hit the ground running for their upcoming season, the Bobcats have been working out since the beginning of September. During preseason, the athletes have been conditioning and weightlifting with a trainer five days a week, playing pick-up three days a week, and have been getting individual shots and ball handling drills in weekly.
Once the season gets rolling, the women’s team will practice six days a week, with one off day on the weekend. They will also, “continue to condition and lift three days a week in order to maintain progress made during preseason,” says Saunders.
To kick off the official start of the 2016-2017 season, the he women’s team hosted a “Midnight Madness” event on Friday October 14th from midnight to 2 a.m. where the team held their first practice and celebrated to start of the latest chapter in the program’s history.
As competitive play draws closer, Saunders is preparing her team for the Jim Crawley tournament, which the Bobcats will host on November 18 and November 19. Looking later into the season, Saunders’ long-term goal for the women’s team is to place in the Capital Athletic Conference playoffs.
Featured Image: (TBL/Morgan Johnson)
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