Coming off a disappointing first season in the Sun Belt Conference, head coach Chancellor Dugan and the Owls are ready to rebound this year.
“I’m really excited and I’m looking forward to opening our home court with a win,” said Dugan. “Right now we have a chance to make a lot of noise in the Sun Belt Conference.”
The players are back this year with a new attitude and a fresh outlook. They look to improve on last year’s dismal results where the Owls only won six games and two in the conference.
“My personal goal is to get further than we did last season, and have a better team overall,” said senior guard Shuteamia Brayboy.
Last season, Brayboy led the team in assists with 159, and was ranked thirtieth in the nation with 5.1 assists per game. She knows that more offensive production is needed from her for the team to succeed.
“I need to work on shooting the ball [better], which can help the team more,” she said.
Brayboy is confident that this season will be very different from last year: “I believe we’re going to go much further than we did last season,” she said. “We’re a lot more focused at the beginning of the season and everyone wants to have a better season than last year.”
Dugan is also counting on sophomores Brittany Bowe and Carla Stubbs to contribute offensively this season. “They need to have a breakout year and they are looking forward to this season,” said Dugan.
One area the Owls addressed this summer was the frontcourt after they lost most of the front line from last season. “That’s an area we were lacking last year, and we’re going to have to be a better rebounding team this year,” Dugan promised.
Dugan is hoping that the frontcourt additions of freshmen Hannah Jones, Jaimie Givens, and junior college transfers Mercedes Thompson and Jana Momoh will provide the team with much-needed depth up front.
“I think they’re going to have a huge impact for us especially on the inside,” Dugan said. “Those kids are really going to have to play well for us running the floor, and rebound the basketball if we’re going to be successful.”
With the recent upgrade in the frontcourt and the team chemistry this season, Dugan is holding a high bar for the team’s level of success. “I think we have pretty high expectations,” she said. “We’re going to play hard, we’re going to play smart, and we’re going to play together this season.”
