by David Weaver
But there’s nothing really new about that coach. East Texas native and former Tigers assistant coach Lane Loyd will coach his first game as Lady Tigers boss Friday night, when ETBU hosts Belhaven College at 7:30 p.m. It’s the start of what Loyd hopes will be a season of growth and building a foundation as the Lady Tigers seek to regain hold of the upper echelon of the American Southwest Conference.
That was within ETBU’s grasp just two years ago, when the Lady Tigers went undefeated through its ASC East schedule on the way to the program’s first outright division championship in seven years in 2006-07. The lofty position couldn’t be sustained last season, as ETBU slipped to just 8-16 and missed the playoffs for the first time in four years.
Enter Loyd, who has spent the first month of preseason practice working with a largely new roster of Lady Tigers. The growing pains might be evident early in the season, but Loyd says he will accept those pains as long as the "growing” part is included.
"The toughest thing we have to overcome this year begins with all things being new,” says Loyd, a native of Avinger who previously coached at ETBU on Tigers coach Bert West’s staff in 2001-02. "New coach, new players, new system, new challenges…all those things are going to have to be addressed. Some already have, as we’ve been able to come together as a team in practice and work on a lot of things. We expect to begin at a certain point this weekend, and move on with every game that we play, getting better each time out. Hopefully that will translate into success down the road this season, but at some point in the future, we believe that success will come again. How quickly we adjust to all the newness will determine that timetable.
"The ladies have been working extremely hard over the last month. I am proud of the effort they have given. Now we have to start growing and getting better in games, which will provide even more new challenges for us. I am interested to see how we will respond under the lights this weekend.”
Loyd certainly has some numbers to work with entering the season. ETBU ended last season with just 11 players in the program but will begin 2008-09 with 18. Just four of those players, however, were on the final day roster from a year ago, meaning Loyd has had to work 14 new faces into the system.
One of those faces isn’t so new, however, to Lady Tiger basketball. Senior guard Candy Vallo, a standout leader on ETBU’s three straight ASC playoff teams from 2004-07, returns after sitting out last season. Vallo’s return instantly gives Loyd some veteran leadership and a player who has been through five playoff games in her career, including a pair of ASC Tournament semifinal contests.
"Candy is a very important player for us because of her on-court ability and experience,” Loyd said. "She’s someone who has been there and done that for this team in the past, and we hope she can pick up where she left off.”
Vallo has run the point for ETBU in preseason scrimmages, something she was never asked to do previously, and she’s had to shake off the rust that a year off can bring. Veteran help in the backcourt is available from junior guard Stephanie Taylor, primarily a bench player her first two seasons but a good defender and solid shooter.
In the paint, the Lady Tigers return second-half standout Karlee Wilson, a junior from Hallsville who transferred to ETBU for the second semester last season. Wilson played in 16 games after transferring from Ouachita Baptist and averaged 13.2 points and 5.7 rebounds while shooting 48 percent from the floor. Wilson (6-1) gives ETBU a nice inside presence to build around.
"Karlee works very hard and has some experience,” Loyd said. "There are some little things we’ve been working on to help her out, and when we get things rolling she will be a big part of it, we believe.”
Other returners from last season are sophomore point guard Megan Murphy, who played in 23 games as a freshman last season, and sophomore guard Ashley Branch, who saw action in 15 games as a freshman.
But while the core of veterans is potentially solid, led by Vallo and Wilson, Loyd has to find some depth and some more explosive from a recruiting class mixed with freshmen and transfers. Expected to make an immediate impact is junior forward Satara Harrell (5-9), who played the last two seasons for former ETBU coach Tracey Stellato at Panola College. Harrell is a long, athletic type who averaged 8.4 points for Panola as a freshman in 2006-07 and who pumped in a season-high 19 points last season for the Fillies in a win over Grayson County.
Freshman post Kaci Strother (5-11) is also expected to see playing time as a starter early in the season. Strother is a strong inside player from Kaufman, where she was a two-time all-district pick and regional shot put champion.
Depth and bench play will be key for the Lady Tigers’ success in a very deep and balanced ASC, whose defending champion, Howard Payne, is also the defending NCAA Division III national champion. Vying for time in the backcourt are sophomore transfers Jessica Copeland and Dominique Johnson, along with freshmen Samika Barnes, Desiree Hardman, Angela Panozzo, Chloe Roberts and Rebekah Rogers. Front court depth will come from senior transfer Kristinia Washington and freshmen Michelle Harwood, Sydney Stone and Federickia Washington.
