Albany State basketball teams enter season with varying expectations

ALBANY — After a banner campaign last year, the Albany State women’s basketball team enters the 2015-16 season with high goals and a bigger target on their back. The Lady Rams were picked to finish first in the SIAC thanks in large part to a solid showing in the postseason that made head coach Robert Skinner proud.

Skinner shared his feeling at Albany State’s basketball media day Wednesday evening.

“We were very much pleased with getting into and winning the SIAC tournament and then having an opportunity to play in the regional tournament last year was very rewarding after what we had to go through,” Skinner said. “I was very pleased with the performance of the team and even though we came up kind of short, I think we impressed the fans that we played in front of in Union, Tennessee, and we represented the city of Albany, Albany State University family and the Albany State women’s basketball team extremely well last year.”

This year, ASU has a slew of returners, including seven seniors. Skinner said the ranking comes as no surprise to him.

“We kind of figured with the season we had last year and with seven seniors returning this on this year’s team, that they would rank us where they ranked us, which is No. 1,” he said. “Really doesn’t mean a lot to me.”

He added that it’s up to his team to step on the court and deliver. Skinner believes that they have the talent needed to exceed the already lofty expectations.

“My expectations for the team is always very high,” he said. Whether we have freshmen, sophomores, juniors or seniors, it really doesn’t matter, but this team is kinda special. I really do believe in this team, I believe that they can do some big things, I believe that they can go extremely deep in the regional tournament and possibly make it to the national tournament.”

One of the key returners from last year’s squad is Artisha Holston, who was named Preseason Player of the Year. Holston said she was honored but feels more pressure from herself to deliver.

“I’m very humbled to get the experience of being named preseason player of the year,” she said. “I’m humbled, but that doesn’t really mean anything to me yet. Every year I try and prove a point that I’m better and faster than I was last year, so I don’t have to really prove a point to them, they already know who I am.”

She was also named to the All-Conference team along with senior Keidra Green and senior Ieshia Young who said the preseason accolade feels “sensational.”

The Lady Rams’ season begins Nov. 13 at Georgia Southwestern.

The men are coming from the opposite end of the spectrum. They had no players make the All-Conference team and were picked to finish seventh in the SIAC East. Interim head coach Michael Moore felt his team accomplished quite a bit last year, given the circumstances, and said he’s not taking the preseason rankings to heart.

“Fact of the matter is we did have a winning record last year, those are the facts,” he said. “But the truth of the matter is, they ranked some teams ahead of us that we beat twice, so based on relationships coaches had with each other prior to me coming back into the conference, so I understand all of those rankings.”

During the media session, Moore had a pair seniors alongside him in Chris Wheeler and Earl Farnum, who both feel good about where the team is in the preseason. Farnum feels the growing pains should be near negligible this year and he looks to have a successful season.

“Last year he came in and we had to adjust very quickly, so by that quick adjustment, it wasn’t what we was used to,” he said. “And now we’ve been with him for a year, we’ve got the whole team together, we’re jelling pretty good, I think It’ll be a great season.”

The Rams’ season begins Nov. 20 at Georgia College.