ASU Lady Rams ready to go

ALBANY —Last season was a historic one for the Albany State Lady Rams women’s basketball team. The squad compiled an impressive 22-7 season and not only made the NCAA South Regional Tournament for the first time in 16 years, but stunned Delta State in the first round and advanced to the semifinals.

ASU head coach Robert Skinner said it felt good to see the program go to the next level.

“It was something we had been shooting for about the last 16 years, to try and get back to postseason play,” he said. “Unfortunately we hadn’t been good enough to play beyond the regular season, so it was a real good feeling to finally get to that point.”

Their run came to a halt in the second round when they faced top-seeded Nova Southeastern and fell 96-69. Skinner said they simply ran into a team that was better than they were at every position and able to exploit their weaknesses.

While it was a tough way to go out, Skinner feels it won’t be in vain this year as he has three returning starters from that team, including senior point guard Mecca Frost, who he thinks will be invaluable.

The Lady Rams were picked by the SIAC Women’s Basketball Coaches Association to finish first in the SIAC East Division. Sophomore Artisha Holston was voted preseason Defensive Player of the Year as well as a member of the all-conference team.

Sophomore guard and reigning SIAC Newcomer of the Year Keidra Green was also voted onto the preseason all-conference team. Though they only have one senior in their starting lineup, Skinner hopes than can compensate in other ways.

“We’re hoping that we have depth, that we can go 10 deep in any given game,” he said. “We’re hoping that we have the same type of desire that it takes to be not only a contender, but to be a champion.”

He said the key moving forward this year is to understand that last year’s success is not guaranteed to rollover into this year.

“One thing you gotta do is forget about last year, it was last year,” he said. “You gotta get beyond that and realize that this is an entirely different year and everybody’s team is going to be different. Even our team is different.”

One main difference is the absence of Holston. She was the team’s leading rebounder averaging 9.6 a game and the second leading scorer with 13.7 points last year, but is still in rehab after tearing the meniscus in her left knee at the end of the season. Holston hasn’t practiced with the team in the last few weeks and there’s no timetable for her return. Skinner is hopeful she’ll be back in time for their mid-December rematch against Nova Southeastern.

For now, they must prepare for their home opener against Georgia Southwestern in the SIAC/Peach Belt Challenge on Saturday and their second-round matchup with Columbus State on Sunday. They’ll get a huge test early on Dec. 19 in the early season facing Nova Southeastern in their home tournament. Skinner said the goal is to be ready for any opponent, not just Nova.

“The only thing we can do that our preparation has gotten us to that point where regardless of who we play, we’re competitive and that we’re hungry to win,” he said.

Tipoff for the Lady Rams will be at 4 p.m. this Saturday at the HPER Gymnasium.