Battled-tested veterans and eager newcomers
are on a mission
When coach Joye Lee-McNelis’ Lady Eagles take the court this season,
expectations will be high for a squad that
returns some of the top talent in all of
Conference USA. McNelis’ squad returns
three starters, five letterwinners and welcomes in six extremely talented new members to the Lady Eagle family.
“When you look at our team this year,
the first two names that come to mind
are Jamierra Faulkner and Rachel Vigers,”
said McNelis. “Those two players led our
team. (Vigers) is a player that returns that
is probably one of the toughest players I’ve
ever coached. She’s 5-foot- 8 and played in
the post and battled any sized player that
came her way and usually ended up winning that battle.
“Faulkner led C-USA in assists and is a
young lady that we watched develop into a
leader on the floor. The two of them will be
the core of leading this team on the basket-
ball court and helping our newcomers and
our young players as they make progress.”
Of those newcomers and young return-
ers, McNelis is excited to see the return of
two players that battled illness and injury
throughout the 2010-11 season.
“Niesha Pierce was a starter last year
that gained valuable experience,” McNelis
added. “She had to overcome a high ankle
sprain and learn to push through pain to be
able to be successful for us. That’s another
player as a freshman that was expected to
contribute early.
“Danielle Johnson has continued to bat-
tle illnesses and injuries, but we saw anoth-
er glimpse of her last year down the stretch
as she begun to get her legs under her and
got into shape and practiced with us.”
McNelis is pleased with her returning
group of players but is extremely excited to
showcase her most recent recruiting class,
highlighted by 5-foot- 9 Jones Junior College
transfer guard Tanecka Carey.
“We, as a staff, believe that the players
we brought in this year will not only impact
our program but also impact the Conference
USA. (Carey) has received the Ring of Honor
(from Jones) and was rated as one of the top
junior college players in the country,” said
McNelis of her incoming recruit. “Her jersey
is hanging in the women’s basketball hall of
fame, and she is a young lady that is very
gifted as a player and is one of the hardest
workers that we have had in preseason.
“Usually when you have a player that is
talented as she is with the ball in her hands,
they have a tendency to slack off and not
give their all. She knows that she had weak-
nesses in her game and it’s been fun to
watch her push and gut through the areas
she knows she needs to improve.”
Also included in the recruiting class is
a pair of 6-foot plus post players in Ance
Celmina (Chipola CC) and Sedreka Plummer
(Copiah-Lincoln CC). McNelis expects early
contributions from both players that led their
respective junior colleges to the national
tournament.
Adjusting all of their new talent to
the Division I level will be a tall task for
McNelis and her staff early on.
“Even though they had tremendous suc-
cess on the junior college level, making the
step is always a challenge. How will they
make that step? That is the question that’s
unanswered,” McNelis added. “I do believe
that we have a core group of returning play-
ers who logged valuable minutes last year
and became better with each game that they
played. And when you combined that with
the talent that we have, I think it’s going to
be a good year for us.”
The team has, as they do each year,
adopted a motto for which they begin their
season with and 2011-12 is no different.
“On a Mission,” is this year’s chosen phrase
and signifies the continued commitment to
growth and success the Lady Eagles must
have as they work towards a conference
championship.
Point Guard
When the 2011 Lady Eagles take the
court, guard play and point production
won’t be a concern as the coaching staff
believes they have the right mix of size and
