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'A whole new identity'

Young Wildcats poised to fill senior voids for women's basketball team

With the departure of five seniors on the UA women's basketball team, the underclassmen realize that filling the holes of their team's graduating leaders will be difficult, but say they're poised to do it.

Dealing with life after senior forwards Tatum Brown and Angela Lackey, and guards Felecity Willis, Lisa Griffith and Monika Crank won't be as daunting as it initially appears, sophomore forward Elizabeth Pickney said.

"Sure, we are going to have big shoes to fill when we lose Angie and Tatum in the front court, but because we had such a diverse scoring attack this year, we have already began to prepare for the next couple of years," she said. "We are all going to have to come together and play as one."

Lackey and Brown were the leading scorers and rebounders for the Wildcats in the 1999-2000 season. Lackey averaged 12.7 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per game while Brown notched 12.4 points and 7.7 rebounds, but filling the holes statistically is only half the duties ahead of them.

"We had so many leaders on this team last year that won't be here again, it will be interesting to see who will step up," Pickney said. "All of us returning help out the team in different ways, but there isn't any way to tell who will be the main vocal leader until the season actually starts. I expect all of us to contribute, though."

Freshman guard Krista Warren is excited about the idea of playing on a young squad next season.

"We had a great time this year, but the seniors are leaving us with a handful," she said. "Lisa and Felecity were certainly the most vocal this year and we are going to miss that, but playing on a young team can bring out leadership qualities in everybody. We are not necessarily looking to replace what we had this season, but more trying to become a new team that will take on a totally new form."

Warren, who averaged 3.3 points in about nine minutes per game this season, will see her court time significantly increase as she will be vying for a starting spot next fall.

At 6-foot-4, Warren, who was listed as a guard, but spent time playing in the front court this season, said that her off-season goal is to become more nimble with the basketball.

"I am really trying to focus on my ball-handling skills right now because I would like to be able to run as a true guard," she said. "I am really concentrating on that so that next season, they'll be able to use me wherever. I want to be as versatile a basketball player as I can possibly be."

Of the returning players, Pickney and junior guard Reshea Bristol are the top scorers, each offering nearly nine points per game.

"I am going to have to bring to the table a lot more scoring than I did this year because I have nobody in front of me now," Pickney said. "I know I am capable and will step up to hopefully dominate in the paint next year."

Warren is confident in Pickney's scoring ability.

"I can really see Liz being a big-time scorer next year," she said. "There were spurts in the season that she really was aggressive and poured in 15 to 20 points and I can see her doing that on a regular basis next year."

Helping out Pickney up front next season will be sophomore forward LaKeisha Taylor, who UA head coach Joan Bonvicini was very impressed with in the Wildcats' tournament game against Tennessee.

Bonvicini said her physical tenacity when defending UT center Michelle Snow was good, but not surprising.

"Whenever I'm in, I always play as hard as I can," Taylor said. "We are all going to step up our game level next season, but I am looking forward to really proving what I can do on the court."

UA associate head coach Denise Dove Ianello said this season helped to develop many younger players so that filling the voids won't be too arduous.

"Things begin to filter down," she said. "I think that some of Tatum's intimidation has moved on down and you can now see it in LaKeisha and Liz. Also, you can see that the emotion Felecity displayed this year is trickling down to (sophomore guard) Julie (Brase). When practice starts on October 15, you will be able to see the team take on a whole new identity, which is the beauty of college basketball."