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| Jephany Brown |
The series so far with Radford and Norfolk State in the works.
VCU: Comings and Goings
Goings
Brian Davis: David Six's right-hand man has moved to Baltimore and is an assistant to Towson's Niki Reid Geckeler. Davis was Six's lead assistant for seven seasons.
Areana Davis: the 5-11 guard graduated
Ryan Jordan: the 6-0 guard graduated
Kristine Rose: the 6-0 guard graduated
Kennedy Smith: the 5-11 junior is no longer on the roster
Shaleise Boyd: the 6-3 junior is no longer on the roster
Natalie Williams: the 5-9 sophomore is no longer on the roster
Lea Whitehead: the 6-3 sophomore is no longer on the roster
Comings
Jephany Brown: 6-0 junior forward; was the fifth ranked JUCO player in the nation in 2013-14 at Walters State CC leading the team to a 32-1 mark; JUCO All-American that season; played her high school ball at HD Woodson in D.C.
Monnazjea Finney Smith: 6-1 redshirt junior transfer from VCU; averaged 5.4 ppg two years ago for the Rams and yes, her bro is a Maverick
Chenya Sealey: 5-9 junior guard from Bartow, Fla; sparingly used during her freshman season at Georgetown; played last season at East Mississippi Community College
Niaya White: 5-10 freshman guard from Calgary Christian High in St. Petersburg, Fla.; her dad, David, played at Florida State; Georgetown and East Carolina wanted her, too
Ashley Bates: 5-7 freshman guard from Hopkins (Minn) High; won two state titles there
Shanice Neita: 6-3 freshman forward Cedarbrae Collegiate Institute (Toronto); MVP her senior year
Adia Strothers: 5-6 freshman guard from Menchville High in Newport News; two-time Peninsula District Player of the Year; daughter of Lamont Strothers
Jermaine Brown, assisant coach: previous video coordinator/assistant of operations at University of Minnesota
When you think Malia Tate-Defreitas, you think buckets. In fact, in a post earlier this week, we pointed out the likelihood of her becoming the MEAC's all-time leading scorer and Hampton's top scorer in Division I this season.
Think she might do something really special if all the pressure wasn't on her to be the Lady Pirates' top gun? Well, pull up a chair to a Hampton team that we can't wait to watch thanks to the addition of Jephany Brown, who will quite simply be a game changer and and bring the offense that should elevate Hampton back to the NCAA Tournament (we notice Creme has them there in his first bracketology, albeit as a No. 16 seed).
Way back when Brown was at Woodson, she signed with Providence before a coaching change caused her to change her mind. Being at Hampton reunites her with high school buddy Chanel Green, a redshirt senior who started 18 games last season.
Two years ago, Brown was part of a recruiting class that Six said was his best ever. Let's just see that things took a while to work out and with the season just a week away, we're delighted to say Brown is in uniform gearing up for the typical drudgery that Six puts his team through in November and December -- Northwestern, Iowa, N.C. State, South Carolina (this time, they go to Dawn), Maine, James Madison (no, Kenny, hello, Sean), Richmond and an intriguing Battle of the Bay with Old Dominion. In fact, the Lady Pirates play eight straight road games to open the season. Geez, welcome to Hampton basketball, Jephany!
Six assures us Brown, a top 100 recruit out of high school, has no rust and if that's the case, watch out. Florida, St. John's and Maryland wanted her two years ago as did Oklahoma State.
"She's that special kid," Six said. "She can play inside and out, shoot the 3. She'll do a lot of things for us."
Having another viable scoring threat alongside Tate-Defreitas opens up all kinds of possibilities on the floor for Hampton; she was a 50 percent shooter from the field at Walters CC. Hampton should also benefit from a healthier Tate-Defreitas this season, as she had knee surgery at the end of last season and spent the summer rehabbing.
Jordan is also feeling better this fall after never being quite right after a concussion last year; Kaylah Lupoe, who also battled health issues, returns in top shape for the 2016-17 season. Mikayla Sayle, who played in all 29 games and started three, put in a great summer in the weight room and returns stronger than ever.
Hampton will also get the benefit of experienced guard Finney-Smith, who played her high school ball at Wilson in nearby Portsmouth and left VCU after Marlene Stollings was hired at Minnesota.
If the goings sections seems long for Hampton, no worries. Jordan and Rose, both of whom graduated, were reliables in the starting lineup, but the others were not significant contributors.
Hampton has more than enough to make a statement in the MEAC and beyond. Lady Pirates fans, it's gonna be fun.
Season opener: 4:30 p.m. at Northwestern
After the Nov and Dec drudgery that Coach Six puts his team through, they should be “Well Jelled”, yep, I said “Well Yelled” smile, and ready for what I hope will become an annual “Battle Of The Bay” vs. the Lady Monarchs of ODU. That would be a great attraction for fan and wonderful rivalry.
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