Radford continues to make a statement in Big South

Radford is sharing at least a piece of the Big South regular-season title, assured after the Highlanders squeaked by Campbell on Monday night, and the credit goes to --- us?

Well, truth be told, we did tout coach Mike McGuire as the right man for the job back when he was hired in April 2013.

But we're giving all credit to McGuire, his staff and the Highlanders for making Radford (22-6) a contender in a league that seemingly only belonged to Liberty when he got the job.

First, a look at what this Radford team, with one regular-season game remaining, has accomplished thus far:

• Radford is the top seed in the Big South Tournament for the first time since the 1991-92 season;
• The Highlanders share at least a part of the regular-season title (we said that already, but it bears repeating again); a win at High Point on Saturday gives them the title outright
• Radford finished unscathed at 13-0 in its own Dedmon Center, a Highlander first in the Division I era
• The Highlanders have held nine opponents to fewer than 50 points

A year ago, the Highlanders were banged up, minus redshirt freshman Jen Falconer and sophomore guards Brittany Allen and Claudia Quevado, all lost for the season to ACL tears. Freshman Destinee Walker averaged 3.3 ppg, missing the first 10 games with a knee injury.

We thought McGuire did a lot with a little then as the Highlanders took a no-excuses approach to finishing 18-13, ending their season in the quarterfinals of the Big South tournament.

Move ahead to 2016-17, and the 5-11 Walker is the team's leading scorer, testament to her work ethic and her teammates for giving her the confidence she needed to have a breakout season, McGuire said. Walker, averaging 14.3 ppg and 2.3 apg, shoots 40 percent from beyond the arc and 48 percent from the field.

"Destinee has far exceeded anybody's expectations," McGuire said. "She wasn't a competitive kid before this season. She was sort of a happy-go-lucky kid who played basketball."

Walker moved the needle at UNC Greensboro with a 20-point, 10-rebound night and then again at Appalachian State behind 22 points, seven of those in the final 51 seconds, and 11 boards to lead Radford to a 54-51 victory. Twice the Big South Player of the Week, Walker benefits from height and length in addition to a solid mid range game and reliable outside shooting (48 percent from 3). She has 22 double-doubles on the season.

"When we recruited her, everything as far as scoring was off the dribble," McGuire said. "Now she can come off screens and catch and shoot the 3."

Also worthy of attention: Jayda, Worthy that is.

"If there's somebody who's had the most impact on both ends of the floor, it's Jayda," McGuire said. "She's become more of an offensive threat if you look at her numbers (11.7 ppg, 7.4 rpg) and field-goal percentage (.585). There's several possessions through a game where she's guarding four players because she's so smart. When she's not on the floor, we look and feel differently."

Falconer has also rebounded from the injury well and Khiana Johnson, just a freshman, is in the starting lineup thanks to her 7.7 ppg. Janayla White, a preseason Big South first-teamer, has been a steady presence (8.6 ppg, 7.5 rpg).

As good as they've been, finding consistent offense remains a problem. Look to the two 49-48 games this season to illustrate that. The Highlanders lost at Liberty on Feb. 7 by that score after a horrible first half that saw them rack up more turnovers than field goals.

On Monday, they outlasted Campbell, but were outdone in the fourth quarter 19-9. Lazy offensive stretches can doom a team in the postseason.

"We need to develop more of a killer instinct," McGuire said.

The coach who grew up in Roanoke can't exactly tell you he saw this type of season happening just yet. Maybe next year, he thought? We're not looking there yet, but with only one player graduating (Rachael Ross), next year's Highlanders aren't going to be slouches, either.

"It's very gratifying to watch this group put in the work and the time. They really didn't have anything but experience to learn from We've had some great moments. We've had some tough lessons."

And yes, the buzz words have been said -- NCAA Tournament, that is.

Radford hasn't been there since 1996. Isn't it about time to end a 21-year drought?

Comings and Goings: Radford 2016-17

Brittany Allen

We've got Radford and the Highlanders are looking awfully good! Here's the series so far.

VCU: Comings and Goings

George Mason: Comings and Goings

William and Mary: Comings and Goings
Richmond: Comings and Goings

Virginia: Comings and Goings
James Madison: Comings and Goings

Liberty: Comings and Goings

Virginia Tech: Comings and Goings

Old Dominion: Comings and Goings

Longwood: Comings and Goings
Hampton: Comings and Goings

Goings
Aisha Foy: Radford's leading scorer (12.2 ppg) and a first-team All-Big South selection in a senior season cut short by an ACL tear in mid-February. Finished her career 45 points shy of 1,000 and with 129 3-pointers, fifth in program history; graduate assistant coach at Southeast Missouri State
Gaby Gilmore: Came up big in her final season after a series of injuries to Radford's guards, doubling her scoring output (8.9 ppg) from her junior season. Also notched at least three steals in 11 games.
Fran Recchia: assistant coach who did two tours of duty with Radford has now moved on to Kent State.ng
Jamie Givens: assistant coach now at Belmont after two seasons with the Highlanders.


Comings
Khiana Johnson:  a 5-7 freshman from Chesapeake's Western Branch High who earned second-team all-state honors after averaging 14.9 points and nearly five steals per game.
Charnissa Chillers: a 5-9 freshman guard who earned Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Player of the Year honors at Williamsburg Christian Academy.
Christie Rogers: assistant coach and recruiting coordinator who held those same titles for four years at Towson. Prior to that, she assumed those roles for one season at Big South Rival Winthrop.
Ross Jolly: assistant coach joins Radford after three seasons at Division II North Greenville. Sister, Kellie Harper, was a three-time national champion at Tennessee and is currently the head coach at Missouri State.

It's no wonder coach Mike McGuire is excited about this Highlanders team. We knock on wood for how healthy they are after injuries depleted their roster and a promising season a year ago.

Sophomore guard Brittany Allen, sophomore guard Claudia Quevado and redshirt freshman Jen Falconer are all cleared to play after suffering ACL tears last fall. They'll join Janayla White, a first-team All-Big South selection last year and the only conference player to average a double-double, on a team that looks to be McGuire's best. With 11 returners, this is certainly his most experienced team in his four seasons at Radford.

While Foy will be missed, we're excited for her new adventure at Southeast Missouri State, by the way along with Gilmore, Radford's healthy-again guards address that problem. McGuire is sky high on both White and Jayda Worthy, essentially a two-headed monster.

Of White, he noted, "Physically she looks as good as ever. She's got poise and makes good decisions."

Of Worthy, he said, "She's our glue."

McGuire, who said only Alexis Jackson will miss the opener due to compartment syndrome in both legs, said the Highlanders trained differently during the offseason, not pushing quite as hard given last season's early injuries. Jackson should be ready by week 2.

Expect Radford to make noise in a Big South race that's UNC Asheville's to win. The Highlanders are picked second and we expect them to return to the postseason for the first time since 2014.

Season opener: Nov. 11 at George Mason

Comings and Goings XII: Radford

Alexis Jackson

Winding down Comings and Goings with Radford.

The rest of the series so far with Hampton on deck:

Comings and Goings: Old Dominion
Comings and Goings: Richmond
Comings and Goings: George Mason
Comings and Goings: Virginia
Comings and Goings: Virginia Tech
Comings and Goings: William and Mary
Comings and Goings: VCU
Comings and Goings: Liberty
Comings and Goings: Longwood
Comings and Goings: Norfolk State

Who's going

Ayana Avery, 5-5 G 10.6 ppg, 36 percent from 3
Jordynn Gaymon, 6-1 F, 6.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg
Kiera McIvor 5-9 G, 3.6 ppg
Janelle James, 6-3 C; slowed by knee injury as a freshman last season; the Lancaster, Ohio native has transferred to Ohio State but will not play basketball
Britney Anderson: assistant coach has returned to her alma mater, Virginia Tech, to assist Dennis Wolff

These guys will be missed; Avery, Gaymon and McIvor started a combined 70 games last season, and Avery led the Highlanders in scoring. James, who recovered from knee surgery, returns closer to home to finish her education. The 17 wins last season was the most since 2007-08.

Who's coming

Destinee Walker, 5-11 G/F, Florence, S.C. (West Florence High), All-Star Girls Report lists the versatile wing as the 347th overall recruit in the country, the highest-ranked recruit ever signed by coach Mike McGuire; averaged 16.1 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 3.8 apg and 3.3 spg as a senior; amassed more than 1,000 career points; two-time Region 6-4A Player of the Year; two times all state; accepted to Team USA U17 tryouts last summer in Colorado Springs
Sydney Nunley, 6-3 C, Lewisburg, W.Va. (Meade High); had a triple-double (21 points, 16 boards, 11 blocks on Senior Night); averaged 15 ppg, 16 rpg, 5 blocks as a junior when she led G

Lydia Rivers, 6-2 F, Kinston, N.C. (Kinston High); sidelined most of her senior season recovering from an ACL injury; MVP of state championship in 2013 when she recorded 9 blocks; named Kinston's Female Athlete of the Year after averaging a double-double as a junior; two-time MVP for volleyball and track and president of her class her junior year; dad played tight end at Virginia tech

Jen Falconer, 5-7 G, Mechanicsburg, Pa. (Cumberland Valley High); led Cumberland Valley to the PIAA 4A state title game as a junior; leading goal scorer as a freshman and sophomore for school soccer team and named Mid Penn Conference Player of the Year as a junior when she was selected to play in the 2014 High School All-American Girls' Soccer game
Alexis Jackson, 5-8 G, Severn, Md. (Meade High); amassed more than 1,000 career points; can play all five positions; selected as a U.S. Junior National all-star after her junior year; one of two students selected from her high school to attend a student-athlete leadership conference in 2014
Courtney Davidson, assistant coach: the Michigan State standout who will assist with the point guards was the former director of operations at the College of Charleston and Youngstown State

Third-year coach McGuire looks to build on a banner year when the Highlanders advanced to the postseason WNIT with a 17-14 record, finishing tied for second in the Big South. Starters Aisha Foy (10.3 ppg), Janayla White (6.6 ppg, 7.1 rpg) and Jayda Worthy (7.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg) are joined by a crop of newcomers we're excited to see.

   

Senior chats: Radford's Katherine Brockett

Loved chatting with Radford's Katherine Brockett, who has a wonderful Australian accent (the 6-1 guard is from Geelong, Victoria in Australia). Honored on the Big South All-Academic team, Brockett shared with us info about her twin sis, what she thinks about her former sport, netball, and details about the  two "low" marks on her transcript.


What made you come all the way to Radford from Australia?

I really wanted to go to school in America, because back home you can't get your degree and play sport at the same time. They don't give scholarships for athletes. For me, I wanted to do both at once and be at a high level.

Why Radford?

I don't even know, to be honest. A coach found a coach, and it just worked out. It was pretty random. When I signed with Radford, I didn't know where Virginia was. I remember asking the coaches, 'So, when I fly to L.A., do I need to get another plane from there?' I didn't know where it was exactly. I knew it had a good business program, which is what I wanted.

I was going to go to Melbourne University, which is in a big city. Everything is right there, and there's so much culture. I land in Radford, and it's literally just the school; we do have a Chinese place. There's not very much culture there.

I come from a country town back home, but we're a 30-minute drive away from doing all kinds of stuff. I live 30 minutes out of Geelong on the coast; it's right on the beach. Melbourne is like an hour and a half away.

Were you homesick?

It was definitely different. I was ready for a change. I didn't know what kind of a change it was going to be, though. I had hardly been on a plane before.

Chantelle

You have a twin?

My twin sister (Chantelle) goes to school in Texas. She went three years to Odessa Junior College, and now she's at Lamar. She's on the basketball team there. She's two minutes older than me.

Are you guys competitive with each other?

So competitive. We can't play one-on-one anymore.

Who's better?

I say I am. She says she is.

What does she have in her game that you'd like?

She is so strong mentally. And her physical strength is great. I've gotten stronger over the four years, but she's still stronger.

And what do you have that she'd like?

I'm faster than her.

You were region cross country champ in high school.

I like to run. Everyone thinks I'm crazy. We live right on the river, and I wake up and run. That's my stress relief. When I'm flustered with anything, I'll go for a run along the river.

And you lettered in netball?

The worst sport ever. You have to play in skirts. There's a basketball ring with no backboard. There's all these different rules. You can't touch anyone. If they have the ball, you have to stand three feet away from them. You can't dribble. You can only pass. I just couldn't handle the no contact. I prefer basketball.


Memorable road trip for you?

We went to Miami this year; that was pretty good. Where we are right now (Myrtle Beach) is on the beach. It was the first time I saw the ocean here, and I almost cried. Our hotel is literally right on the beach.

What stands out about playing at Radford?

There's been ups and downs. It's a whole different level. You're practicing every day. You're got to get up for practice every single day. I love it. I've had so much fun with it. It's a different lifestyle. Back home we practice two or three times a week.

What's next?

I'd like to get my master's probably in Texas at Lamar. They have a pretty good MBA program.

What would you eventually like to do?

No clue. My dad is a winemaker, and my sister wants to be a winemaker like him. So I'd like to get into the sales side if that ever happens. I  just want to travel the world. I'm keeping my options open.

Favorite wine?

Moscato.

Having a dad as a winemaker must be cool.

It definitely is for a kid growing up. You get to go to the winery and squish the grapes. ...

Where would you like to travel?

Number one is Argentina. Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to go there. I'd like to go to Macedonia with Ema (Reskoska), my teammate.

Your Senior Night memory?

It was emotional, but it was exciting at the same time. There are six of us and we're really close. We got off to a 20-6 run. It was fun.

What would most be surprised to know about you?

I'm a nerd. I have a 4.0.

Ever been close to a B?

I've only ever had two B's. I have a 4.0 in both my majors. I got a B in Art Appreciation, which is ridiculous. And I got a B in some easy English class. I wrote a paper on the one-and-done rule in the NBA. My teacher hated the sport, so he gave me a B.

Do you like watching sports?

I love the Olympics. I'm glued to the TV during the Olympics, even the ParaOlympics. Anything with competition. I really like the underdog. I love watching Michael Phelps swim.

Liberty, Warley top Big South preseason rankings

Death, taxes, Liberty being picked to win the Big South...some things just seem inevitable.

For the 14th time in 15 years, the Lady Flames are the preseason No. 1 in the conference's poll of coaches and selected media. Liberty got 19 of 20 first-place votes; we'd love to know the identity of the one voter who tabbed High Point first. Not that that's a crazy pick. We'd just like to know who it is.

Radford, the No. 2 seed in last year's Big South Tournament, was picked third, followed by 2011 conference tournament champion Gardner-Webb. Big South newcomer Campbell came in sixth.

The poll results

1. Liberty
2. High Point
3. Radford
4. Gardner-Webb
5. Winthrop
6. Campbell
7. Charleston Southern
8. Coastal Carolina
9. Presbyterian
10. UNC Asheville

Meanwhile, Lady Flames star and soon-to-be U.S. Pan Am Games team member Avery Warley was voted Big South Preseason Player of the Year. Warley is joined on the first team by teammate Devon Brown, Radford's Da'Naria Erwin Spencer, High Point's Shamia Brown and Winthrop's Dequesha McClanahan. Warley, Brown and Erwin Spencer were first-team all-league picks last season; McClanahan was the 2011 conference freshman of the year.

Radford releases 2011-12 schedule

Radford will try to get off to a rare winning start in 2011-12 with a schedule designed to help them do just that.

It's not that the Highlanders haven't been able to beat good teams in recent years. But over the past three seasons, they haven't been able to beat hardly anyone until January. Since the 2008-09 campaign (coach Tajama Abraham Ngongba's first at Radford), the Highlanders are a combined 6-30 in November and December, with just two of those victories coming against Division I teams.

This year's schedule sets them up to hit the 2011-12 season running. The Highlanders open with four straight home games (they were on the road for three of their first four last season) with the first two coming against non-Division I teams (Eastern Mennonite and Winston-Salem State). And only two of their nine D-I non-conference opponents finished 2010-11 with winning records (South Carolina-Upstate at 17-13 and Virginia at 19-16).

This guarantees nothing, of course, and no matter who they play the Highlanders will still have to have their early-season act together. But if Radford stumbles out of the blocks this year, it won't be because of over-scheduling.

The most intriguing game on the non-conference schedule comes on November 26 when the Highlanders visit
George Washington, a program Ngongba helped make famous. Ngongba scored more than 2,000 points during a Hall of Fame career at GW and is enshrined in the school's athletic hall of fame. She was also an assistant coach for the Colonials, along with current GW head coach Mike Bozeman, before leaving for Radford.

Now, Ngongba is probably going to say every game is important, that this matchup is about the players and not her, and that she doesn't intend to even bring it up in the days leading up to the game. All true. But unless she's really a cyborg instead of a human being, it'll have to mean a lot to have her team perform well in that building. And the Highlanders have to know this, whether Ngongba talks about it or not.

Finally, the Big South schedule has increased from 16 games to 18 with the addition of Campbell.

Click here for a look at what we know about the schedules so far about each of the Division I teams in Virginia.

Hoops notes (VTech, Radford, ODU etc.)

VIRGINIA TECH: Among the things we wondered about upon learning of last week's report of a man carrying a gun on the Virginia Tech campus was how much this kind of story would hurt the Hokies' recruiting. Well, in at least one case, it hurt quite a bit. The Baltimore Sun reports that football offensive line prospect Greg Pyke postponed a trip to Tech upon hearing the news and visited Georgia instead - and wound up committing to the Bulldogs on the spot.

"We were on the way down, and we heard on the radio that there was a guy with a gun," Pyke said. "We called the [Virginia Tech] coaches, and they told us that the school was on lockdown. Obviously they take that very seriously because of what happened four years ago. So we told them it was probably best if we just rescheduled, and we just kept on going down to Georgia."

Don't know if any women's basketball recruits were similarly scared off. But we're sure it didn't help.

RADFORD: OK, so the youthful Virgin Islands team led by Highlanders head coach Tajama Ngongba didn't exactly set Nassau on fire last week as the team finished fourth out of six teams at the CBC Championships in the Bahamas. But we bet those players know a whole lot more about defense than they did a few weeks ago...Hanka Musa, the 6-4 center we thought would make a huge impact for the Highlanders a year ago as a junior-college transfer, has quietly transferred to Division II Lincoln Memorial in Tennessee. Formerly of Liberty Christian Academy, Musa played only 10 minutes over five games in her lone season at Radford. At least now she gets to play with her sister Edina, who transferred to Lincoln Memorial from Gardner-Webb. Also, she goes from one cool nickname - the Highlanders - to another: the Lady Railsplitters.

OLD DOMINION: Did you catch Deion Sanders' shout-out to Nancy Lieberman during his doo-rag Hall of Fame speech Saturday? Lieberman sure did - she was in Canton, Ohio for the ceremony. Seems like she's been just about everywhere over the past few months, from Israel to San Antonio for the WNBA All-Star Game to Chicago to sign copies of her book "Playbook For Success." Next month, she'll be running hoops clinics in Hawaii. And just think: if she'd gotten the Old Dominion job, she could have spent most of that time sitting on wooden bleachers watching teenage hotshots. I mean, it was cool of Lieberman to throw her star-studded hat in the ring for the Lady Monarchs' head-coaching job. But even had it been offered, we could never picture her giving up everything she has going on - and leaving her beloved Dallas - to actually take it. Speaking of Lieberman, in this Q&A with ESPNW, "Lady Magic" reveals, among other things, that her big-picture goal is to own a professional team...Old Dominion star forward Tia Lewis leads all scorers (13.3 ppg) in the 7 Cities Pro-Am Summer League, which will wrap up with playoffs Saturday and Sunday at Maury High School in Norfolk. Click here for the postseason schedule.


NCAA: In "It's About Time" news, the NCAA Division I Leadership Council appears to be moving towards eliminating its text-messaging ban as part of a series of adjustments to men's basketball recruiting. In other words, instead of vainly trying to stuff the text genie back in the bottle, coaches may soon be able to use the most effective means of communicating with today's teenagers.

Again, this is a men's basketball proposal. But we have to believe the women's basketball folks will follow suit as soon as their next meeting. And if there's no meeting on the horizon soon, they ought to schedule one just to get this change in motion.

DELAWARE: Nice story from USA Basketball on Delaware star (and honorary LadySwish hoopster) Elena Delle Donne, who left for Shenzhen, China Monday as part of the United States team that will compete in next week's World University Games. Of course, the big question with Delle Donne - and it's one we're not sure even she knows the answer to yet - is whether or not she'll leave Delaware after this season. The WNBA allows players to join its league if they are four years removed from high school, which Delle Donne will be after the 2011-12 season. While this will be just her third season playing basketball at Delaware, Delle Donne spent her first year with the Blue Hens as a Colonial Athletic Association All-Rookie team performer on the school's volleyball team after famously leaving UConn in the summer of 2008.

Now, as huge fans of Delle Donne's hoops skills, we're hoping she stays an extra year in Newark. And we get the sense it'll be hard for her to leave, as Delle Donne speaks extensively about how much she loves being close to home and family. Were she to depart, as a sure-to-be high-lottery WNBA draft pick Delle Donne could easily find herself toiling in Tulsa this time next year (no offense, Shock fans).

So we think ultimately, hanging with the fam will be too tough for Elena to pass up. Having said that, we're fully aware that, as Delle Donne's shown us in the past, a girl's entitled to change her mind.

JMU, Radford pick up 2012 verbal commitments

Thanks to the magic of  Twitter - thanks, @MatthewStoss and @NorfolkXpress14 - we learned of two 2012 verbal commitments over the weekend. Robert E. Lee's highly touted point guard Angela Mickens has decided to attend James Madison and Princess Anne High point guard Aisha Foy has agreed to join Radford.

Mickens, who is ranked No. 68 among 2012 players by ESPN, will represent the second player in as many years from the Worldwide Leader's Top 100 to choose JMU. Seton Keough forward Achiri Ade, who will be a Dukes freshman this fall, is No. 82 in ESPN's Class of 2011.

Mickens' decision was hardly a stretch given that, as the Staunton News-Leader points out, her brother Terrell and three cousins will also be playing sports at JMU. Still, Mickens clearly had options, so credit the JMU staff for not taking anything for granted and closing the deal.

"JMU has always made me feel welcome since my freshman year," Mickens said. "The academics are good, which is always the most important thing, and I love Coach (Kenny) Brooks, the coaching staff and the girls. I just love the program."

The early commitment also puts another JMU recruiter in the field - Mickens herself. Top players tend to want to play with each other - call it the AAU culture -  and if JMU is good enough for Mickens, other elite players might find the program worth checking out, too.

Foy led Wilson in scoring (12.5 ppg) as a sophomore before transferring to perennial power Princess Anne. A preseason injury limited her playing time, but she still played a role in the Cavaliers' 31-1 season and Group AAA state title run.

This marks the second straight year Radford has gotten a guard from the reigning Group AAA state champions. Breshara Gordon signed with Radford after helping Lake Taylor claim the 2010 Group AAA crown.

Check out our 2012 verbal commitments page for pledges from all the state's Division I colleges.

Radford beefs up post with late addition

Had enough Radford news lately? We haven't, either. So here's the latest from the Highlander Hotline - the addition of 6-2 forward La-She' Walker from Greenbrier East High in West Virginia for the 2011-12 season.

Now we're not sure how Walker, or any incoming freshman for that matter, will fare at the Division I level. But we are sure of this much - this kid is a fast healer. Last July, Walker had ACL surgery. By December, she was back on the court. And in March, she was helping her team to West Virginia's Class AAA state tournament where she had 16 points and 9 rebounds in the state quarterfinals.

“Shay was cleared to play in December, and she wasn’t as good,” Greenbrier East coach Jim Justice said of Walker, who despite the injury was still an honorable mention all-state pick. “But she’s steadily gotten better every game. I promise you some college will be mighty glad to have her.”

The Highlanders will gladly take any help Walker can provide, particularly on the glass. Radford ranked eighth in the nine-team Big South in rebound margin, and the Highlanders' leading returning rebounder (Victoria Hamilton) averaged just 3.7 boards per game.

Walker completes a six-player incoming class for the Highlanders. Other Radford newcomers are junior college forward Tiana Cannon and soon-to-be freshmen Aisha Holmes, Jordynn Gaymon, Kiera McIvor and Ayana Avery. Radford also signed forward Dominique Powell in the early signing period, but Powell is not listed on the Highlanders' 2011-12 roster.

Radford adds familiar assistant

Katarina Williams

Lots of news with assistant coaches and directors of operations these days. The latest? Radford's Katarina Williams, the team's Director of Operations last year, has been promoted to assistant coach under Tajama Abraham Ngongba.

Freshly graduated Jennifer Conrad will be Radford's new Director of Operations. Conrad was team manager last season. Fun fact about Conrad: her late father, Revis Conrad, was head coach of the Kecoughtan High boys basketball team from 1983-99, where he mentored Ngongba's brothers.

Radford's Ngongba to lead Virgin Islands team

Radford coach and Virgin Islands native Tajama Abraham Ngongba will return home this summer to coach the Virgin Islands senior team as it prepares for the CBC Senior Women's Championships Aug. 3-7 in Nassau. Ngongba will preside over a two-week tryout camp beginning July 15 before leading her team into battle against St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and the host Bahamas.

"I am just very honored," Ngongba told the Virgin Islands Daily News.  "Because I take a lot of pride in being Crucian and it's just an amazing feeling and opportunity to represent the country in the sport I love."

The assignment should have re-united Ngongba with her own Victoria Hamilton, a rising senior at Radford who started 23 games last season. Last summer, Hamilton helped the Virgin Islands team to one of its best finishes in years. But the newspaper reported that Hamilton is rehabbing a knee injury and will likely sit out this summer's action.

Radford signs JUCO forward

Junior college forward Tiana Cannon (Atlantic City, N.J.), an honorable mention All-American, has signed with Radford, coach Tajama Abraham Ngongba announced on Thursday.

The 5-10 forward joins the Highlanders after completing her freshman year at Coffeyville (Kansas) College.

"Tiana is a very dynamic player with the ability to score, rebound and defend," said Abraham Ngongba. "Her uptempo style of play is perfect for our system."

 Cannon led the Kansas Jayhawk Conference in scoring (18.5 ppg) and tied for a team-best 59 assists while averaging 7.8 rebounds for the Red Ravens.

She was in the 1,000-point club for points and rebounds at Atlantic City High, the second in her school -- and her family, to hold that distinction -- (sister Tasha was first. Tasha, by the way, started all but two games last season for Division II Newman University in Wichita, Kan). Tiana Cannon was a four-year All-Cape Atlantic League performer, garnering first-team honors as a junior and senior.

As for growing up in AC: "It's fin at times," Cannon said. "There's always something to do. You can go for a walk on the Boardwalk. I don't want to say it's a party town, but there's always something to do."

Cannon is part of a class that includes early signees Ayana Avery, Jordynn Gaymon, Ashia Holmes, Kiera McIvor and Dominique Powell.

 

Which 2011 men's tennis accomplishment is most impressive?

Four NCAA berths in five years

18-straight victories

School-record 22 wins

Nationally ranked four straight seasons

Reflection: Radford

Da'Naria Erwin Spencer

2010-2011 season: 14-16 overall, 11-5 Big South (tied for 2nd); Earned No. 2 seed in Big South Tournament via tiebreaker, lost in first round to Winthrop.

Who's leaving: Denay Wood (9.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg); Kaylyn Crosier (3.6 ppg, 1.4 rpg); Brooke McElroy (9.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg); Ciara Hayes 2.4, 1.9 rpg); 

Who's coming: 

Ayana Avery, 5-5 guard, West Rowan (N.C.): Averaged 19.5 points and scored a school-record 1,995 in her four-year career; Jordynn Gaymon, 6-1 forward, Sun Valley (N.C.): Averaged 16.4 points and 12.2 rebounds. An All-District 9 first-team selection by the North Carolina Basketball Coaches Association.; Ashia Holmes, 5-8 guard, Salisbury (N.C.): Averaged 10 points, 6 steals and 7 rebounds and was the catalyst for Salisbury's 2A state championship team. Named championship game MVP and regional tournament MVP. One of four Division I starters on the team; the fifth starter was highly touted freshman Brielle Blair, the player who reportedly was offered a scholarship by Virginia Tech, among others, before she entered high school. Has a twin sister, Ayanna, who has signed with Charlotte.; Kiera McIvor, 5-9 guard, Dudley (N.C.): Averaged about 8 ppg as part of a balanced attack on a powerhouse (25-2) Dudley squad. Described by coach Tajama Ngongba as "a true game-changer."; Dominique Powell, 6-2 center, Archbishop Carroll (Washington D.C.): Ngongba:  “Dominique is another athletic post player. We will look to her to be a future enforcer in the paint. Her big wing span will give her an advantage in scoring, rebounding and defending on the inside.”

High point: The 2010-11 Highlanders accomplished something previous Radford teams - or any other Big South team for that matter, rarely pulls off - beating Liberty in Lynchburg. Radford's 62-53 triumph on Jan. 17 was the program's first at the Vines Center since 1996. But for pure emotion, it probably didn't get much better than when the Highlanders rallied on the road to beat former Radford coach Jeri Porter and her George Mason Patriots.

Low point: On Dec. 30, the Highlanders committed 34 turnovers in a 73-50 loss at home to Richmond to fall to 4-10. We didn't like where the season appeared to be heading.

Program stock: Movin' on up.

Of all the teams we follow here at LadySwish, none is tougher to get a read on than this Highlanders bunch.  When they split their first four games, capped by that stirring win at George Mason, we thought, OK, looks like they've got things figured out.


Then they dropped their next eight against Division I opponents.

Well, maybe next year....

Then they won their Big South opener (as always) en route to a 7-1 start in conference play.

Whoa! The Highlanders are for real! Now if they can just....

Then they lost three straight to slide out of the conference lead.

Oh, well, it was fun while it lasted....

Then they rattled off four straight victories, two in overtime, and took eventual tournament champion Gardner-Webb to yet another overtime in the regular-season finale.

Number two seed in the conference tourney? Sweet! We know they'd love another shot at Gardner-Webb in the semis, or Liberty in the final. Can't wait to see how....

Then they bombed in the first round of the conference tourney, shooting a measly 22 percent in a 21-point loss to No. 7 Winthrop.

Busch Gardens doesn't have roller-coasters that wild. Take away that absolute stinker at the end, though, and it's clear the Highlanders have removed most of the debris from last season's 6-23 finish and re-established themselves among the contenders in the Big South. It's as though the players have finally embraced third-year coach Tajama Abraham Ngongba's program and realized, hey, this stuff really works!

The season featured the continued development of sophomore Da'Naria Erwin Spencer, a first-team All-Big South pick who finished among the conference's top six players in points (14.3), assists, steals and free-throw percentage and dropped a career-high 30 on Presbyterian. The Highlanders also benefited from a full season from Brooke McElroy, the 6-0 redshirt senior who was unavailable after the first 9 games in 2009-10 but went the distance last season and finished third on the team in scoring (9.0 ppg) while being by far the Highlanders' best rebounder (7.3 rpg).

Still, Radford's signature remains its disruptive, ball-hawking defense that at its best contested every pass and nearly every dribble. Radford led the Big South and ranked 14th nationally in steals per game (12.2) with Erwin Spencer, McElroy and Kay Vick leading the theft parade. Radford forced 20 or more turnovers 16 times, and 30 or more on four occasions.

The ability to turn defense into offense was key, because the Highlanders often struggled to turn offense into offense. Radford ranked 303rd out of 333 teams in assists per game (10.3) and shot just 36.8 percent from the field. Furthermore, in an age when the 3-point shot has become increasingly important, the Highlanders had just one player (Kaylyn Crosier) who connected on at least 35 percent from distance. As a team, Radford shot a paltry 28 percent from beyond the arc.

Becoming more efficient on offense - perhaps by sharing the ball better - should pay big dividends for the Highlanders. They'll also need to replace, and hopefully exceed, McElroy's team-leading 7.3 boards a game. No other Highlander averaged as many as five boards per game.

So let's see. The Highlanders were below average in passing, shooting and rebounding, yet still won nearly half their games and contended in the Big South. No wonder Ngongba was the league's coach of the year.
Clearly there's still plenty of work to do if Radford wants to make noise outside of its conference. But for most teams, digging in on defense and totally committing to the game plan are the hard parts. These Highlanders appear to have that stuff down cold.

A few minutes with Radford's Da'Naria Erwin Spencer

The hottest team in the state? We like Radford, winners of six of its last seven games, good enough for first place in the Big South.The streak includes a 57-50 decision over Gardner-Webb and a come-from-behind thriller over defending champion Liberty in Lynchburg. Radford -- which just recorded its 600th program victory -- is off to its best conference start in 13 years.

They win with defense -- the Highlanders (9-11, 6-1) are atop the conference in steals -- and they win behind 5-5 sophomore guard Da'Naria Erwin Spencer, third in the conference in scoring (14.3 ppg). That would be Da'Naria Brinyelle Erwin Spencer, no hyphens anywhere, thank you.

Last year you guys lost to Liberty 66-33 during the regular season. This year you guys erased a 15-point deficit and ended a 16-game losing streak in Lynchburg (Erwin Spencer had 15 points, four assists and four steals in that one).What gives?

They jumped on us pretty good back then. We were intimidated because they were Liberty. They were Big South champions. ....(This year) we were down at the half, but we didn't get down on ourselves. We came out in the second half with a lot of intensity.

You guys are the comeback kids these days. You also rallied from 13 back against Presbyterian.

I don't know why. We start off games kind of slow.

Tell us about you. What do you like to do besides basketball?

I listen to music all the time. I have to go to sleep to music.

Rick Ross

Such as?

R&B before the game. I really like Rick Ross.

And to sleep?

Beyonce.

What else?

I'm really into fashion. I'm really into shoes a lot. I have like 60 pairs. I used to be into Jordans; now I have a lot of different pairs. I like to be different, not like everybody else.

What do you want to do in life?

My major is sports administration. I'd love to be a coach or do something with athletics.

Tell us about your relationship with your coach (Tajama Abraham Ngongba)

She pretty much knows me. I think earlier in the season, I wasn't mentally there. I was going through some things. She sat down and talked to me. It really helped.

 Have any secret indulgences?

Real Housewives of Atlanta

"Real Housewives of Atlanta." It's so funny. I don't eat healthy at all. I like a lot of fried foods. .... Especially Wendy's chicken nuggets.

Do you watch basketball?

I like the Michigan State men. I like their style of play.

Favorite movie?

 I'd say the movie "Life" with Martin Lawrence.

Why Radford?

I didn't want to go to a major D-I school. I wanted to go to a school close to home (Charlotte).

Long term goals?

We’re going to try to keep it up, play harder, be unstoppable and try to win the big South