UMO women's hoops: Lee has big task ahead this season

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on November 13, 2014 1:49 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

MOUNT OLIVE -- Armed with a practice plan and whistle, University of Mount Olive head women's basketball coach Wendy Lee stepped from her office and opened the door to Kornegay Arena.

"Am I in the wrong gym?" she thought to herself.

There was no J-Mac.

No Andrea.

No Jo.

No Kirk.

No KP.

The reality of graduation had finally sunk in.

"It's a new season, a new day, a new team," Lee said.

Well, almost a new team.

Nine players return off last year's squad which posted 18 wins and lost to Limestone in the Conference Carolinas tournament championship.

The down side is the group averaged just 16 points a game. The Trojan women, somehow, must replace 75 percent of the scoring provided by their starting five a year ago.

Heading into Friday's season opener against in-state foe Catawba in the SAC-Conference Carolinas challenge, Lee hasn't determined a starting lineup. She describes the team as "moving parts," but says there is some chemistry despite having so many new faces on the court.

"This has been very different," said Lee, the all-time winningest coach in the program's Division II era. "(It's) the biggest facelift in the program that we've had since I've been here. We don't have anything figured out.

"It makes it tough, but exciting."

Primarily a perimeter team last season, Lee anticipates putting a balanced offensive team on the floor. A solid inside-out game should alleviate some pressure from the perimeter and force opposing teams to defend more on the interior.

Six-foot senior forward Ty Wallace, 5-11 junior Ana Zjacic and 5-9 senior forward Leah Graham will be called upon to handle roles around the basket. The trio combined to score 11.4 points snare 14-plus rebounds per outing.

UMO shot 40 percent from the floor a year ago and defeated opponents by an average of 7.6 points a game.

"The big question mark is going to be where are we going to get our offense, who is going to fill those places and how are we going to get it?" Lee said. "Who will be the main point guard, who is going to be able to handle pressure and who is going to be consistently good at the 3-point line?

"All of that is going to have to be revealed as we go."

Here are five things to watch this season:

Leadership

* Graham and Wallace have been taking the younger players under their wings and showing them how the program operates -- on and off the court. They're reponsible for showing the "newbies" about who the Trojan women are as a program.

"They're critical to us (as leaders) to keeping everyone together as a team," Lee said. "In game situations, it's stillup in the air how much even they are going to be a part of what we do. Hopefully, they will be a huge part ... two players that we'll count on all year."

Tradition

* UMO has won 18 or more games in six of the past seven seasons and made two NCAA Division II regional appearances, most recently two years ago. The program has produced numerous record-breaking performances -- single-game, single-season and career -- with Lee on the sideline.

"X" factor

* Prone to foul trouble last season, Zjacic is the team's utility player and blends in well with everybody on the court -- which gives her an edge.

"Has she gotten smarter defensively because you may not be able to necessarily improve your physical quickness, but your mental quickness and being able to make adjustments ... those are the little things I hope with her experience as a player will pay off and her maturity will show up," Lee said

"I'm counting on her to grow in that area because she does need to be on the floor."

No fear

* Who is Queens? Limestone? Barton?

The freshmen really don't know what fuels those intense rivalries each season. The newness, according to Lee, is probably a good thing and that it brings no fear.

Ni'ya Styles, who starred at Nash Central High School last season, showed no signs of nervousness against UNCW. In fact, she almost looked like a veteran college player despite the arena and environment of playing in a Division I environment.

It's a nothing to lose, everything to gain mentality.

Schedule

* The two-day Conference Carolinas-SAC Challenge will serve as an early-season measuring stick for UMO. The Trojans face Catawba and Queens -- two well-disciplined, athletic and physical teams.

Then comes the conference road opener at Pfeiffer and finally a home date against Peach Belt member UNC Pembroke during the 49th annual Pickle Classic.

Three days later, nationally-ranked Limestone visits.

"Every game is one game at a time, understanding that we are a work in progress and we want to get better every game," Lee said. "We've got to be moving parts moreso than in the past and accept roles that may change. It's going to test our character, being able to stick together if we do struggle.

"They're going to have to be resilient to handle it more mentally than physically."