48 2007-08 Liberty Lady Flames Basketball

2 0 0 7 - 0 8 L I B E R T Y

Ask Liberty Head Women’s Basketball Coach CareyGreen to describe his view on the upcoming 2007-08season in one word and he quickly replies, “Unique.”The season is in fact unique because, for the first timesince 1996-97, the Lady Flames do not enter the yearas the defending Big South champion. Green antici-pates a unique campaign for several other reasons aswell.

“First of all, we lost our founder and our No. 1 fan inDr. Falwell this past spring,” reflected Green. “We nowhave a void which can never really be filled. It’s ourchallenge to continue his vision of excellence andbuilding champions.”

Dr. Jerry Falwell, who died on May 15, witnessedmany of Green’s 185 victories at Liberty from the frontrow, including the Lady Flames’ improbable run to the“Sweet 16” in 2005.

Three players from the Sweet 16 squad—AllysonFasnacht, Egle Smigelskaite and Courtney Watkins—comprise the senior class of the 2007-08 LadyFlames. They will be joined by a number of new facesthis season, something the team did not have to thinkabout a year ago at this time.

The 2006-07 Liberty women’s basketball team fea-tured the same exact roster and the same exact coach-ing staff as the 2005-06 Lady Flames. This year, fournew players and two new coaches have joined the fold,adding to the unique nature of the upcoming season.

One of the new faces on the coaching staff is notnew to Liberty. Alexis Sherard has joined the LadyFlames as an assistant coach, after serving the Libertymen’s basketball team in the same capacity for thepast two seasons.

Andrea “Andy” Bloodworth is the other new memberof Liberty’s coaching staff. She comes to the LadyFlames, after two years at Valparaiso, where she wasthe Crusaders’ recruiting coordinator.

“We have a new chemistry on our team,” explainedGreen, in his ninth season at Liberty. “We have newleadership and more experienced players on our rosterthan we’ve had the past couple years.”

Nine upperclassmen are included on the Liberty ros-ter, six of whom started eight or more games a seasonago. The Lady Flames, who admittedly struggled withcomplacency last year during their 19-12 campaign,should have no shortage of motivation for the 2007-08season.

Radford ended Liberty’s 10-year run of Big Southtitles with a last-second, game-winning bucket in theteams’ semifinal tilt last season. The same Highlandersare picked to win this year’s Big South title in the pre-season conference poll. So, the Lady Flames, listedsecond in the same poll, are now in a unique positionas the hunter instead of the hunted. They know it willtake dedication to return to the top of the conferencestandings.

“It’s time to move on and earn a new level of excel-lence through hard work and teamwork,” noted Green,who ranks 12th among active NCAA Division I women’sbasketball coaches in winning percentage. “Our battle

cry this year is, ‘Earn it.’ There’s an excitement in the airwith our new additions, and I’m expecting our team tomature and improve daily to be their very best.”

A position-by-position team preview follows.

POINT GUARDGreen and the Lady Flames have the luxury of a pair

of experienced seniors, Fasnacht and Watkins, to bol-ster the guard position. The duo has combined to start97 games in the Liberty backcourt and has been apart of 70 wins in the past three seasons.

Fasnacht, a team leader on and off the court, hasbeen a steadying influence and a clutch performerthroughout her Liberty career, at the point guard spot.She has recorded more assists than turnovers duringeach of her three seasons and has boosted her statis-tics during Big South play every year. A season ago, theSalem, Va., native was named to the Big South presea-son all-conference team, and went on to score 4.6 ppgand distribute 2.0 apg.

“It’s great to have this type of leadership from a sen-ior point guard,” remarked Green. “Allyson’s contribu-tions will be a key factor in the development of ouryounger players and in the overall success of our team.She has a true understanding of the game and is anexcellent coach on the floor.”

Speaking of which, Fasnacht’s career at Liberty hascome full circle. As a freshman in 2004-05, she servedas an understudy to senior point guard DainaStaugaitiene. Three years later, Fasnacht will play the

role of teacher for Liberty’s pair of freshman floorgenerals, Heather Smith and Rachel McLeod.Smith, who stands 5-11, was a multi-sport star at

Mahmotedi High School, just outside Minnesota’sTwin Cities. In addition to playing point guard for theZephyrs, she played forward for a three-time statechampion soccer team and was an all-state per-former in the long jump.

“Heather is a tremendous athlete,” observed Green.“She could contribute early on as a defensive spe-cialist. As she matures, her athletic ability willbecome even more of a challenge for opponents.”McLeod, hailing from Houston, Texas, was home

schooled. The granddaughter of an NBA player, the 5-10 guard was rated the 12th-best junior in the stateand played for the Homeschool Christian YouthAssociation (HCYA).

“At this point, Rachel has been a pleasant additionto our team because of her work ethic,” Green stated.“She is a very determined player who possessesmany skills. She has paid a high price during the off-season with her conditioning, which should pay greatdividends during the season.”

Although the Lady Flames have an ideal setup atthe point guard position, with a skilled, seasoned vet-eran to guide a pair of promising newcomers, Greeninsists the team’s greatest strength lies elsewhere.

SHOOTING GUARD/SMALL FORWARD“Our team’s greatest asset is the amount of depth

we possess at the shooting guard and small forwardpositions,” asserted the ninth-year head coach, whoneeds 15 wins to reach 200 for his career.

Leading the way at shooting guard is senior Watkins,who has appeared in every one of the Lady Flames’ 95games since she arrived on campus. One of the topoutside shooters on the roster, Watkins ranked third onthe squad with 15 three-pointers during the 2006-07season. She, like Fasnacht, took good care of the bas-ketball, recording 46 assists to just 33 turnovers.

“Courtney possesses a tremendous amount of expe-rience,” noted Green. “She is skilled on the defensiveend and is a great shooter. She helps spread oppo-nents’ defense and makes the right decisions with thebasketball.”

Junior Rachel Hammond also figures to contribute ina major way in the Lady Flames’ backcourt. She hasoften been counted upon as a spark off the Libertybench during her first two seasons and has savedsome of her best performances for the Big SouthChampionship. The Clearwater, Fla., native made theBig South all-tournament team as a freshman andscored 10 points against Radford in the semifinalmatch-up last season.

“Rachel is a very gifted scorer, who has the ability toscore points quickly,” explained Green. “She has fin-ished strong each of the past two seasons. We expecther to start this year well, with more experience underher belt. Rachel is a great student of the game andexcels in the classroom as well.”

OUTLOOK

Allyson Fasnacht

LibertyFlames.com 49

L A D Y F L A M E S

Hammond, a social science major, has maintained aperfect 4.0 GPA so far, and her efforts helped the LadyFlames rank No. 7 nationally with a 3.508 team GPAfor the 2006-07 academic year.

Another of Liberty’s exceptional student-athletes,Alexandria Bream will add depth at the shooting guardspot during her junior season. One of the Lady Flames’best pure shooters, all of Bream’s made field goalswere of the three-point variety in 2006-07.

“Alex makes tremendous team contributions,” Greenstated. “She is one of the best shooters on our team.She also exemplifies the heart and soul of a LadyFlame on the court and in the classroom.”

Three more juniors—Megan Frazee, RebeccaLightfoot and Molly Frazee—will hold down the smallforward position for the Lady Flames, although eachmember of the trio is versatile enough to play else-where on the court if necessary.

Megan Frazee, one-third of the only set of tripletscurrently playing for a Division I women’s basketballteam, had a stellar sophomore season after an injury-shortened freshman campaign. She led the team with17.2 ppg and 8.5 rpg and was a first-team All-BigSouth honoree.

The Preseason Big South Player of the Year for thesecond-straight year, Frazee also earned an invite tothe USA Women’s Basketball National Team Trials inMay. She played under the basket quite a bit at theTrials, something Green would like to see Frazee domore of this season, even though she connected on 41percent of her three-point offerings last season.

“Megan has contributed to the success of our bas-ketball program in a major way,” admitted Green. “Herhard work during the offseason leads us to expect amore complete inside/outside game from her this year.Our objective is to utilize her size and strength more inthe post area, which will help compliment her ability toscore from the perimeter.”

Lightfoot, a lanky but athletic 6-2 guard/forward,also possesses the skills to play in the paint or on theperimeter. Her offensive production increased signifi-cantly from her freshman to sophomore year. A seasonago, Lightfoot averaged 4.9 ppg and 3.5 rpg andearned 11 appearances in the Lady Flames’ startingfive.

“Becca provides us with great intensity, leadershipand a desire to win,” said Green. “She possesses acomplete game, with the ability to shoot the three,drive and finish with either hand around the basket.Her passion for the team makes her the ultimate teamplayer.”

Molly Frazee, the final piece of the Lady Flames’small forward trifecta, earned increased playing timeas a sophomore and made the most of her opportuni-ties. She ranked third on the team with 6.2 ppg,hauled in 3.5 rpg and sank 43 percent of her three-pointers on the season. Green believes her skills andthose of Lightfoot complement each other nicely, andhe feels confident when they are on the floor together.

“Molly is an extremely good three-point shooter,”observed Green. “She also has great ball-handlingskills and the strength to finish inside.”

POSTMoriah Frazee, also a junior, returns to lead a com-

paratively inexperienced group of post players for theLady Flames, after starting 29 of Liberty’s 31 games aseason ago. She ranked second on the squad with 7.6ppg and 4.4 rpg and paced the team with 20 blockedshots.

Frazee also played a significant role in helpingLiberty rank fifth nationally in rebounding margin, asthe Lady Flames ripped down an average of 10.6 moreboards per game than their opponents, on average.

“Moriah possesses a solid, dependable powergame,” Green noted. “She is a difficult defensivematch-up, with her ability to drive and finish with eitherhand around the basket, as well as be a perimeterthreat. She has also developed into an excellent postdefender.”

Egle Smigelskaite, the tallest player on the Libertyroster at 6-5, is the Lady Flames’ other returning letter-winner in the post. She has battled a variety of injuriesthroughout her three years in the program, but is hop-ing for a healthy senior season. Like most of the tallerLady Flames, Smigelskaite, who hails from Klaipeda,Lithuania, possesses a deft shooting touch.

“Egle is perhaps our most improved player at thispoint because of her desire to win and contribute in amajor way as a senior,” asserted Green. “She hasworked extremely hard to finish strong. Egle can be

counted on to score both inside and outside and has agood basketball IQ.”

Adding depth under the basket are a pair of sizablefreshmen, 6-4 Kittery Maine and 6-3 Avery Warley.“Both Kittery and Avery come from very successful highschool programs, and both bring a desire to win,” notedGreen.

Maine led the Warner Robins High School girls’ bas-ketball team to the Sweet 16 in Georgia as a senior,leading her squad in rebounds (7.5 rpg), blocked shots(2.3 bpg) and field goal percentage (49 percent). TheDemons’ most valuable defensive player on the hard-wood, Maine also played for the Warner Robins softballteam, which placed fifth in the state.

“Kittery is an exceptional athlete, who possesses atremendous amount of strength and the ability to scoreinside,” stated Green. “She also has a great shootingtouch from the perimeter, especially from three-pointrange.”

Warley, from H.D. Woodson High School inWashington, D.C., was twice an all-metro selection. Thenewcomer helped her team capture the DCIAA title asa freshman and as a senior.

Courtney Watkins

Megan Frazee

OUTLOOK

50 2007-08 Liberty Lady Flames Basketball

2 0 0 7 - 0 8 L I B E R T Y

“Avery brings tremendous athletic ability, agility andan understanding of the game,” remarked Green. “Shehas continued to improve daily throughout the presea-son and we look forward to major contributions fromher in the future. She has the ability to impact the out-come of a game.”

Warley is a candidate to redshirt her first seasonwith the Lady Flames.

SCHEDULEThe Lady Flames have enjoyed 11-consecutive win-

ning seasons, but have made it difficult on themselvesif they hope to extend the streak to a dozen years.Liberty’s 2007-08 season schedule features fivegames versus 2007 NCAA Tournament teams, includinga Dec. 30 match-up with Final Four qualifier NorthCarolina. The Lady Flames will play 11 contests against20-win teams from a year ago.

Liberty fans will have to wait until the final day ofNovember to see the Lady Flames in action at theVines Center. The team’s first six regular-season gameswill take place away from Lynchburg, and Green’ssquad will open the 2007-08 season with a pair oftrips to Greensboro, N.C.

The Lady Flames are slated to meet UNCGreensboro, 20-10 a year ago, in the lid-lifter on Nov.

13. Three days later, Liberty will return toGreensboro to battle North Carolina A&T, whichreturns its entire roster from last season’s 17-13squad.

On Nov. 19, Liberty will square off with the firstof two ACC opponents on its schedule, when theLady Flames travel to Cassell Coliseum to playVirginia Tech. The Lady Flames are still seekingtheir first-ever victory over the Hokies, who went19-15 and reached the second round of the2007 WNIT Tournament.

Later that week, the Lady Flames will celebrateThanksgiving in Cincinnati, Ohio, where Liberty willplay a trio of games in the National City XavierInvitational at Xavier’s Cintas Center, Nov. 23-25.

The Lady Flames will meet McNeese State onthe opening day of the tournament, Houston onSaturday and Xavier on Sunday. The hostMusketeers went 26-8 in 2006-07, capturing theAtlantic-10 Tournament title and earning a trip tothe NCAA Tournament.

A season-long four-game homestand, beginningwith the home opener versus Virginia Union onNov. 30, will open the Lady Flames’ slate of 13games at the Vines Center. In-state rival JamesMadison, coming off a 27-6 season, which nettedthe Dukes an at-large NCAA Tournament berth,travels to Liberty on Dec. 4.

The string of home games will come to an endwith back-to-back Saturday match-ups, a contestagainst Binghamton on Dec. 8 and Liberty’s first-ever game versus Glenville State on Dec. 15.Glenville State won 33 games a year ago on itsway to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.

Liberty’s final two games before Christmas will beplayed in Las Vegas, at the UNLV Lady Rebel ChristmasClassic. The Lady Flames will square off with Ball State,which was 24-7 during the 2006-07 campaign andparticipated in the WNIT Tournament, in the tournamentopener on Dec. 20. After meeting the Cardinals, theLady Flames will face either Austin Peay or host UNLVthe following evening, with either the championship orthird place at stake.

The 2007 calendar year will come to a close with atrip to Carmichael Auditorium to battle North Carolinafor the second time in three seasons. The Tar Heelsreturn three starters from their back-to-back Final Fourqualifiers.

Two of the Lady Flames’ first three January contestswill be played at the Vines Center, including a Jan. 5game with Richmond and a Jan. 15 match-up againstGeorge Mason. Sandwiched in between the two gamesis a Jan. 8 road trip to East Tennessee State, a teamwhich won 20 games and earned a WNIT bid last sea-son.

"It is our goal to return to the NCAA Tournament thisseason, and our non-conference schedule was puttogether with that objective in mind," stated Green. "Itis our hope that playing ACC teams, like North Carolinaand Virginia Tech, as well as top-flight mid-major pro-

grams like James Madison and Xavier will prepare usfor the rigors of conference play and acclimate ournewcomers to the collegiate game."

Liberty will start Big South competition with the“Beach Trip,” as the Lady Flames are scheduled to playat Charleston Southern on Jan. 19 and at CoastalCarolina on Jan. 21.

After the Lady Flames return to the Commonwealth,six of the next seven contests will be played at home,beginning with a Jan. 26 visit by Presbyterian. The BlueHose, in transition to the Division I level, will becomefull members of the Big South Conference in 2011-12.

Liberty will then play host to defending Big Southregular-season champion High Point on Jan. 29 andWinthrop on Feb. 2. A Feb. 6 visit to Radford, whichwon 20 games last season, will break up the string ofhome games.

2007 Big South champion UNC Asheville is sched-uled to play at Liberty on Feb. 9, to wrap up the firstround of conference play. The Lady Flames are slatedto host Coastal Carolina a week later and CharlestonSouthern on Feb. 18.

Liberty will return to the road for a trio of conferencecontests, beginning with a tilt at High Point on Feb. 23.Match-ups at Winthrop on Feb. 27 and at UNCAsheville on March 1 follow.

The regular season will come to a close with aMarch 7 home game versus Radford. Seniors AllysonFasnacht, Egle Smigleskaite and Watkins will be hon-ored prior to tip-off.

For the second-consecutive year, UNC Asheville’sJustice Center will play host to the Big South Women’sBasketball Championship. The tournament will be heldMarch 13-15, with the winner earning the conference’sautomatic berth in the NCAA Tournament, which is setto tip off on March 22.

BIG SOUTH CONFERENCE

2007-08 PRESEASON

ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM

Megan Frazee, Liberty – Preseason Player of the YearKelli Darden, RadfordCorrie Fertitta, RadfordAshton Barton, UNC AshevilleAshley Fann, Winthrop

PRESEASON PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

(FIRST-PLACE VOTES) – TOTAL POINTS

1) Radford (16) - 1622) Liberty (9) - 1563) UNC Asheville - 1134) High Point - 815) Winthrop - 806) Coastal Carolina - 777) Charleston Southern - 31

OUTLOOK

Moriah Frazee