The MEAC is bracing for a humdinger of a race for the women's basketball championship.
Hampton, the two-time defending conference champion, goes for a three-peat with three starters and seven of the top scorers returning from the squad that swept the 2010-11 regular season and tournament titles.
Howard, runner-up to Hampton in the conference tournament, has all five of its starters back and is set to make strong run at unseating the Lady Pirates. Perennial conference champion North Carolina A&T has undertaken a youth movement as Coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs chases her 500th career victory and attempts to return the Lady Aggies to the top of the standings following their third place finish a year ago.
Factor in the strides that the other MEAC programs have made and the addition of newcomers North Carolina Central and Savannah State, who are eligible for the championship this season, and a tight race should be in order.
"The conference is going to be very competitive,'' Howard coach Niki Reid Geckeler says. "Hampton is the team to beat. They are a well-rounded team. To beat them, you have to minimize your mistakes and capitalize on theirs.''
Not many teams were able to do that last season as Hampton posted a 25-7 record for their second consecutive 20-win season. They were 15-1 in the conference and made history with a No.13 seed in the NCAA Tournament - the highest seed ever for a MEAC team.
The Lady Pirates' strength is their junior backcourt tandem of point guard Jericka Jenkins and shooting guard Choicetta McMillian. Jenkins was second in the nation in assists with 7.2 a game and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.96). Jenkins also led Hampton in scoring last season, averaging 13.4 points a game while scoring in double figures 20 times. McMillian averaged 11.4 points a game, third-best for the Lady Pirates, and she shot 35% from 3-point range.
In their frontcourt, forward Melanie Warner is the only returning starter. Senior center Sherena Abercrumbia and junior forward Keiara Avant will be counted for production as the move into starting roles. Coach David Six focused on size during recruiting. Three of the players that signed are 6-2 forwards Alyssa Bennett, Brielle Ward and Ariel Phelps, a transfer from Louisburg College.
Howard is a team on the rise in the MEAC. Their back-to-back 16-win seasons the last two years under Geckeler, gives them four more victories than they had in the three seasons combined before she took over in 2008. With the nucleus of the team that made a surprising run to the conference tournament championship game, returning includes 2011 MEAC Preseason Player of the Year Saadia Doyle, who was the 2009 MEAC Rookie of the Year and 2010 MEAC Player of the Year. Their improvement should continue.
"I'm really excited about the future of this team,'' Geckeler says, adding that defense will be her team's calling card. "We always preach defense; that's something you're always going to get when you play Howard. But we have to put ball in basket more consistently.
The return of All-MEAC guard Zykia Brown, who sat out last season, should help in that regard. Brown averaged 18.4 points during the 2009-10 season.
"Zykia is so experienced,'' Geckeler says. "She wants to win so badly. She has a heart of gold. She brings that it factor.''
Geckeler says that early season games against UConn, LSU and Lehigh on consecutive days in the World Vision Tournament laid the foundation for their success. This season they open against No.1 Baylor in the preseason Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT).
"Games like that are great,'' Geckeler says. "If you want to be the best, you have to play the best. It puts them on a platform to see the best of the best.''
North Carolina A&T's 10-6 MEAC record was the Lady Aggies' lowest victory total in conference play since they were 9-9 in 2005-06. Coach Bibbs is counting heavily on 11-newcomers to turn things around. However, the play of junior All-MEAC guard JaQuayla Berry maybe the key to the Lady Aggies' success. Berry is a disruptive defensive force, who was third in the nation in steals. She averaged 14.5 points and 3.3 assists per game last year.
Berry and point guard Amber Calvin were billed as North Carolina A&T's backcourt of the future when they signed with the Lady Aggies in 2009. However, Calvin has been plagued by knee injuries, including a torn ACL that sidelined her for the entire 2010-11 season. Her return to form would go a long way toward helping the Lady Aggies return to the top of the MEAC.
Florida A&M has made steady improvement in LaDawn Gibson's three seasons as coach, and the Lady Rattlers appeared to be poised to take the next step after landing their top recruiting class in recent memory. However, their prospects for the 2011-12 season took a hit with the death of guard Shannon Washington who was one of the top junior college players in the nation.
The Lady Rattlers will look to senior guard/forward Antonia Bennett to fill the void left by Washington's death. Bennett was third in the MEAC in scoring (16.2 points) and rebounding (8.4). She was a finalist for the U.S. National team and is competing in the Pan Am Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, this month. Gibson will count on center Qiana Donald, one of the MEAC's premier rebounders, for more production. Donald averaged 8.1 rebounds and 7.1 points.
Morgan State hopes to build on last season's strong showing. The Lady Bears finish second in the regular season standings and earn their first Division I postseason berth as they competed in the WNIT.
The Lady Bears lost the top five scorers from their 2010-11 season, and will count heavily on a core group that will be full-time starters for the first time. Junior guard Moneshia Davis, who started 21 games and averaged 5.7 points, is the Lady Bears most experienced returnee. Junior guard Jamesia Smith, who averaged 5.8 points in a reserve role is the top returning scorer
With four starters returning Coppin State is primed for a bounce-back season after consecutive sub-par campaigns. The Lady Eagles had a run of five straight postseason appearances prior to the 2009-10 season. Senior center Jeanine Manley is back at full speed after being limited to 18 games last season because of injuries. Manley led the Lady Eagles with 11.0 points a game. She also averaged 5.2 rebounds. She can expect plenty of support from sophomore forward Larrisa Carter, the 2011 MEAC Rookie of the Year. Carter averaged 9.5 points and a team-best 7.8 rebounds in her rookie campaign.
Maryland Eastern Shore looks to move up in the standings on the strength of its defense. Adobi Agbasi, the leading shot blocker in the MEAC each of the past two seasons, returns for her senior year and is the Lady Hawks' anchor. Senior Amber Cook and junior Chelsea Sanders form a solid backcourt tandem. Senior forward Kwinnyata Mercer will be called on to shoulder more of the scoring load following the graduation of two-time All-MEAC selection Casey Morton, who was the Lady Hawks' top scorer. Mercer averaged 10.5 points and 3.9 rebounds last season.
South Carolina State returns four starters from the squad that was 14-19 a year ago and finished eighth in the regular season. One challenge for Coach Doug Robertson is replacing guard Whitney Wiley, the Lady Bulldogs' leading scorer last season. Junior guard Tiara Knotts is the top returning scorer. Knotts averaged 8.9 points, a figure that is likely to increase. Defense will be the key to the Lady Bulldogs' improvement this season. They were in the bottom half of the conference in opponents' field goal percentage and points allowed.
Bethune-Cookman took a step backwards last season with 13-17 record - in large part due to injuries - after the Lady Wildcats posted their first winning mark in seven years during the 2009-10 season. Jalisa Isaac went down in the preseason and missed the entire year. Demetria Frank was injured seven games into the season and didn't return. Both are healthy and counted on to be key contributors. Frank is the Lady Wildcats' all-time steals leader and is No.4 on the school's career scoring list. Isaac is a prolific three-point shooter, having made 127 treys for her career.
Coach Vanessa Blair enters her fourth season with a young squad as she tries to get the Wildcats back on an upward track. The roster includes just two juniors, Cleniece Roberts and Jasmine Elum, and two seniors, Frank and Isaac. Elum was the second-leading scorer, averaging 13.4 points. Roberts averaged 7.7 points and 5.8 rebounds.
North Carolina Central delves into MEAC competition with seven returnees but a scarcity of experience. Blair Houston is the Lady Eagles' lone senior and along with redshirt junior Chasidy Williams, the top returning scorer will be looked to for leadership. Williams averaged 11.2 points; Houston averaged 6.2. Junior J'Mia Pollock is likely to have an expanded role after averaging 3.5 points and 5.6 rebounds while starting 19 games. North Carolina Central will count on eight freshmen and transfers heavily for contributions. The Lady Eagles hope that foreign tour that had them playing a series of games in Kingston, Jamaica, Aug. 9-16 will help their chemistry.
Savannah State comes into the MEAC on high. The Lady Tigers were 15-11 last season for their first winning record since 1998-99. They expect big things from guard Ezinne Kalu, their leading scorer from a year ago with 15.4 points a game. She also averaged 3.1 steals a game. Kalu. a native of Nigeria, was selected to play for her country's National Team in the U19 World Championship over the summer.
The Lady Tigers had several impressive victories, including wins against MEAC members South Carolina State and Maryland Eastern Shore as well as Alabama State and Central Florida. They are likely to be a tough opponent for conference foes this season.
Delaware State is coming off back-to-back losing seasons after a 15-15 finish in 2008-09. Junior guard/forward Crystal Pitt returns as the team's most experienced player. Coach Ed Davis will lean heavily on sophomore guards Tasia Bristow and Deanna Harmon, the Lady Hornets' top two returning scorers, in his effort to turn things around. Bristow averaged 8.1 points last season, third-best on the team, while Harmon averaged 7.9 points.
Norfolk State has made significant improvement in Debra Clark's two seasons as coach. The won just one game the season before Clark took over. That number increased to four in her first season and jumped to nine last season. With four starters returning the prospects for that trend to continue are good.
The Spartans will again be young this season. Tyisha Bridges and Whitney Long are the only seniors on the roster. Both were backups last season. Sophomore Rae Corbo, a member of the 2011 MEAC All-Rookie team, has emerged as the team leader. Corbo averaged 10.4 points game while starting 23 of 28 games.