To say that Hampton's women's basketball team has gotten off to a good start is like saying the Trump Tower is a tall building.

The Lady Pirates are 4-0, their best start as a Division I program. Their victims include Mississippi State and LSU of the powerful SEC and two of their victories - against Southern Mississippi and Mississippi State - came on the road. If that's not enough, Coach David Six, who came into the season looking to replace three starters from last season's squad that won its third straight MEAC Tournament championship, hasn't had the luxury of playing his five starters together for a single minute because due to injuries.

Still, the Lady Pirates, who face South Carolina, DePaul and Florida Gulf Coast in the Virgin Islands Paradise Jam over the Thanksgiving weekend, have beaten Southern Mississippi, Mississippi State, LSU and Chicago State by an average of 26.5 points.
They have averaged 72.0 points a game and held their opponents to 45.5 points and 29.6% shooting from the field.

"Our defense has probably been the key,'' Six says. "We've been pretty solid defensively. "(But) with the number of new people we had and the injuries we've had. To be honest I didn't anticipate this. I just didn't know what we had.''

Senior forward Kearia Avant has been the Lady Pirates' big gun, averaging 22.0 points and 12.5 rebounds. Avant has been named MEAC Women's Player of the Week each of the first two weeks of the season. Avant has had a double-double in each of the Lady Pirates' games while is picking up where she left off at the end of last season. She averaged a double-double in the last seven games after replacing an injured Melanie Warner in the starting lineup.

"I thought if she could bottle that, she could do very well this year,'' Six says, reflecting Avant's play down the stretch last season. "She is extremely athletic, and she's putting it all together.  She's always been a great offensive rebounder. She's added some other elements to her game. She has really stepped up for us.''

Six was also expecting key contributions from Lauren Johnson, a junior college transfer from Darton State (Ga.), who was penciled in to replace All-MEAC point guard Jericka Jenkins, Old Dominion transfer Jo'Niqua Phelps, the heir apparent to Choicetta McMillian's shooting guard spot, and Ariel Phelps, who was being looked upon to take up the slack at Warner's forward spot.

Those expectations soon went by the waste side. Johnson suffered a torn an ACL days before the opening game, sidelining her for the season.

 
Guilford, who underwent knee surgery three weeks ago, and Phelps, who has torn ligaments in an ankle, sat out the Lady Pirates' season-opening 78-41 victory against Southern Mississippi and their 56-48 win at Mississippi State three days later. Both played in the 67-58 home win against LSU, though not at full speed. However, Phelps and forward Alyssa Bennett, the team's top returning scorer who suffered a toe injury, sat out the Lady Pirates' 87-35 win against Chicago State.

The rash of injuries has forced Six to shuffle players around, with junior Nicole Hamilton, a backup shooting guard last season, taking over at point guard; it has also given other team members who weren't being counted on for contributions an opportunity for playing time, and they have produced. Redshirt freshman Brielle Ward has averaged 6.3 rebounds off the bench; sophomore Kenia Coles, who saw action in 15 contests last season, has started three games and gives the Lady Pirates 6.5 points a game, and Verdine Warner averages 5.0 points and 6.3 rebounds.

"It's actually been role players who have stepped up and got us off to the good start,'' Six says, adding that this year's squad isn't in the mold of the team that posted 26-5 record a year ago and won its second consecutive regular season championship. "This is a much different team. Jenkins, McMillian and (Melanie) Warner were cerebral players. The team we have now, the players are long and lanky and a little more athletic than those kids.''

Hampton president Dr. William Harvey says the Lady Pirates' early unbeaten record and victories against schools from a power conference is in keeping with Harvey's goal of developing a mid-major athletic program that can compete at a high level.

"He understands what we want,'' Harvey says. "He understands what it takes to get there. He understands the nuances of recruiting, discipline, fundamentals and scheduling. He has put together very good program. To beat two SEC teams... I was joking with him that when you beat South Carolina, a third SEC team, down in the Virgin Islands, you'll be No. 1 in the SEC.''

Harvey cites the Gonzaga men's basketball program, which has qualified for the NCAA tournament each of the last 14 seasons and reached the Sweet 16 five times even though it doesn't compete in a power conference, as the model for all Hampton athletic teams.

Six, entering his fourth season as coach of the Lady Pirates, has a 75-24 record, including a 42-6 conference mark. He is on pace with the Gonzaga model, having gotten Hampton into the NCAA Tournament each of his three previous seasons.

"Look at Gonzaga,'' Harvey says. "They are there every year. We need athletic programs. I don't want to be up one year, down the next and up the next. He really gets that.''

Six is thrilled with the Lady Pirates' hot start and their rather lopsided victories. But he isn't dwelling on those things.

"We have a long season ahead of us,'' he says.  "Whether you win by one or you win by a lot, it's a win. We're not focusing on that. We're focusing on being the best we can on defense and trying to get the new pieces situated. So far, they're doing a great job. But it's early, very early.''

The Lady Pirates have an extremely challenging early season schedule. After returning from the Virgin Islands, they open the conference portion of their schedule with games at South Carolina State and Savannah State Dec. 1 and 3, respectively. They also have games in the Toledo Invitational at Saint Peters and at Virginia Tech. They won't play at home again until they host Boston College Jan. 2.

"We've got our hands full,'' Six says. "The schedule we have is probably the toughest and most ambitious in Hampton University history. We wanted to strengthen our RPI, and this the only way could do it. It's very difficult to get people to agree to come to Hampton, so we decided to go on the road. We couldn't have anticipated all these people would be going through injuries. We've had to deal with it. Since I've been here, we've never minded going on the road. I think it builds your team's character. Obviously you want to play at home for your fans. But I think there is some value to putting your team in harms way and playing in adverse conditions right away.''

In the meantime, Six is eager to have all of the Lady Pirates healthy so he can fully assess how good his team is.

"I think we can be very good if we can get healthy,'' he says. "We haven't had time to build chemistry like we want to. I certainly look forward to the day when we can have everybody on our roster healthy. We haven't made excuses. We've played with the hand we were dealt; injuries are part of the game and we've made adjustments. I have to commend the kids. They have adjusted and continued to progress.''