Lady Tigers 2002 - 2003 Outlook

Clemson will be headlined by one of the best players in ACC history. That was stated this past fall when senior Chrissy Floyd was named to the ACC's 50-year Anniversary team, one of just two active players named to the 50-person squad.

With that said, the Lady Tigers' success may depend on how much or how little of the load Chrissy Floyd has to shoulder. Another concern for Head Coach Jim Davis is rebounding. And according to the 15-year veteran coach, rebounding will be a watchword in this year's practices.

"I have been very disappointed the last few years in our rebounding. We must become a better rebounding team. We are going to have to commit ourselves as coaches and players to do a better job on the boards at both ends. That is my primary focus for this team. I know we are going to defend well. We will score enough to be successful. Rebounding will be our primary objective, and we have got to be a better rebounding team, period."

Clemson will return three starters from last year's NCAA Tournament team. Last year's squad finished with a 17-12 record overall and a 9-7 mark in the ACC, the 15th straight year Clemson has been at least .500 or better in ACC play. The Lady Tigers also return 10 letterwinners.

"This will be an athletic team. We will be able to play a full court game. This team will be a good transition team, a fast break team. We will press and run. We are going to have better depth than we had in the last year or two. We suffered growing pains last year and we are going to have more 'go to' people. We are going to lean on Chrissy Floyd for much of the scoring, but she will have some help from Julie Aderhold and Maggie Slosser."

The goals for this year's team include participating in the NCAA Tournament and victory in 20 or more games.

"Obviously, we want to win 20 or more games every year. We fell short last year. For us to be successful we will have to do well in our non-conference schedule, but it will be a good test for us. We will also have to finish high in the conference to win 20 games. The league is going to be just as tough, if not tougher this season. It is going to be a real challenge. We also have as one of our goals to participate in the NCAA Tournament. We want to get hot at the right time and go deep in the tournament.

"We have quickness and speed. We will have to use these two characteristics in our rebounding. We need rebounding not only from our inside people, but also from our guards on the defensive end. We need them to get more involved in rebounding. There is no reason we can't be a better rebounding team."

Coach Davis Comments on some key phases of the game: 3 point shooting - "Julie Aderhold and Chrissy Floyd will be the primary weapons along with Lakeia Stokes and Tabitha Vasilas. Newcomers Lauren Chauvin and Julie Talley are capable of shooting the three. Lacey Shafer can step out and shoot the three. We will be able to spread the defense and keep them honest. This may not be our best three-point shooting team, but we will be effective." Rebounding - "Again this will be our primary emphasis. We have succeeded in the last two-three years despite being a poor rebounding team-that can't continue. We have size and more experience, and we have some people who have been through the ACC battles. We will be counting on Tia Andrew, Maggie Slosser, Monica Blackmon, Lacey Shafer, Julie Aderhold, and Leah Roper on the inside. Roper proved last year that she is a good rebounder as a small forward." Defense - "Defense is how we have been able to succeed in the last three years. Our defense should be more aggressive, more active, and with better pressing and more traps, this will generate more offense from our defense. Leah Roper can guard anybody from a point guard to a post player-she is our stopper. I like what Kanetra Queen brings to our team with her speed and quickness on the perimeter and pressure at the point of the ball. Chrissy Floyd as a junior was named to the ACC All-Defensive team, so obviously, she has impressed other coaches in the league with her defensive play. She has become one of the best defenders in the league." Offense - "We have relied on Chrissy Floyd for a lot of our scoring as she has been our leading scorer the last three years. She is good in the open court. We can't rely totally on her. We need balance in scoring on the inside and outside. It is important that our inside game develops. Our post players must become more of an offense threat." Free Throw Shooting - "We expect to be among the league leaders. This is a very important part of the game. The real key is to be able to draw the foul with our dribble penetration. We emphasize good free throw shooting and the ability to get the ball inside and draw the foul as part of our game." Schedule - "Our schedule is another tough one. Our non-conference opponents include: Penn State, Auburn, South Carolina, Grambling, Wofford, Furman, Miami OH, and Western Kentucky. We also will be going to the Bahamas for a tournament. This non-conference schedule meets the needs of the team as it is challenging and it will prepare us for the ACC. The ACC schedule with its battles will prepare us for the NCAA tournament." Back court Clemson will feature one of the best guards in the nation with Chrissy Floyd (5-9, SR) returning. Floyd has scored 1,432 points in her career and she could become Clemson's second all-time leading scorer by the end of her senior year. Currently, she is eighth on the school list for most points scored. She is one of the Lady Tigers' all-time leading defensive players, as she is currently in eighth place on the Clemson career list for most steals with 166 or 1.84 steals per game. She was named to the league's first-team all-defensive squad in 2001-02.

"Chrissy Floyd is an All-America player and we know she will have an excellent senior year. She has become a complete player offensively and defensively. Last year she became a premier player in the league. She enjoys playing the game and gives tremendous effort every tick of the clock. Chrissy is a quiet leader and we look forward to her having another all-league year. She is one of the finest guards in the country."

Kanetra Queen (5-8, JR) finished the season having played in 28 games and averaging 1.5 ppg. She also finished the year as the second best playmaker with 51 assists.

"Kanetra will be the leading candidate to assume the point guard position replacing Krystal Scott, who was an outstanding four-year player. She is quick-on-quick and has great leadership qualities. She gives us great defensive pressure, and Kanetra should have a great year at the point guard position."

Julie Aderhold was the fourth leading scorer in 2001-02 with a 6.5 ppg. average. She started 15 games for the Lady Tigers and averaged 25.4 minutes per game and was also very effective from the three-point line hitting 26-80 attempts. She also was 40-48 from the free throw line for a .833 mark, an indication of her abilities as a pure shooter.

"Julie sacrificed her numbers for the good of the team last year as she was playing out of position. We had to play her at the power forward position and she needs to play at the number three position. Julie has great ball-handling skills and she does a great job rebounding. Offensively she stretches the defenses with her shooting ability."

Leap Roper (5-11, JR) played in 29 games last year and started 12 contests. She averaged 5.5 ppg. and was the Lady Tigers second leading rebounder with a 5.0 rpg. mark. "Leah Roper had a good junior season. She plays with intensity and puts everything she has into the game. She is a typical Clemson player as she has a great attitude and a team-first work ethic."

Lakeia Stokes played in 27 games and had four starts. She averaged 13.3 minutes per game and finished the year averaging 5.8 ppg. She also had a 3.2 rpg. mark.

"Lakeia had some really good moments for us last year. We expect consistency in practice and in games, and she knows she needs to improve in that area. She is cable of playing a significant role on our basketball team.

Tabitha Vasilas (5-6, SR) played in 13 games and averaged 2.2 minutes per game. The fine student made the ACC Academic Honor Roll last year.

"Tabitha is a walkon who has earned a scholarship. She is a probably our best three point shooter. She is an excellent free throw shooter and needs to improve in other parts of her game to see more playing time."

The two newcomers to the backcourt are Julie Talley (5-6, FR) and Lauren Chauvin (5-10, FR) Chauvin is a 5'10" guard/forward who played at Vanderbilt Catholic High School in Houma, LA. Her hometown is in Thibodeau, LA. During her senior season, she averaged 15.0 ppg., 6.0 rpg., and 3.0 apg. Talley was a standout at nearby Seneca (SC) High School where she was an all-state performer and was ranked as one of the top 100 players in the nation.

"Julie Talley could become one of the finest point guards to play at Clemson. She was a highly recruited athlete and was nationally ranked by most recruiting services. She has wanted to be at Clemson for a long time. She has a lot of skills and toughness. She has great ball-handling skills and is a leader on the floor. Pound for pound, she is the strongest player on our team. Most importantly, she loves the game of basketball and she has really developed her game.

"Lauren Chauvin is coming off knee surgery and it is going to be take a while for her to gain confidence. Lauren is a good three-point shooter and is very athletic. She can play either wing position. She can break you down on the dribble drive and with her athletic ability, and she can help us on the boards. She also has earned a reputation as an outstanding three-point shooter."

Front Court

Clemson has starter Maggie Slosser (6-2, JR) returning on the inside. She finished the season as the Lady Tigers' top rebounder with a 5.2 rpg. mark. She also was accurate from the field hitting 75-150 from the floor for a .500 pct., and she scored 6.4 ppg.

"Maggie is going to be undersized on the inside, but she is a tough young lady and gives great effort all the time. Much of the rebounding will fall on her shoulders. She is very athletic and will play both the power forward and center."

Also returning is Lacey Shafer (6-5, SO). Shafer saw action in 26 games and averaged 6.6 minutes per game. She finished the year with a1.4 ppg. averaged and a 1.7 rpg. mark. "Lacey Shaffer had bright moments as a freshman. She needs to become tougher and play more physical than what she has been playing. Lacey has a beautiful scoring touch. She will help us with the rebounding."

Another sophomore returning is Monica Blackmon. Blackmon played in 23 games last year, and she saw action in 101 minutes or 4.4 minutes per game.

"Monica Blackmon did not play as much as we had hoped last season. She can be a force and is the best back-to-the-basket scorer that we have on the team. She will have to work on her rebounding. She could give us a shot in the arm."

Khaili Sanders will join the Lady Tigers after red-shirting last season with a torn ACL injury. Sanders is a talented player who had the potential to start last season.

"Khaili tore her ACL last year in preseason and missed the entire year. She was being penciled in as a starter when she was injured. The good news is that she has four more years. She is a tremendous athlete who has a nose for the ball. She is where the ball is and should help us rebound. She is a tremendous athlete, who has great range from 16 feet. We expect great things from Khaili."

A senior who was a force inside was Tia Andrew. Andrew played in 22 games last year and led the Lady Tigers in blocked shots with 24.

"Tia came in late and played solidly for us on the defensive end. She is one of the best shot blockers we have had in a long time. She had several starts for us and we have high expectations for Tia this season."

Two newcomers to the inside are Amanda White (6-4, FR) and Lauren Allen (6-2, FR). White is a center from Hillcrest High School in Fountain Inn, SC, was named all-state and was a national top100 player. Allen was an all-state performer from Dekalb, GA.

"Amanda is very athletic and physical. She should have an immediate impact on our program. She can score and is tough enough to help in the rebounding at both ends. She has great foot work at 6-4 and she has a very good future in the Lady Tiger program.

"Lauren will be one of the best athletes on our team. She runs very well and she could surprise our opponents, as she has good range from 16 feet. She runs the floor well and is quick. She has a great attitude and work ethic. Her best days are ahead of her, and she will get better every day."

Clemson Athletics Home