Marcedes gearing up for new season

Pitt women’s basketball began its 2006-07 season with the annual Blue-Gold Scrimmage, as… Pitt women’s basketball began its 2006-07 season with the annual Blue-Gold Scrimmage, as Blue defeated Gold, 21-14, in a 15-minute contest. The scrimmage capped off Pitt Basketball Fan Fest, previewing the team for roughly 4,000 fans.

The two teams mixed and matched players, offering Pitt head coach Agnus Berenato a chance to see potential rotations. Junior center Marcedes Walker led all scorers with seven points and added five rebounds.

“Marcedes looked really good today, she really showed how tough she is in the post,” Berenato said. “[At today’s game] we saw some things that we need to clean up, but athletically, we are much better off than we were last season.”

Senior point guard Mallorie Winn saw positive things about Pitt’s newcomers, pointing to freshman guard Jania Sims and freshman center Selena Nwude as solid performers.

“I thought Jania looked really good today,” Winn said. “She showed how quick she is and how solid she’ll be for us. Selena looked tough in the post. She had confidence down there and that’s always important.”

Berenato only backed her senior’s take on the newcomers.

“Jania showed that she wasn’t afraid of anyone, especially Mallorie,” Berenato said. “Selena is just so big and tough inside. She looked smooth, and I’m sure you can see how much potential is there.”

Berenato thought redshirt sophomore Shavonte Zellous played well, giving Pitt fans their first view of the new and improved guard.

“I thought that Shavonte showed how much she’s improved,” Berenato said. “She’s really getting stronger and even more athletic — there was one play where she almost hit her head on the rim going up for a rebound.”

The four returning starters for Pitt — sophomore Xenia Stewart, Walker, Winn and Zellous — scored 19 of the Blue team’s 21 points, while out-rebounding the Gold team, 16-11.

“There is a lot of power to our frontcourt,” Berenato said. “But we are still needing some depth, you know, if Marcedes goes down, we’ll need a younger player to play like a senior. But I did see that we had a big front line and a powerful one at that.”

The teams combined to shoot 14-for-40, good for 35 percent, in the scrimmage, turning the ball over 10 times. But Berenato doesn’t believe Saturday’s statistics are anything to worry about.

“We had a tough practice yesterday and a tough practice [a few hours before the game Saturday],” Berenato said. “These girls were real tired and really anxious to play in front of everyone today. So it wasn’t something I’m going to lose any sleep over.”

Sophomore Xenia Stewart scored four points, adding three rebounds and one assist in her time for both sides.

“Xenia is another great athlete that we have,” Berenato said. “There were times when I thought Shavonte was way up there for a rebound, and then I realized it was Xenia, so there’s definitely some added athleticism to her game.”

Sophomore forward Sylvie Tafen scored six points while grabbing three rebounds in 10 minutes combined for both teams. Junior guard Karlyle Lim scored four points, tallying one rebound for the Gold team.

Berenato split the teams based on the perceived starting lineup. The Blue team featured Stewart, Tafen, Walker, Winn and Zellous, while the Gold team started former Pitt player Amy Kunich, Lim, Nwude, Sims and senior Danielle Taylor.

Freshman guard Ashleigh Braxton and transfer sophomore Sophronia Sallard did not play in the scrimmage.

Pitt plays an exhibition against the Premier Players Nov. 4 at the Petersen Events Center at 2 p.m. The Panthers begin their regular non-conference schedule with a home game against California (Pa.) Nov. 15 at 7 p.m.

“We’re really excited for this season to get started and get moving,” Berenato said. “We want to be in the NCAA tournament, and we want to win NCAA championships, so we’re going to keep working hard to get to where we really want to be.”