Fresh group of players look to fill frontcourt

Grabbing rebounds, taking charges, running the floor and scoring points are all things that… Grabbing rebounds, taking charges, running the floor and scoring points are all things that first-year head coach Agnus Berenato expects out of her young frontcourt this year. With no returning starters, these women have a tough challenge ahead of them.

Berenato is trying to transform the way the forwards and centers are used to playing. She wants them to stop thinking that post players are clunky and start believing in their athletic ability.

The players all seem to be buying into the system. Sophomore center Bridget Larkin said she noticed big changes from the very first time she met coach Berenato.

“It’s a lot more intense; it’s a lot more different; it’s a lot better,” Larkin said. “[Berenato] is a completely different type of coach than the previous coach, and it’s for the better.”

Larkin knows that the best way to improve is with hard work. Although the drills are physically exhausting, she feels that the harder the team works, the better they’ll be.

“We get drilled constantly,” Larkin said. “But it’s definitely making us better. There’s no telling where we’ll be in four to six weeks. We just keep getting better and better.”

The women’s frontcourt is made up of forwards Jennifer Brown, Aieshya Dixon, Latoya Kincaid, Sheila Stufflet, Cheron Taylor, and Danielle Taylor. The team has two centers in Larkin and Allisha Morris. Nobody in this year’s frontcourt had much playing time last season, but they know that for this team to be successful, the frontcourt will have to contribute, especially on defense.

“I think we hold down the fort,” Morris said. “We’re the last line of defense.”

Berenato says that inside the paint is “the house” and it’s up to the post players to protect.

“Our guards are the coaches on the court,” Berenato said. “But in the post, we’re the housekeepers, and we have to take care of the house. If anything slips by the guards, then we’ve got to clean it up.”

One aspect of the game the women’s frontcourt has been looking to improve is its ability to run the floor and score more transition baskets. Morris thinks that the team has some post players who can move and will look to capitalize on that.

“We just need to focus on running the floor and rebounding, and everything else will come,” Morris said.

Berenato feels that the athletic ability to run the floor is definitely there, but sometimes the players just hold on to the ball too long. She wants her players to grab rebounds and get the ball up the court.

“We want to be able to rebound and run the floor,” Berenato said. “I’m trying to teach them to take the ball off the glass, take one or two dribbles, then bust it out.”

The Lady Panthers know they have a tall task ahead of them. The team is very young, but the team has a strong and athletic frontcourt as a foundation to build upon. Team chemistry has also improved, and that is important to Berenato. She preaches team closeness, and thinks of her team as family. In time, it is that type of attitude that will build a winning program.