Any coach worth her whistle and clipboard gets excited about the start of a new season. And as the 2002-03 college hoops season approaches, Bernadette Mattox is excited indeed – very excited. Reasons for that enthusiasm abound.
Gone is the talk of inexperience and youth. Four starters are back from a squad that finished last season on an upswing. Two of them — junior SeSe Helm and senior Rita Adams – are All-SEC performers. And Mattox calls this the “tightest” team she has ever had the pleasure of coaching.
“This is the closest-knit group that I’ve had in my seven years at UK,” she said. “There is not just one leader emerging, but a group of leaders. I really applaud the players’ willingness to take on responsibility. They have matured in a way that, as a coach, I’ve been waiting for. They are pushing one another because they know what it is going to take to win. It takes not only athleticism but a combination of attitude and work ethic.”
The Wildcats plan to pick up where they left off last season. UK surprised many in the first round of the SEC Tournament by upsetting No. 5 seed Mississippi State, which boasted the nation’s leading scorer in LaToya Thomas. The Cats battled nationally ranked LSU in the second round before falling 74-62 and gained confidence despite the loss. That confidence has continued to grow over the summer as all five returning Wildcats remained in Lexington to work on their strength and conditioning.
“For the first time since I’ve been here every player committed themselves to stay over the summer and improve her game,” Mattox said. “We even had two newcomers, Jennifer Humphrey and Jenny Pfeiffer, come in and begin their college experience early so they could get a jump start on their conditioning.”
While Mattox can’t say enough about the camaraderie of this group of Cats, she doesn’t hesitate to rest much of the team’s hopes on the performance of Adams and Helm. Consider this: in 29 of UK’s games last year Helm and/or Adams led the team in scoring in 25 games and rebounding in 18 games. With high expectations for the two, Mattox hopes the inside/outside combo can take the team to a new level this year.
“It’s taken a couple of years but SeSe has grown and matured not only physically but mentally. She has learned that her body can be used as an advantage to the team. She is confident and poised and we look for her to have an exceptional year.
“Rita will take on a new role this season, moving from the point guard back to the two-guard position. She has done everything we have asked her to do this summer, such as work on her handles, improve her shot and her range. She has taken on that senior leadership role and I look for her to be an outstanding player in the SEC and at the next level.”
The Cats will need to replace not only the floor leadership of graduated senior LaTonya McDole, but the 8.1 points and 5.8 rebounds she contributed as well. The much-improved Shambrica Jones, who sparked the Cats late in the season with a career-high 18 points versus Mississippi State in the SEC tournament, should help make up for the loss of McDole.
“At the end of last season, `Brica’ did what we felt she could do all along,” Mattox said. “She has the potential to be a great player. And the energy that she adds to the team is priceless. She makes those around her work harder.”
Adding depth to the post, 6-2 Keiko Tate has continued to get stronger in the off-season and returns to the Cats battling for a starting job, a spot she held in 11 games last season.”One of the most noticeable things about Keiko is that she put on a lot of muscle and strength over the summer,” Mattox said. “We look for her to be the surprise of the team. With the shape she is in right now, she will quietly beat you over 40 minutes.”
Sharp-shooting sophomore Sara Potts has recovered from off-season foot surgery and has been knocking down the “three” consistently in preseason workouts. Though injured last season, Potts still ranked fifth in the SEC in 3-pointers made. Mattox looks for a healthy Potts to contribute even more to this year’s edition of the Cats.
“Everyone will see a different player in Sara this season,” Mattox said. “She is healthy for the first time and she can flat out shoot the ball. If you’re not on her it’s a three-pointer. She’s automatic.”
Hoping to handle the point guard duties this season is junior Danyelle Payne. After redshirting as a freshman, Payne tasted the point guard role last season in several games and learned along the way from Adams, showing the coaching staff great improvement from the beginning to the end of the year.
“We’d like `Danny’ to play the one-spot,” Mattox said. “She showed a lot of poise down the stretch last season and backing up Rita really helped her realize what she needed to do to be a point guard in this conference.
“She is more confident this year and has that point guard mentality. I can see her being an outstanding point guard because she seems to settle the team and lead them in the right direction.”
With four newcomers to the program, Mattox hopes that the fresh faces will make an immediate impact on the program. Jenny Pfeiffer, a 5-8 guard, will make one of those impacts to the team with her deadly shot and quick release.
“She is automatic,” Mattox said. “She is an absolute worker. Jenny has a great work ethic and outstanding ball-handling skills. Growing up, she slept with the ball.”We look for her to move our program in the right direction. Her shooting will open up the middle more for our post players.”
One of those post players is 6-3 Jennifer Humphrey. “Lanky,” as she is called by her teammates, will add much-needed height to the Cats. Humphrey and Helm are the only two Cats over 6-2.
“Lanky is a special kind of player. If she works on her strength and conditioning, she will give us a lot of minutes. She runs the floor well after a shot and with her long wing span, she has the potential to be a great shot blocker.”
Junior college transfers Racquel Ellis and Kristen Grassi bring talent plus two years each of college experience to the backcourt. “Rock” Ellis will compete with Payne for the starting point guard role, while Grassi looks to be a solid backup at the other guard spot.
“I am excited about both of these players,” Mattox said. “It’s always good to add players to your roster who have game experience and know what college basketball is all about.
“Racquel is a lefty who has played the point virtually all her life. She comes from a good program, and will give added depth to the point guard spot with her knowledge and ability to pass the ball. Kristen also brings so much to the team. Her positive outlook and attitude rub off on not only the players on the court, but the coaching staff as well.”
Rounding out the roster for the Cats are walk-ons Jenerrie Everette and Stephanie Stumbo. Everette enters her third season with the team, and returns much improved after playing basketball overseas for the summer.
“She’s pushed people,” Mattox said. “That’s all we ask of her as a player. Playing overseas really helped her game.”
The 6-0 Stumbo comes to the program from Birmingham, Ala., and is a player Mattox is excited about.
“She loves the game. Stephanie just makes everyone around her better. It’s great to have her as a part of our family.”
And Mattox is confident that the “family” is ready to step forward.
“We are ready to win, and win big,” Mattox said. “These players didn’t come to this university to lose, and I am going to make sure I do everything I can, and as a coaching staff, we will do everything that we can to make they have a great experience at Kentucky.”
