Dec. 1, 2005
Overview...Talent and depth. Those are the two words that will best describe the 2005-06 edition of the Winston-Salem State University women's basketball team. Head coach John Williams returns seven letterwinners from last year's team while losing only four. Of those seven letterwinners, Williams returns three starters from last season, a season in which the Lady Rams posted a 15-15 overall record and were a last-second shot away from a CIAA Championship title-game berth. Despite the loss of two starters, the Lady Rams are easily the most talented and deep team of the John Williams coaching era. The Lady Rams will welcome the services of five new faces, three freshman and a pair of transfers. The additions will bring John Williams' roster to 14 active members making it one of the deepest in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). WSSU returns nearly 70% of their offense from last season as all three returning starters averaged at least eight points per game. With those three starters returning, coupled with the returning letterwinners and new faces, the Lady Rams look poised to once again return to the CIAA Championship Tournament title game, and in 2005-06 they will bring with them the talent and firepower to claim the crown. The Lady Rams will look to the upcoming season to earn their first CIAA title, and will have only one remaining chance to do so as the 2005-06 season will mark the end of the Division II era at Winston-Salem State University. The 2006-07 season will mark one in which the Lady Rams, and the WSSU Department of Athletics, make the jump to NCAA Division I status. Despite the daunting challenges ahead, John Williams and the Lady Rams are confident that they can make this season a memorable one.
Backcourt...The Lady Rams will return only two players with collegiate playing experience as WSSU welcomes back the services of guards Kadina Baldwin (Jr../Fayetteville, NC) and Latoya Armstrong (Jr./Rocky Mount, NC) this season. Baldwin is a seasoned guard with unlimited potential as she appeared in all 26 games for the Lady Rams last season, starting 12. She averaged 21.3 minutes per game in 2004-05 and scored nearly seven points per game. Her most valuable asset is her quickness and her propensity to control the ball. She tallied a team-high 56 steals last season and committed only 69 turnovers while dishing out 105 assists en route to an eighth-place ranking in the CIAA in assists to turnover ratio. Baldwin will be an integral part of the WSSU offense and will likely be an opening-day starter at the two-guard position as she will bring with her 7.9 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. Joining Baldwin in the backcourt will be Latoya Armstrong. Armstrong, a junior guard who transferred from Campbell University two seasons ago, will be looked to for her offensive production and defensive intensity. Armstrong appeared in all 30 games for WSSU last season and started a pair as she recorded 668 minutes of playing time (22.3 minutes per game). Armstrong is one of the Lady Rams' leading returnee scorers as she averaged 8.7 points per game last season and is a long range threat as she placed eighth in the CIAA in made three-point field goals per game with 1.74 3FG's per contest. With breakaway speed, Armstrong is a threat on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court as she recorded 20 steals last season and tallied five blocks. The Lady Rams will welcome the services of four newcomers to the backcourt this season as three freshman and a sophomore transfer will join the ranks. Keoshia Worthy will step in immediately and contribute from the point guard position as the 5'7" guard from Augusta, GA brings with her a year of college playing experience following her transfer from the University of South Carolina-Upstate. She is joined by three freshman guards who will add to the depth of John Williams' backcourt options. Richea Harris, Akebia Williams and Tiana Morris will all be expected to contribute immediately, making WSSU's backcourt one of the deepest in the conference, if not the nation. Harris, a 5'4" guard from Jonesboro, GA (Fayette County H.S.) was an All-Area performer in high school and brings with her a wealth of speed and court vision. Akebia Williams, a 5'6" guard from Southview High School in Fayetteville, NC will join the Lady Rams this season where she will compete for playing time at the two-guard position. Rounding out the guards is Tiana Morris. Morris is a 5'4" freshman guard from Raleigh, NC, a 2005 graduate of Southeast Raleigh High School where she was the TAAC conference MVP in 2004. With the addition of four new players, and the added experience of two letterwinners returning, the guard position may very well, once again, carry the load for WSSU this winter.
Frontcourt...The Lady Rams frontcourt will be the pillar of strength during the 2005-06 season as WSSU returns three starters from last season. The most talented of which is unquestionably Shalonda Carter. Carter, a 6'1" power forward from Westover High School in Fayetteville, NC is once again poised to be one of the best players in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The 2003-04 CIAA Rookie of the Year and 2004-05 All-CIAA First-Team selection will once again be the Lady Rams first option on offense. Carter was 2004-05's leading scorer and will bring with her 13.8 points and 11.1 rebounds. The talented forward that recorded double-digit point totals 22 times last season will look to guide WSSU to their first CIAA title in their last year of conference membership. Carter will be joined in the starting lineup by Janet Robinson and Tiffany Tonkins. Robinson, a 5'8" senior forward from Durham, NC looks to earn her first All-CIAA selection this season as she will undoubtedly improve upon her stellar 2004-05 numbers in which she averaged 11.4 points and 3.5 rebounds. The second leading scorer on the roster last season, Robinson will be an added bonus on the boards as she cleaned the glass for 103 rebounds last season, good enough for second place on the team. Rounding out the starting forwards will likely be Tiffany Tonkins. A dangerous player on both ends of the court, Tonkins is most formidable on the defensive end. Standing 6'2", she has a large wingspan which she uses to block countless opponents' shots. Tonkins recorded a CIAA-best 78 blocks last season and is WSSU's all-time blocked shots leader as she has tallied 146 rejections thus far in her WSSU career. Blocking shots is not Tonkins' only skill as she is a dangerous post player with a soft mid-range jump shot. She used that jumper to average 8.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game last year. The trio of Carter, Tonkins, and Robinson will return 33 points and 21.5 rebounds per game (combined) to this year's team as John Williams' forward position lineup looks to be loaded. WSSU will add five other forwards to the roster this season as they add two freshman and one transfer, coupled with the return of a pair of sophomores. Mikasa Williams, a 6'0" junior transfer from Lousiburg College will be the lone newcomer with college experience. In addition to Williams, the Lady Rams will welcome back sophomores Carnella Alston (Raleigh, NC/Millbrook H.S.), and Cherena Douglass (Springfield, IL/Springfield H.S.). The pair combined for six points and five rebounds last season and will again be valuable additions off of the bench. WSSU will add the services of a pair of talented freshman as well as Candace Saunders and Lavontay Johnson will play their first year for the Lady Rams.
Saunders, a 6'0" forward from Dudley High School in Greensboro, NC was a highly touted recruit for WSSU as she earned All-Area and All-Guilford County honors in high school. Johnson is an athletic, 5'11" forward from Charlotte, NC. A 2005 graduate of E.E. Waddell High School she was an All-Area selection for two seasons and was named Waddell's Female Athlete of the Year during her senior season. The talented mix of returning starters and letterwinners, combined with the youth and excitement of the talented newcomers will help to raise the level of WSSU women's basketball in 2005-06.
Coaching Staff...John Williams returns for his fourth season on the bench for the Lady Rams as he looks to lead WSSU to a CIAA Championship. Williams has posted a 43-40 record over three seasons at the helm of the Lady Ram program and led WSSU to a 15-15 record and a CIAA semifinal berth in 2004-05. He welcomes back the services of Toya Davis, a third-year assistant coach from Saint Paul's College. Davis has served on the coaching staff at WSSU for two full seasons after coming to WSSU by way of Parkland High School. He will also welcome the services of Olivia Dardy. Dardy, a 2001 graduate of Wake Forest University where she was an All-ACC performer for the Demon Deacons, will be a valuable addition to the staff as she brings with her a wealth of knowledge and will prove invaluable in the offseason recruiting efforts.
Overview...The Lady Rams look poised to make a run at the 2005-06 CIAA women's championship as the team will be the most talented and deepest team in the last decade of WSSU women's basketball. Records will be broken and new standards will be set as the Lady Rams leave the Division II era behind and usher in the Division I future at WSSU.
