The ETSU Lady Buccaneers basketball team was given a harsh outlook with a SoCon Preseason Poll ranking of No. 10, but they believe that the only thing that matters is how you finish.
Head Coach Karen Kemp said that the women were not pleased with the standing, but it really hasn’t shown in their game.
“We have a lot of young freshmen and [the poll] doesn’t mean anything to them,” she said. “There are going to step out onto the floor believing that we are going to be successful. That is what they are going to expect on the floor, no matter who it is we face.”
That attitude was prevalent in junior center Tiffani Mayes Thursday when she scored a game – high 26 points, led the team with six assists and tied the team with six rebounds in their first exhibition game against Lees-McRae.
“She is not the same player she was a year ago,” Kemp said. “Her game has elevated tremendously. I really look for good things out of her this year.”
The team lost to the Bobcats, 78-72, but the team was missing a key element – senior guard Kiya Verdell, who will likely return for the team’s second regular season game after her third knee surgery.
“Yeah, that hurt us,” Kemp said last week. “She is expected to be back by Furman.
“[We are missing] her leadership, her athletic ability, the scoring she has been giving us and the rebounding she gives us. She gives us quickness. She gives us size on the parameter.”
Another standout from last season is senior center Lauren Trantham who scored 11 points in the game and tied with Mayes with six rebounds.
“She is on a mission,” Kemp said. “When she heard she was picked pre-season, she said, ‘I don’t care. I want it at the end.’ She brings leadership by her actions. She is going to give you 110 percent every time she is on the floor. She is going to be called upon to this year to give us more scoring than she has in the past.”
This being the last season for Trantham, she said, “I just want to win. I would like to go out with a bang. We have had really awesome players come in this year. The coaching staff seems more enthused, and this year has been way more intense than last year.”
Those six incoming freshmen will add a lot to the diversity to the Lady Bucs’ roster. Brooke Wilhoit from Sevier County High School brings some much needed energy. She has all the confidence in the world,” Kemp said. “She plays with every once of her energy, all the time. That has brought a lot of energy and enthusiasm to the other players.” She scored five points and started in the opening line-up in the exhibition, along with B. J. Banjo, Holly Moring, Trantham and Mayes.
“Holly has a rough start,” Kemp stated. “Defense was the area she was weakest in. We have been working with her individually since day one to step up that side of her game up.
“Offensively, she is a scorer. She can shoot the ball from the parameter, and she can also put it on the floor and pull it up and hit the short jumper.”
The Lady Bucs also have two players who have been off for a year: sophomore Candace Gibson, who has been off for medical reasons; and walk-on Dewanna Henderson from Oak Ridge. “[Henderson] was the first player all preseason to step up and take a charge,” Kemp said.
“That was exciting. She wasn’t afraid to take a hit. She is hard-nosed, and she is going to give everything she has, every second. We need Candace. She did a good job for us as a freshman.”
They also gained a new add-on this week, Michelle DeVault of Columbus, Ohio. “We are real excited to have her come. She can play facing the basket or with her back to the basket. At 5’10”, hopefully there will be some opportunity for a little mismatch,” Kemp said.
“Prior to Kiya going down, I was extremely excited about what this team can do. A lot of is depends on how quickly she gets back to where she was, but I know as far as intensity, and energy on the floor, it is definitely a lot better than years past.”
The second exhibition game that was scheduled for Nov. 23 has been cancelled. The Lady Bucs will head to five straight road games before Dec. 13, when they return home to face UNC-Greensboro, in Brooks Gym at 3 p.m.

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