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Women's Basketball Preview
Steve Simoneau

Women's Basketball Athletic Communications

Season Preview: 5 Things To Know About the Hatters

There is a lot of excitement surrounding the start of the 2018-19 Stetson women's basketball season.  The Hatters have a solid core of key returners, including senior McKenna Beach, plus returners coming back from injury and a dynamic set of newcomers in form of transfers and freshmen.

"I like this team a lot," Stetson head head coach Lynn Bria said.  "I love their attitudes and how hard they play.  They really want to play together; we just have a lot of growing to do.  I think that will come, but I do like our effort."

Before the Hatters open the season Tuesday afternoon at Tulsa, here are five things to know about this year's squad:

1. Sagerer returns 

After missing all of the 2017-18 season with a back injury, 6-foot-3 senior forward Sarah Sagerer will return to active duty.  Sagerer was recently named the ASUN Preseason Player and Defensive Player of the Year.  As a junior in 2016-17, Sagerer ranked eighth in the nation with 100 blocked shots, and she earned First Team all-conference honors after averaging 10.4 points and 8.8 rebounds-per-game. 

"For me, just seeing her being able to play again has been really good, because I know she has been through a lot," Bria said.  "I think she appreciates the respect of the coaches voting for her, but I think the best thing Sarah loves about this is that she finally gets to play.  The impact she has offensively and defensively for us is hard to put into words."

2. Comeback season x3

In addition to Sagerer, all three Hatter juniors are having comeback seasons, and all for different reasons.

Former WAC Freshman of the Year Addi Walters becomes eligible after transferring to Stetson from Cal State Bakersfield in 2017.  Waters drained a school-record 77 3-pointers for the Roadrunners and connected on 40 percent of her long range attempts.

"I'm super excited (to get started)," Walters said.  "I realize I can't take anything for granted.  I only have two years left, and sitting out on what probably was not our best season has made me want to win even more.  It showed me that there are only certain things I can control, and I have to do everything I can this season."

Kennedi Colclough was having a breakout sophomore season last year when a knee injury halted her campaign.  Colclough was one of the Hatters' top producers in the first half of the season, averaging 13.0 points and 6.8 rebounds-per-game. 

"My perspective has changed a lot after sitting out," Colclough said.  "I just feel like there can be no plays off.  I have to go hard each and every play because you never know when it can all be over. I am just ready to play. I am very hungry, and I think we are going to be real good this season."

Junior college transfer Jon'Nita Henry (Snead State) is returning to action after giving birth in January to her daughter A'Riyal.  She is looking forward to making her Hatter debut on Tuesday.

"Even though we had a tough season, I still wanted to be a part of that and feel the pain and go through the sweat and tears with them," Henry said.  "Being back, I am so happy. It is a blessing to be here.  I am playing for my daughter and getting a chance to continue my education, so it's a great experience."

3. Youngsters Stepping Up

Hatter sophomores Kendall Lentz and Megan Vincent each gained significant experience as freshmen for the Hatters last season.  They each saw action in all 32 games and combined for 34 games started.  Vincent led the ASUN in blocks (49) and averaged over 20 minutes a game, while Lentz collected 49 points and 46 rebounds while averaging over 15 minutes-per-game.

"It's been huge for us that they got those minutes," Bria said.  "I think Megan has gotten a lot stronger.  She has gone up in the weight room.  Her strength is so much better.  Kendall is in great shape and doing everything for us.  She plays so hard. She can play 40 minutes and doesn't lose anything.  She has to be smart regarding managing her fouls, but she has been really good for us. She might be our most improved player."

Meanwhile, Hatter freshmen Mackenzie Davis, Bianca Fizouaty and Rosalee Nicholson have been impressive during preseason workouts.  All three have been adapting quickly while injecting some energy into practice.

"I really like their attitude," Bria said.  "They play hard, they are very talented, and they get coached.  Their versatility is really good. Bianca can take it off the bounce, she can shoot the ball, she has great athleticism, and the same with Rosalee.  And then Mackenzie, I think she just needs to learn the point guard spot.  It's good we have McKenna so she can just ease into that, but I just love their attitudes.  This team - they are just good people and I think that's been refreshing.

4. Offensive Improvement

Stetson's offense will likely not only benefit from strong post play, but the sharpshooting guards should help bolster the scoring numbers as well.

"Our perimeter shooting is vastly improved," Bria said.  "Having a kid like Addi and her ability to knock it down.  Kendall and McKenna are shooting the ball better - Jon'Nita and Bianca as well.  They can all really step out there and shoot the 3.  Teams are going to have a hard time sagging, and I think that really opens up the lane for our other players."

The Hatters will also get a significant boost in December when Ole Miss transfer and 5-10 forward Day'Neshia (Day Day) Banks becomes eligible.  Banks was a two-time state champion at Ribault High School in Jacksonville where she averaged 17.6 points and 6.6 rebounds as a senior.

"Day Day will be a big help when we get her in December," Bria said.  "She is going to give us a lot of versatility on both ends of the floor."

5. Defense Is the Key 

Bria says the Hatters will need to step up their rebounding and defense if they are to compete for a conference title.  She says the team is currently still searching for its defensive identity.

"Right now, we are playing a little bit of everything, but I really don't know if we are going to be mainly zone or man," Bria said.  "We are doing a good job of pressuring the ball, and our attitude has gotten better about it. It takes five people to play defense, so for us, we have to sell out and decide we want to guard people."
 
Stetson (17-15, 8-6 ASUN in 2017-18) and Tulsa (10-21, 3-13 American) will be meeting for the first time on Tuesday.  Tip-off at the Reynolds Center is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.  Live stats and a subscription-based live video stream will be available on TulsaHurricane.com.  

For the latest Hatters news and results, follow @StetsonWBB on Twitter, like StetsonWBasketball on Facebook, and sign-up for the HatCheck text messaging service. 

About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.

 
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Players Mentioned

McKenna Beach

#2 McKenna Beach

G
5' 6"
Senior
Kennedi Colclough

#24 Kennedi Colclough

F
6' 0"
Junior
Kendall Lentz

#35 Kendall Lentz

F
5' 11"
Sophomore
Sarah Sagerer

#1 Sarah Sagerer

F
6' 3"
Redshirt Senior
Megan Vincent

#23 Megan Vincent

F
6' 4"
Sophomore
Addi Walters

#11 Addi Walters

G
5' 9"
Junior
Bianca Fizouaty

#3 Bianca Fizouaty

G
5' 9"
Freshman
Jon

#14 Jon'Nita Henry

G
5' 6"
Junior
Mackenzie Davis

#21 Mackenzie Davis

G
5' 7"
Freshman
Rosalee Nicholson

#34 Rosalee Nicholson

G
5' 6"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

McKenna Beach

#2 McKenna Beach

5' 6"
Senior
G
Kennedi Colclough

#24 Kennedi Colclough

6' 0"
Junior
F
Kendall Lentz

#35 Kendall Lentz

5' 11"
Sophomore
F
Sarah Sagerer

#1 Sarah Sagerer

6' 3"
Redshirt Senior
F
Megan Vincent

#23 Megan Vincent

6' 4"
Sophomore
F
Addi Walters

#11 Addi Walters

5' 9"
Junior
G
Bianca Fizouaty

#3 Bianca Fizouaty

5' 9"
Freshman
G
Jon

#14 Jon'Nita Henry

5' 6"
Junior
G
Mackenzie Davis

#21 Mackenzie Davis

5' 7"
Freshman
G
Rosalee Nicholson

#34 Rosalee Nicholson

5' 6"
Freshman
G