Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Stetson University Athletics

Scoreboard

Tickets, donate, shop

Sport schedule
University logo on load main University logo on scroll
Women's Basketball 2019-20
Steve Simoneau

Women's Basketball Athletic Communications

Season Preview: 5 Things to Know About the Hatters

The calendar has flipped forward, the clocks have rolled back, and the start of the 2019-20 Stetson women's basketball season is fast approaching.  The Hatters will open the season at home at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday against Palm Beach Atlantic, and the players can hardly wait.

"I am super excited," senior Jon'Nita Henry said.  "I have been dreaming about the game.  You know when you're dreaming about a game, you're pretty excited. I'm ready."

Before the curtain rises on the 45th edition Stetson women's basketball, here are five things to know about this year's squad:

1. The newcomers outnumber the returners

The Hatters have 15 players on this year's roster, and nine of them are new to the program.  That includes four-year transfers Maria Visone (Coastal Carolina), Shania Edgecombe (Southern Miss), and Emari Bell (Central Michigan), junior college transfer Tonysha Curry (Florida SouthWestern State), and freshmen Kimia Carter, Alyssa Derrick, Maddie Novak, Tippy Robertson, and Jamiya Turner.    

The newcomers join a strong core of returning players including senior Jon'Nita Henry, redshirt junior Kennedi Colclough, juniors Day'Neshia Banks, Kendall Lentz and Megan Vincent, and sophomore Bianca Fizouaty.

"What I like about this group is their energy and their attitude," Stetson head coach Lynn Bria said.  "They come out every day in practice and go hard.  We have so many new pieces, though, it's just a matter of them playing together.  I just think they need time and reps together and time to get to know each other more."

2. Banks seeking big junior year

A first team all-conference selection and the ASUN Newcomer of the Year last year, junior forward Day'Neshia Banks will help lead the Hatters in 2019-20.  As a sophomore, Banks averaged 14.9 points and 6.6 rebounds-per-game in 21 contests.  She scored in double figures 18 times, she ranked fourth overall in the ASUN in scoring (14.9), and she averaged over 16 points-per-game in ASUN games (16.4).  

Banks was also one of the top rebounders in the conference and averaged over 33 minutes-per-game.

"I think 'Day Day' is probably the most versatile player in the conference." Bria said.  "I don't think there is a player in our league that can do all the things that she does.  She can play pretty much any position.  She does a lot for us on both ends, and I expect a lot out of her.  I think she is going to have a bit of a bullseye on her.  People are going to earmark her and really lock in on her and guard her more closely.  I also think we need her to be more of a leader - more vocal. She is doing that.  She is growing in that area.  I think that is going to be huge for Day Day in terms of how she makes our team better."

Banks says she is excited about this year's team and is striving to improve in all areas.

"I just want to continue to be productive and grow on and off the court," Banks said.  "I want to learn from my mistakes last year and be better this year.  As a team, I think we are very competitive and aggressive, and I think that is going to reflect on the defensive end."

3. Developing new leadership will be key

With the graduation of McKenna Beach, the Hatters will have a couple of voids to fill.  One is in the area of team leadership.  Bria described Beach as the "glue" that helped keep the team together.  

"That's probably our biggest challenge, finding that leadership off the court," Bria said.  "I think we have some players really stepping up, and I am encouraged by that.  I think that it's still evolving and will take care of itself."

One of the players looking to make an impact in that area is senior Jon'Nita Henry.

"Coach Bria talks to us a lot about being a better leader, so I have been practicing it and I think I have been doing a good job with it," Henry said.  "We are young, so it is going to take a minute for us figure each other out in a game setting.  We have so much talent, I know we are going to be great this year."

4. Changing of the guard

The second void left by the graduation of Beach is at the point guard position.  Beach served as the Hatters "quarterback" for the past four years, but now some new faces will have the opportunity to step up.

"Tonysha does a good job and has some experience there," Bria said.  "We also have Tippy, and we have Jamiya we can slide to the 1.  The difference is that they are all just now learning our system, and that's taking some time.  Do I think they can fill that role and do a great job for us? I think between the three of them they will.  All three do different things that I like, but I don't think we have one player that has taken that spot yet. I think we will do it by committee and see how it goes."

5. Hatters seeking more success

Last season, the Hatters finished second in the highly competitive ASUN Conference with an 11-5 league mark and advanced to postseason play for the ninth consecutive year.  This year, Stetson will once again play a challenging non-conference schedule that includes games against #14 Kentucky and #25 Tennessee in the first three weeks of the season.  Overall, the schedule features eight opponents who played in the postseason last year, including five NCAA Tournament participants and six 20-game winners.

"Our non-conference schedule is really going to challenge us," Bria said.  "We try to schedule up, so it may not always be the results we want as far as the score, but in the end you are better off playing teams that are solid.  It's more about what we do in conference, and I think we'll be ready for that."

Bria says the players are looking forward to playing at home on Tuesday and finally competing against someone other than themselves.  The coach is also excited to see how her team competes.

"I really like our athleticism this year," Bria said.  "I think we are deeper. I think we are going to be able to play faster.  We just need to stay stay healthy."

Game Coverage
Tuesday's opener vs. Palm Beach Atlantic will be the first of 25 regular season games to air on ESPN+ with two more scheduled for SECN+.  Evan Weston and DeAsia Beal will call the action.  All home games will air on WSBB radio, AM1230, AM1490, and on myam1230.com with Kenny Schierlinger on play-by-play.  Live stats and the @StetsonWBB twitter feed will also provide in-game updates.  

Tickets
Season tickets are still on sale starting at $75 which includes all men's and women's home games. For more information, or to purchase tickets, please call 386-738-4287 or visit GoHatters.com/tix.  Individual game tickets start at $7 for general admission.  Stetson students, faculty, and staff are admitted free with a valid ID.

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.
 
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

McKenna Beach

#2 McKenna Beach

G
5' 6"
Senior
Day

#00 Day'Neshia Banks

F
5' 10"
Junior
Kennedi Colclough

#24 Kennedi Colclough

F
6' 0"
Junior
Jon

#14 Jon'Nita Henry

G
5' 6"
Senior
Kendall Lentz

#35 Kendall Lentz

F
5' 11"
Junior
Megan Vincent

#23 Megan Vincent

F
6' 4"
Junior
Emari Bell

#15 Emari Bell

C
6' 3"
Freshman
Tonysha Curry

#2 Tonysha Curry

G
5' 10"
Junior
Shania Edgecombe

#22 Shania Edgecombe

F
6' 1"
Sophomore
Maria Visone

#1 Maria Visone

G
5' 8"
Junior

Players Mentioned

McKenna Beach

#2 McKenna Beach

5' 6"
Senior
G
Day

#00 Day'Neshia Banks

5' 10"
Junior
F
Kennedi Colclough

#24 Kennedi Colclough

6' 0"
Junior
F
Jon

#14 Jon'Nita Henry

5' 6"
Senior
G
Kendall Lentz

#35 Kendall Lentz

5' 11"
Junior
F
Megan Vincent

#23 Megan Vincent

6' 4"
Junior
F
Emari Bell

#15 Emari Bell

6' 3"
Freshman
C
Tonysha Curry

#2 Tonysha Curry

5' 10"
Junior
G
Shania Edgecombe

#22 Shania Edgecombe

6' 1"
Sophomore
F
Maria Visone

#1 Maria Visone

5' 8"
Junior
G