As the curtain rises on the fourth season of Nicci Hays-Fort's tenure as Barry University's women's basketball coach, a positive energy seems to surround the 2005-06 Barry Buccaneers.
“I am having the most fun since I came to Barry,” said Hays-Fort. “Every player on this year's roster fits the type of student-athlete I want to represent Barry University both on the court and in the community.”
Building on the foundation built by Hays-Fort during the last three years, this year's Barry squad will once again start all drills with one thing in mind…defense. Last season, the Bucs limited six different opponents to less than 50 points and twice broke the school record for fewest points allowed in a game.
“Every year, one of our goals is to lead the country in defense and that won’t change this year,” Hays-Fort stated. “The difference this year is we will be more athletic than any of our previous teams. That should not only allow us to stop our opponents, but we will be able to get up and down the floor with anyone in the league.”
“We have worked very hard in exploring offensive systems that will complement our aggressive, defensive style of play,” said Hays-Fort. “This season is a new beginning for everyone in the program. There is a huge desire within the team in attitude and the desire to work inside of the program. We have great people. Nothing is guaranteed but it gives us the chance for anything.”
The key to success for the Bucs in 2005-06 will be their guard play. Barry will have a strong and deep backcourt with four returning guards and a talented group of newcomers.
Sophomores Sandra Jansson, Ratisha Rumph, Kelli Welch and Taisha Coombs are all back with a year of experience in the program.
Jansson will lead the backcourt for Hays-Fort this season. A mid-season transfer from the University of Miami (Fla.), the native of Sweden immediately stepped in at the point guard position and averaged 5.1 points and 2.3 assists. Her unselfish attitude and intensity will be the catalyst for the Bucs in 2005-06.
Rumph is one of the best athletes on the team and has potential to contribute to the team with more confidence and increased maturity.
Both Coombs and Welch made the squad last season as walk-ons and proved to be great additions by adding quality depth to the Buccaneer bench. Coombs averaged 2.5 points per game in a limited role and Welch provided solid minutes defensively. The two had excellent off-seasons and will be looked upon for solid contributions.
Joining the returning guards is a talented group of freshmen. Melissa Perez, Kristy Singletary, Princess Bailey and Grace Paul make up the new class.
A former standout at Dade Christian, Perez led her team to the state championship in 2005. Perez has great court vision and is fundamentally one of the best freshmen in the SSC.
Singletary is a very talented all-around offensive basketball player, a perfectionist who could challenge for a starting position as a freshman.
Dade County's Scholar-Athlete of the Year and a four sport stand-out, Bailey may be one of the best athletes to ever play at Barry. She has the ability to change games with her defensive intensity.
Paul, a late edition from tryouts, is a hard worker who will add quality depth to the Bucs.
Two returnees lead the frontcourt for in 2005-06. Junior Alana Wirth and sophomore Amanda Mageean will anchor this year's Buc squad. They will lead a very talented group of newcomers, making the competition for playing time fierce.
In her third season, Wirth is the only Buc player who started all 28 games last year. She averaged 6.4 rebounds last season, good enough for second on the team, and will look to once again increase her scoring average (4.4 ppg) from a year ago.
During her freshman season, Mageean showed signs of things to come as she averaged 5.8 ppg, fourth on the team, and established herself as a team leader. The Barrie, Ontario native had a tremendous off-season and will be a key to this season's success.
Adding depth to the corps will be junior transfer Alexandria Fernander and freshmen Amanda Goelz and Christina Thompson.
Fernander comes from NCAA Division I Miami (Fla.) with tremendous offensive potential. She has great size and can be a dominant player in the Sunshine State Conference.
A three-sport standout at Palm Bay High, Goelz is an intelligent and versatile player who should compete for time at the four slot.
Thompson comes to Barry from one of Texas' best high school girl's basketball programs possessing sound basketball fundamentals and is an extremely versatile athlete.
The Buccaneers open up the season on the road in the Arkansas Tech Classic on Nov.18-19, taking on the host Golden Suns and Henderson State. On Nov. 21, they open up at home hosting Puerto Rico-Cayey for the third consecutive year.
Before heading into the Christmas break, the Bucs will host NCAA Division I Fairleigh Dickinson on Dec. 4. On Dec. 17-19, Trip Sports will host the Cruisin' Classic in the Health & Sports Center with the Buccaneers facing Assumption and Kentucky Wesleyan. After the break, the Bucs host their own Barry Holiday Classic Dec. 29-30 with Millersville and Ferris State matching up against the Bucs and Nova Southeastern.
Sunshine State Conference play begins at Lynn on Dec. 10. The Buccaneers will close out regular season conference play at the Health and Sports Center against Tampa on Feb. 25. In between, the Bucs will tackle the rest of the SSC.
“Our non-conference schedule this season is extremely competitive, especially the opening weekend on the road in Arkansas,” Hays-Fort said. “I feel that scheduling tough early will help us in the long run, especially for the conference tournament.”