A Look Ahead
8/31/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Aug. 31, 2001
Complete Prospectus in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
The TCU Lady Frogs enter the 2001-02 season on the heels of the most successful year in school history. Last year's squad claimed the program's first regular-season conference championship, first conference tournament championship, first 20-win season, first winning record in conference play, first votes for Associated Press Top 25, first postseason tournament appearance, first NCAA Tournament victory, and first victory over a Top 25 team.
To continue with the theme of "Firsts," TCU will look to build a nationally-prominent prgoram while competing in its inaugural season in Conference USA.
Following the storybook 2000-01 season, TCU lost three key starters to graduation, including Jill Sutton and Amy Porter, the school's second and third all-time leading scorers. In addition, the squad will be without the services of Janice Thomas, the team's top rebounder each of the past two seasons.
However, TCU's top two scorers from last year's team remain. Senior guard Tricia Payne, chosen as the team's Most Valuable Player, enters the season ranked as the sixth all-time leading scorer. Senior forward Kati Safaritova, is a candidate for postseason honors, having averaged a team-high 12.2 points to go with 5.4 rebounds per game a year ago. After a stellart season, she was dubbed TCU's Offensive Player of the Year.
Other upperclassmen back for the Frogs are senior point guard Ashanti Nix, who dished out 82 assists, and senior forward Quinn Tedder, who played in a career-high 22 games.
Sophomores Tiffany Evans, Ebony Shaw and DeeDee Favors will look to build on solid contributions as freshmen. Evans earned Freshman of the Year honors, while Shaw was the top point producer off the bench.
Head coach Jeff Mittie, who was named the Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2000-01, is in his third season at the helm of the Frogs. He is assisted by Larry Tidwell, Lonnette Hall and Tonya Benton.
To fill the holes left from graduating seniors, the women's basketball staff signed the most highly-touted recruiting class in school history. The incoming class consisting of freshmen Ashley Browning, Maranda Hankerson, Sandora Irvin, Niki Newton and Lindsey Prewitt, and junior transfers Candace Baldwin and Grace Gantt has been rated as high as ninth nationally in preseason publications.
Irvin is the only first-team high school All-American to sign with the Lady Frogs. She has been rated as high as sixth nationally among 2001 recruits.
