HAMMOND – The Southeastern Louisiana women's basketball team began preparations for the 2012-13 season on Monday, as practice officially opened at the University Center.
 
Southeastern will feature one of its youngest rosters of 11^th-year head coach Lori Davis Jones' tenure. The Lady Lions return five letter winners and two starters from last season's team, which advanced to the Southland Conference Tournament for the fourth consecutive season. The returning nucleus will be buoyed by seven talented newcomers, including five true freshmen.
 
Jones and her staff are excited about the challenge of integrating the new talent into the Southeastern system.
 
“We'll be doing more teaching during this preseason and we'll have to be patient as our new players become acclimated to what we're trying to do,” Jones commented. “The encouraging thing is that our newcomers have come in full of energy and are eager to be coached. Our veterans have done a nice job thus far of stepping up as leaders on the court and in the locker room.
 
“We feel like we have increased our talent level and our overall athleticism with the additions we've made,” Jones added. “As long as we are all on the same page and working towards the same goal, we're confident we have the talent in place to be very successful.”
 
Southeastern returns the starting post tandem of junior Aja Gibson and senior Brandi Simmons. Gibson, an honorable mention All-Southland choice last season, led the team with 11.3 points per game and pulled down 7.0 rebounds per contest. Simmons led the team with 7.4 rebounds per game in her first season out of Copiah-Lincoln Community College to go with 8.9 points per game.
 
Jones expects Gibson and Simmons, as well as freshmen Ty'desheaia Pool and Raven Reyes, to provide the Lady Lions with a solid post corps.  
 
“We feel really good about where we are in the post with Aja and Brandi,” Jones said. “Ty'desheaia is talented enough to provide an immediate impact and we really like the added dimension Raven's size is going to give us.”
 
The Lady Lions will have a new point guard for the first time in four years, as 2011-12 All-Southland pick Kelli Jenkins is gone after an impressive four-year career. Jones expects sophomore Elizabeth Styles to play a bigger role after starring off the bench last season, while junior Taylor Mims, who sat out 2011-12 after transferring from College of Charleston, will also play a part in running the offense.


“Elizabeth and Taylor will provide us with a very good point guard tandem,” Jones stated. “We feel comfortable with either running the show and we feel like they're both versatile enough that we'll be able to play both together at times during the season.”
 
The wing group is the Lady Lions' deepest position. Sophomore Symone Miller and senior Cierra Morris are the returning veterans. 2011-12 NJCAA All-American Jameika Hoskins highlights the newcomers, along with freshmen Erica Hernandez, Cortney Epting and Bianca Harvey.
 
“We have really improved our athleticism on the wing,” Jones commented. “Our biggest issue will be finding a way to fit all of our off-guard talent into the rotation. It's a deep group with a lot of firepower.”
 
The Lady Lions open the 2012-13 season at Ole Miss on Nov. 9. The opener is one of eight road games on the non-conference schedule for Southeastern, a stretch which includes a Dec. 29 trip to defending national champion Baylor. Southeastern will also travel to Jackson State (Nov. 15), Alabama (Nov. 25), UNO (Nov. 29), Florida A&M (Dec. 8), Southern (Dec. 17) and Alcorn State (Dec. 21). Southeastern's home non-conference slate includes Mobile (Nov. 13), William Carey (Nov. 20) and UNO (Dec. 11).
 
“Our non-conference schedule will certainly provide a challenge,” Jones said. “With a young team, it will help us to get some needed road experience before we enter Southland Conference play.”
 
The Lady Lions host new Southland member Oral Roberts on Jan. 3 to open league action. With the league at 10 teams after the addition of ORU combined with Texas State, UTSA and UT Arlington leaving, Southeastern will play a home-and-home with the entire league for an 18-game slate.
 
“When you look at the top teams from a season ago, most of them have their key players returning,” Jones said. “Oral Roberts plays a different style than our league is accustomed to and we expect them to be a factor immediately. We're definitely in for a challenge.
 
“The key for us is to develop chemistry and learn how to play together,” Jones added. “The talent is in place for us to be extremely competitive.”