Panthers Women's Basketball Season Preview

2006-07 Record: 15-12 GSAC Record: 6-6 (Fourth) Location: LaGrange, Ga. Head Coach: Mark Isenhour(LaGrange 2004; First year) Conference: GSAC Gym: Mariotti Gymnasium Region: South

The LaGrange College women's basketball program has a new head coach and a veteran team returning for the 2007-08 season. Mark Isenhour, a LaGrange graduate, returns to his alma mater as the new head coach.

Isenhour spent last season as a men's assistant coach for Embry-Riddle University in Daytona Beach, Fla. He has installed a new offense and made defensive changes.

"I have been fortunate enough to spend the last year under one of the best practitioners around in Coach Steve Ridder (Embry-Riddle University) and have been fortunate enough to form lifelong friendships with him and his staff," Isenhour said. "I think we can take many of the things that keep that program in national prominence in the NAIA and apply them to LaGrange."

Isenhour inherits 10 returning players from last year's 15-12 squad. Of the 10 returners, seven played in 23 or more games last season. The experience will help offset the graduation of All-GSAC performers LaTessa Taylor and Lindsey Moore.

Junior Ebonie Johnson will be the Panthers' point guard. Johnson played in all 27 games last season with five starts. She averaged 6.4 points per game last season.

At the shooting guard is senior Shannah Mabry and sophomore Ashley Hoglund. Mabry is a natural three-point shooter. She will be asked to go to the basket more this season to create free throw shooting opportunities. Mabry appeared in all 27 games last season, with 13 starts. She was second on the team with 27 three-pointers last season, averaging 4.2 points per game. Hoglund is another three-pointer shooter for the Panthers. Hoglund's ball handling ability allows her to spell Johnson at the point. Danielle Turner, the only freshman on the team, adds depth to the position.

On the wing, the Panthers go with junior Heather Tidwell and sophomore Ashley DeFreitas. Both players are adept at moving without the ball on offense and the Panthers' defense starts with the pair picking up the opposing point guards. Tidwell was limited to eight games last season due to illness. DeFreitas played in 26 games and had 72 rebounds, while averaging 10 minutes per game.

Senior post player Jennifer Penston had the most starts last season of the returning players. She appeared in all 27 games with 21 starts. Penston led the team with 54 assists, while averaging 3.9 points per game. Sophomore Cameren Farr and senior Melissa Mora give the Panthers a trio that can play inside and shoot from outside. Farr appeared in 23 games, while Mora is returning from an injury that limited her season to just one game.

Sophomore Valerie Williams, a GSAC all-freshman selection last season, is the Panthers' leading scoring and rebounding leader. Williams averaged 8.9 points per game and 4.0 rebounds per game. Williams' ability to shoot from the perimeter can create mismatches for Panther opponents. Williams hit 13-of-25 three-point attempts for a 52 percent average.

Senior Jessica Barba and junior Jessica Boler gives the Panthers an inside presence. Barba played in 23 games last season with two starts. She averaged 3.0 points per game and 2.5 rebounds per game. Boler, a junior college transfer, also plays volleyball for the Panthers. She played on the volleyball team also.

The Panthers will face a demanding non-conference schedule to start the 2007-08 season. They will face six of the 10 teams from the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) in a one month span. The SCAC produced NCAA Division III national champion DePauw last season. The Panthers take on nationally-ranked Oglethorpe in addition to Austin, Southwestern, Hendrix, Rhodes and the University of the South (Sewanee). All of the games are on the road.

"I believe it is the most ambitious non-conference schedule the program has undertaken," Isenhour noted.

In the GSAC, defending champion Piedmont and perennial power Maryville are the pre-season favorites. Both of those will have experienced teams, with some key additions. Agnes Scott, which won a school-record 16 games including a win over Maryville, has a new coach like the Panthers.