Nov. 4, 2005

Coming off the most successful season in team history, change is in the air for the 2005-06 Rice Owls women's basketball squad.

Last season the Owls closed out their Western Athletic Conference history with a league championship and a second berth in the NCAA Tournament, going 24-9 overall and 14-4 in conference play. Now, though, all eyes will be on Conference USA, where the team will make its new home.

Change came in the team's leadership during the off-season, too, as Greg Williams stepped into the head coaching spot. Williams, a 1970 Rice graduate and Southwest Conference MVP for the Owls, takes over from Cristy McKinney, who moved to Clemson.

Williams brings a record of success at the collegiate and professional levels, having guided Houston and Colorado State to NCAA berths, and Houston and Dallas franchises to WBL and WABA championships.

FORWARDS/CENTERS
The Owls have size, experience and plenty of potential in the front court for 2005-06, boasting one of the top returning forwards in the conference.

Junior forward Lauren Neaves, who was a first team all-WAC selection as a freshman, had another huge year for the Owls in 2004-05, earning WAC tournament MVP honors as she paced Rice to a conference championship and an NCAA berth with "double-doubles" in the final five games of the season.

Neaves was also named to the WAC all-defensive team, setting a Rice all-time record for career blocks at 157, notching 73 on the year. Her 13.2 points and 9.1 rebounds a game led the Owls.

Building on two years of excellence, Neaves has extended her range and has become more comfortable facing the basket. That's bad news for CUSA opponents who will have to contain her. With a full complement of experienced guards feeding her the ball, the 6-2 Floridian should again contend for all-conference honors.

Neaves will get inside help from sophomore center Valeriya Berezhynska. The 6-4 center played in 27 games last year, picking up valuable experience in the run up to the NCAA tourney. Berezhnyska showed a good scoring touch against Tulsa, pouring in 16 points in 19 minutes, and she grabbed seven boards against 11th-ranked Texas Tech.

The Ukrainian is a threat close to the basket and from three-point range, giving the Owls great flexibility in a fast-paced offense. She will likely see plenty of time in the post as a complement to Neaves, giving Rice a powerful duo up front.

Back-up help in the post will come from former Owl volleyball standout Catherine DuPont. An athletic 6-4, DuPont will give Rice depth in the middle and a soft shooting touch. The first Rice female athlete to ever appear in two different NCAA team championships in a single academic year, the St. Petersburg, Fla., senior also gives the Owls veteran leadership.

Samantha Stovall will be called on to play at small forward and power forward to make good use of her improving offensive game. Stovall, a 6-0 junior, is one of the Owls' toughest rebounders on both ends of the court. She saw action in 29 games last year, getting her first collegiate start against Western Illinois.

Another returnee at forward, sophomore Tiffany Loggins, showed her rebounding skills in 24 games as a freshman, averaging a board every four minutes. Loggins, a six-footer from Houston's Jersey Village High School, also nabbed 13 steals and had five blocks. She worked on her perimeter skills over the summer and will see time at both forward positions.

Freshman Emery Carter is a quick inside player who runs the floor well. A 6-1 forward from Arkadelphia, Ark., Carter led the Lady Badgers to the Arkansas State Final Four as a junior, with a 25-6 record. She was a three-time all-conference selection, and was twice named all-state. An Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Super Team selection as a junior, Carter averaged 13 points, nine rebounds and two blocks.

GUARDS
One of the keys to Rice's march to the NCAA tourney last year was undoubtedly the emergence of guards Krystal Frazier and Maudess Fulton as top-flight players. Both Frazier and Fulton saw action in all 33 games and were instrumental in the Owls' WAC title chase.

Frazier led all Rice players in conference scoring, averaging 13 points to go with her almost three assists a game. The 5-8 junior from Houston North Shore was second on the squad in assists with 85 and earned all-WAC tournament honors. Also an all-WAC defensive team selection, Frazier led the team in steals with 61. She scored in double figures in 19 games, including 13 league contests.

Fulton started 25 games as a freshman, and had a season-high 19 points early in the year against eventual national champs Baylor. She scored in double digits 11 times, averaging 6.8 points a game, and passed out 30 assists to go with 22 steals.

The 5-9 Moorestown, N.J., product has improved her ballhandling skills and has outstanding quickness. With her improved shooting and more confidence, Fulton should make a strong backcourt partner for Frazier again.

Senior leadership at guard will come from Amber Cunningham, another Owl who played in all 33 games last season. Cunningham is a strong rebounder and one of Rice's best long-range shooters, hitting 25 treys last year. At 5-10, she has the size and speed to be effective at both ends of the court, and she has improved her mid-range game and consistency. Cunningham had a career-high 13 points against Nevada and averaged almost three rebounds a game in 2004-05.

More veteran help can be counted on from Latrice Elder, a 5-7 senior from Allen who has done well as a starter and off the bench in the past. Elder, who missed several games due to injury last year, handed out 52 assists in 24 games, and only recorded 36 turnovers. A starter in 13 contests, Elder was also an effective rebounder and had 21 steals.

Her improved shooting bodes well for a potent Owls guard rotation. Canadian sophomore Kadie Riverin was the starting point guard on her country's national junior team over the summer and is one more key to continued success for the Owls at the national level. Riverin, 5-9, started seven of the 30 games she played in last year and was among the team's best shooters. She sees the floor well and hit 40 percent of her three-point attempts.

Outside shooting will be important in the Owls' planned high-octane attack, and sophomore Whitney McCauley gives Rice an effective weapon at guard and small forward. The 5-11 sophomore from Anchorage, Alaska, hit 36 percent of her three-pointers last year in 21 games and has worked on creating shots off the dribble. Her quick release can give defenders fits.

Coming back from injuries last season, 5-8 senior Rosyland Jeffries is a strong wing player who is an excellent on-ball defender. She also rates as one of the best free throw shooters for the Owls, hitting 74 percent in her career.

A pair of newcomers add talent and depth to the Rice guard corps. Florida freshman Tiondra Wright was a three-time MVP at Miami's Northwestern High School, averaging 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists a game as a senior. She led the Bulls to two district runner-up finishes in the tough South Florida league, and was named honorable mention all-state last year. The 5-11 Wright was also thrice an all-county honoree. An outstanding all-around athlete, she was a bronze medalist in the state meet high jump as a senior, leading her team to a state title.

Wright was one of five finalists for Miami-Dade County 2005 Athlete of the Year. South Houston grad Catherine Flores was rated as one of the preseason top 10 players in the state last year, and the 5-11 freshman could see a lot of minutes because of her outstanding outside shooting. Also experienced at point guard, Flores will help keep opposing defenses from packing it in against the strong Owls inside game. Flores has excellent court instincts and is a pinpoint passer.

With a strong nucleus of returning players who know what it takes to make it to the NCAA tournament, and a small but talented group of newcomers, the "new look" Owls will be out to prove they belong in the upper echelon of a new league.

The team averaged almost 68 points a game last year, with Williams wanting to continue the up-tempo attack and intense defensive pressure. Renewed local rivalries and a new set of league opponents mark the season to come as one for the ages.