Women's Basketball 7/29/2010 7:30:00 AM Charlie Taylor/Sports Communications

Catching Up With The New Coach

Women's basketball head coach Sharon Baldwin-Tener marked her 100th day at Georgia State on July 25 since her press conference on April 16. She hasn't slowed down since, literally, as she left that press conference to go straight onto a basketball-recruiting mission.

We caught up with her on the road to find out what's happened in these first 100 days and what things are planned for the next 100 days that will lead up to the regular season opener on Nov. 12 at Georgia Tech.

“These first 100 days have been exciting and have been a whirlwind of activity. The first priority was to hire a solid coaching staff and I know we have accomplished that. Adrienne Shuler, Jocelyn Wyatt, J.B. Barbaree and Megan Darrah have different strengths and talents, mixed with high energy. The next thing was to evaluate where we were with our roster of student-athletes. We then hit the recruiting trail as quickly as possible and are finishing up in late July. I know how important it is to not only find quality players, but also quality people, when you are recruiting. During these 100 days we have taken extra time to get to know our current student-athletes and have them get to know us.”

What happens in August?

“In August, our staff will meet to evaluate all the potential recruits we have seen play and plan our next steps to sign their National Letters of Intent later this fall. Our staff will meet to continue discussing our game plans and objectives for the practices and season. Our goal is to build a strong program for the long term and not just one year.”

How has the summer gone with the student-athletes?

“The summer school was particularly important for the seven newcomers because it takes time to get familiar with the school, the campus, the lifestyle and the class work. All 14 players got to know one another a little better. They all worked hard in the weight room to build strength and endurance.”

When do the students return?

“Everyone finishes finals the first week of August and then comes back for the start of the fall semester classes on Monday, Aug. 23. We will meet with the academic advisors to make sure everyone understands their study hall requirements and the importance of class work. We will meet with the medical staff to evaluate our physical status and how and when they can take care of us. We will continue the conditioning workouts with Coach Schmitz even harder. We will begin individual court workouts with the players to being putting in our system.”

What are your coaching traits or fundamentals?

“Simply put, I believe in playing aggressively, whether on offense or defense. We will play with passion and hunger. Our staff will emphasize the fundamentals of basketball and how to prepare each and every day to get better. We are teachers of basketball and will continue to educate our players to our style and game plans.”

What does the roster consist of at this point?

“We have seven returning lettewinners, two fall signees and added five recruits late this spring after I was hired. We evaluated the positions we had and what we needed and we feel good about all our players. I honestly won't know all I need to know until we start individual workouts on the court and see everyone actually compete.”

Can you give us a quick look at the roster make-up?

“At the three backcourt or wing positions, we have seven competing for the playing time. Lanajia Ernest brings her two years of JUCO point guard experience to GSU. Kendra Long is a freshman who has played both point and shooting guard and had originally signed with Georgia Tech. Angelique Burtts averaged double figures on the wing last year in her first year at GSU after transferring. Senior Traci Haltiwanger has probably played at all three spots during her career. Tiffany Anderson and Jerlisa Taylor got some time in last year as freshmen and should be ready to step up even more. Brianna Shepherd is a six-foot freshman who was a scoring star in the Birmingham area.”

“In the front court, we have six players competing. We'll have three six-foot-three players in Chan Harris, Cody Paulk and Victoria Smith. Harris was averaging double figures before her foot injury and has started in the CAA before. Paulk got valuable playing time toward the end of the year and has worked hard to get stronger during the offseason. Smith has good size and potential to develop as a really good CAA basketball player. Erica Sumpter played as a freshman and knows what it will take to play in the CAA. Jamie Jordan comes in as a scorer in high school with a good outside shot to go with her inside game and she is the daughter of a basketball coach. Leticia Davenport was a good high school scorer and played two years of junior college ball on teams that went 40-15. Six-foot-two Nicole Hargraves transferred from Charlotte and will be able to practice with us this year to get ready next season."

What about this year's schedule?

“The CAA has not released the schedule yet, but we know we play NCAA tournament team James Madison twice, we play WNIT postseason team and regular season champ ODU twice, we play WNIT postseason team and 20-win VCU twice, and we play host to WNIT postseason and 20-win teams Delaware and Hofstra. That's seven postseason tournament teams right there among those 18 conference games. The Panthers play home games with Delaware, George Mason, Hofstra, James Madison, UNC Wilmington, Northeastern, Old Dominion, Towson and VCU. The road games are at Drexel, George Mason, James Madison, UNC Wilmington, Northeastern, Old Dominion, Towson, VCU and William and Mary. We have set the opener at Georgia Tech on Friday, Nov. 12 and will announce the non-conference schedule soon.”

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Players Mentioned

#4 Tiffany Anderson: G; 5' 9"; Sophomore

#2 Angelique Burtts: F; 6' 0"; Senior

#1 Lanajia Ernest: G; 5' 6"; Junior

#22 Traci Haltiwanger: G; 5' 9"; Senior

#15 Nicole Hargraves: F; 6' 2"; Junior

#23 Jamie Jordan: F; 6' 1"; Freshman

#10 Kendra Long: G; 5' 9"; Freshman

#33 Cody Paulk: F/C; 6' 3"; Sophomore

#13 Victoria Smith: F/C; 6' 3"; Freshman

#32 Jerlisa Taylor: G; 5' 6"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#4 Tiffany Anderson
: 5' 9"; Sophomore
: G

#2 Angelique Burtts
: 6' 0"; Senior
: F

#1 Lanajia Ernest
: 5' 6"; Junior
: G

#22 Traci Haltiwanger
: 5' 9"; Senior
: G

#15 Nicole Hargraves
: 6' 2"; Junior
: F

#23 Jamie Jordan
: 6' 1"; Freshman
: F

#10 Kendra Long
: 5' 9"; Freshman
: G

#33 Cody Paulk
: 6' 3"; Sophomore
: F/C

#13 Victoria Smith
: 6' 3"; Freshman
: F/C

#32 Jerlisa Taylor
: 5' 6"; Sophomore
: G