Basketball season is officially underway for the IUS men’s and women’s Crimson and Cream game in the Activities Building on Oct. 27.
The Grenadiers put on a three-point shooting contest, a dunking showcase and two-20-minute scrimmages.
The women’s scrimmage ended with the Red team beating the White team, 53-50.
“I thought we did good,” Ashmere Woods, junior guard, said. “We just have a couple things to work on — defensive transition and getting back.”
Both the men’s and women’s teams have an entirely different look with the new recruiting class and players transferring into the program.
Megan Murphy, senior forward, said the recruiting class has been doing a good job.
“I think [the freshman] are going to have a huge impact,” Murphy said. “They really need to step up, and they have been.”
IU Southeast gained four new freshman: Heather Wheat, guard, Megan Cureton, guard, Shavonne Jackson, forward, and Lauren Murphy, guard.
Wheat and Cureton played together in high school all four years and were members of the 2008 Kentucky State Championship team at Butler Traditional High School in Louisville. They also made it to the state tournament in 2010 and 2011.
“That’s a good program,” Robin Farris, IUS women’s basketball head coach, said, “those kids are used to winning.”
Farris said he expects his freshman to have a major impact on the team this season.
The Grenadiers lost five players from last year’s team to graduation, including starting forward Alden Krausse and starting point guard Whitney Duncan.
Farris said he expects three players to compete for the starting point guard position, Kylee Anthony, junior guard, Brooke Willoughby, junior guard, and Wheat.
Tia Wineinger, senior forward, and Wheat have already been injured. Wineinger did not play in the scrimmage due to a nose injury, and Wheat had an ankle sprain earlier in the month.
“I think this team can be good if we don’t have too many key injuries,” Farris said.
The Grenadiers are projected as the No. 1 team in the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, due to leading scorer Woods, leading rebounder Murphy and defender, Wineinger.
The IUS men’s team looks completely different from last season as well, only returning four players from last year’s team: Nick Gagel, senior guard, Brice Mitchell, junior forward, Darryl Bell, senior guard, and Joe Lawson, sophomore forward.
They lost two key players — Rick Bodiford, guard, and leading scorer Jazzmarr Ferguson, guard. Both men signed contracts to play professional basketball with the National Basketball League in Canada.
“Those [are] two guys that we built this university around,” Wiley Brown, IUS men’s basketball head coach, said.
The role of new team leaders may fall onto seniors Gagel and Bell, along with two new players Travis Bowman, junior guard, and Antoine Watson, senior forward.
“Out of us four, we’ll have some good leadership,” Gagel said.
Brown said the new leader could be anyone.
“They’re not stepping up right now,” Brown said. “It could be a freshman.”
Bell said he has high hopes for the season ahead.
“If we can get our seniors to step up I’m pretty sure everything will mesh together,” Bell said.
The scrimmage between the Black and White teams remained close but was won by the White team.
“I feel like overall we looked good,” Bell said.
The Grenadiers have added 10 new players and were still voted as the No 1. team in the preseason poll for the KIAC.
“I’m anxious to see what we’re going to look like in the first match-up,” Bell said. “Going up against that first opponent is going to really tell where we stand.”
Gagel said he expects there to be ups and downs during the season.
“We’re just now starting to get our identity, and a little chemistry,” Gagel said.
By JOSH WILSON
Staff
wilsjosh@ius.edu
