Florida Atlantic University Athletics
FAU Women's Basketball Begins Practice
10/22/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Oct. 22, 2008
The Florida Atlantic University women's basketball team opened up practice this week, as they prepare for the first game of the 2008-09 regular season against Baylor University on Friday, November 14 in Waco, Texas.
FAU returns seven letter-winners from the 2007-08 team, which finished with a record of 6-22. In the off-season, the Owls focused on improving their conditioning.
"We have worked hard to correct two things I thought we needed to address," said Chancellor Dugan, FAU's women's basketball head coach. "The first is mental toughness and the second is physical fitness. I think our fans will see a big improvement in both areas."
Among the top returners from last year is All-Sun Belt Conference performer Carla Stubbs, who averaged 12.6 points per game and five rebounds per contest as a sophomore. Junior Brittany Bowe and sophomore Jaimie Givens, both of whom started all 28 games for the Owls last season, are among the other top returners.
The Owls also should benefit from a recruiting class that was ranked No. 64 in the nation according to the Dan Olson Collegiate Girls Basketball Report. Highlighted in FAU's recruiting class is former Seminole Community College post-player Jessica Knurick. Guard Teri Stamps, who led Vincent High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to back-to-back state championships, and guard Breana Turner, who scored more than 2,400 points at De La Salle High School in New Orleans, Louisiana, also should add depth to the backcourt.
With the influx of new players, Dugan has had to focus on blending the new players with those that are coming back.
"We are doing a lot of teaching right now," said Dugan. "With so many new kids, we want to really teach and make sure they have the concept down before moving. We hope to have the basics in before our opener and keep building on our offense."
FAU also will host a Thanksgiving tournament which features Atlantic Coast Conference-foe Georgia Tech University and Big 12-power University of Texas. FAU will travel to Nassau, Bahamas for the Sunsplash Shootout against Mercer University on Thursday, December 18, and East Carolina University on Saturday, December 20. These games are in preparation for an always competitive Sun Belt Conference-slate which includes games against defending champion Western Kentucky University and Women's National Invitation Tournament teams Middle Tennessee State University and the University of Arkansas-Little Rock.
"We have pushed this group harder than they have been pushed, and we are expecting more out of them," said Dugan. "We are looking forward to working hard on the court and having everybody out there."
FAU plays its first home game on Monday, November 17 at 7 p.m. against Georgia Southern University. Season and single-game tickets are available and can be purchased by calling 1-866-FAU-OWLS. Streaming audio of every game is available for free at www.fausports.com.
