Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Women's Basketball: Moving Forward
10/26/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Boca Raton, Fla. -
It is no secret that the Florida Atlantic University women's basketball team is known for its three-point shooting. FAU led Conference USA (C-USA) in three-point shooting percentage last season (.350) and shattered the conference and school marks for most three-pointers in a season (294) by 30 baskets.
Although what may be a surprise is that the Owls look to be even more of a threat from beyond the arc this year due to the skills and talent brought by the team's forwards. Head Coach Kellie Lewis-Jay has been looking to lone senior Kat Wright as well as returners Raven Doyle, Ra'Kyra Gabriel, Melinda Myers and newcomer Katelyn O'Reilly to bring even more to the table in 2016-17.
As the only senior, Wright has been tasked with the primary leadership role and has been helping transition the newcomers into Lewis-Jay's system. Wright is a proven shooter, averaging 2.9 three-pointers per game and a .401 three-point shooting percentage in 2015-16, which put her second in those categories in C-USA. This season, Lewis-Jay expects Wright to be a consistent player all-around and someone the team can lean on.
"Kat has started since she was a freshman, and she has been a part of everything we are doing," said Lewis-Jay. "She understands the system. Her basketball IQ is extremely high, so she is someone we are going to lean on tremendously in many different aspects. With Kat you get a lot of heart and a lot of effort. She is going to leave everything she has on the court, and that is something I never have to question. I really, really appreciate that I know what I am going to get out of her every day."
The team will look to establish more of an inside presence this year as well as be more of a threat down low. Six-foot two-inch returners Doyle and Gabriel will help lead this charge with both players being able to play the four and five positions. The duo brings consistency on both sides of the ball with Doyle averaging 3.1 rebounds per game and a .369 field goal percentage last year and Gabriel averaging 2.4 rebounds per contest and shooting 34.2% from the field.
"Raven and Kyra have done a really good job of developing their game and working on being a threat down low," said Lewis-Jay. "The great thing about Raven is she played point guard in high school so she can go into the perimeter. She can go into the paint. She is one of our most consistent low-block threats. Her and Kyra just have to work on finishing more. Once they do that, it will open things up for us tremendously if we can score on the block."
Lewis-Jay has even more options at the forward position when you bring in the junior Myers. Myers returns as the team's leading rebounder with a career average of 4.9 per game and a high of 5.3 in 2015-16. Myers is often overlooked as an offensive threat for the Owls, but she brings a career shooting percentage of .490 and will be expected to produce on this end as well.
"Mel has to continue to do that (rebound). That is something that she thrives on, but we also have to get a little bit more out of Mel and she knows that," said Lewis-Jay. "Mel is one of the best shooters in the conference but has a hard time wanting to come down and take that shot. We have to have her be more of a scoring threat."
Newcomer O'Reilly may be poised to make a big impact for FAU as well despite her freshman status. The Indiana-native helped lead her team at Noblesville High to a 2015 Sectional Championship and received Hamilton County MVP and HCC First-Team honors during her junior and senior seasons.
"Katelyn is going to surprise a lot of people because she has the ability to play inside and the ability to play outside. She is not the biggest kid we have, but she finds a way to get it done," stated Lewis-Jay. "When she is on the bench she is going to be your biggest cheerleader. She is going to be the best communicator we have on the court. I think even as a freshman Katelyn is going to help Kat in a leadership role. She is unselfish to a fault, but I think she understands that her ability to score the basketball will help her team instead of hurting her team."
According to Lewis-Jay, this is a group where you can see the most improvement from last year to this year. She expects offensive production from all of her forwards and has given them the opportunity to score by working to establish them as consistent low-block threats.
"I've told all of them multiple times that this is the best team to ever think about being a low-block player in because they can't be doubled with the shooters that we have on the perimeter," said Lewis-Jay. "It is a great opportunity for all five of them to get low-block touches, to get low-block scores. How much they've improved over the summer could really determine the success that we have offensively and defensively."
You can see these players in action when the season opens on Friday, Nov. 11 as the Owls host Florida Memorial at 7 p.m. at FAU Arena. To purchase tickets, please call 1-866-FAU-Owls or visit fausports.com. You can also follow the team on Twitter and Instagram @FAU_WBB.
