Game Notes (Norfolk State) Game Notes (South Carolina State)
BALTIMORE, Md. – The Lady Eagles will try to build upon its first win of the season over Delaware State on Monday as it welcomes first place Norfolk State and South Carolina State to Charm City.
What You Need to Know (Norfolk State)
What You Need to Know (South Carolina State)
Coppin Contributors
- Coppin women's basketball picked up its first win of the 2018-19 season on Monday when it dominated Delaware State 71-57 in Dover on Monday.
- Coppin State as a team excels at converting at the charity stripe and draining three-pointers. CSU has the best free-throw percentage in the MEAC (70.1%) while placing inside the top-50 nationally in free throws made (206) and attempted (294). The Lady Eagles are in the top third in the conference in threes made with 78 on the season and converts an average of 5.6 per contest.
- Forward Chance Graham has been racking up the weekly conference awards as she has won four Defensive Player of the Week accolades and a Co-Player of the Week honor through the first nine weeks of the campaign.
- Graham keeps opposing coaches up at night, as she is ranked inside the top-15 nationally for defensive rebounds per game (9), double-doubles (8), free throw attempts (117), free throws made (83), rebounds per game (12.0) and total rebounds (168).
- Point guard Brooke Fields has stepped up her game over her past eight appearances, averaging 19.4 points per contest and recording her first career double-double her last time out at Delaware State (26 points, 10 rebounds).
- Fields is among the conference's top performers in points per game (14.7), assists per game (3.1), free throw percentage (75.3%), three-pointers made per game (1.7) and assist-to-turnover ratio (0.84).
- Jalynda Salley rounds out the Eagles at the top of the MEAC leader boards as she has made her way onto the list for offensive rebounds per game (2.4) and blocks per game (0.8).
Scouting the Norfolk State Spartans
- Norfolk State comes into the weekend undefeated in the MEAC after taking care of business at home over Delaware State and Florida A&M last week.
- The Spartans have a stifling defense as it sits among the top-50 in the NCAA for blocked shots (64), points allowed per game (56.7) and three-point defense (26.6%). Norfolk is one of only two teams in the MEAC to have a positive scoring margin (2.3) while dominating the glass (2.1 rebound margin) and dishing out assists (13.6 per game).
- Shelton State Community College transfer Dana Echols has stepped into the point guard role admirably for the Spartans, pacing the conference in assists per game (5.1) while cutting down on the turnovers in the process (1.35 assist-to-turnover ratio).
- NSU's 6-3 senior Khadedra Croker is the team's main rim protector, as she's considered a top-five shot blocker in the conference with 23 through 15 games. The MEAC's reigning Co-Defensive Player of the Week winners will square off as Croker and Coppin's Chance Graham split the award last week.
- La'Deja James is the Spartans best scoring threat on offense as well as a stealer on defense. She paces the squad with 13.3 points per game while swiping 28 steals.
- Preseason All-MEAC 2nd-Teamer Raven Russell is the other NSU offensive weapon, providing 11.8 points a game.
Scouting the South Carolina State Bulldogs
- South Carolina State was on the wrong side of its only conference matchup so far, dropping a home contest to North Carolina A&T 58-44 last Saturday afternoon.
- SCSU features a distinct height advantage, suffocating defense, and clean ball handling skills. The Bulldogs are a top-tier MEAC club in terms of blocks per game (4.9), scoring defense (58.9), three-point defense (28.9) and limiting turnovers (16.7 per contest).
- Jaquanna Murray is one of the premier shot blocker in the country, as she's eighth in the nation in total blocks (40) and third in blocks per game (3.33).
- Taylor Brown and Kemoni Jenkins are the main cogs in the offensive attack as they are the double-digit scorers on the team. Brown paces the club with 14.3 points per game (7 games played) with Jenkins clocking in at 10.8 per contest.
- When Brown has played, she has been a force to be reckoned with, leading the Bulldogs in points, rebounds (8.3), and steals (1.4) per game while also averaging 1.3 assists per contest played.
News and Notes:
Take A Chance On Me
In just two seasons and 14 games, junior forward
Chance Graham already ranks 6th on Coppin State's career rebounding list with 725. Graham is well on pace to shatter
Rene' Doctor's ('95) career record of 908 rebounds. In just 72 games, Graham has averaged 10.1 rebounds per game.
Coppin State All-Time Rebounds Leaderboard
1. Rene' Doctor (908)
2. Kiesha Brooks (865)
3. Larrisa Carter (826)
4. Yvette Larkins (757)
5. Bridgid Mitchell (728)
6. Chance Graham (725)
Having A Fields Day
New to the squad this season is senior
Brooke Fields, a former standout at Division II Roberts Wesleyan College. In three seasons with the Redhawks, Fields scored 1,226 points with a career-high 33 points in a victory over Bridgeport. Two seasons ago, Fields earned All-ECC honors with 15.6 points per game along with an 83% free throw percentage.
Staying In The DMV
Senior transfer
Kaiya Coleman was a near double-digit scorer two years ago at Division II University of the District of Columbia. She also has connections with head men's basketball coach
Juan Dixon, as she played under his tutelage in both individuals' lone season with the Firebirds, going 3-25.
Welcome Back
Coppin welcomes back sophomore
Maraiyah Smith after she had a standout freshman season a year ago. Smith averaged nearly nine points per game and ten points in conference play.
What's In A Name?
Along with Graham and Smith,
Oluwadamilola Oloyede returns to the fold for the Navy and Gold. While all the vowels in her name might make one lose their breath after one roll call, she prefers to go by "Dami" to make it easier on her peers. Oloyede had her bright spots in 2017-18, putting up 17 points while making all seven of her shots at Charlotte to go with three double-doubles.
Hawaii 2-5
Charlottesville native
Adrienne Darden has made her way back to the east coast after seeing limited playing time at University of Hawaii two seasons ago. The junior boasts a career-high of seven points versus Boise State and brings a vertical element to the club that was lacking in depth.
Freshman Takeover
To coincide with the Eagles' three transfers Darden, Fields, and Coleman, CSU welcomes a plethora of first year players into the mix with redshirt freshman
Tsahai Corbie (Brooklyn, N.Y.) as well as true freshmen
Diamond Adams (South Bend, Ind.),
E'Mya Price (Charlotte, N.C.),
Jalynda Salley (Reynoldsburg, Ohio) and
Elan Wali (Wyncote, Pa) all expected to get significant minutes on the hardwood.
Every Tuesday on WNST 1570 AM
Every Tuesday morning during the season, head coach
DeWayne Burroughs and selected coaches and players will be interviewed by Nestor Aparicio on WNST 1570 AM. WNST will air all Coppin home women's basketball games this season as well as selected road games. Games will also be aired on Fox Sports Williamsport.
Preseason Predictions
Coppin State was picked to finish 9th of 12 teams in the 2018-19 MEAC Preseason Poll.
Chance Graham, who received 2nd Team All-MEAC honors last season, headlined the Preseason First Team. Defending Tournament Champions, North Carolina A&T was picked to win the MEAC, followed by the co-Regular Season Champion Bethune-Cookman Wildcats, with Norfolk State, Howard and Maryland Eastern Shore (1 first-place vote) rounded out the top-five.
Angel Golden of Bethune-Cookman was named the Preseason MEAC Player of the Year.
First Recruit Signed For 2019-2020 Recruiting Class
Coppin State University's women's basketball head coach
DeWayne Burroughs has announced that
Marley Grenway, a 5-foot-10 guard from Jessup, Maryland, has signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Eagles in the 2019-2020 season. This is the first signee for CSU's recruiting class for next season.
Starring at Oakland Mills High School in Columbia, Maryland, Grenway led the Scorpions to a 2A Regional Championship and State Semifinal as a junior. Grenway averaged 15.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and nearly two steals per game as she was named Third Team All-State for 1A and 2A schools as well as Honorable Mention All-Met by the Washington Post.
Known for her shooting prowess, Grenway made 64 3-pointers last season at Oakland Mills and played her AAU ball for Team Takeover as well as Team Intensity.
Defending Her Turf
Chance Graham has won four MEAC Defensive Player of the Week Awards in 2018-19 and six in her career. Graham had earned the honor on November 20, December 4, December 26 and January 8 of this year, while winning Defensive POTW for the weeks of January 9 and February 6 last season.
Eagle Excellence
Graham's presence is littered all over the national leader boards, as she places inside the top-15 in seven different categories and appears on 14 different rankings in total. She currently sits 6th on the Coppin State career rebounding list with 725 and is projected to obliterate the current record of 908 held by
Rene' Doctor. The junior paces the Eagles in points (233), rebounds (168), steals (31), and blocks (15), while sitting atop the MEAC in defensive rebounds per game (9), double-doubles (8), free throw attempts (117), free throws made (83), minutes played per game (37.22) and rebounds per game (12.0).
Double-Double Vision
Chance Graham continues to produce double-doubles game-in and game-out. She accumulated her first four during her freshman campaign, before exploding for 12 such performances last season. So far in 2018-19, she has provided the Lady Eagles with eight double-doubles in the team's first 14 contests, averaging 16.6 points and 12.0 rebounds per game. Over her career, Graham has totaled 24 double-doubles in 72 games, good for 33% of her appearances.
Soaring Up The Scoring Charts
Graham has continued to creep up the Coppin State all-time scoring list, as she currently sits at 816 points scored in her career. She's averaged 11.3 points per game in her career.
Coppin State All-Time Points Leaderboard
1. Rashida Suber (1,865)
15. LaShawn Scott (968)
16. Natasha Parks (928)
17. Janelle Lane (927)
18. Karen Russell (912)
19. Rene' Doctor (895)
20. Leisel Harry (890)
NR. Chance Graham (816)
Family Business
Freshman guard
Elan Wali has basketball blood in her veins. Her grandfather,
Wali Jones played in the NBA for 12 seasons (1964-1976) and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team for the local Baltimore Bullets franchise. Her uncle,
Askia Jones, played basketball for Kansas State and played in the NBA for 11 games for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Jones left Kansas State third on the Wildcats all-time scoring list.
