Game Notes (Florida A&M) Game Notes (Bethune-Cookman)
BALTIMORE, Md. – The Coppin State Lady Eagles will host the MEAC's two most southern-based schools this weekend as the Florida A&M Rattlers and Bethune-Cookman Wildcats head north.
What You Need to Know (Florida A&M)
What You Need to Know (Bethune-Cookman)
Coppin Contributors
- Coppin women's basketball picked up its first win of the 2018-19 season on January 7, before dropping its next four.
- Coppin State as a team excels in converting at the charity stripe, draining three-pointers and creating steals. CSU has the best free-throw percentage in the MEAC (70.1%) while placing inside the top-25 nationally in free throws made (272) and attempted (388). The Lady Eagles are in the top five in the conference in threes made per game with 5.4 as well as steals per contest (7.9).
- 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 11 weeks of the campaign.
- Graham has been giving opponents nightmares, as she is ranked inside the top-15 nationally for defensive rebounds per game (9), double-doubles (10) and total rebounds (198) while leading the MEAC in free throw attempts (152), free throws made (108) and rebounds per game (11.0).
- Point guard Brooke Fields eclipsed 1,500 career points in the game at North Carolina Central last Saturday after racking up 1,226 points in three seasons at DII Roberts Wesleyan College (2014-2017).
- Fields is among the conference's top performers in points per game (15.9), assists per game (3.2), free throw percentage (78.1%), three-pointers made per game (1.9) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.00).
- Jalynda Salley has been a spectacular addition when it comes to offensive rebounds, corralling 2.6 per game, 7th-best in the conference. She is currently second on the squad with 4.9 rebounds per contest.
- Kaiya Coleman has been another significant transfer addition (University of the District of Columbia), placing in the top-third among Lady Eagles players for field goal percentage (39.4), points per game (4.9), assists (21), steals (20) and rebounds per game (3.7).
Scouting the Florida A&M Rattlers
- Florida A&M had been sliding over the past month, losing eight straight contests before breaking through with a 57-52 triumph over Delaware State on Monday.
- FAMU is best at bringing down boards, as its 38.06 rebounds per game is an upper-tier total for the MEAC.
- The primary playmaker that drives the Rattlers team is Washington D.C. native Mya Moye. The freshman guard is the only player on the team to average double-digit points (11.9) and is among the conference's top-five in three-pointers per game (2.12) and three-point percentage (32.7%).
- Dy'Manee Royal is another player in the orange and green to be among the conference leaders, residing in the top-10 for rebounds per contest (6.8) and top-five for field goal percentage (46.2%).
- Candice Williams sees her name pop up quite a bit when it comes to top performers in the conference, as she places on the lists for points per game (9.4), assists per game (3.1), free throw percentage (73.3%) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.0).
- Keziah Dilworth round out the remaining Rattlers on the MEAC leader boards as she has the 10th best mark for steals per contest with 1.6.
Scouting the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats
- Bethune-Cookman comes into the weekend as one of only three schools in the MEAC sporting a winning overall record (9-8) along with Howard (10-7) and Norfolk State (11-8). The Wildcats currently sit at 2-3 in conference play.
- B-CU's strengths as a team include limiting quality shots by the opponent, winning the turnover battle, and taking advantage of its open opportunities. Bethune is a top-five team in the MEAC in terms of field goal defense (38.1%) scoring defense (62.7), to go along with being among the upper echelon of MEAC squads for three-point defense (29.2%), turnovers per contest (16.2) and field goal percentage made (38.6%).
- Bethune-Cookman women's basketball begins and ends with MEAC Preseason Player of the Year, Angel Golden. The three-time MEAC Player of the Week has been her usual dominant self, ranking top-50 in the nation in free throw percentage (84.9%), points per game (18.4), and three-pointers made per game (3.06).
- Golden is an elite athlete, particularly in the conference, placing in the top half of the league for three-point percentage (31.9%), total points (313) and field goals made (108).
- Chasimmie Brown and Golden form a lethal offense-defense pairing for the Wildcats, as Brown comes in among the MEAC's best in blocking shots (1.29 per game) and rebounding (7.6 per game).
- Brown is second on the team in points per game at 10.6, while converting an absurd 50.4% of her attempts on the campaign (66-for-131).
- Kiana Williams has been a revelation for BCU, winning MEAC Rookie of the Week honors three times, while averaging 12.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and leading the club in assists with 50.
News and Notes:
Take A Chance On Me
In just two seasons and 18 games, junior forward
Chance Graham already ranks 5th on Coppin State's career rebounding list with 755. Graham is well on pace to shatter
Rene' Doctor's ('95) career record of 908 rebounds. In just 76 games, Graham has averaged 9.9 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. Chance Graham (755)
Soaring Up The Scoring Charts
Graham has continued to creep up the Coppin State all-time scoring list, as she currently sits at 883 points scored in her career. She's averaged 11.6 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 (883)
Eagle Excellence
Graham's presence is littered all over the national leader boards, as she places inside the top-25 in eight different categories and appears on 15 different rankings in total. She currently sits 5th on the Coppin State career rebounding list with 755 and is projected to obliterate the current record of 908 held by
Rene' Doctor. The junior paces the Eagles in points (300), rebounds (198), steals (39), and blocks (24), while sitting atop the MEAC in defensive rebounds per game (9), double-doubles (10), free throw attempts (152), free throws made (108), minutes played per game (37.10) and rebounds per game (11.0).
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 ten double-doubles in the team's first 18 contests, averaging 16.7 points and 11.0 rebounds per game. Over her career, Graham has totaled 26 double-doubles in 76 games, good for 34% of her appearances.
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.
This Girl Is On Fire!!!!
Over her last 12 appearances,
Brooke Fields has been scorching hot for the Lady Eagles, averaging 19.6 points per contest while leading the team in scoring in seven of those 12 games. Fields has notched double-digit scoring outputs in every matchup over that span and recorded her first career double-double (26 points, 10 rebounds) in a win at Delaware State on January 7.
1,500 Career Points
Brooke Fields surpassed 1,500 career points after dropping 25 in the game at North Carolina Central on January 19th. She racked up 1,226 at Roberts Wesleyan College from 2014-2017 before transferring to Coppin State. She currently has 286 points with the Eagles on the season and 1,512 overall. She got her 1,000th career point in a game versus Mercy College on January 4, 2017.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
