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BAILEY'S TAKE
ON PIRATE SPORTS
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From the Anchor Desk
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
By Brian Bailey |
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Lady Bucs meld
together for hot start
By
Brian Bailey
©2010 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
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Sharon Baldwin-Tener |
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(Photo: ECU SID) |
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Winning always masks the
negatives in sports.
East Carolina’s Lady
Pirates committed 29
turnovers on Sunday but
still beat Central
Florida 73-62.
Despite the many
mistakes, Sharon
Baldwin-Tener’s team
still found a way to
win. This team is the
early season buzz in
Conference USA.
The Lady Pirates are
unbeaten at home this
season. Sunday’s win was
the 14th of the year for
this squad, against only
two defeats.
Baldwin-Tener lost a
pair of outstanding
performers from a year
ago in Jasmine Young and
LaCoya Terry. Both were
two-time MVP winners for
the program.
The eighth-year coach
had concerns for this
year’s squad dating back
to last year. The start
of fall practice
convinced her otherwise.
“Last spring I wasn’t
real sure,” said
Baldwin-Tener. “This
fall, when we started
practice, I knew that we
had a chance to be the
best team that we’ve had
since I’ve been here.
It’s because of our
depth and that we have
so many weapons and so
many players that can do
different things.”
Baldwin-Tener opened the
weekend by saying she
would learn a lot about
her squad hosting
Southern Miss and UCF.
With the two victories,
the Pirates are 3-0 in
league play, a half game
ahead of both UAB and
Houston. Those three
teams are the only
Conference USA unbeatens
remaining.
Sophomore guard Ashley
Clarke is the sparkplug
of the offense. Clarke
has that rare knack for
knowing when to pass,
and when to look for a
shot. She put on a
dazzling spin move for a
basket late in the UCF
game on Sunday that
brought the house down.
Clarke is certainly
unselfish. That’s this
entire team’s mentality.
Junior Allison Spivey is
just one of the Lady
Pirates' threats from
the outside.
“We could see it in
preseason and open gym,”
Spivey said. “Ashley
does a great job in
getting everyone
involved. She really
knows when to find the
open shooter. We just
click. We have great
chemistry on and off the
court. It’s just fun to
play with this team.”
This Lady Pirate team is
young, with just one
senior. That means we
will be seeing a lot of
this cast over the next
season and a half.
“They are really playing
together,” added
Baldwin-Tener. “It’s not
about how many points
they get or how many
minutes they play. I
think it makes a
difference. People step
up every game and hit
big shots for us and
make defensive stops for
us. This is really a fun
basketball team.”
That fun comes from a
love and a bond that
some teams simply never
find. The squad is a
tight-knit group.
“This team gets along
better than any team
I’ve ever had,” said
Baldwin-Tener. “On and
off the floor they get
along great and it makes
a difference. They have
a good time playing
together and we have a
great time in practice,
too.”
Spivey says the team has
lofty goals. One of
those goals is a return
trip to the NCAA
tournament in March.
“I think we can,” added
Spivey. “That’s what
we’re shooting for, a
conference championship
and to get back to the
NCAA tournament. I think
if we keep playing like
we’re playing we’ve got
a good shot at it. We
just have to take it on
the road.”
That will be the next
challenge. Winning on
the road in league play
is always a difficult
task, and will certainly
test the mettle of any
team.
BB
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