Candyce Bingham's Weekly Blog
January 19, 2009 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 6, 2009
Hello Cards Fans!
0-3
What does that 0-3 mean? It was our record after our first three BIG EAST conference games last season. On Saturday we kept history from repeating itself with a hard fought victory over DePaul to give us a clean 1-0 record in the BIG EAST. The game against DePaul meant a lot to us as a team because it gives us an opportunity to see where we are as team against other BIG EAST opponents.
I am very excited for the rest of the BIG EAST slate for many reasons. First off, our freshman have developed so rapidly, I remember when I wondered if they'd ever get it, but now it seems like they are right there with us. Another thing I'm excited for is the opportunity to play against top opponents. I feel like the BIG EAST has the best teams in the nation, and we are up there with the best. Just because we won our first game though doesn't mean that we are in any way looking ahead of ourselves, we know from last year that you have to bring it EVERY night in this league!
I feel like this team is growing individually as well as together. Our freshman, as I mentioned earlier, are developing at a rapid pace. Case in point, on Saturday, as DePaul took a six point lead, Coach Walz turned to Becky Burke. She came off the bench and contributed by hitting big shots and helped us take back the lead. Every day I see how far our freshmen have come and it makes me believe that we really have a chance to be special.
Monique Reid has improved so much since the beginning of the season, as she has become a reliable player both offensively and defensively. Janae Howard has always been one of our best shooters, and she really has been working hard on her defense and her hard work is beginning to pay off. Mary Jackson's effort and energy has earned her a starting spot recently and she really deserved it. In December, Gwen Rucker went from losing in the NCAA Volleyball tournament on Friday to practicing on Saturday and to playing Sunday. She eventually joined me in the frontcourt of our starting lineup. Gwen is a very good player and has so much room to improve. With the loss of Chauntise Wright, her arrival couldn't have come at a better time. Tiera Stephen has worked hard all season and it showed when Des Byrd was in the hospital and didn't play against Ball State. T had her best game of the season with nine assists, showing that we always have someone to step up at the point guard position. Our returning players are really starting to notice how the freshman have displayed a new sense of urgency and really are starting to understand what the coaching staff wants!
We play twice this week, with a much improved Seton Hall team coming to Freedom Hall tonight. Seton Hall looks very impressive on film and it will be a tough game for us, just like any other BIG EAST contest. Then on Sunday, we plan on packing the house again against nationally ranked Rutgers. This game is quickly becoming a BIG EAST rivalry. Remember if you don't have tickets yet for Rutgers, you can pick up your voucher for a free ticket at your local Kroger's TODAY! We greatly appreciated it when you packed the house last season for UConn and again in December for Kentucky. We once again ask that you come out and support us as we try to show the country that we are for real!
Speaking of Packing the House, I would like to take this opportunity to thank every single one of you who attended our December 14th game against UK. It was a magical atmosphere that few Women's College Basketball players get to experience and it was certainly awesome to be a part of it! Thank you very much and hope to see you again on Sunday!
