Nicholls men ready to make Southland push
November 13, 2012Hospital offers training tips with half-marathom looming
November 13, 2012
The 2011-12 season was the best of all-time for the Nicholls State women’s basketball program.
Now, the Colonels are hungry for more.
One season after winning their first postseason game in program history, the Colonels are excited to try and build on last year’s success.
Coach DoBee Plaisance is the first to admit – Nicholls is excited to prove that last year wasn’t a fluke.
“The pressure is all from within,” Plaisance said during the offseason. “When we finished up last season, I was very, very proud of our women, but it’s like we almost left some unfinished business out there. We broke a lot of records last year and we did a lot of great things last year, but still myself and these players that I recruited, we didn’t come here to finish in the semifinals – we came here to win it all.”
To attempt to “win it all” in 2012-13, the Colonels will rely upon a wealth of experience across its roster.
Junior guard KK Babin will return for her third-straight season as the team’s starting point guard.
A 5-foot, 4-inch ball of energy, Babin averaged 39.3 minutes per game last season, averaging 12.8 points per game and just more than three assists per game.
Also returning in the team’s experienced starting lineup is junior guard LiAnn McCarthy and senior forward Alisha Allen – two players who have been on the floor since their first days as Colonels.
Sophomore Jenny Nash will also move into the starting lineup full-time this season after serving as a valuable utility player last season.
But while the Colonels will enjoy experience at the guard positions, they will miss 2011-12’s best playmaker.
Last season’s standout Sumar Leslie graduated from the program and entered professional basketball following the season.
Plaisance said over the summer that the Colonels would be able to replace Leslie’s 15.6 points per game, but not her creative ability around the floor.
The former Colonel also led the team in assists, steals and free throw attempts and makes last year. She was second on the squad in rebounds.
“You cannot replace a Sumar Leslie,” Plaisance said. “Her ability to improvise when things broke down, her personality and her positivity – those are things we’ll struggle to make up.”
To fill the void, the Colonels will rely on arguably its best recruiting class in school history, a group headlined by former Chapelle guard Emani White and Orlando Christian’s Hope Pawlowski.
The team will also reap the benefits of transfer guard Kishaun Williams, who is eligible to play after beginning her prep career with the University of Missouri.
Before the Colonels can focus on winning the Southland Conference title, they will have to navigate a difficult schedule.
Nicholls opened its season in Chicago against No. 25 DePaul, falling in a lop-sided defeat.
The team will also play Texas Tech and Arkansas State in non-conference action.
“I’ve always scheduled our non-conference schedule very challenging,” Plaisance said. “We’ve always been over-zealous in our scheduling and we’re very excited about our schedule.”
But in addition to the rigorous slate, the Colonels will also play host to a slew of Louisiana schools. Nicholls will host UL-Monroe, UL-Lafayette, Southeastern, Northwestern State and McNeese throughout the season.
The game with ULM will take place Friday at 6 p.m. in Stopher Gymnasium. It will be the team’s first home game of the season.
The entire journey for the Colonels is designed to lead back to Katy, Texas, where the team advanced to the conference tournament last season and won a game, before bowing out in the semifinals.
This time around, Plaisance said she has no intention of walking off the court with a loss – she and the Colonels want to win it all and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever.
“The motivation is coming from within,” she said. “Every day we challenge ourselves to champion ourselves every day. If we can learn to champion ourselves, hopefully the good Lord will be saying the same and we’ll be a champion at the end of the year.”
Nicholls State women’s basketball coach DoBee Plaisance calls a play during a game last season. The Colonels hope to return to the SLC Tournament this season.
