HARTSVILLE, S.C. – The 2014-2015 Coker women's basketball season is now upon us and fifth-year head coach Jenny Finora and her squad are ready to see what their second season in the South Atlantic Conference has in store.
"We have such a strong group of seniors this year to go along with a great mix of talent with our newcomers," said Finora. "The combination of the two will lead to special things this year and I expect this team to be at the top of the standings."
The 2013-14 season was highlighted by ten conference wins, including a win over 2013 preseason favorite Newberry and the team's third straight postseason berth.
"We knew going into last season that the South Atlantic Conference was a very good conference," said Finora. "We learned that you absolutely can't afford to have an off day, because anybody can beat anybody in this conference."
The Navy and Yellow come into this season ranked No. 8 in the preseason polls. Wingate is the heavy favorite, but that doesn't seem to be on the mind of Finora and her players.
"It doesn't matter who is picked at the top, it is who comes to play every day," Finora said. "I am confident we are going to turn a lot of heads this season with the combination of our returners and newcomers."
One of those returners that the Cobras relied on heavily last season was Tanesha Stenson. A senior guard, Stenson was named second team All-SAC last season after averaging 15.1 points a game to go along with 6.3 rebounds. She comes into this season as preseason second team All-SAC selection. But Finora knows it will take a team effort for this team to shine.
"We have more talented players this year than we have ever had and we need all of them to step up," said Finora. "In the SAC you can have a couple of good players, but if you don't have a good 'team' then having those star players will not take you far."
Stenson is just one of six seniors on this year's roster. Hailey Yohn, Priscilla Fenty, Kelley Godbout, Heidrun Kristmundsdottir and Lakeria Crowder round out what Finora expects to be a strong senior group.
"The group of four seniors (Fenty, Godbout, Kristmundsdottir and Yohn) that has been with us the longest is hungry," Finora added. "The two other seniors bring both experience and a want to succeed with them; it's such a great mix of upperclassmen and underclassmen. I expect those six to teach the newcomers how to be a Coker Cobra in our program."
It's safe to say the roster of 17 ladies will be put to the test right out the gates as they travel to SEC powerhouses, University of South Carolina on Nov. 2 and Vanderbilt on Nov. 8 for exhibitions.
"The ladies get to experience something a lot of athletes don't get to experience," said Finora. "It's the experience of the big trips, atmosphere, crowds, arenas, and big time basketball. We get to play some of the best players and teams in the nation. Some girls will be able to say they guarded future WNBA players."
Finora is confident that her team is up for the task of competing game-in and game-out, but she preached one, 11-letter word that is necessary for the ladies to finish on top… Consistency.
"We have all of the components we need this year, we just have to go out and take care of business. Our team chemistry is at an all-time high and they have worked hard everyday to continuously improve. If we have consistency we will finish at the top."
The women's basketball team kicks off their season on Saturday, Nov. 2 at the University of South Carolina at 3 p.m. The first home game is slated for Friday, Nov. 14 at 5:30 p.m. against Limestone as a part of the Sodexo SAC/Conference Carolinas Challenge.
Story by Aaron Beebe '15 sports information department intern