2009-10 Season Preview: MCCC Women's Basketball

11/5/09


West Windsor, N.J. - Entering his 20th season, Mercer County Community College women's basketball coach Mike Tenaglia says he doesn't recall having a team with as much athleticism and speed as his 2009-10 squad.

Those attributes will help the Vikings compensate for less height than in the past. Tenaglia likens himself to a hockey coach, able to make wholesale substitutions because of his team's depth and a desire to keep the players running up and down the court.

For the Vikings, it's "Ladies, start your engines." According to Tenaglia, "We're basically a guard-oriented team. We're going to use a lot of pressure and speed."

Coach Mike Tenaglia at halftime with his 2008-09 squad

The Vikings return six letter-winners from last year's 20-10 squad, but expect to enter the season with four newcomers in their starting lineup. The only returning sophomore starter is 6-foot sophomore Samantha Foley (Hamilton, N.J.), who isn't even a true center despite being the team's only player taller than 5-9. She averaged a team-high 11.8 points as well as 6.9 rebounds last season.

Foley is a former Colonial Valley Conference product. Two others from the area high school conference will step into the starting lineup and provide instant scoring, 5-9 freshman forward Azaria Crews (Ewing, N.J.) and 5-8 freshman forward Alexis Sweet (Trenton, N.J.). While an injury will keep 5-5 sophomore guard Samantha Cobbs (Bordentown, N.J.) out of the starting lineup to start the season, the squad also features 5-4 freshman Ja'Neice Worley (Trenton, N.J.) at point guard and 5-8 sophomore forward Jenn Casper (Ivyland, Pa.), the team's top rebounder at 7.8 per game last season. Few teams have the luxury of a returning double-figure scorer (10.9 ppg) to come off the bench, but the Vikings do with 5-9 sophomore forward Kiara Boone (Florence, N.J.). Newcomer Amanda Terebey (West Windsor, N.J.), a 5-5 guard, also should be a consistent scorer.

The roster also includes two other sophomores, 5-9 forward Lauren Diveglio (Morrisville, Pa.) and 5-4 guard Chelsea Lawson (Hamilton, N.J.), and three other freshmen, 5-2 guard Showana Paul (Trenton, N.J.), 5-3 guard Laurie Regan (Lawrence, N.J.) and 5-9 forward Marelys Williams (Hamilton, N.J.).

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