St. John's University Athletics
"The Storm Is Coming..."
10/18/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Perhaps the most electrifying player on the court will be junior Rasheedah Brown, a transfer from Independence College. Brown averaged 10.4 points, 5.2 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game last season, leading Independence to a 27-4 record and the conference championship. Though new to the Division I court, Brown will be asked to lead the 2000 Red Storm at the point.
She is a true point guard, remarks Estep. Rasheedah brings to us a position that was truly missed last year. She was brought in to lead us at that position.
Estep was forced to platoon a pair of veteran shooting guards at the point position last year.
The fact that we lacked a true point guard was something that a lot of people saw as our weakness last season, admits Estep. Its a lot of pressure, but Latasha Thompson and Giani Bowles really stepped up to the plate and did the best job they could. Hopefully we can put them back in their original positions this year.
Thompson, who averaged a team-high 13.2 points per game as a junior, returns as the leading scorer from the 1999 squad, which posted an 11-18 overall record.
Latasha is hungry to make an all-conference team, says Estep. Besides getting into the NCAAs and getting her St. Johns degree, she is determined that she is not going to walk away from this years banquet without being selected to a BIG EAST team. This type of award will allow her to feel appreciated by the conference.Bowles is another example of a furious fighter whose speed and agility was a cornerstone of last years team. When Bowles went down with an ACL injury in the first round game of the BIG EAST tournament against Pittsburgh, it was evident to the coach that her team needed more depth at that position to ensure continued success.
Giani is beginning to run again, explains Estep. She has done a terrific job preparing herself for the mental and physical fight she must endure this season.
Estep also welcomes back senior Crystal Bowen, junior Telisha Warner and sophomore Angela Stith who have already internalized her offensive and defensive schemes.
Last year, Crystal went through the transition of coming from one program on the college level (Lassen College, Las Vegas, NV) to another program with a philosophy that is totally different, admits Estep. What I like about Crystal is that she puts herself in a position to be a shooter. She also has a wonderful ability to lead and I look forward to that.
Warner started nine games for the Red Storm last season before being slowed by an injury.
Telishas a tough young lady, states Estep. We never got the full picture of what she could truly do for this program. I am looking forward to having Telisha on the court to display her love and passion for the game.
The only freshman on the squad a year ago, Stith started 12 games for the Storm averaging 2.5 points and 1.2 rebounds.
Angela is doing a great job of getting her body in shape, Estep points out. She will fight for time at both the one and the two positions this year.Freshman Sherri Brown is a 6-0 shooting guard from Willingboro, N.J., who will add an offensive spark as well as some needed height to the lineup. She is Willingboro high schools all-time leading scorer with over 1,500 career points.
We tried to get a bigger guard in Sherri, says Estep. Her ability to stroke the ball will be one key in our success. The other key will be her intense defense on the perimeter.
St. Johns well-rounded team also includes a corps of four seasoned returnees and a pair of eager newcomers at the forward position, which enables Estep to have a balanced offensive attack.
Senior Tynisha Myles has been the epitome of a fundamentally sound athlete. The 6-4 native of Paterson, N.J., averaged 6.3 points and 3.7 rebounds last season.
Tynisha is a senior who, because of her position, really will have to step up this year, remarks Estep. She must realize that her presence must be known both offensively and defensively.
Junior Katrina Johns was a reserve last year who will be thrust into the mix more often at the small forward position. Johns joined Estep in Greece this summer as a member of the Nacel Open Door Team America All-Stars, averaging five points and four rebounds.
She didnt see a lot of time last year, but shes a very athletic small forward, says Estep. Katrina does a great job of understanding her role as a strong rebounder. She will be a great senior leader this year.
Senior Eukeisha Iton should add some needed height. Iton appeared in all 29 games in her first year at St. Johns, starting 14.
I think Eukeisha is understanding now that she is a shooter from 15-feet and in, continues Estep. She asked for the challenge and we gave it to her and I think she is going to come in this season knowing she can do well and help us at that position.A pair of international newcomers and a JUCO transfer will give Estep some additional depth at the forward position. Freshmen Sladjana Cvijetic from Yugoslavia and Nora Gyuris from Hungary are disciplined athletes whose international championship experience will be a valuable asset to the program. Junior transfer Kenyawna Hudgens is a native of Washington, D.C., and should be a stifling defensive presence for the Red Storm.
Sladjana is going to be very interesting, Estep says with a smirk. The biggest thing with Sladjana is she has to understand that its going to be ok to be physical. In high school she got penalized because she was the biggest kid on the floor, so it forced her to not be as aggressive as she could be.
Nora appreciates the opportunity to take what she has learned from playing on the Hungarian national team, continues Estep. Shes very disciplined and truly understands that you dont win a game by what you did the night before, but what you did days before.
Kenyawna takes pride in the most difficult defensive challenges, says Estep of the transfer from North Idaho College. She will also be looked upon on the offensive end.
