After year to mesh, Otahks take aim at a title

Comfort and familiarity figure to be major assets for Southeast Missouri State University women's basketball coach B.J. Smith as he prepares for the start of practice Saturday.

The Otahkians' second-year boss knows considerably more about his situation than he did during his inaugural season last year.

"I'm excited. Last year I was ready to go, but this year I'm really ready to go," Smith said. "Everything is just a lot more comfortable this year, for the coaches and players.

"The atmosphere is entirely different. The returning players know exactly what to expect, and they're helping the newcomers."

Smith led the Otahkians to their best-ever NCAA Division I season last year. Southeast went 19-11, finished second in the Ohio Valley Conference and advanced to the OVC Tournament championship game for the first time.

While Smith -- who came to Southeast after compiling a 98-7 three-year record at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Junior College -- said last season was a nice way to start, the goal remains an OVC championship and NCAA Tournament berth.

"It was a good start, but our goals and expectations are a lot different than that," Smith said. "We feel like if we handle our business, we have a chance to be very successful."

With seven letterwinners -- including five of last year's top six scorers -- returning, along with five promising newcomers, Smith sees no reason why the Otahkians can't reach their goals.

"I'm ecstatic about the returners," Smith said. "They have really been focused and working hard in individual workouts. This group is ahead of where we were at the end of last year.

"And I'm really excited about our five new players. They're very talented."

Leading the group of returning players are 5-foot-8 senior guard Kenja White and 6-1 senior forward Carina Souza, both honorable-mention all-OVC last year.

White, the OVC Newcomer of the Year, averaged a team-high 13.9 points per game and hit 44 3-pointers. Souza was third on the squad in scoring at 11.7 and second in rebounding at 5.3.

"Everybody is fired up and looking forward to practice. We're ready to get going," White said. "I think our team this year will be more together as a team. And I love our new players. I think we'll be strong in all spots."

Other returning starters are 5-5 senior guard Sarah Costello (8.2 ppg) and 5-8 sophomore guard Tiffane Ryan (5.0 ppg). Costello led in assists with 97 and Ryan was second with 91.

Yashika Sidbury, a 5-11 senior guard, started just one game last year but provided instant offense off the bench by averaging 10.5 points and hitting a team-high 51 3-pointers.

Other returning letterwinners are 5-11 junior forward Miah Shelford (4.1 ppg), who started five games; and 5-10 sophomore forward Shannon Proffit (2.9 ppg).

Smith expects all five of his new players to either start or play quite a bit.

Headlining that group are 6-3 junior center Chandra Brown and 5-7 junior guard Brandi Russia, a pair of junior-college All-Americans. Russia, who played for Smith two years ago at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, actually signed with the Otahkians prior to last season but did not qualify academically.

Other first-year players are junior-college transfers Melissa Anthony, a 6-2 sophomore center, and Sami Jo Cotton, a 5-7 junior guard who also played for Smith at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M; along with 5-7 freshman guard Jessica Aebi from Oklahoma.

"We've added three new players at guard who will help, and our new post players are much larger, which should help," Smith said. "Russia and Cotton both played for me in junior college so their transition has been smooth.

"Brown, talent wise for a center, she's probably as good as is out there. She's very talented. The thing we have to do is get her acclimated right away so she can be as effective as she could be."

Added Smith, "I think all 12 of our players should have a chance to play. We don't feel like we have anybody that will just struggle. There's no position safe. Our talent level is better. We're deeper and better at every position."

The Otahkians will play home exhibition games Nov. 6 and Nov. 11, followed by the season opener Nov. 14 at nationally-ranked Utah. The first home contest is Nov. 21 against Southern Illinois.Dexter junior commits

Dexter High School's Rachel Blunt hasn't even started her junior season with the Bearcats, but she already knows where she's going to play in college.

Blunt, a 6-foot forward, recently gave Southeast an oral commitment after being offered a scholarship.

Blunt won't be able to sign a letter of intent until November 2004, when she will be a senior in high school. Nothing is official until she signs, and she can change her mind at any time until that happens -- but she said she plans to suit up for the Otahkians beginning with the 2005-2006 season.

"I'm pretty excited about it. I didn't want to have to go through all the recruiting," Blunt said. "They offered me a scholarship, I went for an unofficial visit Monday and told them."

As a sophomore last season, Blunt averaged 12.5 points and seven rebounds per game as Dexter went 20-6 and lost to Notre Dame in the district finals.

"She's a real good athlete who can take it to the hole, shoot from the outside and handle it pretty well," Dexter coach Gavin Miller said. "She's really dedicated to the game."

mmishow@semissourian.com

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