College basketball

Women start season quickly

By Times Staff Writer
Published November 29, 2005

Coach Tom Jessee is optimistic about his women's basketball team, which has started 5-1, but he won't declare his team's rebuilding process complete.

The mark is UT's best start since 2002-03, Jessee's first season with the team. Tampa began 7-1 with a senior-laden squad and finished with a school record 28 wins, going 11-3 in the Sunshine State Conference and earning a bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament. But after that depth and balance were lacking, and Jessee has spent the last two years correcting those issues through recruiting and teaching.

One of the biggest factors in the quick start this season is junior point guard Tay Mathis . On Monday she was named SSC player of the week after guiding the Spartans to three wins at the Colorado Christian Classic in Denver, where she was named tournament MVP. Her biggest game came in a win over Colorado-Colorado Springs as she hit six 3-pointers for a career-high 30 points and added seven assists.

When Jessee recruited Mathis out of Miami Monsignor Pace High three years ago, he was looking for a ballhandler, a scorer and most of all a player with potential to lead a young team to an SSC title.

"She came in with a great resume but now she has matured to understand the college game," Jessee said. "Physically she is stronger and the chemistry which she has developed with the group is now where it needs to be and as a coach you can't underestimate that. She is their leader."

Mathis led the SSC in assists (4.5 a game) and assist/turnover ratio (1.37) last season, and averaged 12.4 points (fifth in the SSC) and hit 43 3-pointers (sixth).

The Spartans tied for fourth place in the SSC last season and split regular-season matchups with the three teams picked to finish ahead of them this season: Nova Southeastern, Florida Tech and defending champ Rollins.

Also for UT, Shaneisha Walton returns after being named SSC freshman of the year last season. The 6-foot-1 center out of Largo led the league in blocks (2.44 a game) and was in the top five in field goal percentage (third, .481) and rebounds (fourth, 8.4 rpg).

"I do think we have the best inside-outside combination with Mathis and Walton," Jessee said. "Walton has a great nose for the basketball and has developed her low post game with her back to the basket. Now she is starting to want the basketball more and with her body in better shape we can expect her to play more minutes."

The team also filled some outside shooting needs with freshman Hailee Sullivan and Jen Burgmeier . And sophomores Erica Woodard and Shay Mackey showed promise coming off the bench last season and should play significant minutes this season. Woodard has started five games at small forward, scoring 7.8 points a game. Mackey has seen limited time due to injury.

UT plays three of its next four at home beginning Wednesday with Florida Memorial.

VOLLEYBALL: UT travels to the NCAA Elite Eight at the University of Nebraska-Kearney. The Spartans (25-3) moved from No.6 to No.3 in the coaches' poll. They face No.2 Concordia-St. Paul (30-4) at 2:30 p.m. Thursday. The winner faces Grand Valley State or Dowling at 5 p.m. Friday. The final is 7 p.m. Saturday.

[Last modified November 29, 2005, 02:15:28]