CLEVELAND, Tenn. - When the Lee University women's basketball team welcomes Grace College (Ind.) Nov. 2 for the annual Homecoming (exhibition) game inside Walker Arena, alumni, students, and local supporters will see all 14 players that dressed and played last season suited up. Only Molly Smith, a sophomore transfer from Eastern Nazarene College and Abby McFarland, who red-shirted last season, are added to the mix.
Starters Returning:
"We have multiple players who started and played significant minutes," revealed Marty Rowe, who begins his 21st year as head coach of the Lady Flames. "Every year is different, so people are continuing to compete for roles."
All-American and graduate student Mallory Hampton returns to lead the team. The Lady Flames finished the 2023-24 season with a 21-11 record and earned an eighth-straight trip to the NCAA DII National Tournament. Hampton averaged 19.6 points per game, recorded 111 assists and also grabbed 118 rebounds.
Senior guard Haylee Johnson played more minutes per game than Hampton (33). She led the club in assists (120) and tallied 8.2 ppg. Post player and senior Anna Muhonen stepped up her play late in the year and finished with 7.4 ppg and 113 total boards. Grad student Addison Smith went to the glass for a team-leading 156 rebounds last season and joins senior Mia Hurst (106 rebounds) and the aggressive red-shirt junior Baylee Delbridge (104 boards) who joined a group that averaged 33 rebounds per outing.
Expecting Better Shooting Percentage:
Coach Rowe quickly pointed out, "We need to shoot the basketball at a much higher rate than we did last season." The Lady Flames shot 42% from the field but made just under 29% from 3-point range and 76% of their free throws. Hampton nailed 179-208 (86%) of her freebies. "We have multiple high-skill players that we expect will perform at an even higher level than last year," the coach added.
Depth Should Be Key:
"Yes, we think depth is key for this team, but we also think a continued desire to improve as a team is extremely important," stressed the veteran coach. "There are no guarantees of the success we had as a group last season. We will need to fight each and every day for improvement to continue to grow as a group."
While several names were mentioned earlier when it came to what they brought to the table last season, sophomore Keira Leffew stepped up for some key moments and is certain to battle down low for her share of playing time. She ripped down 84 rebounds in averaging 12 minutes of playing time per game.
Grad student Haley Cameron, a 6-foot transfer to Lee from Eastern Illinois also averaged over 12 minutes of playing time per game and nabbed 90 caroms. Red-shirt sophomore Kara Williams started in 27 games and will be counted on for long-range shooting. Junior Bailey Burgess enjoyed all her attempts from outside the arc. She paced the team with over 34% long-range shooting. Sophomore Mia Alexander was sidelined with an injury much of last season but entered the Lee program as a recruited shooter.
Preseason Injuries:
Injuries in the preseason seem to always be a problem and Coach Rowe says that has hindered some of his team's early progression. "Anna (Muhonen) has been slowed with an ankle injury. Kara (Williams) has a knee injury, and her sister Milah (foot injury) have all missed most of the preseason."
Rowe noted, "They are all in different phases of returning at this point. Hopefully, Anna will be available for the beginning of the season."
Tough Schedule
After hosting Grace in the Homecoming game, the Lady Flames open the regular season on the road with a trip to Lakeland, Fla. for the GSC/SSC Challenge.
"Our schedule is tough again, we have Rollins and Florida Southern on the road, as well as our old SSAC rival Emmanuel University (Franklin Springs, Ga.)," Rowe stressed.
Lee will officially open the regular home season when Bryan College comes to town for a 7 p.m. game Nov. 18 and then host Kentucky State on Nov. 23 at 2 p.m. "Kentucky State is coming off a great season too (21-7). We think each opponent helps us prepare for the GSC schedule, which only keeps getting better and better, especially with the addition of Trevecca to the league," the coach injected.
Veteran Coaching Staff
The Lady Flames lost NaKeia Burks to a high school coaching job, but Jan Spangler, Kelly Kiser, Mindy Kiser, Jeff Steve and Drew Lyness return to the staff. Said Coach Rowe, "Losing NaKeia is certainly a tough loss for our staff, but we are blessed with a group of coaches that know and care deeply about this basketball program."
In closing he allowed, "We are excited about this group; it is a team that cares about one another and wants to represent our alumni and school to the best of their abilities. We cannot wait to see what the season holds for them."
