BUIES
CREEK,
N.C.-Entering her 28th year at the helm of Campbell's
women's basketball program, head coach Wanda Watkins will debut her
2008-09 Lady Camels against Coker at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15
inside the new John W. Pope, Jr. Convocation Center.
For the first time in the
program's history, the Lady Camels will call something else besides
Carter Gymnasium "home," as the team moves in the Pope Center. The
game will be the first of a men's / women's doubleheader, with the
Fighting Camel men's basketball squad taking on Chowan following
the game.
"We're looking forward to
opening our schedule in the Pope Convocation Center," said Watkins.
"Being able to open up the season there will definitely be a
highlight of our season. It is an exciting time for Lady Camel
Basketball and our athletic program here at Campbell. We've waited
a long time for this, and grateful to everyone that has made this
possible. We want to make them proud."
CU returns nine letterwinners
from last year's 12-18 team that posted a 7-9 Atlantic Sun mark.
Three starters also make their return to the program, including the
unit's second-leading scorer from a year ago, senior point guard
Lauren Arthur.
Arthur averaged 7.5 points
per game last season, along with a team-high 3.1 assists per
contest to pace the Camel's offensive attack. Jessica Mack, another
senior guard, recorded 2.26 steals per game to anchor the Campbell
defense, while being the top rebounding guard on the team with 3.7
per game.
The
Lady Camels ranked second as a team in rebounding offense with a
41.2 rate in 2007-08, but took the top spot in rebounding defense
at 33.9, giving the A-Sun's best rebounding margin at + 7.2 as
well. In fact, that margin was 3.3 better than Kennesaw State, the
conference's second best team, and a whopping 9.4 boards better
than USC Upstate, who rounded out the league.
In
addition to their rebounding and defensive numbers, Campbell also
posted 13.3 assists per contest, good for fourth in the
conference.
Coker, meanwhile, returns 10
players from last season, along with four starters. Junior forward
Henna Koponen will lead the Cobras after earning All-Carolinas
Conference honors as a sophomore. Koponen, a Vantaa, Finland
native, registered 13.8 points and 4.42 rebounds per game a year
ago, playing in all 26 games for fourth year head coach Carol
Meegan.
Junior guard Lotta Aaltonen,
from Rauma, Finland, also averaged double figure points during the
2007-08 season at 11.1, while pulling down 5.1 boards per
contest.
The Lady Camels have squared
off against Coker just once in the program's history, with that
meeting kicking off the 1999-2000 season; a year the Lady Camels
would eventually make their first, and only to date, NCAA
Tournament appearance after winning the A-Sun Championship.
Campbell handed a 91-44 loss to the Cobras in Carter Gym, and went
on to post a 22-8 overall record, with a 14-4 league
mark.
After their matchup with the
Cobras, Campbell will head to Conway, S.C. on Monday, Nov. 17 for a
contest with former Big South rival Coastal Carolina.
