The Garden City Telegram

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GCCC women tabbed fifth

Published 10/27/2009 in Sports

By MIKE KESSINGER

mkessinger@gctelegram.com

WICHITA — With each coach that spoke Monday morning at the Jayhawk Conference basketball media day on the women's side at the Airport Best Western there was a repetitive pattern when talking about their team — inexperience.

Of the 19 teams from both divisions, only eight teams have returners from last season. Just three of them came from the Western Division — Hutchinson Community College, Seward County and Garden City. As Lady Broncbusters' first-year coach Alaura Sharp took her turn in front of the group of coaches in the conference room, she was somewhat comforted by the fact her three returners may have seemed to be on the high side just a little.

"It's interesting to hear everybody," Sharp said of her first experience at media day. "Obviously, everybody's young and lots of freshmen. I think the most returning players anybody has is six. So it can make us feel better about our three returners and 28 points."

After a 12-19 season last year, the new GCCC coach can take solace in anything positive that favors the team before the regular season tips off Nov. 6 in the Seward County Classic at Liberal against New Mexico Junior College. The Busters were picked fifth in the Western Division by the conference coaches. Hutchinson, the defending Region 6 champion, has been tabbed at the top of the conference, while Seward County is second, followed by Cloud County and Butler before GCCC.

"I think the West is going to be strong with the powerhouses Hutchinson, Seward and Cloud (County)," Sharp said. "The East is going to be a little more tough than they have been. I think the bottom teams of both conferences are improving, which makes the league a whole lot tougher."

GCCC women's program has not had a winning season since the 2002-03 season and if the Lady Busters hope to get over that hump this season they will rely heavily on returnering guards Cheree Freeman, LaMesia Abbott and center Deirdre Mays. Last season, all three showed scoring punch at different times. Freeman and Abbott each averaged 10 points, and the 6-foot-2 Mays added 8.3 points a game.

"I think with their leadership and the way that they just work hard they've come out and done what we've asked of them," Sharp said of the returners. "They play hard and defend hard, and they're starting to buy into what we want, so they're right where I expected, wanted them to be."

As Sharp takes the program reins this season, the schedule will be somewhat different than in the past format-wise. Instead of playing in the Jayhawk Conference Shootout before Christmas break, teams will play it at the beginning of 2010 on Jan. 8 in Coffeyville. Before the semester break, GCCC will play two conference games, Butler on Dec. 5, and Hutchinson on Dec. 9.

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Jayhawk Conference

Preseason Poll — Women

Western Division

Hutchinson

Seward County

Cloud County

Butler

Garden City

Barton County

Pratt

Colby

Dodge City

Eastern Division

Labette

Independence

Coffeyville

Cowley College

Johnson County

Neosho County

Kansas City Kansas

Allen County

Highland

Fort Scott

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