Women's Hoops Kicks off Brodhead Era Saturday With Exhibition

Contact: Traci Bode

GAME CENTER
Date: Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012
Location: Lafayette, La.
Site: Earl K. Long Gym (1,121)
Time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
Opponent: Centenary (8-17 in 2011-12)

Louisiana Overview
11-12 Record_____________________7-23
11-12 Sun Belt Record_____________ 1-15
Head Coach_____________________ Garry Brodhead (Lousiana '80)
Record at UL____________________ 0-0 (first season)
Career Record___________________ same
Last Game______________________ March 3, 2012 vs FIU (SBC Tournament)
L, 53-74
Website________________________RaginCajuns.com

Series History
Series record: Louisiana leads 7-1
Last meeting: UL 90, CC 74 (Dec. 12, 2010)
Series notable: 4^th meeting in last five seasons (2008-09 to present)

GAME NIGHT STORY LINES
• Louisiana opens the 2012-13 season on Saturday, Nov.3 with a familiar foe as the Cajuns face Centenary for the fourth time since 2008. Saturday's contest is an exhibition for both schools.

• The Cajuns have won six of the seven all-time meetings with the Ladies. Five of the six wins have been by double figures.

• UL is 8-5 in exhibition games dating back to 2000.

• The Ragin Cajun's last exhibition game was against LSU-Shreveport on Nov. 16, 2009 at the Cajundome (W, 65-63).

• Today's contest marks the first time UL faces outside competition under new head coach Garry Brodhead. Brodhead enters his first season as Cajuns coach after spending the past five seasons as an associate head coach at McNeese State.

• It's the first of 16 home games for Louisiana in 2012-13. Including the exhibition game, the Cajuns are scheduled to play 11 games at Earl K. Long Gym.

• The squad returns four letter winners from last season, including one starter in Robbie Brown.

• Louisiana welcomes seven newcomers, including five freshmen and two junior college transfers.

• Brown played in 30 games last season, averaging 3.4 points, 2.4 assists and 19.4 minutes played.

• Brooklyn Arceneaux is the returning leading scorer for the Cajuns, averaging 4.7 points and 3.3 rebounds last season. She saw action in 24 games and averaged 19.4 minutes.

• Arceneaux scored a career-high 12 points and led the team in rebounds with 10 in an overtime win over Nebraska-Omaha on Feb. 22, 2012 at EKL Gym.

• Megan Whittaker is the second returning leading scorer, averaging 3.7 points per contest last season. She was second on the team in three-pointers a year ago, knocking down 27 over the course of the season.

• Brandi Schambough is the lone senior on the squad. She saw action in 16 games last season, averaging 3.5 minutes per contest.

NEW HEAD COACH GARY BRODHEAD
Garry Brodhead became the 12th head coach in UL program history on April 2, 2012. The 1980 UL graduate is a 16-year veteran of basketball coaching. He most recently served as associate head coach at McNeese State

Brodhead is best known for his accomplishments during a 10-year tenure as the girl's basketball coach at Teurlings Catholic High Shool in Lafayette, La., where he compiled a 297-78 record, winning one state title.

While at Teurlings, Brodhead won nine district titles, advancing the Lady Rebels to the semi-finals of the state tourney six times, finishing as the runner-up once and as the champion in 2002. His 2000-01 squad was ranked in the USA Top 25, and three of his teams earned number one rankings in the state.

Along the way, Brodhead has gained the respect of his coaching peers, being voted the district coach of the year in nine of his 10 seasons. He was also the parish coach of the year three times and the Acadiana Coach of the Year twice.

Brodhead spent the last five seasons at McNeese State, helping guide the Cowgirls to a 52-15 record over the last two seasons including a pair of Southland Conference titles and appearances in the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship.

A native of Lafayette, Brodhead graduated from UL in 1980 with a degree in business administration. He was a pole vaulter on the Ragin' Cajuns track team from 1976-80. Brodhead later returned to the University to serve as the women's basketball graduate assistant coach for the 1994-95 season.

In addition to his collegiate and high school coaching experience, Brodhead also spent time as an AAU coach, helping the Acadiana Stars to the national championship tournament, finishing eighth in 1997 and fifth in 2006.

NOTES AND TRENDS

Turning Up the D
• Look for the Cajuns to be very solid on the defensive end of the court this season as coach Brodhead stresses defense more than anything.
• The Cajuns forced 19.4 turnovers per game last season including a -1.9 turnover margin for a 0.5 assist/turnover ratio.
• UL had a total of 272 steals and averaged 9.1 per game.

Homegrown Talent
• Cajuns roster features eight players who hail from the state of Louisiana.
• To go a step further, five athletes prepped in the greater Lafayette area.

Reunited and It Feels So Good
• For the first time since the 2010-11 academic year, sophomores Brooklyn Arceneaux and Robbie Brown and freshmen Kia Wilridge and Keke Veal are teammates.
• The quartet powered local St. Thomas More High to a state championship in 2011.
• Last season, Wilridge and Veal carried on the championship caliber effort, winning another state title in 2012.

Returning Home
• Three of the Cajuns four coaches are alums of the University of Louisiana – head coach Garry Brodhead (1980), Sallie Guillory (2005), Deacon Jones (1999).
• For Brodhead, it represents a return to the city where many of his coaching successes occurred namely his stint at Teurlings Catholic High School where he posted a 297-78 record from 1998-2007.

Seeking to Reverse Fortune
• UL had a scoring deficit of -14.4 last season, averaging 52.1 points per game, while their opponents averaged 66.5.
• Louisiana held a .355 field goal percentage and a .264 three-point percentage last season.
• The squad averaged 8.8 free throws made per game and an average of .688 on the season from the charity stripe.

The Opposition
• Centenary went 8-17 last season and 8-14 in the American Southwest Conference.
• The school has made the transition to the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference which was made effective in the 2012-13 academic year.
• Kristen Davis begins her third year at the helm of the program.
• She has a career overall record of 9-41.
• Centenary returns just two players from last season.
• Vashni Sharp-Moore is the returning leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 13.7 points and 7.0 rebounds last season.

Series History between UL and Centenary
Dec. 12, 2010 at Centenary W (90-74)
Dec. 21, 2009 at Louisiana W (77-50)
Nov. 23, 2008 at Louisiana L (69-75 OT)
Dec. 1, 2007 at Centenary W (78-71)
Dec. 1, 2004 at Louisiana W (67-42)
Dec. 8, 2003 at Centenary W (74-60)
Dec. 11, 2001 at Centenary W (77-56)
Jan. 8, 2000 at Louisiana W (93-53)

Up Next For Louisiana
• The Ragin' Cajuns kick off the 2012-13 regular season on Friday, Nov. 9 in Baton Rogue facing Southern at the F. G. Clark Activity Center. Tip off is set for 6 p.m. (CST)

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

Women's Hoops Kicks off Brodhead Era Saturday With Exhibition

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