University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Women’s Basketball 2015-16 Season Preview: Newcomers
11/6/2015 1:25:00 PM | Women's Basketball
With the 2015-16 basketball season quickly approaching, RaginCajuns.com takes an in-depth look at the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball roster leading up to the team's first exhibition Monday, Nov. 9 at 5 p.m. against LSU-Alexandria. Today, we take a look at the newcomers on the roster and on the coaching staff in the third and final installment of a three-part series. The Cajuns, who went 23-12 during the 2014-15 season and claimed the 2015 WBI Championship, return nine letterwinners and five starters for the upcoming season.
Newcomers: Taylor Washington, Jordan Alexander, Breionne Cooper, Alex Weeks, Katherine Katz, Amber Gregg, Mary Chris Vogt.
LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team welcomes some new faces on both the roster and the coaching staff. Fourth-year head coach Garry Brodhead added four new players, three from the high school level and one from the junior college ranks to this season's mix. Joining the Ragin' Cajuns family in 2015-16 are Taylor Washington (guard), Jordan Alexander (forward) and centers Breionne Cooper and Alex Weeks. Joining Coach Brodhead and assistant coach Deacon Jones on the bench are Katherine Katz, Amber Gregg and Mary Chris Vogt.
Coach Brodhead wanted to inject some length in the post and some scoring off the bench to add to his hybrid guard/forward rotation. The four additions to the Cajuns look to accomplish that goal.
"We were hoping to bring in some kids that can play different when we play teams with size," Brodhead said. "We are hoping by the time we get to conference play they can provide some rebounding for us. It's a work in progress but they are both [Cooper and Weeks] coming along well."
Washington, a junior transfer from Panola Junior College, averaged 10.5 points in 29 games last season. Her shooting percentage stood at 33.3% (26.9% from three-point) by season's end.
"Taylor is both a good penetrator and shooter," Brodhead commented. "She can pass the ball well and is picking up our defensive scheme very quickly. With Taylor, we wanted someone with some experience and we looked at her and signed her late. It was something our team needed. She has a great work ethic and we expect her to knock down open shots and provide some offense for our team."
Alexander hails from Dallas, Texas where she lettered at Dallas-Skyline High School. Under head coach Cassandra McCurdy, she helped lead the team to a pair of 12-0 records during the 2011 and 2012 seasons and four district championships by the conclusion of her high school career.
"Jordan brings the complete package with her ability to play and guard any position on the floor," Brodhead said. "She is also a scorer and can penetrate to the basket. She plays hard and is a smart player. We need to get consistency play from her this season."
Cooper, a West Jefferson High graduate, helped her team to a pair of district championships and one co-district championship. She averaged 13.2 points, 11.0 rebounds and 6.0 blocks per game her junior year, earning one of three career all-district first team honors. Cooper also graduated with honors as her high school's Salutatorian.
"Breionne brings a lot of length in the paint for us and we see a lot of good things from her," Brodhead said. "She is very good offensively, has a good jumper and is a shot blocker which is something we needed for our defense."
Weeks lettered at Beau Chene High School in Opelousas, La. She earned second team all-district following her sophomore and senior seasons and was also named all-parish following her freshman campaign.
"Alex is 6-foot-4 and is strong," Brodhead said. "We need her to continue to work hard and that's something we are trying to stress with our new players – to just come in and improve every day."
Brodhead's support staff additions bring experience at the highest of levels from the Division I collegiate ranks. Assistant coach Katherine Katz comes to Lafayette from Appalachian State. Before her tenure in Boone, Katz spent five seasons as an assistant at Samford, where she helped guide the Bulldogs to two Southern Conference Tournament titles and three postseason tournament appearances, including back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament.
"With Katherine's experience at Samford, she learned a lot of principles of the Princeton offense under head coach Mike Morris," Brodhead said. "She is a hard worker who fits our system and likes the same kind of players myself and Coach Jones recruit. She also cares about our kids and possesses the tangibles and intangibles to be a great coach. We are having a lot of fun offensively because of her and the knowledge that she brings. The sky is the limit with the offense this season."
Amber Gregg joined Coach Brodhead's staff after spending the past five seasons as the Director of Player Development for the Austin Elite basketball program. As a collegiate standout at UTSA from 2007-2011, Gregg averaged 13.4 points per game. During her career as a Roadrunner, Gregg was a three-time All-Southland Conference selection, leading UTSA to a pair of Southland Tournament championships and two Southland Tournament regular season titles. She left her mark at UTSA as the program's all-time three-point field goal leader (200) and is ranked ninth on the program's all-time scoring list with 1,143 points.
"Gregg was an all conference player at UTSA," Brodhead said. "I coached against her when she was an all-conference point guard for the Roadrunners. She has a great connection to the kids. She is able to get a feel for them and push them to work a bit harder, understand them and what they may be going through at a particular time. I can see us growing closer as a family and she's a reason for that. She is very knowledgeable with developing players.
"She has been working closely with me on the defensive side and we can help her become a better coach with the things on defense we are teaching her. She is picking it up very quickly. She can get the kids to talk more [on the floor] and her ability to relate to our players and what they go through on a daily basis is valuable."
Cajuns Director of Basketball Operations Mary Chris Vogt brings an impressive background to Louisiana, having worked for Hall of Fame coach Gary Blair for the past four seasons. While at Texas A&M, Vogt served a number of roles working as a camp director, a camp coach and an assistant video coordinator. She helped guide the Aggies to four NCAA Tournaments, an Elite Eight appearance, a Sweet 16 appearance and the 2013 SEC Tournament championship title.
"MC brings wealth of knowledge from Texas A&M," Brodhead said. "She is our organizational person, but she also wants to learn every day about the coaching aspect of the game. She has a challenging job and helps keep our program organized every day."
Season tickets for the 2015-16 campaign are available by calling the Cajundome ticket office at (337) 265-2100, or by emailing Director of Tickets, Matt Casbon at mcasbon@cajundome.com.
For more information on the Louisiana women's basketball program, fans can Like their Facebook page (/RaginCajunsWBB) or follow the team on Twitter (@RaginCajunsWBB).
Newcomers: Taylor Washington, Jordan Alexander, Breionne Cooper, Alex Weeks, Katherine Katz, Amber Gregg, Mary Chris Vogt.
LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team welcomes some new faces on both the roster and the coaching staff. Fourth-year head coach Garry Brodhead added four new players, three from the high school level and one from the junior college ranks to this season's mix. Joining the Ragin' Cajuns family in 2015-16 are Taylor Washington (guard), Jordan Alexander (forward) and centers Breionne Cooper and Alex Weeks. Joining Coach Brodhead and assistant coach Deacon Jones on the bench are Katherine Katz, Amber Gregg and Mary Chris Vogt.
Coach Brodhead wanted to inject some length in the post and some scoring off the bench to add to his hybrid guard/forward rotation. The four additions to the Cajuns look to accomplish that goal.
"We were hoping to bring in some kids that can play different when we play teams with size," Brodhead said. "We are hoping by the time we get to conference play they can provide some rebounding for us. It's a work in progress but they are both [Cooper and Weeks] coming along well."
Washington, a junior transfer from Panola Junior College, averaged 10.5 points in 29 games last season. Her shooting percentage stood at 33.3% (26.9% from three-point) by season's end.
"Taylor is both a good penetrator and shooter," Brodhead commented. "She can pass the ball well and is picking up our defensive scheme very quickly. With Taylor, we wanted someone with some experience and we looked at her and signed her late. It was something our team needed. She has a great work ethic and we expect her to knock down open shots and provide some offense for our team."
Alexander hails from Dallas, Texas where she lettered at Dallas-Skyline High School. Under head coach Cassandra McCurdy, she helped lead the team to a pair of 12-0 records during the 2011 and 2012 seasons and four district championships by the conclusion of her high school career.
"Jordan brings the complete package with her ability to play and guard any position on the floor," Brodhead said. "She is also a scorer and can penetrate to the basket. She plays hard and is a smart player. We need to get consistency play from her this season."
Cooper, a West Jefferson High graduate, helped her team to a pair of district championships and one co-district championship. She averaged 13.2 points, 11.0 rebounds and 6.0 blocks per game her junior year, earning one of three career all-district first team honors. Cooper also graduated with honors as her high school's Salutatorian.
"Breionne brings a lot of length in the paint for us and we see a lot of good things from her," Brodhead said. "She is very good offensively, has a good jumper and is a shot blocker which is something we needed for our defense."
Weeks lettered at Beau Chene High School in Opelousas, La. She earned second team all-district following her sophomore and senior seasons and was also named all-parish following her freshman campaign.
"Alex is 6-foot-4 and is strong," Brodhead said. "We need her to continue to work hard and that's something we are trying to stress with our new players – to just come in and improve every day."
Brodhead's support staff additions bring experience at the highest of levels from the Division I collegiate ranks. Assistant coach Katherine Katz comes to Lafayette from Appalachian State. Before her tenure in Boone, Katz spent five seasons as an assistant at Samford, where she helped guide the Bulldogs to two Southern Conference Tournament titles and three postseason tournament appearances, including back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament.
"With Katherine's experience at Samford, she learned a lot of principles of the Princeton offense under head coach Mike Morris," Brodhead said. "She is a hard worker who fits our system and likes the same kind of players myself and Coach Jones recruit. She also cares about our kids and possesses the tangibles and intangibles to be a great coach. We are having a lot of fun offensively because of her and the knowledge that she brings. The sky is the limit with the offense this season."
Amber Gregg joined Coach Brodhead's staff after spending the past five seasons as the Director of Player Development for the Austin Elite basketball program. As a collegiate standout at UTSA from 2007-2011, Gregg averaged 13.4 points per game. During her career as a Roadrunner, Gregg was a three-time All-Southland Conference selection, leading UTSA to a pair of Southland Tournament championships and two Southland Tournament regular season titles. She left her mark at UTSA as the program's all-time three-point field goal leader (200) and is ranked ninth on the program's all-time scoring list with 1,143 points.
"Gregg was an all conference player at UTSA," Brodhead said. "I coached against her when she was an all-conference point guard for the Roadrunners. She has a great connection to the kids. She is able to get a feel for them and push them to work a bit harder, understand them and what they may be going through at a particular time. I can see us growing closer as a family and she's a reason for that. She is very knowledgeable with developing players.
"She has been working closely with me on the defensive side and we can help her become a better coach with the things on defense we are teaching her. She is picking it up very quickly. She can get the kids to talk more [on the floor] and her ability to relate to our players and what they go through on a daily basis is valuable."
Cajuns Director of Basketball Operations Mary Chris Vogt brings an impressive background to Louisiana, having worked for Hall of Fame coach Gary Blair for the past four seasons. While at Texas A&M, Vogt served a number of roles working as a camp director, a camp coach and an assistant video coordinator. She helped guide the Aggies to four NCAA Tournaments, an Elite Eight appearance, a Sweet 16 appearance and the 2013 SEC Tournament championship title.
"MC brings wealth of knowledge from Texas A&M," Brodhead said. "She is our organizational person, but she also wants to learn every day about the coaching aspect of the game. She has a challenging job and helps keep our program organized every day."
Season tickets for the 2015-16 campaign are available by calling the Cajundome ticket office at (337) 265-2100, or by emailing Director of Tickets, Matt Casbon at mcasbon@cajundome.com.
For more information on the Louisiana women's basketball program, fans can Like their Facebook page (/RaginCajunsWBB) or follow the team on Twitter (@RaginCajunsWBB).
Players Mentioned
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