Women's Basketball Preview Part 2: The Frontcourt

LAFAYETTE – Being physical and tough defensively can set the tone in any game and it shows a team's opponents that they're not going to have an easy day and that the ice packs better be on stand-by.

For the Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team and their front court of experienced and tough bigs, that's exactly what they bring to every game and it's an important factor of what should make Louisiana's front court a force all season long.

"We want to be a force to be reckoned with and to establish our presence in every game," said associate head coach Deacon Jones. "No team we play should be confident in the paint, instead they need to fear us down there."

The Cajuns are lead down low by some experience players that'll go a long way to creating the dominance that head coach Garry Brodhead and his staff are looking for.

They're lead by senior Simone Fields, who was named to the Sun Belt Conference Preseason All-Conference First Team and she's been a force for the Cajuns for the past three seasons as she sits only 28 points away from 1,000 points in her career.

"We want to work inside-out and we need to get Fields her touches," said Jones. "She's a career 60 percent shooter and its key for us to get her involved."

But Fields isn't the only piece that's important for the Cajuns, they're returning several other players that played key roles for the Cajuns last season. Senior Nekia Jones, who only played half of the 2016-17 season, is a top-notch ball handler for the Cajuns and her ability to draw in a defense and find the open shooter is something that can't be taught.

Joining Jones and Fields is freshman Ty'Reonne Doucet and sophomores Brittney Myles and Kimberly Burton. The two sophomores have a year under their belt and know exactly what the Cajuns need to be successful through the season.

"Coach tells us two things at practice, rebound and box-out," said Myles. "They want us to post hard as well which'll open things up for the guards. Most of the focus is going to be on us so that'll help us clear the lanes and open things up for those guards to make plays."

What makes the experience down low for the Cajuns even more important is the youth they have in the back court with their guards this season. It means that the Cajuns will need to rely on their experienced bigs to help bring along their guards.

"It's important for us to teach the guards," said Burton. "So that when we get later in the season we'll all be on the same page and our guards will be deep with plenty of experience when conference play begins."

Louisiana's tough physical play, is counter-acted by the fast-paced offense that they play, looking to get up and down playing a type of small ball that allows them to run teams out of the gym creating havoc on both ends of the court.

"It helps that we've got bigs that can run the court in our offense," said Jones. "We like to play in transition and when we get down there our bigs can go sit in the paint and the guards can find them with the pass for an easy bucket."

That transitional offense is started by the Cajuns hard press that they put on teams, that also means that they need to be ready to take charges and to slow down the other team's own fast break if they get past the Cajuns press.

"Coach Brodhead asks us to take a lot of charges," said Myles. "He wants us to be physical defensively, so I just tell myself I need to make it happened and to just do it. I have to be there to help and I tell myself exactly to make sure that I get there defensively."

The Cajuns might be smaller in the front court then other teams, but that only helps them when they play the physical defense they play and then turn that into a fast-paced break away that results in a basket by a big that's run the length of the court.

"Everybody on the team is quick and it helps us move the ball up and down the court," said Burton. "It plays a big part in our transition style of offense that we like to run. If everybody can get free and run it's good for us to get them free to move."

And getting free they have been, the Cajuns have played two exhibition games in the preseason, and in both their bigs showed exactly what they'll bring every night for the Cajuns.

In their first game against LSU-Alexandria, Fields finished second on the team in scoring with 14 points and she lead the team with nine rebounds. Burton was right behind her with seven boards as the Cajuns set the tone early and often out-scoring the Generals in the paint 42-22.

The second game against the Xavier University of Louisiana saw the bigs show up even more, with Docuet leading the team in scoring finishing with 14 points on a perfect 6 for 6 shooting performance. While Fields finished with a double-double scoring 12 points and she grabbed 11 boards. Once again, the Cajuns dominated down low out-rebounding and out-scoring their opponent in the paint.

"We need to go out and rebound and we need to own the paint, the paint, it has to be ours," said Jones. "Rome wasn't built in a day so we aren't trying to get it done in one day, but we're going to build it game-by-game and by the time conference comes we want to be where we should be."

If the two games the Cajuns have played so far are any indication of what to expect from the Louisiana front court, they might get what they want built a bit faster than the Romans did. Their physical defense and ability to run just about any team's front court out of the gym will be key for the Cajuns success this season as they look to make a run at the conference title.

Women's Basketball Preview Part 2: The Frontcourt

Players Mentioned

Kimberly Burton

Ty'Reona Doucet

Simone Fields

Nekia Jones

Brittney Myles

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University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics