With the 2017-18 women’s basketball season around the corner, UMass Lowell Head Coach Jenerrie Harris and her program have an excitement brewing as the squad enters its first year being post-season eligible after the four-year Division I transition.
"It's exciting to be around campus right now with the fall teams either in their tournaments, or getting ready to compete," commented Harris. "We're excited to be a part of it and can't wait to get started."
This year’s River Hawks will have a new look as the team has eight new faces on the court, including six freshmen. The group includes three players from overseas as Linda Svenne (Riga, Latvia), Paula Lopez (Leon, Spain) and Saiorse Power-Cassidy (Dublin, Ireland) become Harris’ first three international players.
Other newcomers include junior college transfers Angel Agoth (Rochester, Minn.) and Cierra Stanciel (Chicago, Ill.) and three more true freshmen: Katie McKie (Austin, Texas), Kierra Jackson (Pikesville, Md.) and Jennifer Louro (Belmar, N.J.).
"The internationals bring a basketball IQ and a great understanding of the game, and how to be a couple plays ahead," remarked the veteran head coach. "They also bring this new flavor of excitement to the program, and when they play it means something to them, and it is contagious.
"We have a lot of new faces and it should be a fun year watching everyone grow," continued Harris. "We have a special group of young women that each bring something different and which makes us unique and adds to our depth."
Harris sees seven players return from last year, including senior Kayla Gibbs and juniors Oda Shackelford (5.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg) and Katherine Smith (4.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg).
Gibbs enters her final season as the team’s leading scorer (12.0 ppg) and rebounder (8.4 rpg) in 2016-17.
Last season, the Teaneck, N.J. native led the America East in rebounding and field goal percentage, and currently has 837 points, 547 rebounds, shooting 58.3 percent in her career.
Megan Hendrick is the team’s leading returning underclassman, as the sophomore averaged 7.3 points, scoring over 200 points in her rookie campaign.
The River Hawks will prepare for their first America East tournament with a 29-game slate, highlighted by non-conference contests against Massachusetts and Texas Tech. UMass Lowell plays 15 games in Lowell, beginning with the home opener at the Tsongas Center against Holy Cross on November 12.
"Our players are eager to compete and excited for any challenge that comes our way," commented Harris. "Our players have shown a lot of mental and physical toughness throughout the summer and I know it'll carry over to this upcoming season. Our non-conference schedule will be challenging with quite a few road trips, which includes our season opener at URI.
"A couple other highlights will be a road trip to Texas and a multi-game trip down to New Jersey. We're also excited to host quite a few home games, which includes our home opener against Holy Cross and a contest against Massachusetts before the Christmas break. It'll be a good test for us to play some of the local teams and it's a great way for the River Hawk community to get involved."
America East play tips off with a road tilt against Vermont on February 3, followed by the conference home opener against Hartford on Jan 10 at the Tsongas Center.
The Maine Black Bears come to Lowell for the River Hawk’s fourth annual Health and Fitness Field Trip Day on January 31 with the traditional 11 a.m. tip.
With such a young squad, Harris is relying on her veteran leadership to be there every step of the way in 2017-18, on and off the court. She has named Gibbs and Brianna Rudolph as the team’s captains.
"As leaders they are certainly able to contain a pulse of the team," commented Harris. "They both bring something different to the title of captain. Kayla will be the hardest worker out there, while Bri will be like another coach on the court and in the locker room."
