Hens Hoopla tips off new basketball season

3:40 p.m., Oct. 18, 2006--A strong contingent of University of Delaware basketball fans, including students and members of the community, turned out for Hens Hoopla on Friday evening at the Bob Carpenter Center as the Fightin' Blue Hens men's and women's teams opened practice for the 2006-07 season.

The event, organized by the Cockpit student spirit organization, featured performances by YoUDee and the UD cheerleaders and dance team, the introduction of players and practice sessions by the teams.

Tina Martin, head coach of the women's basketball team, encouraged fans to fill The Bob for both men's and women's games. She said the women's team is playing the most challenging schedule in the history of the program, and challenged UD fans to turn out in force for the Colonial Athletic Association women's championship tournament that will be held here for the first time from March 8-11.

The women's team will open its season at home, facing Villanova University of the Big East Conference at 1 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 12. They will then travel to Boston College of the Atlantic Coast Conference for a game Nov. 14 before flying to the West Coast where they will meet the nationally ranked University of Kentucky in the opening round of the University of San Francisco Tournament on Nov. 24.

The CAA is ranked No. 8 among the nation's NCAA Division I conferences for women's basketball and features powerhouse Old Dominion University, which is ranked in the top 20 in at least one preseason poll.

Martin's team returns CAA defensive player of the year Tyresa Smith, point guard Alena Koshansky, guard Melissa Czorniewy, who is battling back problems, forward Chrissy Fisher and center Courtney Irving. Friday, fans got to see the Hens' three talented transfer players in guard Kyle DeHaven, from the College of William & Mary, forward Kristina Gineitis of George Washington University and guard Jamie Mundy of Georgetown University.

Monté Ross, the new head coach of the men's basketball team, complimented Martin for her work and said he hopes to lift the men's program to a point where it can play a similarly challenging schedule. He said he would like UD fans to fill The Bob and make it one of the best home courts in the CAA, promising his teams will play hard, play smart and play efficiently.

The Hens will open their season at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 14, with a game against Marist College at The Bob. They will play a schedule that includes 2006 NCAA Final Four participant George Mason University of the CAA, which also is one of the top-ranked conferences in men's basketball. George Mason will visit Newark on Feb. 14 as the conference schedule winds down in advance of the CAA championship tournament to be held March 2-5 at the Richmond Coliseum.

The men's team returns guard Calvin Cannon, junior forward Herb Courtney and sophomore point guard Zaire Taylor, who was named to the CAA all-rookie team last season. Joining the team are freshmen Brian Johnson, a point guard from powerhouse Mount Saint Joseph High School in Baltimore expected to press for playing time, and Darrell Johnson of Howard High School in Wilmington.

Hens Hoopla activities also included a “Wing War” eating contest sponsored by Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, a three-point shooting contest pitting students against team members, and a half-court “Shoot for Books” event in which a Cockpit member sank an unlikely shot to earn money for books from the University Bookstore.

Article by Neil Thomas
Photos by Kevin Quinlan

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