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i i . i rt .“We just didn’t have the depth, but to get to 20 wins … if you had told
me before the season that we’d get to 20 wins, I would have told you that
you were crazy. You just couldn’t measure the heart, and those kids had
heart.”
Now Brooks and his staff face the next challenge—sustaining last
season’s success—and that may be an even tougher task than molding
last year’s team.
Life without Vanessa Panousis, Sami Hill, Sydney Cook and Tara
Nahodil begins, as those four combined for 32.9 points, 16.0 rebounds
and 4.0 assists per game last season. Panousis left as Tech’s all-time
leader in 3-point field goals (269) and free-throwpercentage (84.6),
and she also finished in the top 10 at Tech in career scoring
(1,379) and assists (341).
Not only do the Hokies lose all that production, but
they also lose the experience and the leadership from
the trio. In fact, those four played in more than 400
games combined in their careers at Tech. In contrast,
the rest of the Hokies’ returning roster hasn’t even
played in 300.
Yet the cupboard isn’t exactly bare. Tech returns
its leading scorer from the 2016-17 season and its
leading rebounder, and both Chanette Hicks and
Regan Magarity serve as catalysts for the Hokies’
2017-18 hopes.
Magarity—already named the team’s
captain—returns after a breakout season
in which she nearly averaged a double-
double, coming in at 13.5 points and 9.6
rebounds per game. The 6-foot-3 post
player set a Tech single-season record
with 316 rebounds, and she finished
with 15 double-doubles, including a school-
record seven in a row at one stretch.
“I’ve had three WNBA draft picks and three
more that have gone on to WNBA camps—and
she’s as good as any of them,” Brooks said. “She’s
very skilled. She’s been taught the game a certain way.
We’re trying to give her a little different flair to where
she can do different things—like a Dirk Nowitski [of
the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks]. She’s smarter than most.
She may not be as athletic as most, but she can out-smart
them with angles and fakes and stuff like that.
“I knew she was a good player by her numbers, but I
didn’t know she was this good of a player. If I had 10 of her,
I’d be in business.”
As for Hicks, she isn’t far from that level herself. The junior point
guard led Tech in scoring at 16.1 points per game last season, and she
also dished out 178 assists— the most ever by a Tech sophomore.
She also made a name for herself as a defender, registering a Tech
single-season record 123 steals. She ranks third on Tech’s all-time
list for career steals—a mark she should break this season, barring
something unforeseen.
That said, Brooks wants to see improvement from Hicks.
“I’ve never had a point guard as athletic as Chanette, but I also need
her to be one of the better point guards I’ve had,” Brooks said. “I’ve told
her that. She’s the most athletic point guard in the ACC. I need her to
be one of the best point guards in the ACC, and that’s not only taking
care of herself, but that’s taking care of her teammates—setting up her
teammates, encouraging her teammates and being a leader on the floor.”
The other major contributor returning for the Hokies is someone
whom Brooks knows quite well—his daughter, Kendyl. Last season, he
wanted her to take a redshirt year, but the Hokies’ lack of depth forced his
hand, and she wound up surprising everyone.
TAYLOR
EMERY
5-10, G, Jr.
Freedom High/Gulf Coast State College
Tampa, Florida
•
Chose Tech over Oklahoma State and
Ole Miss
•
Was the national junior college player of
the year in 2016-17
•
Averaged 19 points per game in her lone
season at Gulf Coast State
•
Spent a season at Tulane (6.2 ppg) before
transferring to Gulf Coast State
MEET
THE
NEWCOMERS
CELESTE
AKORO
6-2, C, Fr.
O’Fallon Township High
O’Fallon, Illinois
•
Chose Tech after originally committing
to Buffalo
•
Missed her senior season with an injury
•
Averaged 7 points and 6 rebounds as a
junior, but led the area with 115 blocked
shots
•
Averaged 11.3 points and eight rebounds
as a sophomore, with 103 blocks
AISHA
SHEPPARD
5-9, G, Fr.
St. John’s College High
Alexandria, Virginia
•
Chose Tech over Virginia, Syracuse,
Louisville and Dayton
•
Listed as the No. 34 prospect in the nation
by ESPN HoopGurlz
•
Averaged 13.7 points per game as a senior
and was named The Washington Post’s
Player of the Year
•
Averaged 14.1 points per game as a junior,
earning second-team all-state honors
SIERRA
VOTAW
6-1, F, Fr.
Harrells Christian High
Harrells, North Carolina
•
A three-star recruit by ESPN HoopGurlz
•
Played for the East team in the N.C.
Private School All-Star Basketball Game
•
Named the Player of the Year in the
Coastal Rivers Conference as a senior
ALEXIS
JEAN
6-1, F, Jr.
Treasure Coast High/
Palm Beach State College
Port St. Lucie, Florida
•
Averaged 19.6 points and 9.8 rebounds
per game at Palm Beach State College
in 2016-17
•
A first-team National Junior College Athletic
Association All-American
•
The 2016-17 Southern Conference
Player of the Year
•
Played one season at Kennesaw State
(3.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg)
Continued on page 20