The Book: Lady Cajuns 2005-06 basketball season

[CajunAmos]

Since they typically play the same teams (one at home and one away), you don't ever have to choose between them. Womens individual game tickets are $6 at the gate, and season tickets are $35. With six home games remaining, that will still save you a buck.

[BirdofParadise]

I'd give it a rest if I didn't care, but I do, so I can't. Again, I support the notion that permanently abandoning the team is not good, but temporarily it is, as hard as that is for you to understand. While this may not be true at all times and all places, I really feel like our women deserve the support better than our men. And since people in the town and university find it hard to support multiple programs, I say, support the women's team, they deserve it.

Also, I never said that not going to men's games would make them play better. That what you ASSumed. What I said was that the way they're playing right now doesn't deserve the level of support it's getting. Again, you never answered my question about what it says when we support a HORRIBLE men's team more than an EXCELLENT women's team that really deserves it. I still stand by my point that if the men's team/staff sees that we are willing to support less than excellence, they'll be better off than if they see a full crowd even when they play crappy.

As far as the atmosphere at Long versus the Cajundome, I agree to an extent. The Cajundome is a more professional place to play. But until we get crowds of greater than 7k at the Dome, Blackham and Long will always be better places to play. They are more intimidating to opponents because of the closeness of the fans, and the magnification of noise levels. In reference to the women's team, would you rather their crowds of 500 look and sound really good in Long, or look pathetic and insulting at the huge Dome?

In regards to your comment about baseball, versus softball, that's a whole different story. What I mean is that, both baseball and softball are good (softball is consistently "better") but they BOTH play hard and usually have solid fundamentals. That is the difference. While the baseball team is usually not at as high a level of success as the softball team, they work hard to earn our support. Men's basketball right now (not sure for how long) is absolutely horrible. It'd deserve more support if the record was horrible but they actually played like they knew how to play, or if they played with solid fundamentals. But, the way they're playing right now deserves no support save for the fact that we love them because they're a part of our university.

To make another analogy, when a university is promoting itself to a prospective student, you never heard them say "well this program is mediocre, but we love our university so we support it anyways and you should too!". While support of the whole university is always there, they usually try and emphasize the better respected higher ranked programs, and for good reason.

In the end, I could go on all day, and some of you might agree with me and some of you might not. Either way, I think I've said enough. What I hope happens is that our men's team gets back to where it needs to be.

God Bless
Geaux Cajuns

The best part about any post you made here in this thread is the part where you say that you've said enough.

You NEVER stop supporting a Cajun team if you're a Cajun fan. Not for ONE MINUTE.

[NewsCopy]

Coaches are, by nature, a cautious lot. So it was no surprise to hear the Louisiana Ragin' Cajun women's coach J. Kelley Hall describe last week's road trip into Alabama as simply "a good weekend" on Monday. The Cajuns beat South Alabama 60-56 last Thursday in Mobile, a place where they had lost in their last three visits by a total of 8 points. They then won on Saturday by 81-69 at Troy University, Hall's alma mater, which turned him down after a job interview four years ago. On top of that, the two victories improved the Cajuns to 13-3 and 3-1, returning them to a tie atop the Sun Belt Conference West Division. Good weekend? You could say that. "We got the North Texas game back," Hall said, referring to a 70-47 home loss to UNT on Jan. 7. "We're back in a tie for first. This team is still a work in progress, and I think it may have taken that (UNT) game to wake us up. "After North Texas, they realized they do need to listen in practice." The rest of the story Bruce Brown bbrown@theadvertiser.com

[NewsCopy]

Now that the Louisiana Ragin' Cajun women are in the thick of another Sun Belt Conference basketball race, it's time to bring the campaign into sharper focus. Coach J. Kelley Hall and his staff did that last week, deciding which players would carry the load and tinkering with the team's attack to best fit the personnel. The result was a pair of road wins at South Alabama and Troy University, improving the Cajuns to 13-3 and 3-1 in league play. "When you play your non-conference games, you find out who your best players are - what they can do, what they give you," Hall said. "Then you try to get it down to a seven or eight-person rotation. We're at seven right now." Yolanda Jones, Onna Charles, Alicia McDaniel, Sonora Edwards and senior point guard Ashley Blanche are the UL starters, joined by senior center Sherita Anderson and guard Janenne Colbert. The others have their roles, but Hall will attack the rest of the Sun Belt campaign with those seven. The rest of the story Bruce Brown bbrown@theadvertiser.com

[NewsCopy]

Tuesday was a long day for Onna Charles. That was the day the University of Louisiana began the spring semester and it wasn't easy to jump back into the routine of classes for the sophomore from New Iberia. This is also an intense week of practice for Charles and her teammates on the Ragin' Cajun women's basketball squad, which adds to the challenge. "It's not easy," Charles said. "We've had a long break, so we've been able to stay up late, sleep and get up at noon, if we want to, for a 2 o'clock practice. "Some of us have classes that started at 8. I was yawning in class today. The day is actually very long. You have to go to sleep earlier and get back to normal, and that takes a couple of days. "In that first week you get used to your classes. We're already in chapter one in one of my classes." "I actually think it helps the players to get back into a routine," assistant coach Bill Damuth said. "It helps them to be in class." The Cajuns don't play again until a Saturday visit to Miami to play Florida International, and coach J. Kelley Hall is using the opportunity to work his team. "We're going hard (for) three days this week," Hall said. The rest of the story Bruce Brown bbrown@theadvertiser.com

[NewsCopy]

It's hard not to circle Jan. 28 on the calendar. Obviously, that's the only home game for the Louisiana Ragin' Cajun women for the rest of this month, and the sole chance to see UL at Earl K. Long Gym until Feb. 9. Coach J. Kelley Hall's squad is in the middle of a brutal road swing, with the closest away game next Monday at UNO. But there's an added punch to the Jan. 28 contest, with the Western Kentucky Lady Toppers coming to town. WKU's Tiffany Porter-Talbert was named the Preseason Player of the Year in the league, a logical follow-up to her being named the Player of the Year for the 2005 season with 17.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game for the East Division champions. She's currently at 16.1 points and 8.4 rebounds for a WKU squad that is 11-5 overall but 1-2 in league play, while teammate Crystal Kelly's 21.2-point average paces SBC scorers. As a junior college transfer, UL's Yolanda Jones was nowhere to be seen on the preseason list. But she was also coming from national junior college champion Trinity Valley and she had credentials. It's becoming apparent that Jones will be a force to be reckoned with in the Sun Belt race, as well as in individual awards handed out at season's end. The rest of the story Bruce Brown bbrown@theadvertiser.com

[NewsCopy]

If this is a preview of the Sun Belt Conference championship, Louisiana coach J. Kelley Hall would gladly accept a rematch on March 7 in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Hall's Ragin' Cajuns are 13-3 overall and lead the West Division with a 3-1 record. Florida International stands atop the East at 11-6, 4-1 after Thursday's 87-51 dismantling of visiting New Orleans. All eyes will be on Miami when the two leaders tangle at 4 p.m. today in the 5,000-seat Pharmed Arena on the FIU campus. It's a matchup of a program on the rise - UL - against a perennial power in the league in FIU. While Hall is one win away from the school record for coaching wins at 56-46 in his fourth year, the Panthers' Cindy Russo has 545 victories in her 27th year at the FIU helm. The Cajuns won the West last year, while the Panthers' last division title came in 2001-02 as Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee have grappled for the top in the East in recent years. Louisiana has won the last three meetings, including 68-58 in Miami last season and 61-60 in the 2005 Sun Belt Tournament at North Texas, which should make for an unfriendly reception today. The rest of the story Bruce Brown bbrown@theadvertiser.com

[NewsCopy]

Say this for the Louisiana Ragin' Cajun women - when they lose, they leave no doubt. The Cajuns ran into an inspired Florida International squad last Saturday and dropped a 72-47 decision in a matchup of Sun Belt Conference division leaders. It was the second league defeat for Louisiana, echoing a 70-47 home loss to North Texas. "We couldn't make a shot," said coach J. Kelley Hall, whose team was in position to win after closing within 31-29 of the Panthers at halftime. "I thought we were in good shape, because we had done that (rally) to them in the past. I thought we had weathered the storm. The rest of the story Bruce Brown bbrown@theadvertiser.com

[NewsCopy]

NEW ORLEANS - Once the Louisiana Ragin' Cajun women got their transition game going, they raced past the New Orleans Privateers for a 70-46 Sun Belt Conference victory here Monday night at the "Chamber of Horrors" gym on the UNO campus. The victory tied coach J. Kelley Hall with Ross Cook for the most coaching wins at the school with 57 apiece, but bouncing back after last Saturday's road loss to Florida International was just as important to the visitors. "This was a must-win game for us," said Yolanda Jones, who led the Cajuns with 19 points and 10 rebounds. "I'm not saying we knew we would win, but it was a big one for us. We need to win at least six road games." It was the third win in four road games for the Cajuns in Sun Belt play, equalling last season's three league wins away from Earl K. Long Gym en route to the West Division title. It was certainly preferable to the 72-47 loss at FIU. "After a bad game, it's important to come back and redeem yourself," said senior point guard Ashley Blanche, who had 12 points, four assists and just one turnover. "It was sort of a must win. We don't want to lose on the road, but if we do, we definitely want to win the next one." The rest of the story Bruce Brown bbrown@theadvertiser.com

[NewsCopy]

That aura around Whitney Dunlap on Monday night was the light bulb clicking on. Dunlap came to the University of Louisiana with lofty credentials as a deadeye shooter from Bishop Sullivan High (now St. Michael) in Baton Rouge, but the 5-foot-8 guard has battled the learning curve in her first season with the Ragin' Cajuns. So when she scored 10 points in UL's 70-46 thrashing of the New Orleans Privateers, hitting 4-of-9 shots including a pair of 3-pointers, it was a breath of fresh air. "At the beginning of the season," Dunlap said, "my confidence was not good. My shot wasn't falling. With that game Monday, I think I showed that I can contribute." "I said last week that I hadn't given up on Whitney," coach J. Kelley Hall said. "I know she can help us. With shooters, you just have to let them keep shooting. She can be a real weapon off the bench. "I was glad to see that on Monday. That's the kind of kid I thought I would get when we recruited her. I hopes it gets her confidence going." But there's more to the game than shooting, especially playing for the defensive-minded Hall. The last thing the Cajuns say in breaking each huddle, in fact, is "defense." "I had to pick up the defense we run," Dunlap said. "There was a lot to learn. You have to learn where to be on the floor. The rest of the story Bruce Brown bbrown@theadvertiser.com

[NewsCopy]

Maybe next time, the shot will count. Louisiana's Ashley Blanche swished a 16-foot jumper with less than a second to play Thursday night in Murfreesboro, but it came too late, allowing Middle Tennessee to escape with a nail-biting 69-68 victory over the Ragin' Cajuns in the rematch of last year's Sun Belt Conference Tournament finals. "I kind of wish it wouldn't have gone in, so I could get some sleep tonight," said Blanche. "She was about .2 seconds off," UL coach J. Kelley Hall said. The visiting Ragin' Cajuns, who trailed 40-28 early and 42-34 at halftime, rallied in the second half to tie the game at 65 on a pair of Yolanda Jones free throws. Then, with 27 seconds remaining, Jeanenne Colbert nailed a 3-point basket off a Blanche assist for a 68-67 UL lead. Krystle Horton's two free throws put the Blue Raiders back up at the 12-second mark, and the Cajuns took a timeout with 8 seconds remaining to set up a final shot. The rest of the story Bruce Brown bbrown@theadvertiser.com

[bigguill]

Hey, we should all try to get out on Saturday and support our ladies as they take on Western Kentucky. Its been a while since I've been to a women's game, so I think it'll be fun. Maybe we can pack out the gym.

[El Sidonio]

I agree. These girls are the hardest working hardest playin bunch I've seen. As small as Long gym is, it'd be nice to pack every game. I guarantee you if people would go to a packed game there, it'd be the hottest ticket in town. Just ask those of us who were there for the home finale last season where we beat Arkansas St. on a last second shot by Ashley Blanche. Place was packed, noisiest game men's or women's that i've ever been too. Was a friggin madhouse.

See y'all there Saturday.

God Bless
Geaux Cajuns

p.s.- nothing like a stellar women's team and a packed EK Long gym to cure the men's basketball blues

[CRAWFISH61]

North Texas was the first game my family attended. Although they had a rough night, it still was a great evening. My girls had a great time cheering on other girls instead of men. My youngest girl plays basketball and she loved all the action. I have invited a group of friends and we should be at least 10 strong. You should experience a game at Earl K. Long.

[CajunCharlie]

Hey, we should all try to get out on Saturday and support our ladies as they take on Western Kentucky. Its been a while since I've been to a women's game, so I think it'll be fun. Maybe we can pack out the gym.

A word of advice, BQ since this is your first game in while.[B]GET THERE EARLY[B]if you want a decent viewing seat. It is going to be jammed. I mean [B]JAMMED[B]. Also, the noise level is going to something you have not witnessed in some time. I just wish we could have that atmosphere at the Dome. To boot, the atmosphere will be even better since we are playing WKU. ENJOY!!