The Book: Lady Cajuns 2005-06 basketball season

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South Alabama's basketball team has already wrapped up the Sun Belt West Division title and will take a No. 1 seed into next week's league tournament at Murfreesboro, Tenn., but there's still another accomplishment dangling in front of the Jaguars tonight at the Mitchell Center. With a victory over North Texas, South Alabama will post the program's best regular-season record in 25 years. The 1981 Jaguars under Cliff Ellis were 22-4 during the regular season and finished the year 25-6. "I didn't know that," fourth-year coach John Pelphrey said as South Alabama enters tonight's contest. "For me as a coach, that's not so important, but for the players they want to win as many games as possible. Everybody wants to be remembered for something and that would be another accomplishment for this team. "But I think there's some other things to play for, too. We could wind up with the best record in the conference if we win and Western Kentucky loses to Florida International. Couple that with it being Senior Day and it makes it a big game. These guys have a lot of pride and want to go out and play their best in their last home game." With such incentives, South Alabama (20-6, 11-3) won't be looking ahead to next week's league tournament when it faces North Texas (14-12, 6-8) at 8:05 in the second game of a doubleheader. The USA women meet North Texas at 6 p.m., with the West Division title riding on the outcome. The rest of the story By KIM SHUGART

[Turbine]

The job coach Hall has done this year with the car wreck and Ashley Blanche breaking an arm and a leg . . . WOW


Nothing short of amazing. I read the game last night was a nip-tuck finish.
55-53 LOUISIANA

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If Louisiana's Ragin' Cajun women didn't get busy, they faced a rough road at the upcoming Sun Belt Conference Basketball Tournament. Coach J. Kelley Hall's squad trailed visiting Arkansas-Little Rock 49-42 on a Laura Throesch jumper with 6:51 remaining in Saturday's season finale at Earl K. Long Gym. If that kept up, the Cajuns would have slid all the way to the No. 4 seed from the West Division and a first-round game on Thursday. But UL refused to lose, as the Cajuns held the Trojans scoreless for 4:04 and went on a defense-fueled 11-0 run to grab a 53-49 lead. UALR forged a tie at 53 apiece, but Sonora Edwards' two free throws with 35 seconds remaining gave Louisiana a hard-earned 55-53 triumph. "Time was running out," said point guard Ashley Blanche, who played her final UL home game with fellow senior Sherita Anderson. "We told ourselves the time is now, and we started to pick it up on defense The rest of the story Bruce Brown bbrown@theadvertiser.com

[Cajun1997]

2 straight winning seasons, Coach Hall, staff and team are doing something right. This season proves last season was no fluke.

[CRAWFISH61]

This is the first year that I attended women's basketball games. Coach Hall and his basketball team are fantastic entertainment. They play hard and go all out at all times. The atmosphere at Earl K Long is great. I want to thank the team for all of the hard work and persaverance. They worked through a tragic car crash and the injury of Ashely Blanche. I especially want to thank Ashely for the effort she put in during her career as a Cajun. She is one of the best players ever to put on a uniform for the Cajuns. Thanks once again to the whole staff and team.

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The Louisiana Lady Cajuns aren't likely to win the upcoming Sun Belt Conference Basketball Tournament. It's hard to win tournaments when you shoot 36.7 percent as a team and go roughly seven deep. That title will probably go to Western Kentucky or host Middle Tennessee, since those two programs have been the best in the league this season. Drawing Middle in Saturday's quarterfinals is no joy, either, although UL played the Blue Raiders to a 69-68 game earlier this season in Murfreesboro. No matter the finish, this Cajun squad has been a special one for its heart and grit. It has also put together an 18-9 record and plays defense like none other in the Sun Belt. Paired with last year's 22-9 West Division title season, Louisiana has equalled the best back-to-back seasons in school history. Jim Izard went 18-10 in 1982-83 and Ross Cook followed with 22-6. Forty wins in two seasons? The Cajuns won 44 games in the 1990s combined, so this is a big deal, and it's no accident. The rest of the story Bruce Brown bbrown@theadvertiser.com

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. . . Jones, the Sun Belt's leading rebounder and the league's third-leading scorer, was also relegated to the second team in the women's selections. The junior was named as the league's Newcomer of the Year - the only player nominated for that honor - but Ragin' Cajun coach J. Kelley Hall didn't appreciate the first-team snub. "I'm very disappointed that people who are supposed to know what they're doing voted her second team," Hall said. "That's pretty immature on some voters' parts. I think the league should make the votes public ... people should be held accountable for how they vote." Jones averaged 18.0 points per game, 18.5 in league play, and topped the league by a wide margin in rebounding with a 10.9 average. She had the league's top two individual rebounding games this season including 20 against LSU-Shreveport and 19 against New Orleans. More importantly, the Lumberton, N.C., product and transfer from national champion Trinity Valley Community College led a team that had only one full-time returning starter to an 18-9 overall record and to a tie for second place in the Sun Belt's West Division. The rest of the story Dan McDonald dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com

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MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - J. Kelley Hall knows the task that lies ahead. The University of Louisiana has never taken a women's basketball victory over Middle Tennessee ... home, road, tournament, doesn't matter. Oh-for-nine all-time. Middle's won two straight Sun Belt Tournament titles, winning the last two championship games by an average of over 18 points. Last year's finale was a 67-52 win over the Ragin' Cajuns. MT knocked off a No. 4 and No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament first-round the last two years. The Blue Raiders' only loss at home this season was to nationally-ranked Georgia back in November. Did we mention they'll be playing at home, in the familiar surroundings of the Murphy Center, when the Cajuns and the Raiders meet in today's 11 a.m. quarterfinal? "We got a tough draw," Hall said after his team's Thursday practice here. "We've got the host team, and everyone knows what Middle's done the last couple of years." But Hall's charges didn't get to 18 wins and an 18-9 record by throwing in many towels, and all he has to do is remind them of the two teams' meeting on MT's court this year. The rest of the story Dan McDonald dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com

[Turbine]

Appreciate and respect what you have been through, throughout this year. Coach Hall and staff did a wonderful job. (Is everyone under contract? I hope so)

I guess the loss of Colbert in the last game of the season underscores what the whole year was like.

MT beats Lady Cajuns 84-58

Looking forward to a heathy 2006-07 and maintaining the new standard (last 2 years) of averaging 20 wins.

[DaddyCajun]

Appreciate and respect what you have been through, throughout this year. Coach Hall and staff did a wonderful job. (Is everyone under contract? I hope so)

I guess the loss of Colbert in the last game of the season underscores what the whole year was like.

MT beats Lady Cajuns 84-58

Looking forward to a heathy 2006-07 and maintaining the new standard (last 2 years) of averaging 20 wins.

Ditto, Turbine, I too would like to thank Coach Hall(x2) and their asst. as well as ALL the LADY Cajuns who worked so hard through so much adversity this season. The team not only works hard they play hard and I for many appreciate that a WHOLE bunch!!!!!!!

Coach Hall lets meet soon to get on the court-side seating!! Lets get a Rebounders club started, etc and start a process by which to pre-sell the court side seats NOW and get them ordered and in so you can have the recruiting monies and I and others can have their seats.


Thanks,
DaddyCajun

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MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Jeanenne Colbert was walking really, really slowly toward the University of Louisiana's bus. "I feel a little better," she said, but she didn't look any better. That's what dehydration, two instances of throwing up on the sidelines and an IV will do. What it also did was provide one final example of the Ragin' Cajuns' season-long struggle with injuries and absences at the point guard slot. Colbert played only six minutes Saturday in the Cajuns' season-ending 84-58 loss to Middle Tennessee in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. A bout with the flu earlier in the week returned with a vengeance at the worst possible time. "When she ran off the floor in pregame," said Cajun coach J. Kelley Hall, "I thought we were in trouble." Five weeks earlier, the Cajuns had lost a 69-68 decision to Middle here in Murfreesboro, with Colbert getting a then-career-high 22 points and senior Ashley Blanche hitting a jumper just after the horn that would have meant an upset win. The rest of the story Dan McDonald dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com

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Jones, a junior for the Ragin' Cajuns, averaged 18.1 points and 10.9 rebounds per game and was named the Sun Belt Conference's Newcomer of the Year and earned second-team All-SBC honors. BATON ROUGE -- LSU's guard Seimone Augustus and head coach Pokey Chatman headline the 2005-06 All-Louisiana College Women's Basketball team announced Friday by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association. Augustus, a 6-1 senior for the Lady Tigers, earned the Louisiana Player of the Year honor for the third straight year, while Chatman, a second-year head coach at LSU, was named Louisiana Coach of the Year for the second straight season. UL-Lafayette's Yolanda Jones was named the Newcomer of the Year, while New Orleans' Jada Frazier and Louisiana Tech's Eboni Mangum received co-Freshmen of the Year honors. Augustus was joined on the five-member First-team All-Louisiana selection by teammate Sylvia Fowles, Louisiana Tech's Tasha Williams and Aarica Ray-Boyd and UL's Jones. The rest of the story

[DaddyCajun]

Congrats Yolanda, great year and I feel next year will be that much better for you.

Coach, any signings coming up? I know names can't be mentioned but how about some positions, maybe some stats?


Thanks for another great season,
DaddyCajun