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- Category: AthleticsCampus News
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, PA - The names and head coach may be different, but the expectations for Lincoln University women’s basketball team remain lofty as ever.
Coming off the best season in school history, the Lions turn to head coach Janice Washington to keep the train rolling toward a Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) crown.
- 2021-22 Lincoln University Women's Basketball Roster
- 2020-21 Lincoln University Women's BasketballlSchedule
She will have an experienced team to depend on, but she is also quick to out she only has three players with extensive experience playing in the CIAA.
“We’ve been working pretty hard throughout the preseason to get them accustomed to, not only a new coach and new system but also continuously reminding them that the expectations remain high with regards to the ability for them to come in and work hard on a day in and day out basis,” said Washington.
“Our goal is to play nine to 10 deep,” Washington added. “There hasn’t been a week where we haven’t moved someone in the group of potential starters.”
Two of those players, Bryanna Brown (New York, N.Y./Bishop Loughlin/NYACK) and Joy Morton (Yeadon, Pa./Penn Wood/Harford C.C.), returned for a fifth season, while Shantel Cheeks (Washington, D.C./Rock Creek Christian Academy/Harcum College) returns to the team after sitting out the 2020-21 season
Brown, a preseason All-CIAA honoree, led the team in scoring during the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season. She averaged 10.0 points while shooting a team-high 30.4 percent from beyond the arc and was second on the team with 5.8 rebounds. She was the team’s top three-point shooter in 2019-20, making 36.2 percent of her long-range attempts.
Morton was second on the team with 7.8 points despite being fifth in minutes played. Almost half of her points were from the free-throw line as she converted 15-of-17 in the shortened season.
“Joy and Bry Brown have done a good job from a leadership standpoint of just constantly communicating with the group,” said Washington. “I am really excited about the group and seeing everything we have been working on put together once we get to games.”
Cheeks played in 28 games for the Lions in 2019-20, averaging 5.7 points and 3.4 rebounds. Junior Shakira Edwards and sophomore Janya Lilly were also on the 2019-20 team.
As the lone CIAA team to play in any games last season, the Lions got a jumpstart on assimilating the players into playing with each other as Lincoln retained five transfers from the shortened season.
As a former point guard, Washington expects a lot out of the position and will have some youth to guide to where she wants them.
“They run the ship,” said Washington. “We expect them to see what is going and control the flow of the game. We have weekly point guard meetings that go into the weeds of being a point guard.”
True freshman Ciani Montgomery and freshman Jaleesa Lanier could see the bulk of the minutes, but you can expect University of Hartford transfer Jade Young and Saint Peter’s University transfer Briyanah Richardson to bring some experience to the key backcourt position.
Both Young and Richardson are also expected to play pivotal minutes on the wings. Richardson was third on the team in scoring with 6.8 points last season, while Young struggled through injuries that limited her minutes and effectiveness.
Brown, Edwards, Lilly, Manhattan University transfer Kania Pollock, and true freshman De’aisjah Somerville will join Young and Richardson in the fight for the minutes on the wings.
Morton will be joined by Cheeks and Alderson Broaddus transfer Jeana Weatherspoon at the stretch position. Weatherspoon averaged 15.5 minutes for the Lions last season after earning second-team all-conference honors at Alderson Broaddus in 2019-20.
“That is where the majority of our experience is at in terms of just playing, basketball IQ, athleticism,” said Washington. “Those three kids can play on the perimeter and can play on the inside. They are athletic enough to get the job done from a defensive perspective.”
Senior Kryshell Gordy, a transfer from Shippensburg, led the team last season with 10.8 rebounds and tallied 80 percent of the team’s blocked shots. Freshman Maya Walker and true freshman Taylor Brown will push for minutes in the post.
Lincoln, which CIAA coaches and sports information personnel picked to finish second in the Northern Division, opens the season 8 p.m. Friday against Millersville as part of the CIAA/PSAC Challenge.
