This is the second installment of a three-part series.
With less than a week away from the 2009-10 basketball season tipping off, TarletonSports.com will take a closer look at the upcoming season for the TexAnns over the next three days. Thursday's preview will be of the forwards.
The TexAnns return three forwards from a team that went 16-12 overall and 7-5 in the Lone Star Conference South Division last season. Head coach Ronnie Hearne welcomes back sophomores Tori Skarke, Brittany Coleman and Morgan Stehling, and introduces junior transfer Shedera Bowman. Jenna Simmel-Harris, a transfer from Abilene Christian will be undergoing surgery before the season begins. She will sit out and red-shirt the 2009-10 season.
RETURNING PLAYERS
Skarke returns to the team after starting 22 of 28 games as a freshman last season. Skarke averaged 7.2 points per contest and had the team's third-highest assists total with 35. She grabbed 84 rebounds that included 26 offensive boards. A panhandle product from Claude, Skarke shot 35.8% (64-179) from the field in 2008-09 and led the team from beyond the arc shooting 39.5% (34-86) from downtown. She was 71.4% (40-56) from the charity stripe as well. Skarke scored a season-high 17 points early in the season at St. Mary's and pulled down eight rebounds at Incarnate Word.
Coleman played in 18 games during her first season with the TexAnns last year. The Rockwall native and high school teammate of fellow TexAnn Shelby Adamson averaged 1.9 points on 30.8% (12-39) shooting from the field and 47.6% (10-21) from the charity stripe. She pulled down 22 rebounds with half of them (11) coming on the offensive boards. Coleman tallied seven assists and had five takeaways last year as well. Her best game came at home against Texas-Permian Basin where she finished with season-highs in both points (11) and rebounds (6).
Stehling played in 24 games last year and averaged 3.5 points per contest while shooting 35.8% (34-95) from the field. She shot 27.5% (11-40) from beyond the arc and 71.4% (5-7) from the free-throw line. Stehling scored a season-high 14 points against Texas Wesleyan, but had a great game against Central Oklahoma in the first round of the LSC Tournament where she scored 12 points and pulled down six rebounds. A native of Lorena, Stehling finished the season with 44 rebounds, nine assists and 11 steals.
NEWCOMERS
Bowman joins the TexAnns after transferring from McLennan Community College where she was named Region V Newcomer of the Year. She was a first team all-conference selection after averaging 8.3 points and 5.6 rebounds last season. Before McLennan CC, Bowman spent a year at Texas-Arlington, but transferred after an injury during her freshman season. Bowman graduated from Brownsboro High School where she was a two-time all-East Texas pick and District 15-3A Most Valuable Player. She was a Texas Girls Coaches Association All-State selection and played in the TGCA All-Star game her senior season.
NOTABLES
With former TexAnn D'Anna Dingler gone, a new member of the TexAnns will have to come in and make an immediate impact on the floor. Dingler averaged 10.6 points per game last season. Not counting Dingler, the three forwards returning accounted for less than 20% of Tarleton's points last year. Look for that number to increase this season with a full year of playing time under all three ladies' belts.
The TexAnns will host Texas-Permian Basin this coming Tuesday, Nov. 17 for the season-opener. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. inside Wisdom Gym.
In tomorrow's final edition of the 2009-10 TexAnn preview, we will take a look at the centers/post players for the TexAnns.
