NSU Women's Basketball Season Opener
Friday, Nov. 14
NSU vs. Morehead State, 6 p.m., Joseph Echols Hall
Live Video  |  Live Stats  |  Game Notes
Radio: WNSB 91.1 FM | Live Audio

NORFOLK, Va. - One season after coming off the program's first .500 MEAC season in nine years, the Norfolk State women's basketball team will look to keep ascending the conference standings behind a veteran backcourt and plenty of young talent up front. The 2014-15 edition of the Spartan women's basketball team opens its regular season Friday night, when Morehead State comes to Echols Hall for a 6 p.m. matchup. 

The Spartans welcome back seven players who made at least six starts last season. Six of those play perimeter positions, as sixth-year head coach Debra Clark will lean on the most experienced set of guards and wing players she has had in her tenure. Chief among the backcourt returners is fifth-year senior Rae Corbo. She was the team's leading scorer last season, at 12.9 points per game. Effective playing either at the lead-guard spot or off the ball, Corbo also paced the team in both assists (88) and steals (29), all while becoming NSU's all-time leading free-throw shooter. 

It is uncertain heading into the season which two other perimeter players will join Corbo in the Spartans' starting lineup, but Clark has no shortage of options. At point guard, NSU welcomes back both senior Jazamine Gray and sophomore Kieera Basey. Both players started in 16 games last season. Gray is one of NSU's top on-the-ball defenders, placing second behind Corbo on the team in steals (22). Basey was second on the team with 55 assists and showed the ability to knock down the 3-point shot despite playing much of last year with a knee injury, which has since been repaired.

Another player who could factor into the equation at point guard is junior college transfer Brehanna Daniels, who Clark said has a solid understanding of the game and can also hit the long-range jumper.

Clark is also excited about what the future holds for sophomores Dominique Harper and Koryn Lawrence. Both shooting guards played extensively last season. Harper started 14 times and averaged 5.0 points per game, while Lawrence started six times and averaged 4.3 points. Both are quick players who showed the knack for scoring last season, and Clark expects both to show marked improvement this season.

The Spartans also boast a pair of seniors who can fill the small forward spot in Ebony Brown and Aivah Parham. Brown is entering her fourth year in the program. She averaged 8.0 points per game last season, fourth on the team, and tied Corbo for the team-lead with 23 made 3-pointers. She has shown the ability to score in bunches during her career, but Clark is looking for Brown to show more consistency. 

Parham returns to the team after sitting out last season with an Achilles heel injury. Parham was third on the team two seasons ago when she averaged 9.2 points per game. Like Brown, she is a streaky scorer who is capable of big scoring outbursts.

The Spartans will be much younger, but also more athletic inside this season. NSU must replace the program's all-time leading rebounder in forward Rachel Gordon, who earned first-team All-MEAC honors as a senior last year. While no one Spartan this year is likely to replace Gordon's 11.7 rebounds per game from 2013-14, the Spartans shouldn't lack for frontcourt talent. 

Sophomore Amber Brown is the lone returner from last year's frontcourt. She started eight games and averaged 1.9 points last season. The Spartans will rely heavily on four newcomers to round out the post rotation. Sisters Nia and Kayla Roberts should factor heavily into the rotation. Nia is a sophomore transfer from the University at Buffalo who should be eligible following the first semester. Coaches like her aggressiveness and rebounding. Kayla Roberts is expected to bring much-needed scoring to the post as a true freshman. Both Roberts sisters were All-Miami Dade County players in high school.

Freshman Io Chaney of Bowie, Md., is another talented offensive player who will figure into the mix. Clark likes Chaney's face-up, mid-range game. The fourth newcomer to the frontcourt is 6-3 freshman Shayla Tanner from Raleigh, N.C. Tanner is the tallest Spartan and a true back-to-the-basket center.

Added Clark: "We are excited about the season. We feel with the roster we have, we should be able to run more. We want to play more pressure defense this year, which should enable us to play in the open court more on the offensive end."