CofC Women’s Basketball to Begin Natasha Adair Era, Host Coastal Carolina

Twitter: @CofCWBasketball

College of Charleston (0-0, 0-0 SoCon) vs. Coastal Carolina (0-0, 0-0 Big South)

Game #1

November 9, 2012, 4:00 p.m. (ET)

TD Arena (5,100)

Charleston, S.C.    

CHARLESTON, S.C. - The College of Charleston women’s basketball team will begin the Natasha Adair era as they host Coastal Carolina Friday at 4:00 p.m. at TD Arena.

OPENING THOUGHTS

CofC head Coach Natasha Adair

On opening the season on Friday

“I’m looking for big things from the girls. It’s time. I’ve been here seven months and we have been working hard since September. It is time for us to get on this hardwood and really compete. I’m looking for good pace from my players and intensity and work ethic. This will be a good measure of if what we instilled during preseason works and where we are as a team.”

On leadership of the senior class

“I feel as if they are my own. I feel like we have meshed and I feel like I have their trust and they have mine. The common goal is success. I want to be able to hug and embrace them on senior night and know that their hard work and leadership paid off.”

On what she hopes fans will see

“They can expect a team with high energy. We are going to be fun to watch. You’re going to see a very different team from a year ago. We want to get up and down the floor. We want to create easy situations from our defense, from pressure and hustle. The one award we are going to give this year is the hustle award.”

Senior Cathryn Hardy

On opening night on Friday

“I’m really excited for our team. I think we have been good in preseason and have had two good scrimmages. I think everyone is pretty excited and we need to beat Coastal.”

On new style of play

“It hasn’t been easy. It’s been a lot of hard work and a lot of up and down stuff. I think that the pace that we are playing is really going to help us this year.”

THE COACHES

College of Charleston

Natasha Adair

Career Record: 0-0 (1^st year)

CofC Record: 0-0 (1^st year)

Coastal Carolina

Alan LeForce

Career Record: 454-390 (31st year)

Coastal Record: 215-211 (16th year)

THE SERIES

College of Charleston leads the all-time series 29-12.

COUGARS IN SEASON OPENERS

The Cougars are 24-14 all-time in season openers in their 38 year history. Last year the team picked up a 58-43 home opening victory over East Carolina. Sophomore Mikaela Hopkins scored 14 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in the win.

SCOUTING COASTAL CAROLINA

The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers return two starters from a team that went 13-15 overall last year and 6-12 in the Big South. Sophomore guard Shatia Cole is one of the two returning starters and leader for Coastal Carolina. Cole was the Chanticleers second leading scorer in the 2011-12 season, averaging 10.5 points per game. Coastal Carolina has added five newcomers to the 2012-13 roster.

QUICK HITS…  

• • CofC senior center Latisha Harris registered eight double doubles last season.
  • Harris’ 49 career blocks rank seventh on the Cougars all-time list. She is seven away from moving into sixth and 18 away from cracking the top-five.
  • Junior guard Jill Brown is 32 assists shy of cracking the top-10 all-time in CofC women’s basketball history. Brown led the Cougars in assists in 26/30 games last season.
  • Brown has played in every game in two seasons for the Cougars, playing in 60 consecutive contests and making 55 starts.
  • First-year head coach Natasha Adair brings 14 years of assistant coaching experience at Georgetown and Wake Forest combined.
  • The Cougars were picked to finish eighth in the Southern Conference Preseason Media Poll.
  • The Cougars ranked first in the Southern Conference last year in free-throw attempts, shooting 584 (19.5/game), the sixth most in the history of the program.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT COFC HEAD COACH NATASHA ADAIR

“I’ve known Natasha for a very long time. Natasha will be a great head coach at the College

of Charleston. She has always built great relationships with her players and she is very

knowledgeable of the game. She is a tireless worker who is always looking to improve. She

was recruited by several schools in high school including UConn, but Natasha chose to come

to South Florida to make her mark and that is a great attribute of hers. Not only was she able

to help us turn around our program at USF as a player, she was able to do the same at Wake

Forest as a coach. I anticipate great things happening for the College of Charleston.” – WNBA

Washington Mystics General Manager and Head Coach Trudi Lacey who coached Adair at USF

“The College of Charleston has made a great choice with the hire of Natasha Adair. CofC

has a lot going for it – a great facility and campus in one of the country’s best cities and an

administration that has made a commitment to success. Natasha is the right person to capitalize

on all the advantages Charleston holds and take the Cougars to the top of the Southern

Conference.” – Connecticut Women’s Basketball Head Coach Geno Auriemma who recruited

Adair in high school as one of the top prospects in the country in 1990

“I am excited about the news and the fact that Coach Barnes, as I know her, is getting this

wonderful opportunity to head her own program. She was one of the most influential coaches

I’ve had and was a key reason for my success on the collegiate level and a huge contributor to

my growth and success as a professional athlete and woman. The College of Charleston is lucky

to have her.” – Former Georgetown All-American, WNBA All-Star and two-time WNBA champion

Rebekkah Brunson

“Natasha Adair has positioned herself for an opportunity to be a head coach. She has proven

she can recruit, prepare a team and game adjust. Those experiences, along with her work ethic

and enthusiasm, will bring positive energy to The College. We’ve also added a great family to

our community.” – ESPN Women’s College Basketball Analyst and Mt. Pleasant resident Debbie

Antonelli

“Natasha and I worked together for two years at Wake Forest. In that short amount of time, I

gained a colleague, a mentor, and a friend. She does everything with honor, dignity and class

and truly puts her stamp on all of the things she does. Her report with the players is admirable.

She was not only their coach, she was a mentor and mother figure. The post players at Wake

Forest transitioned into dominant players and focal points of our team due to her tutelage.

Looking at her track record of players she has coached and how she has helped them develop,

not only into fine players, but extraordinary women, you can see that Coach Adair is one-of-akind.

College of Charleston has hired a jewel in this business. They have hired a woman that

is dedicated to winning championships and making a difference in her players’ lives.” – Duke

Women’s Basketball Assistant Coach Candice Jackson