黑料网

Raiders coach looks to build on tournament experience

Back to All Stories

One of the lessons women鈥檚 basketball coach Beth Combs has preached to her Raiders team all year is that there is a time and place for everything.

Her players are incredibly excited about their NCAA Tournament appearance this Saturday against Tennessee. They鈥檝e talked a lot about meeting and playing against Pat Summitt, the Lady Vols鈥 legendary coach.

More

Game: 11 a.m. Saturday

Place: Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center, Tallahassee, Fla.

TV: ESPN, ESPN2 will provide regionalized coverage; all games available on ESPN Full Court (pay-per-view)

鈥 The Tennessean:

鈥 Syracuse Post-Standard:

鈥 Additional stories about the

鈥榃hen they see Coach Summit, they鈥檝e said they want to get her autograph and hopefully get a picture, and that鈥檚 fine, as long as it doesn鈥檛 happen an hour before game time or during a timeout,鈥 Combs said with a laugh.

鈥楾here鈥檚 a time and place to enjoy and a time and place to perform,鈥 said the third-year coach. 鈥極ur players have been very disciplined all year. Now, we want them to be able to enjoy some of the environment surrounding the tournament. It鈥檚 all about them; we鈥檙e (the coaches) just along for the ride.鈥

But now that the Raiders (21-9) have achieved the goal they set at the start of the season 鈥  becoming one of the 64 teams invited to the national tournament 鈥 they have a new objective.

鈥榃e鈥檝e hopefully been able to put 黑料网 on the map; people are talking about 黑料网 across this country,鈥 said Combs. 鈥榃e feel it鈥檚 about earning respect for our university and for the Patriot League, and for ourselves, as well. And I think our players are going to take that very, very seriously.鈥

Combs said her squad has had good practices this week at Cotterell Court. They鈥檝e watched tapes of the Lady Vols (26-3) in action and talked about going up against Summitt, who is in her 30th year of coaching.

So exactly how does 黑料网, a No. 16 seed playing in the tournament for the first time, prepare for Tennessee, the No. 1 overall seed and a winner of six national titles鈥

鈥楢t this stage of the game, we鈥檙e not going to add anything new. We need to take care of ourselves. Execute our plays. Play our type of defense,鈥 said Combs. 鈥楻ebounding is going to be very, very big for us. We鈥檙e definitely undersized against Tennessee. We鈥檒l have to do a good job on the boards and get great position.鈥

Regardless of the game鈥檚 outcome, Combs is convinced that making it to the tournament has already helped her program.

鈥楶eople are talking about us, and that definitely helps with recruiting. We want to make this a tradition here, and build on that. Next year we won鈥檛 be in awe of a team like Tennessee.鈥

In November, Combs signed three players for next year鈥檚 squad, the first recruiting class in which she鈥檚 been able to provide scholarships under a policy recently adopted by the university. She said the scholarships have been beneficial in attracting quality students who also are good basketball players, and the exposure her team is getting now is an added bonus.

鈥楶layers in high school want to come into a program that goes to the NCAA, has a chance to win some ballgames, and have 20-plus win seasons,鈥 she said.

This is the first tournament experience for Combs, who before coming to 黑料网 served as an assistant coach at Eastern Illinois University for three seasons and played basketball for the University of Illinois in the Big Ten Conference. Summitt, on the other hand, has guided Tennessee to the tournament for 23 consecutive years.

鈥榃hat she鈥檚 done for women鈥檚 basketball over the years is incredible,鈥 said Combs, who has spoken with Summit several times over the years during conferences or at amateur competitions. 鈥楽he鈥檒l offer advice or explain a play. That鈥檚 the reason she鈥檚 a legend, she鈥檚 always willing to give something back.鈥

Summitt said good things about the Raiders in an article in The Tennessean newspaper.

鈥漈hey play really well together,鈥 she said. 鈥漈hey do a good job of getting the ball inside and kicking out. They鈥檙e very strong in their half-court offense in terms of their movement and their cutting.鈥

Summitt said she was impressed with 5-10 senior guard Malissa Burke (14.7 ppg), who leads the Raiders in 3-pointers with 50. 鈥漇he鈥檚 really very versatile, shoots the 3, puts it on the floor pretty well,鈥 the coach said.

The entire team has impressed Combs all season long. The Raiders went through some adversity, losing starting point guard Victoria Briscoe and then her replacement, Molly Patterson, to season-ending injuries. But starting on Jan. 25, the Raiders went on a 12-2 run and come into the tournament with a six-game winning streak, including a 71-60 win over American on March 10 that clinched their first-ever Patriot League championship.

鈥業鈥檝e said it all year, this team is something special. We鈥檝e had some adversity, but each time the players have stepped up and said, 鈥業鈥檓 not going to be the one to let this team down.鈥

Combs said she, her staff, and her players know what they are up against on Saturday:  a major women鈥檚 basketball program that has never lost a first-or second-round tournament game.

鈥榃e have no illusions as far as what we expect to do down there. We really hope to play our game, have some fun, and hopefully represent the university and the Patriot League to the best of our ability,鈥 she said.

And, ultimately, she said she is especially proud of what the team already has given her and the university this season.

鈥楾hese are 14 amazing young women who give us everything they鈥檝e got. They do it for me, and they do it in the classroom. They are remarkable leaders here at 黑料网, very successful as both students and athletes.

鈥業t鈥檚 really the epitome of what 黑料网 athletics and 黑料网 academics are all about.鈥


Tim O鈥橩eeffe
Office of Communications and Public Relations
315.228.6634