Freshmen key to future

Coach Brooks' first recruiting class features six highly touted players

This year's class of women's basketball freshmen is expected to contribute a lot this year, coach Kenny Brooks said.

"We're banking on this class to be as special as the one that left last year," coach Brooks said, referring to the graduated Class of 2003 that included guard Jess Cichowicz and forwards Nadine Morgan and Shanna Price. "I think [the freshmen] have the capabilities to be like that."

The season's freshmen include six new faces added to the lineup this fall. Forwards Meredith Alexis and LaVonne Thomas each were named first-team All-State in Pennsylvania and Georgia, respectively. Dickinson won four Brooklyn/Queens, N.Y., Catholic High School Athletic Association championships.

At guard, freshman Andrea Benvenuto was the starting point guard on the Ontario Provincial Team for three years. Fellow backcourt teammates include Shameena Felix, a two-time All-New York City team member and Shirley McCall, a three-time All-State team member in Virginia.

Benvenuto was recruited from Ancaster, Ontario. She was the Most Valuable Player of the Canadian Juvenile National Championships.

"She was one of the best point guards in Canada last year," coach Brooks said. "She's a really good setup point guard and very coachable."

Felix was the starting point guard for Murry Bergtraum High School, the New York state championship team that was ranked No. 1 in the country at one point last year.

"Andrea and Shameena will bring leadership to the team from the point guard role," Dickinson said.

Dickinson attended the renowned Christ the King High School, where WNBA stars guard Chamique Holdsclaw and guard Sue Bird played. She was selected to the New York Daily News All-Queens first team.

LaVonne Thomas was an Atlanta Journal-Constitution Metro Player of the Year and Clayton Daily News Player of the Year.

"She is long and athletic," Brooks said of Thomas. "She makes moves sometimes, and it makes me say, ‘Wow.'"

Alexis said, "Lesley and LaVonne will bring their on-point shooting and hard drive to the basket for the offense and their speed on defense."

McCall is a three-time All-State first team athlete and was the state and Region IV Player of the Year in Virginia.

"She works extremely hard," coach Brooks said. "She is probably one of the hardest workers I have ever been around."

Alexis was a McDonald's All-America honorable mention and averaged 34.1 points per game as the state's leading scorer in Pennsylvania last season.

"She is 6-foot-2, has a good frame and is athletic," coach Brooks said. "She has great hands and runs with the guards during sprints."

One of the biggest challenges for any freshman is adjusting to the college lifestyle, as well as the competitive nature of college basketball, according to coach Brooks.

"I've made big adjustments to the new atmosphere," Felix said. "The time I spend in the Convocation Center is more time than I spend in my room. It's a big change from New York and from high school. Everything is much more intense, but enough that I can handle."

Dickenson said, "The most important thing in college is to take care of your body. Most freshmen aren't used to this level of play, so a lot of aches and pains will arise."

Coach Brooks said his group of freshmen have the opportunity to play significant minutes, and time is going to be there for them to mature. They will be learning on the job, and their development will determine how far the team goes come March.

"The freshmen just need to step up and grow up quickly," coach Brooks said. "They are not going to have the luxury of playing like freshmen the whole year. They are going to have to grow up and play like sophomores and juniors before the year is over for us to be successful."

Coach Brooks had little problem convincing the freshmen to commit to JMU, he said.

"JMU pretty much sells itself," coach Brooks said. "They knew they were getting a great education and a storied basketball program that has had a lot of success. They all fell in love with it, and we are very fortunate to get them."

The six freshmen know they have big shoes to fill, and they will get their chance Nov. 23 meeting against Jacksonville State University at the Convocation Center.