Chattanooga Lady Mocs
Overall Rank: #29
Conference Rank: #1 SoCon
With four starters returning to a 24 win team, Chattanooga is not only the clear favorite to win the Southern Conference, but also a legitimate threat to make a decent run in the NCAA Tournament. Forward Jasmine Joyner averaged 13.1 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.9 blocks during the 2015-2016 season and the 6-2 senior is a dominating force on both ends of the floor. As long as Joyner remains a consistent and efficient offensive player and a major shot blocking threat, the Lady Mocs will cruise through the Southern Conference and pull off some upsets in November and December.
2015-16 Record: 24-8, 12-2
2015-16 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Jim Foster
Coach Record: 82-16 at Chattanooga, 865-323 overall
Key Departed Players (starters in bold)
Alicia Payne, Guard, 6.9 ppg
Key Returning Players (starters in bold)
Jasmine Joyner, Senior, Forward, 13.1 ppg
Keiana Gilbert, Junior, Guard, 12.6 ppg
Queen Alford, Senior, Guard, 10.9 ppg
Aryanna Gilbert, Junior, Guard, 5.9 ppg
Moses Johnson, Senior, Guard, 4.6 ppg
Sydney Vanlandingham, Senior, Forward, 1.6 ppg
Ansley Chilton, Junior, Forward, 1.9 ppg
Chelsey Shumpert, Junior, Guard, 10.7 ppg
Nakeia Burks, Sophomore, Guard, 1.4 ppg
Anna Claire Noblit, Junior, Guard, 1.1 ppg
Key New Players
Lakelyn Bouldin, Freshman, Guard
Shelbie Davenport, Sophomore, Guard, Transfer from Clemson
Arianne Whitaker, Sophomore, Forward, Transfer from Winthrop, not eligible
Projection
It is easy to get wrapped up in Joyner’s production, but there is a lot more talent on this team. Keiana Gilbert was second on the team in scoring with 12.6 points per game. She is a consistent shooter, but only attempted 57 three-point attempts. Shooting or not, Gilbert will score plenty of points. Queen Alford and Aryanna Gilbert are also back to claim their starting spots. Alford is the most prolific shooter on the team, which is not saying much for a squad that connected on just 4.3 three-pointers per game. The addition of Clemson transfer Shelbie Davenport will help with the outside shooting. Two years ago as a freshman she made 43 three-pointers for the Tigers and averaged 8.6 points per game. This is a Lady Mocs team that will likely play small again, but with Joyner and the tough 5-11 Gilbert leading the rebounding effort, this team can certainly be successful and small.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 57.7 (296th in nation, 7th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 52.9 (11, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 42.4 (64, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 36.8 (45, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 4.3 (264, 6)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 30.5 (204, 5)
Free-Throw Percentage: 71.6 (108, 4)
Rebound Margin: 1.3 (125, 2)
Assists Per Game: 11.7 (245, 2)
Turnovers Per Game: 14.0 (51, 2)
