We interviewed Coach Anita Howard and some players about their feelings on the season thus far

The Georgia Southern Women’s basketball team is 13-8 on the season. After a hot start to the season, the Lady Eagles have found themselves in an early slump to start conference play. We asked Coach Howard and the players themselves how they felt about the season so far. 

Q: What aspects of the game do you believe your squad has executed well in? 

A: Coach Howard said, “Up until recently we’ve been number one in the nation for rebounding so I thought we imposed our will on the glass offensively and defensively.”

• Graduate Forward Shy Booker said, “I feel we do a good job of moving the ball fast especially in transition.”
• Sophomore Guard Amoni Byrd, “Our pace of play has been good as well as our bench production.”

• Junior Forward Kayla Thomas said, “One thing I’d say we’ve been doing good at is rebounding although we have dropped a bit from the standard.”

Q: Is the 3-point shot important to your game plan? In games that you have won, your 3-point percentage has ranged from as low as 0% to as high as 46% 

A: Coach Howard said, “You have to be able to have an inside-out game, so we like to go inside with our posts. To do that we have to be able to stretch the floor and when we’re hitting threes from the outside, it opens up the paint for us to get downhill off drives or to feed our posts.”

Q: During this slump has there been an emphasis on taking more quality shots?

A: Coach Howard said, “We stopped rebounding the ball so we limited the opportunities we had with the ball. Then we stopped sharing the ball so our turnovers went up and our assists went down.”

Q: Who would you say are your offensive and defensive anchors?

A: Coach Howard said, “Terren Ward is our offensive juggernaut, she’s in the running for Player of the Year, and then Simone James is our second leading scorer. Defensively, there’s Simone James but then there is also Constance Thomas who comes off the bench.” 

• Graduate Forward Shy Booker said, “I believe that all 15 of us have something unique so I look for everyone to come out and produce.”
• Sophomore Guard Amoni Byrd, “I agree with Shy 100%, but I think defensively we look for Simone, CeCe (Constance Thomas) they get us started.”
• Junior Forward Kayla Thomas said, “I think all 15 of us anchor each other when it comes to offense, but on defense specifically, CC, Simone, and Torrion are the three hat we rely on the most.”

Q: Who would you like to see get more involved in the offense?

A: Coach Howard said, “Everyone. I want it to be team-led, so I’d like the point production to be spread out a little bit more. That means getting us to share the ball and everyone knowing their role. When you look at our roster 1-15 everyone that has to come to this program is a bucket, whether it was in high school or where they transferred in from, they’ve been able to produce points.”

What you need to know: With the next half of the season ahead for the Lady Eagles, they will aim to bounce back from their current 5-game skid at Coastal Carolina Thursday, February 1st. The game can be streamed on ESPN+. Tip off is at 6pm.