By Anvil Welch

awelch@joplinglobe.com

Crowder College basketball coach Tina Robbins believes the Lady ’Riders are an improved team compared to last season.

Robbins isn’t sure if that improvement will translate into more wins.

“I’m confident we’re improved,” Robbins said on Sunday. “But we have eight new faces. We’re trying to put them together and figure out a role for each player.

“We have good team speed,” Robbins said. “We also have more depth than last season and more people are capable of scoring.

“Keys include how committed we are to defense and rebounding,” Robbins said. “The No. 1 concern could be how quickly will our young players adapt to the college game.

“We’ve had several scrimmages,” said Robbins, who’s in her second season at Crowder. “We’ve started different lineups to give everyone an opportunity. We’re limited a bit right now because of injuries.”

Crowder opens its season at 6 tonight in Miami against Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.

“Looking ahead at our schedule, I don’t believe we have an easy game,” Robbins said. “We have a tough Region XVI (Missouri) schedule. We have a tough non-region schedule. Hopefully, of course, that tough non-region schedule will prepare us for Region 16.”

Crowder has four players from last season’s 6-24 edition in 5-foot-10 Afton Baldwin (Nevada), 5-4 Melanie Bowers (McDonald County), 5-10 Tara Massey (Neosho) and 5-9 Tacora Simmons (McKinney, Texas).

Baldwin, honorable mention all-region, averaged 12.3 points. Massey and Simmons each averaged 7.7 points and Bowers 4.1. Massey also led the team in rebounding (7.1).

Other players from Missouri — all are frosh in eligibility — and their high schools for the Neosho-based Lady ’Riders are 5-1 Kallie Flood (Hurley), 6-0 Jessica Mitchell (Washburn Southwest), 5-2 Jessica Nakano (Springfield Kickapoo), 5-5 Alison Walls (St. Charles Orchard Farm) and 5-9 Sharese Ward (Springfield Parkview).

Robbins said Nakano’s status for the season is uncertain, however, as she’s scheduled for hip surgery on Nov. 14 at Columbia. Ward is questionable for the opener, Robbins said, because of a knee injury.

Completing the roster are 6-1 Deidre Brown of Memphis (Tenn.) Trezevant, 6-1 LaMonica Howard of Houston Westside and 5-6 Elura Veirs of Edmond (Okla.) North.