By Anvil Welch
awelch@joplinglobe.com
Just three veterans are available this season for the Cottey College women’s basketball team.
They are forwards Kelsey Langston, Alex Noble and Amanda Sanders.
The 5-foot-9 Langston, from Sequim, Wash., joined the Nevada-based Comets the second semester last season. Noble (5-9, Springfield Kickapoo) and Sanders (5-11, Bentonville, Ark.) were all-region selections for last season’s 15-6 edition.
Noble, who’s on the NJCAA Division II Preseason All-America Third Team, averaged 11 points, 6.5 rebounds and shot 51 percent from the field as a freshman. Sanders averaged 8.6 points and 6.5 boards and shot 72 percent from the foul line.
Cottey coach Dave Ketterman said on Tuesday night that three transfers could complete the starting lineup. They are 5-7 Bailey Beale, 5-5 Natascha Lord and 5-10 Tessa Porter.
Beale (Independence Fort Osage) and Porter (McDonald County) transferred from Missouri Southern. Lord, from Waynesville, transferred from Southwest Baptist.
Three freshmen could figure in the starting mix — 5-5 Bailey Bush of El Dorado Springs, 5-11 Lindsey James of Willow Springs (Mo.) and 5-10 Lynley Ruble of Arkansas 7A champion Fayetteville.
There’s another sophomore, 5-9 Sharese Ward, but she’s sidelined with a shoulder injury. Ward, who prepped at Springfield Parkview, played at Crowder last season.
Rounding out the 12-player roster are 5-9 freshman twins Amelia and Melanie White of Neosho.
“We have a little more speed and quickness than last season,” Ketterman said. “We’re more versatile. We have three legitimate guards in Beale, Bush and Lord.
“It’s a group that so far has been a joy to coach,” Ketterman said. “They play hard, they have some skills and they like to get up and down the floor.
“It will be an interesting season,” Ketterman said. “They’re a loose bunch. ... maybe unpredictable. It sets up the style we want to play. They’re gamers.
“The White twins are athletic,” Ketterman said. “They screen, they rebound and they can shoot. It wouldn’t surprise me if they wound up providing considerable help.
“We lost seven players from last season,” Ketterman said. “But some of them left early to pursue degrees.”
Notes: The Comets open the season at 6 tonight against the host in the Kansas City Kansas Community College Keith Lindsay Classic. They play Johnson County of Overland Park at noon on Saturday. ... Their home debut in the Hinkhouse is at 7 p.m. on Tuesday against Fort Scott. ... “We’ve upgraded our schedule,” Ketterman said. “That includes playing five teams from the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference.” ... Last season’s team, seeded No. 1, lost to eventual champion Penn Valley of Kansas City on its floor in a semifinal of the Region 16 Tournament. Penn Valley finished 0-2 in the national tournament. There are six Division II teams in Region 16 and the results of those games determine the seedings for the postseason event.
