by The Cowl Editor on November 1, 2018
Friar Sports
By Sullivan Burgess ’20
Sports Staff
After having a 10-21 overall record and a 3-15 last place finish in the Big East last season, the Providence College Women’s Basketball Team looks to turn things around, and ultimately prove themselves as one of the best teams in the Big East. While tough teams are slated to face the Friars, PC has high hopes.
A few days ago, at media day in New York City, the Big East released the Women’s Preseason Coaches’ poll, a poll in which coaches vote on who will be the top team of the season. Coaches, however, are not allowed to vote for their own team. The co-leaders of the poll were none other than DePaul University and Marquette University, who tied for the number one ranking last season.
The Friars were voted in as No. 9 out of 10 teams, due to their increase in strength and bringing back most of their roster.
Not much has significantly changed on the Friar’s roster during the offseason. Only two of the players from last season were seniors and have graduated. However, the team has recruited six new freshmen for this upcoming year. These women range from guards to forwards, and can each bring their own skill set to the team in any moment of the game.
One notable returning player is guard Channell Williams ’21. Last season, Williams averaged 6.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists (a team best) per game. These stats ultimately earned her two-time Big East Freshman of the Week, for the weeks of Jan. 8 and Jan. 22. Her stats and overall game also earned her a unanimous selection to the Big East All-Freshman team.
Jovana “Yo Yo” Nogic ’19, the team’s leading scorer, is another player to watch. Last season, Nogic was not only named Big East Player of the Week in November, but was consistently named to the Big East Weekly Honor Roll, and through her first three seasons has scored 1,240 career points ranking her 18th all time at Providence in scoring.
This season, Nogic was named to the 20-player watch list for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, an award presented each year to the NCAA Division I women’s basketball top shooting guard.
One thing that lead to Nogic being on the watchlist is how she is just 22 three-pointers away from breaking the College’s three-point record set by Julie Wheeler ’98. She is ranked second in the Big East for three-pointers made and fourth in three point field goal percentage throughout the entire Big East Conference
On top of this, it was recently announced that Nogic was named to the 11-member Preseason All-Big East Team for the second year in a row.
The Friars’ season begins on Nov. 3 when the team looks to take on Assumption College at Mullaney Gym, and then Penn State University at University Park in Pennsylvania.
As the Friars look ahead this season, it is key that they move on from the results of last season and focus on the season ahead. The Friars are ready to put their best feet forward and turn their fortunes around.