>>2005-06 UTD WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PREVIEW
New Coach Feels Fortunate
Comets' Cupboard Wasn't Bare
Thomason Says UTD Can Be Better Than Expected

First-year University of Texas at Dallas women’s basketball coach Polly Thomason didn’t really know what to expect when she arrived on campus September 1. Charged with rebuilding a Comets’ program that had won just seven games each of the last three seasons, it would have been easy for a less optimistic person to let anxiety take over.

To be honest, Thomason didn’t know what she might be stepping into. There was no clear indication of what players might be returning from last season’s 7-18 squad, and she really didn’t know much about the talent level of the one’s who were still here. On top of that, with the school year already underway, there was no opportunity for the new coach to try to restock with recruits if the cupboard had turned out to be bare.

Thomason, by her own admission, got very, very lucky.
“I was actually pleasantly surprised when I got here,” says Thomason, who played on three American Southwest Conference championship teams back in the late 1990’s at Austin College. “There was a good nucleus of experienced players already here, players who were actually much more talented than their record indicated, and players who were committed to coming back and trying to find a way to win. It worked out much better than I thought it might.”

Thomason, in fact, now finds herself much more concerned about next season when she will have to replace at least seven seniors – none of whom have enjoyed much success during their tenure at UTD. She is committed to finding a way to reverse that trend.

“One thing about seniors is that they really want to win,” she explains. “This is their final chance to do something, so there’s kind of a ‘now-or-never’ attitude. It’s just a matter of instilling confidence in these players that they can succeed and get them over the hurdle of losing that determination when things don’t go well.”

Things have never really “gone well” for the Comets, who have not had a winning season in the seven-year history of the program. Four seniors – guards Jennifer Longoria, Kia Jones and Ashley Hartman, along with post Cassi Little – have won just 11 of 48 ASC games in three seasons. But changing that is top priority for the new coach.

“Changing the attitude about winning and losing will be the biggest challenge,” says Thomason, an Arlington, TX native who brings four years of experience to the job as an assistant at Austin College, Chatham College (PA) and Wooster College (OH). “The other thing will be getting these players to play up to their potential.”

The new coach has nice things to say about all her returning players, but often finds it necessary to add the phrase, “…when she wants to be,” to her compliments. She says point guard Longoria has, “good court vision and can be a strong leader;“ and that 6-0 post Little, “can be unstoppable.” Jones, along with junior forward Jennifer Harris, both have the potential to be, “dominating defensive players.” Senior guard Hartman, “has probably the biggest heart on the team.”

To turn around the program, though, the Comets will need more than just an “attitude adjustment,” the coach admits. Of the returners, only Longoria (11.3 ppg, 4.3 rb) averaged in double-figure scoring; and a replacement for departed statistical leader Crystal Pope (12.7 ppg, 5.9 rb) must be found.

Thomason is hoping she has found that replacement in senior transfer Danielle Barnett. Barnett “just showed up” on the UTD campus to finish up work on a computer science degree that was not available at Concordia-Austin, where she was the third-leading scorer in the ASC last season with a 16.7 ppg average. “Dani is a great addition to our team, very athletic and has already proven what she can do in this league,” Thomason says.

The new coach also has high hopes for newcomer Ericka Baker, a sophomore guard who did not play as a freshman at UTD, but comes from a strong program at Copperas Cove (TX) HS.
“I know this has probably been said every year, but I think we are going to sneak up on some people this year,” Thomason states. “No one expects much out of us, and that’s to our advantage. This team has a lot of potential, and it wouldn’t surprise me if we knock off a few teams who underestimate us.”

Whether they are underestimated or not, the Comets will have a hard time getting off to a fast start. They open against Division II Texas A&M-Commerce on Saturday, Nov. 19; then immediately turn around and host a pair of traditional ASC powers in McMurry and Hardin-Simmons on Nov. 26 and 28 in games that count in the conference standings.

“We’re going to need to be tough early,” Thomason concludes, “and not let ourselves get down if things don’t go our way in the first games. It’s a long season, and there’s plenty of time to make something good happen.“

Especially when the opposition isn’t paying close attention.