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Weekly Release
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PLAYER OF THE WEEK Louisiana Tech senior Lakiste Barkus has been named the Western Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 29. This is the first WAC Player of the Week honor ever for the guard.
The Long Beach, Calif., native averaged 7.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 3.5 steals per game in Louisiana Tech's two wins over Mississippi and Arkansas State. Barkus scored a career-high 23 points and grabbed a career-high eight rebounds in the Lady Techsters win over Mississippi in Oxford. She also added four steals and six assists. Barkus then scored 12 points, grabbed seven rebounds and registered six more assists in Louisiana Tech's 67-50 win over Arkansas State.
Other nominees included: Mirenda Swearengin, Fresno State; Annie Peck, Rice; Lamisha Augustine, San Jose State; Katy Cobb, SMU; Angie McGee, UTEP and Megan Moody, Tulsa.
SMU PUTS WINNING STREAK ON THE LINE SMU (4-0) looks to extend its winning streak to five games on Dec. 2 with a match-up against metroplex rival TCU (5-1).
Both teams won their respective tournament titles this past weekend. SMU won the Hoops for the Cure Classic; while TCU captured the Rainbow Wahine Classic. SMUs Katy Cobb earned MVP honors, while TCUs Sandora Irvin captured the MVP title as well.
SMU has now won its first four games of the season. The last time SMU won its first four games of the season occurred in the 1993-94 season as the Mustangs claimed victory in thier first seven games.
PRESEASON HONORS Lindys Sports Annuals named Louisiana Tech No. 16 in its preseason poll this season. They were the only WAC team to earn a spot in the top 25. Street and Smtihs mentioned both Louisiana Tech and Rice as the best of the rest, just outside the top 25.
ON THE TUBE Fresno States game at the University Denver on Dec. 2 will be televised live regionally on Fox Sports Net Rocky Mountain. Fresno States only other appearance on Fox Sports Net came back on Mar. 15, 2003 in the WAC Tournament Championship game against Louisiana Tech (first nationally televised game in school history).
GOLDEN HURRICANE OFF TO A 4-0 START FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER Tulsa improved to 4-0 for the first time in school history and will face Oklahoma on Dec. 4 in the Quik Trip Bertha Teague Classic at the Mabee Center. Oral Roberts fell to 3-1 with its first defeat of the year. The Golden Hurricane also retains the Mayor's Trophy for a second-straight year.
WAC TO CHANGE IN 2005-06 Over the last year, the WAC issued invitations to Idaho, New Mexico State and Utah State effective July 1, 2005, the same date that Rice, SMU, UTEP and Tulsa are moving to Conference USA. This season, Idaho is 3-2, New Mexico State is 2-3 and Utah State is 2-1.
YOUTH RETURNS FOR RAINBOW WAHINE Among UHs 12 returnees are six sophomores who already have earned significant playing time. As true freshmen, each were thrown right in the mix, with five of them earning at least one start. Brittany Grice had the most starts with 21, while Janevia Taylor started 19 games at point guard, including all 18 WAC games. Pam Tambini started 13 contests, despite injury, while Bryony Crouch had three starts. Dalia Solia earned her first start at Louisiana Tech on Feb. 12. The freshmen played 44 percent of the team's minutes, while contributing 41 percent of the scoring and 41 percent of the rebounding in 2003-04.
CBS SPORTSLINE SELECTS WAC SCHOOLS AS THREE OF PRESEASON TOP-64 TEAMS CBS.sportsLine.com three WAC three schools as some of top 64 teams in the nation in its preseason previews. Louisiana Tech was picked 28th, while Rice was 53rd. Tulsa came in at No. 62.
RETURNING ALL-WAC AWARDS WINNERS Several of the WACs top performers will return for play in 2004-05. Three first-team all-WAC selections will return, including Hawaiis Jade Abele, Rices Lauren Neaves and WAC Newcomer of the Year, Jillian Robbins of Tulsa. Only one second-team performer returns this season, Louisiana Tech guard, Erica Taylor. Neaves, Robbins and Taylor will all be back from the all-defensive team. Boise States Michelle Hessing, Hawaiis Janevia Taylor and UTEPs Charnette Phelps join Neaves and Robbins as returnees on the all-freshmen team.
HAWAII SAYS ALOHA TO BOLLA Hawaii announced the hiring of Jim Bolla as the new coach of the Rainbow Wahine basketball program. Bolla replaces Vince Goo, who retired following the conclusion of the 2003-04 season after 17 seasons as head coach.
Bolla was formerly head coach at UNLV. During his 14-year tenure at UNLV, from 1982 to 1996, Bolla became the most successful coach in the programs history with a record of 300-120 (.714). He led the Lady Rebels to nine post-season appearances, including seven NCAA Tournament bids, and guided his teams to 11 winning seasons, including nine consecutive with 20 or more wins. Bolla guided the school to its highest ranking during the 1989-90 season when the Lady Rebels were ranked second in the nation in both the AP and USA Today polls, before finishing the season with a 28-3 mark.
WAC TOURNAMENT TRAVELS TO RENO After one season in Fresno, the WAC Tournament will move to Reno in 2005. The 2005 WAC Tournament will be played at Nevadas Lawlor Events Center, March 8-12. The seven through 10 seeded teams will play on Tuesday, March 8. The remaining six teams will play in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, March 9 with the top seed competing versus the winner of the 8-9 Tuesday game, the No. 2 seed vs. No. 7 or No. 10, etc. The winners will play in the semifinals on Friday and the championship game will be Saturday.