After advancing to the quarterfinals of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament last season, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are ready to dance into the 2001 NCAA Tournament.
“We’re really fired up to go to the postseason,” head coach Agnus Berenato said. “Having a taste of postseason play last year after losing Aisha Howard and Niesha Butler, two powerful players, was a great accomplishment. We weren’t quite sure how we would do, but we were really able to come together as a team. I think that was an invaluable experience for all of our returning players because they all had to step up. They had to win games. We were able to do that and go on to the WNIT. The whole goal was to hang a banner in the coliseum. Now we have our banner. The NIT was great, but now we want an NCAA banner. That’s our goal, to go to the NCAA Tournament.”
Berenato will lean on a corps of returning starters and experienced youth as she tries to guide her team to a berth in ‘The Big Dance.’ Four players who started at least 11 games last year, as well as 1999 ACC Rookie of the Year Niesha Butler, return for the 2000-01 campaign.
Butler, who suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee during the Jackets’ fourth game last year, hopes to return to the form that earned her Freshman All-America honors by the Women’s Basketball News Service and the Women’s Basketball Journal.
“When Niesha Butler returns, she is an automatic leader on the court with her actions as well as her temperament,” Berenato said. “She has a fiery and enthusiastic attitude that I believe the team needs to be successful.”
Sophomore guards Nina Brlin and Alex Stewart will also provide leadership as they quarterback the team from the backcourt.
“Nina and Alex are going to be two terrific leaders for us,” Berenato said. “They’re coaches on the court. They know what I believe in. They know what I expect. They have the respect of their teammates and I really look to them to lead this team into postseason play.”
Brlin, a 5-9 point guard from Katrineholm, Sweden, started every game at point guard as a freshman last season. She scored 7.2 points per game and led the Yellow Jackets with 117 assists. Her 56 steals were tied for third on the team.
“Nina was phenomenal last year,” Berenato said. “Mentally, she’s the toughest kid on the team. She’s one of the truest pleasures I’ve ever had to coach and one of the hardest workers I’ve ever had. I think she struggled in the beginning last year while she adjusted from international rules. I’m really looking forward to her coming in and taking over this year.”
Stewart, who came off the bench in all 31 games last year, is a quick and athletic guard. She was second on the team with 73 assists and scored 4.9 points per game last season.
“Alex Stewart has really worked on her three-point shot,” Berenato said. “I have been very impressed with her. The three-point shot was the one thing in her game that she needed to add, and she has done that. I will look to see if Alex and Nina can play at the same time.”
Butler, the only Tech player ever to earn ACC Rookie of the Year honors, received a medical redshirt after injuring her knee last season. The 5-8 guard averaged 19.3 points per game as a freshman and led the team with 120 assists. Last year she scored 13.3 points per game and had 12 assists in four contests. For the second straight year, Butler is one of 30 preseason candidates for the Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year Award.
“Niesha Butler is very versatile,” Berenato said. “She’s the most explosive player we’ve ever had at Georgia Tech. She’s the most dynamic player on the court. She’s a true scorer. The knee injury forced her to really work on her shot. She has become a better shooter. She also has learned the importance of playing intense defense. We’re very excited to have Niesha back.”
While Brlin , Stewart and Butler are expected to lead the Yellow Jackets, they will be joined in the backcourt by a talented duo of experienced guards. Milli Martinez and Ashley Ebert have each started at least 15 games in their careers.
Martinez started 15-straight contests last season after Butler was sidelined and has 17 career starts to her credit. The 5-8 junior averaged 9.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last season, and tied for third on the squad with 56 steals.
“Milli is our best defensive guard,” Berenato said. “She is a catalyst when we’re on defense. We run a lot of different types of defense, and she is what makes them work. She is the heart and soul of this team.”
Ebert started 15 games at point guard as a freshman in 1998-99 before coming off the bench last year. The 5-7 junior was second on the team with 55 assists as a freshman and has worked to improve her intensity on defense.
“Ashley has come long way in her time at Georgia Tech,” said Berenato. “She comes in and mixes it up. She’s a razzle-dazzle type player.”
Georgia Tech will also have a formidable frontcourt, anchored by seniors Regina Tate and Jamie Kruppa.
Tate played in all 31 games and earned 19 starts last season. The 5-11 forward scored 6.7 points per game and was second on the team with 6.8 rebounds per contest.
“Regina is the best athlete on the team,” Berenato said. “She is an unbelievably hard worker. She is our best all-around defensive player. She’s an outstanding rebounder. Regina has taken her game to a whole different level since she came to Georgia Tech. She is truly capable of earning all-conference honors.”
Kruppa returns after leading the Yellow Jackets in scoring (10.4 ppg) and rebounding (7.7 rpg) last season. The 6-1 senior started 30 games last year after starting just three in her first two seasons.
“Jamie Kruppa has done a tremendous job,” said Berenato. “She has exceeded everybody’s expectations. She has an uncanny knack for rebounding and is able to hit the high-post shot.”
Sophomores Tamika Boatner and Sonja Mallory join the senior duo in the Tech frontcourt.
Boatner, a 6-2 forward/center, is a quick and agile post player who was slowed by a sprained ankle last season.
“Tamika Boatner started out as an impact player before a severe ankle sprain set her back,” Berenato said. “We saw the true Tamika Boatner come out on our May trip to Australia. She had two games with 19 rebounds each game. She had double-doubles. We look for her to challenge and really be a force to be reckoned with. We’re expecting great things from her.”
Mallory saw action in 28 games as a freshman last season, providing depth at the post position. A 6-4 center, Mallory is the tallest player on the team.
“Sonja Mallory is going to be a great surprise for everyone at Georgia Tech and the conference,” Berenato said. “She has worked hard every day at Georgia Tech. She runs the court as well as any center in the conference. She’s as physical as any center in the conference. She’s the most physical player on the team. She has the desire of a champion, and that is going to take her to the next level.”
In addition to the experienced returning players, two freshmen join the Tech family this season. Jasmina Pacariz, a 6-1 guard from Stockholm, Sweden, and Fallon Stokes, a 5-10 forward from Atlanta, will complement the returnees and add depth as they learn the Tech system.
“Jasmina is a three-point shooter,” Berenato said. “She can go to the basket left and right. She can post up and she can play with her back to the basket. I like her versatility. She runs the court exceptionally well.”
“Fallon Stokes is a very strong post player,” Berenato continued. “She can hit a three and hit the high post shot with ease. We feel like we’re really upgrading our post position.”
The Yellow Jackets have set their sights on advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1993. The road to ‘The Dance’ will not be an easy one. The Rambling Wreck will be challenged by a schedule that features 12 games against seven teams that played in the NCAA Tournament last year.
“I think our schedule is awesome,” Berenato said. “As far as difficulty in scheduling, we play a forever-challenging ACC schedule. We play Georgia, who is going to be among the top teams in the nation, and Mississippi State, who probably will be in the top 10 in the preseason.”
Additionally, Georgia Tech once again hosts two tournaments this season.
“We’re very excited about this season,” Berenato said.
