March 22, 2003
by Simit Shah
The Lady Jackets are headed to the big dance for just the second time in the program’s 29-year history, and one of their hometown leading ladies is looking to guide the team for a championship run on the road to Atlanta.
Junior Fallon Stokes has been on a tear over the last month, keying a late season surge that secured an NCAA Tournament bid. Tech won nine of 12 games, including the first round of the ACC Tournament, down the stretch and finished with 20 victories, tying a school record.
Stokes has scored in double-digits in the last six games, including 25 points at N.C. State. The 5-10 forward has provided the Lady Jackets with a consistent scoring option opposite all-ACC center Sonja Mallory.
“Playing with Sonja makes my job much easier,” noted Stokes. “She does a great job of finding open people when she’s been double or triple-teamed. She has a lot of confidence in me, so that’s helped me a great deal.”
Confidence and consistency are two things that Stokes had struggled with in her first two seasons on the Flats. As a part-time starter, there were flashes of brilliance, including a 32-point performance against Maryland last season, but she had difficultly stringing together strong games.
“We have always felt that Fallon could be a major impact player, but I don’t think Fallon ever believed it,” said coach Agnus Berenato. “That’s been the difference this year; she believes it now.
“We expected her to be a major contributor this season. She’s had great games in the past, but she never could do it back-to-back games.”
Berenato points to a February game against Florida State where Stokes scored 19 as the turning point. “I think that’s where the light bulb went on, and she really started believing that she was capable of performing at that level every night.”
Stokes has averaged 15.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game this season, earning her postseason hardware. She was selected to the all-ACC third team, as well as the ACC Tournament’s second team.
The season has been a roller coaster for the team, full of soap opera-like twists. The team welcomed a talented seven-member freshman class, and Berenato hoped that team chemistry would develop between the newcomers and upperclassmen.
“Everyday at practice, the intensity has been unbelievable,” said Berenato. “It’s a really great group with chemistry, and they had one common goal: get to the tournament.”
Starting point guard Nina Barlin went down with a knee injury in the first minutes of the season opener, putting a damper on early optimism. The program got a lift from their first-ever victory over archrival Georgia in December at Philips Arena.
After an 11-1 start, the team sputtered to an 0-5 start in ACC play, severely damaging their NCAA hopes. Berenato said that she was never really worried, and the players finally responded.
“We knew it couldn’t last forever,” said Stokes. “We’re too good a team for that to happen. That first win against Clemson was a big key. We just needed to concentrate on the little things that got us to an 11-1 start. Once we refocused, we got back to where we needed to be.”
The Lady Jackets have gone 9-4 since, including impressive road victories over Maryland and N.C. State.
Now Stokes and her teammates prepare for their long-awaited shot at the NCAA Tournament. The team has been to the NIT the past three seasons, but receiving an NCAA at-large bid was a goal finally realized.
“We were all in awe,” said Stokes, describing the scene as the team watched the selection show last Sunday. “I had butterflies. As soon as our name came up, it was unbelievable.”
Playing in the tournament has special significance for Stokes, who is an Atlanta native and a graduate of the nearby Riverwood High School. She would love the chance to lead the team to a hometown Final Four at the Georgia Dome.
“It just gives us some extra motivation, knowing that we have a chance to come back home to play in the Final Four.
“This team is more focused than ever. We finally got the opportunity to go to the tournament. Now we have to go there and play hard, not just settle for getting in.”
