Oct. 19, 2006
Atlanta – Georgia Tech head women’s basketball coach, MaChelle Joseph has announced her team’s captains for the upcoming season. Juniors Janie Mitchell and Chioma Nnamaka were chosen by their teammates to lead the Jackets this season.
Mitchell, a 6’0″ forward from Jacksonville, Miss., led the team in rebounding and free-throw percentage last season, averaging 6.6 RPG and shooting 83.6% from the line. Mitchell ranks among the top five rebounders in the heavily talented Atlantic Coast Conference and finished third on the team in scoring with 10.1 PPG. According to Mitchell, her new role will change the way she approaches the game.
“I prepare differently for practice now,” says Mitchell. “I don’t’ just think about getting myself up for practice. Now I observe my teammates because it’s my job to make sure they’re up for practice. I can’t just worry about my mood. I have to make sure my team is in a good mood. I have to look out for my entire team.”
Fellow captain, Chioma Nnamaka is a 6’0″ guard from Uppsala, Sweden who led the Jackets in scoring with 12.4 PPG, draining 57 shots from behind the arc last season.
“I’m really looking forward to this season. I believe everyone on this team is on the same page and we all know we can win. We all want it. We all have the same goal,” says Nnamaka. “I’m excited to step up and lead our team.”
The vote for team captains was left entirely up to the players. According to Joseph, junior captains are rare in basketball, but she is confident in Nnamaka and Mitchell.
“Chioma (Nnamaka) and Janie (Mitchell) are ready to take on the responsibility to lead this team and this program into uncharted waters,” says Joseph. “We are currently in a transition phase in building this program and I could not think of two more capable people, students, or players. They are ready.”
The Georgia Tech Women’s Basketball team will tip off their season with an exhibition game vs. South Carolina Upstate on Wednesday, Nov. 1 at the Alexander Memorial Coliseum at 7:00 p.m. Tickets for Yellow Jackets basketball games can be purchased online at the team’s website at www.ramblinwreck.com or by calling the ticket office at 404-894-5447.
