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Thursday, November li. aoio | The Red * Black
Senior takes on
leadership role
for Lady Dogs
By RYAN BLACK
The Red & Black
Being named to a pre
season All-BEC team would
be a big deal to a lot of
players.
Senior forward Porsha
Phillips, who accomplished
the feat by being named to
the preseason All-SEC
Second Team by the media,
does not dispute the honor
being something worthy of
praise.
She just does not want
to take all the credit for the
accomplishment.
“It was an honor to be
named," she said. “Of
course, I know a lot
of girls want to be
one of those players,
but I couldn’t do it
without my team
mates helping me
become the player I
am today.”
When it comes to
individual goals,
Phillips once again
deflects the atten
tion, refusing to put
anything above the team.
Such humility has come to
be expected of Phillips,
who has admirably filled a
pivotal role for the Bulldogs
over the past three sea
sons.
“I’m more of a team
player,” she said. “I don’t
have anything like, ‘I want
to average this many points
or this number of rebounds. ’
I don’t have any individual
goals. The team comes
first, because without the
team, I wouldn’t be able to
contribute, so I have more
team goals winning the
SEC, going to the Final
Four, things like that.”
SEC EAST
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“I expect a lot of great
things from Porsha. I
think she’s going to have
a really good year and go
out with a bang.”
Meredith Mitchell
Guard
But more will be expect
ed of Phillips for the 2010-
11 season. To reach those
lofty team goals this year,
the Lady Bulldogs are
counting on Phillips to pro
duce. How much?
“A lot,” head
coach Andy Landers
said. “She has to be
an effective defend
er on the defensive
end. There are a lot
of great matchups
in our league, that
when she’s on the
defensive end. she
can win that match
up.
“We’re obviously
I
LANDERS
going to be looking for her
to score, and I think the
challenge that she needs to
recognize that scoring isn’t
how many times you shoot.
It’s how efficient she can
score and what kind of per
centage she’s shooting as
she goes about the busi
ness of putting points up.”
And after coaching her
for three seasons, Landers
knows just how his senior
forward grew Into a role
that will be so integral to
the team’s success this sea
son.
“I don’t think it’s one
thing I think it’s a com
bination of things,” he said.
2009-10 RECORD . COACH
15-17 Amanda Butler
Florida win be an extremely young team this season,
welcoming four true freshman to join five returnees.
23-11 Melanie Balcomb
All-SEC first team point guard Jence Rhoads and co.
are a good bet to lead Vandy to another 20-win year.
28-8 Matthew Mitchell
Fresh off the best season in program history last year,
the Wildcats return their top three scorers this season.
25-9 Andy Landers
Georgia counts only one senior among its ranks, but
should be as big a factor as ever in the SEC.
14-15 Dawn Staley
Hopes are high for a good season in Columbia this
year after bringing back four of five starters.
32-3 Pat Summitt
The Lady Vote are the favorites year in and year out
in the SEC. This year will not be any different.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PREVIEW
Sara,
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MEGHAN POTMAN | T* R*t> * Black
▲ Forward Porsha Phillips is the only senior on the roster for the Lady Bulldogs, placing her In a
leadership position in her final season. The leading returning scorer and rebounder for Georgia,
head coach Andy Landers expects her to be ‘one of the top three rebounders in the league.’
“She has tremendous ath
leticism that allows her to
be very effective defensive
ly. She has the ability to
score and the versatility to
do that both inside and
out. And she’s a terrific
rebounder. By season’s end,
in my view, she’ll rank as
one of the top three
rebounders in the league."
With great power comes
great responsibility. Being
one of the few upperclass
men on the Bulldogs' ros
ter, Phillips will need to
step into a leading role for
the team.
For Phillips who will
be the only senior playing
for the Lady Bulldogs this
season after Jaleesa
Rhoden’s career was unfor
SEC RUNDOWN
tunately ended due to a
litany of injuries that will
mean not only scoring
points and grabbing
rebounds, but becoming
more of a vocal leader as
well.
“Last year I was kind of
quiet, and I tried to lead
more by example,” Phillips
said. “So being more of a
vocal leader and encourag
ing my teammates and
pushing others to be the
best they can be [is a goal]
this season, both on and off
the court.”
Fellow upperclassmen
Meredith Mitchell who
calls Phillips “one of my
closest friends on the team”
has already seen Phillips
exhibiting her voice in
SEC WEST
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If
practice, and knows becom
ing a vocal leader Is some
thing Phillips will become
more and more comfort
able with the farther the
team goes into this year’s
season.
“That’s something that
takes time, and I’m work
ing on the same thing,”
Mitchell said. “I can defi
nitely see her putting forth
the effort to say things here
and there, sort of supplying
her voice to the team in
that leadership role.”
Landers attests to see
ing the same things
Mitchell has. and his hope
is that Phillips takes it to
an even higher level this
season.
“I see a lot of what we
2008-10 RECORD COACH
12-18 Tom Colleen
Arkansas was one of the worst teams in the league
last yea- at 4-12 in the SEC. Things aren't looting up.
12-18 Wendell Hudson
Though the Tkte had a mediocre season last year,
highly-touted recruit Kaneisha Horn brings hope.
15-16 Nell Fortner
Returning aB five starters, the Lady Tigers hope to
make a jump into the elite of the SEC this season.
21-10 Van Chancellor
Despite the loss of star guard Allison Hightower to the
pros, LSU is still expected to snag an NCAA bid.
17-15 Renee Ladner
Kayla Meteon is tops in scoring at 122 per game after
the departure of AB-SEC honoree Bianca Thomas.
21-13 Sharon Fanning-OSs
The Lady Bulldogs will have to work in 11 newcomers
to their squad after a run to the Sweet 16 last year.
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need to see from her, in
terms of her practicing
hard, playing hard and hav
ing a great attitude toward
doing those things,” he
said. “What I’m trying to
appeal to her now is to
ratchet it up just a couple
or three more notches, and
she’ll be, in my view, as
good as she can be.”
And Mitchell leaves lit
tle room to doubt what
kind of season her good
friend Phillips has in store.
“I expect a lot of great
things from Porsha,” she
said. “Points-wise, rebound
ing especially since we
lost Angel [Robinson] I
think she’s going to have a
really good year and go out
with a bang.”