Balanced scoring is the name of the game for women’s basketball
Women’s basketball seeks balance in new season
Beth Cunningham's high expectations are a personal challenge to Courtney Hurt. Photo by Chris Conway.
Jim Swing
Sports Editor
Head coach Beth Cunningham believes Courtney Hurt can be better.
Hold the phone. Hurt had possibly the greatest individual campaign in VCU women’s basketball history in a 2010-2011 season that saw her lead the nation in rebounding (25.4 rpg) and double-doubles (25) while being the second-leading scorer in the nation (23.2 ppg). She was named First Team All-CAA to go with honorable mention Associated Press All-America accolades.
Yet Cunningham believes Hurt can be better.
“As a coach coaching her day in and day out, there’s always things that we’re working on for her to improve,” Cunningham said. “I think that the deceiving thing is her numbers statistically maybe aren’t quite where they were last year. People might think she’s not having quite as good of a year when, as a coach, I think she can have an even better year.”
On an experienced team that returns four seniors and two juniors, Cunningham hopes to see a more balanced scoring effort rather than just relying on Hurt to put up huge numbers every night. For that to happen, VCU will rely heavily on senior guard Andrea Barbour. The 5-foot-10-inch transfer from Patrick Henry Community College was a pleasant surprise last season, finishing second on the team in scoring (16.3 ppg) after sitting out the first semester due to ineligibility. Barbour and Hurt combined for a perfect one-two punch from the inside out.
Joining Hurt in the frontcourt this season will be senior Chelsea Snyder, who started in all 31 games last season. In her first three seasons at VCU, the 6-foot-6-inch center has been seemingly insignificant. Snyder’s biggest doubt has been her ability to haul in rebounds with two hands; however, she showed a glimpse of life in last season’s CAA quarterfinals by grabbing nine boards.
And Cunningham expects big things out of big players.
“I think she gained a lot of valuable experience just having a first season where she actually was on the floor playing quite a bit,” Cunningham said. “So I think you build a lot of confidence, especially the way she finished the season, and now being a senior with her presence.”
The Rams’ will have an overwhelming senior presence this season. Between Hurt, Barbour, Snyder and guard Jennifer Lane, VCU has the luxury of enjoying a variety of scorers.
“We always really have high expectations for our upperclassmen,” Cunningham said, “especially our seniors.”
This year’s group of seniors has combined for 67 wins, one CAA Championship and two trips to the NIT.
They haven’t been to the NCAA Tournament since they were freshman in 2009, and this year an encore is on the radar.
“This is a group that, as seniors, they want to go out having played in another NCAA Tournament,” Cunningham said, “and doing something that we’ve never done before at VCU.”