Three starters from last season’s 17-13 team graduated and another - shooting guard Andrea Johnson - has already likely been lost for this season with a torn knee ligament.
“There’s been some days that if we had a game I don’t know who I’d play,” said Sebek, who seeks a sixth consecutive NJCAA Region V Tournament berth in her 11th season at TC. “I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing."
That means simply that the Lady Leopards’ new faces have made the competition to get into the starting lineup fierce, but at the same time it also means the team can be inconsistent.
Sebek got a good taste of what to expect from this season’s team last weekend when the Lady Leopards went 2-1 at the South Plains Rotary Club Breakfast Tournament in Levelland. At 5:30 p.m. today the Lady Leopards will get to see how they do in front of a home crowd when they take on Blinn at TC Gym.
Sebek knew she’d have to replace point guard Shondria Combs, a Temple High School product now playing at Prairie View A&M. Combs was 10th in the nation in assists last season and ranked second in Region V in steals. Sebek also knew she’d have to replace shooting guard Brittany Bryant and post Marissa Rauss, who also graduated.
At the point, she brought in Tyler Junior College transfer Brittany Roberson, who averaged 5.1 points, three assists and 1.2 steals per game last season.
“Shondria was an exceptional point guard and will be hard to replace,” Sebek said. “It seems like every year we have point guards who bring us different things. Roberson is learning a new system but she does so many things I like. She distributes the ball well and she likes to push the ball up the floor. And so far she’s been one of our leading rebounders.”
Replacing Rauss, a forward/post, wasn’t going to be a big issue, either. Temple features four returning forwards and posts.
Emma Sutten, who averaged 2.6 rebounds per game as a reserve last season, likely will be key underneath the basket.
“She came back on a mission,” Sebek said. “She’s done some really good things.”
Also at the post and forward positions are sophomores Julisa Mitchell, Mareta Bailey and Stefannie Cortez and freshmen Patsy Cortez (Stefannie’s sister) and Stephanie Methe.
Bailey and freshman Chloe Wallace will see time at both forward and guard.
“Chloe is very athletic,” Sebek said. “She’s a great rebounder and has a great mid-range jump shot.”
She might get to shoot a lot of those, because Sebek’s plan to replace Bryant has hit a small bump.
Johnson, who started several games last season, likely is out for the season after tearing an anterior cruciate ligament during a scrimmage.
“A.J. is such an outstanding student-athlete,” Sebek said. “I was relying on her leadership. She has proven to be a great player for us on the court and her loss is devastating. But it’s not something we can’t overcome as a team.”
Fortunately, Sebek’s freshman class includes five guards, including Wallace.
The others give Sebek a variety to choose from.
Jessica Summers will see time at both guard positions. Sebek considers her to be one of TC’s better defenders. Courtney Moore and Harker Heights product Shaquitta Martin give the Lady Leopards scoring threats from long range.
“I think Courtney is someone we will really come to rely on to score a 3 when we need it,” Sebek said. “And Shaquitta is a really good scoring threat from the perimeter.”
But Sebek knows she has to be patient with her guards.
“We are definitely young at the position,” she said. “I’ve seen progress. The loss of A.J. means we have to grow up quick.”
Regardless of who the Lady Leopards use, the goals are still the same: Getting to the regional tournament, where the Lady Leopards have become regular participants out of the Northern Texas Junior College Athletic Conference.
“It’s becoming somewhat a tradition,” Sebek said of making it to the tournament, which will be back in Lubbock after two seasons at Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton. “A lot of teams in this conference are in the same boat we are and have lost their scoring threats, so there’s a lot of parity.
“I think we have the potential to be really good; it’s just going to take us some time to get there,” she added. “I really enjoy this team. There’s never a dull moment, and in some aspects that makes it kind of fun to watch."
mhood@temple-telegram.com
