Red-White teams set; Vaden pre-season all-SEC
FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas women’s basketball coach Susie Gardner set her Red-White Game teams today, but does not expect the Lady Razorbacks’ preseason all-Southeastern Conference junior Ruby Vaden to participate.
The annual Red-White Game tips off on Thursday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m. at Bud Walton Arena. Season ticket holders will have their regular seats for the game, and tickets are available at the door.
The 6-3 junior had minor knee surgery in late September, and has been limited in early season practices.
An uptempo game and the chance to meet and greet with fans are the points of emphasis for the Lady’Backs on Thursday.
“We’ve been really focusing on defense in this first week of practice, and as a result our offense might not seem ready,” Gardner said. “We want to play as hard as we can and limit our turnovers, but we won’t look like what we will be on offense. That said, I think our defense will score or set up a lot of points.”
Fans at the game will receive copies of the official 2004-05 "One Team, One Goal" schedule poster, and the Lady’Backs will be available after the game for autographs. Also, the Lady’Back mascot Big Red will pose for photos.
Gardner’s initial six-player Red and seven-player White teams will swap members as the coaches work on combinations for the first preseason games in just over a week.
“They’re still getting a feel for each other as teammates, and we’ve been mixing up the lineups a lot in practice,” Gardner said. “The Red-White Game is just the starting point.”
The initial team’s for Thursday night’s event pair the Lady’Backs’ sister guards with returning junior swing post Kristin Moore on the Red team against SEC all-freshman team sophomore point guard Kristin Peoples and Arkansas’ two potential starters from last year.
The team’s leader in minutes played last season Rochelle Vaughn takes the court with her freshman sister Brittney Vaughn on the Red team. Rochelle Vaughn (8.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 5.6 apg) and Moore (7.2 ppg 6.6 rpg) are the only returning starters on the Red team. Sophomore forward Danielle Allen (1.1 ppg) is the only other letterwinner on the Red. Transfer Melissa Hobbs and walkon Allison Singleton join Brittney Vaughn as rookies with the Red.
White picks up the most experience with Peoples (7.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 3.0 apg) joined by early season starter Sarah Pfeifer (6.7 ppg) and part-time starter April Seggebruch (5.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg). Pfeifer started the first three games of last season before a shoulder injury ended her season. Adrienne Bush (2.9 ppg) adds another letterwinner to the White roster. Junior college transfers Kristina Andelkovic and Sheree Thompson are on the white, although Thompson is a redshirt after knee surgery at the start of last year’s practice. Two-sport freshman Christina Lawrence rounds out the initial White roster.
Vaden was voted second team preseason all-SEC in the first-ever polling of the league’s coaches. She missed half of the SEC regular season games with a foot injury at the end of last season, playing in 20 games as a starter in the post averaging 11.8 ppg and 6.5 rpg.
Gardner and Rochelle Vaughn head for SEC Media Day in Birmingham on Thursday morning before flying back to Fayetteville for the Red-White Game.
— LADY RAZORBACKS —
