Anna Petrakova is a leader on the court and has been acknowledged as one of the best female basketball players in the United States.

Transcription

1 Anna Petrakova is a leader on the court and has been acknowledged as one of the best female basketball players in the United States. 20 LA LOUISIANE SPRING 2005

2 elujah! BY SARAH SPELL PHOTOGRAPHY BY CLAUDIA B. LAWS ive athletes, like trained dancers, move in concert, weaving in and out of the changing patterns formed by their opponents. Shoulders dip. Hips swing and swerve. Hands rise and fall. Anna Petrakova executes a twist and rises to her full six-foot, three-inch height beneath the basket. She releases the basketball and gravity takes over. The dancers have become warriors, racing to ambush their foes at the far side of the court. LA LOUISIANE SPRING

3 When J. Kelley Hall signed on to lead the women s basketball program three years ago, he was fully aware of what he was facing. There were plenty of empty seats at home games in Earl K. Long Gym. And it was no wonder the team hadn t posted a winning season in almost 20 years. That was about to change. Hall had been an assistant coach for 10 years. Now it was time to put everything on the line as a head coach. This year, Hall s turnaround team picked up the first conference division title in the program s 33-year history. It did not lose at home, but instead completed the season with 13 victories and zero losses. That too, was a first for the Ragin Cajuns. The only other UL Lafayette women s basketball team to earn 22 wins was the team so it s been more than 20 years since a UL women s basketball team has earned as many victories. And, 22 is a tie for the most wins in a single season. Remarkably, a 13-member team that began the year with only four returning players came to the brink of a post-season Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship. HE VICTORY OVER THE LADY TROJANS THAT NIGHT ACTUALLY GUARANTEED THE CAJUNS A TIE FOR THE DIVISION WIN. AT GAME S END, PLAYERS AND COACHES CUT DOWN THE NET. DAYS LATER, A HARD-FOUGHT, TWO- POINT WIN OVER ARKANSAS STATE EARNED THEM A CONFERENCE TITLE THAT WAS ALL THEIR OWN. Clockwise from top: Coach J. Kelley Hall s first rule. Team members ritual before home games includes singing the fight song and pounding the walls of the locker room. The team watches game film at Earl K. Long Gym. Assistant Coach Rosalynn Landes gives a pep talk at halftime. One of the first things I did, was, I wrote on the blackboard, We Do Not Lose at Home. Of course, we still lost a few the first year, he said. But with each game we won, we gained confidence that we could win the next, and the next. Originally, I had a four-year plan. So I guess you could say we re ahead of schedule. 22 LA LOUISIANE SPRING 2005 Hall said he sensed a difference in the Cajuns about halfway through the season. Not only did they want to win, they began to believe that they could and would win. You could see it in their eyes. Asked whether the team s accomplishments might be compared to legendary underdogs, such as Seabiscuit or the Boston Red Sox, Hall gave a low-key reply: Something like that. It s a tough comparison to make. But I don t think (most) people really understand just what this team has done. Associate Athletic Director Sherry LeBas attributes the Ragin Cajuns success, in part, to the players attitude. They

4 turned this program around. I also told them that it has been an honor and a privilege to coach this team and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. My only regret, if you want to call it that, is that more people didn t get a chance to see this team play, and to see Anna play. Anna, of course, is 20- year-old Anna Petrakova, last year s Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year. The standout center one of only three seniors on the squad finished her career as UL Lafayette s all-time leader in blocked shots (184), second in all-time rebounds (775) and fourth-highest all-time scorer, with 1,252 career points. Winning all those home games helped our confidence overall, said Petrakova. Still, Left: J. Kelley Hall mentally prepares for the game, counting down the minutes until the start of a home game. Below: The number of fans at Earl K. Long Gym has more than doubled over the past three years. Fans filled the stands for the last two games of the season. never, never quit, she observed. From 1990 to 2000, UL Lafayette women s basketball teams won a total of 44 games. Hall s teams picked up as many wins in three years. And the Ragin Cajuns first conference division championship on Feb. 24 handed a Daily Advertiser sports writer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Dan McDonald s story began: Hell has officially frozen over. Pigs flew Thursday night. The victory over the Lady Trojans that night actually guaranteed the Cajuns a tie for the division win. At game s end, players and coaches cut down the net. Days later, a hard-fought, two-point win over Arkansas State earned them a conference title that was all their own. The breakout season came to an end in Denton, Texas, in March. After besting South Alabama in the quarterfinals of the SBC Tournament Championship and Arkansas State in the semifinals, the Cajuns bowed out. With a score, Middle Tennessee claimed the tournament championship for the second consecutive year. Hall said he was disappointed by the loss, but not by his team. There was nothing left in the gas tank. They d won nine out of the last 10 games and they d had to win every one. A lot of those games went down to the wire. I knew they d given me all they had to give. They were physically and emotionally drained and often the emotional toll is higher than the physical. So what did he tell them after that final game? I told them there was no question that they would be remembered especially the seniors. This was the team that the team approached every game as if it were our last... We prepared ourselves well and exceeded every expectation. Petrakova, a native of Hungary, has left her mark at UL Lafayette. She s also acknowledged as one of the best female LA LOUISIANE SPRING

5 basketball players in the United States. In NCAA Division 1, she ranked 24th in rebounds per game (9.7) and 25th in blocked shots per game (2.4). After graduation, she plans to play professionally in Europe. She says she would have liked to have had one more year on the court as a Ragin Cajun. I ve grown to love this place. So many people came to our home games, especially later in the season. It was a new feeling. People were paying attention and after each game, we got so much response, so much encouragement. It lifted our spirits so much. Total attendance at home games has more than doubled during Hall s tenure. During the games. Well, the diehards must have gone out and spread the word. Students are coming to the games, and they like what they see... And when the house is packed, Earl K. rocks. It was renovated a few years ago, but it retained its vintage feel, with frontrow seats that almost touch the sideline. Cheerleaders and dancers rush on and off the hardwood during time-outs, then reclaim their seats in the bleachers, or stand in a line around the edges of the court, when play resumes. The pep band often occupies a slice of the stands at the west end of the gymnasium. The roar of the crowd reverberates against the painted cinder block walls. As Hall casually observed, It can get loud in there. The team s success, Petrakova said, rests in Hall s leadership. Every coach is different, and I know a lot of people only see one side of the coach when he s on the sidelines during a game. Coach Hall is a very emotional coach. He gets mad when he knows he told us what to do, and then we don t do it. But up until that moment, he is a total teacher. And when he puts his foot down, it s for the good (of the team). Top left: Hall uses body language to coach the Cajuns. Below: Melissa Bratton protects the ball. Left: Onna Charles. season, about 2,500 fans went to Earl K. Long Gym. The next season, the number rose to about 2,800. This season, 5,900 folks were there to cheer the women on. LeBas has been part of UL Lafayette athletics for more than 30 years. She s seen this Ragin Cajun team through its downs and ups. At the beginning of the season, we had our diehard fans coming to the 24 LA LOUISIANE SPRING 2005

6 Top: Anna Petrakova squeezes between defenders to take a shot. Above: Ashley Blanche takes aim. I trust him in everything. If we do what he tells us to do, we will succeed. Hall also credits assistant coaches Bill Damuth, Rosalynn Landes and his wife, Meredith Hall, a former member of the WNBA s Washington Mystics. It s good to have people around you to truly rely on, he said. Petrakova said Meredith Hall s presence on the sidelines is reassuring to the players, as well. She s very calm. When he is raging on the sidelines, she remains calm. She provides balance for him. Hall is now the second alltime winningest coach in team history. This season, he was named the Sun Belt Conference Co-Coach of the Year, along with Arkansas State s Brian Boyer. Hall came to UL Lafayette via the University of Louisville, where he served as the Lady Cardinals recruiting coordinator and defensive coach, as well as handling onthe-floor coaching duties of post players. He has always coached women. I think on the whole, with a women s team, it s more about the game and less about personalities or street ball LOUISIANA'S RAGIN' CAJUNS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ROSTER NO. NAME POS. HT. CL.-EXP. 1 Melissa Bratton SF 5-10 Jr.-JC 3 Ashley Blanche PG 5-4 Jr.-2L 11 Domonique Thomas PG 5-6 Fr.-HS 13 Anna Petrakova PF 6-3 Sr.-3L 15 Onna Charles SG 5-8 Fr.-HS 20 Sonora Edwards C 6-2 Fr-HS 21 Alicia McDaniel SG 5-7 Fr-HS 22 Tiffany Washington PF 6-1 Sr.-1L 23 Alexandra Kotta SG 5-10 So.-1L 25 Kiara Seldon PF 6-1 Fr.-HS 32 Bernette Tolston SF 5-9 Sr.-3L 40 Tobie Buford PG 5-6 Fr.-HS 50 Sherita Anderson C 6-2 Jr.-JC J. Kelley Hall Bill Damuth ASSISTANT COACH: Rosalynn Landes ASSISTANT COACH: Meredith Hall HEAD COACH: ASSISTANT COACH: LA LOUISIANE SPRING

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8 HIS YEAR, HALL S TURNAROUND TEAM PICKED UP THE FIRST CONFERENCE DIVISION TITLE IN THE PROGRAM S 33-YEAR HISTORY. IT DID NOT LOSE AT HOME, BUT INSTEAD COMPLETED THE SEASON WITH 13 VICTORIES AND ZERO LOSSES. THAT TOO, WAS A FIRST FOR THE RAGIN CAJUNS. Petrakova s skills also were acknowledged by the Sun Belt this year. She was included in the All-Sun Belt First Team, while junior guard Ashley Blanche Top: Players and coaches huddle. Above: The Ragin Cajuns celebrate their first Sun Belt Conference title. Opposite Page: It s a tradition for players and coaches to cut down the net after winning a championship. Tiffany Washington takes her turn. received an honorable mention. With the departure of seniors Tiffany Washington, Bernette Tolston and Petrakova, fans will be looking to Blanche for more excitement next year. Both her stature (she s 5 4 ) and style of play are reminiscent of the late Kim Perrot, a UL Lafayette guard who led the WNBA s Houston Comets in back-to-back championships in 1997 and Blanche, a New Orleans native, is known for her speed and versatility on the court. She possesses a combination of cool composure in handling the ball and directing her teammates and explosive power. Blanche proved her mettle in the contest against Arkansas State. As time expired, she nailed a crucial jump shot, winning the game and clinching the division championship. A junior, Blanche holds the 4thplace career spot for assists, with 283. This season, she moved into fifth place among all UL Lafayette players for the most assists in a single season (151). Petrakova says Blanche will be remembered not only for her athletic skill, but also for her sense of humor. Tiffany (Washington) has a special sock, a volleyball sock she used to wear in high school. She just wears the one sock, and it goes all the way up to her knee. Nobody s allowed to touch her sock. Well, you know after each practice we put our stuff in the wash... and sometimes you can t find your sock... One day at practice, Ashley came in wearing Tiffany s sock. She walked in like nothing was wrong. She even mimicked the way Tiffany walks. Even Coach Hall was laughing. Among 328 teams in NCAA Division I, the Ragin Cajuns are tied at 12th place in the nation for their home-court winning streak of 15 games. They won the last two home games of the season, followed by this season s 13 straight wins at home. Hall said he expects many more victories. We ll have an even stronger team next year. LA LOUISIANE SPRING