Lady Tigers head coach Sue Gunter already has a win and a loss under her belt, although the 2003 season has not started.
The Lady Tigers increased their guard depth with the addition of Scholanda Hoston, formerly Dorrell, but in the process lost Wendlyn Jones, a potential starting forward, to injury, Gunter said.
The Lady Tigers found out in June that Hoston would return to the team after a year away from the court.
Hoston, a 5-foot-10 sophomore from Miami, Fla., started nine games at guard as a freshman in 2001 and averaged 10.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.
Gunter said Hoston plays tough defense and will be the defensive stopper the Tigers lacked last season.
Hoston left the Lady Tigers after the 2001-2002 season because of unspecified personal reasons.
While Hoston will provide depth to an already deep back court, the loss of Jones will make a big difference in the already slim Lady Tiger front court, Gunter said.
Jones, a projected starting forward this season, may miss more than two months of the 2003-2004 season after undergoing knee surgery.
Jones suffered a complete tear of the right anterior cruciate ligament and medial meniscus ligament in her right knee, said Micki Sandy, women’s basketball trainer.
Sandy said Jones was injured going up for a layup in a pick-up game June 26.
Sandy said Jones should return to the court in late December and hopefully will be able to play in a few non-conference games before the Southeastern Conference season begins.
Jones, a 6-foot-1 sophomore from Grosnell, Ark., redshirted her freshman season because of a torn ACL in her left leg.
In the 2002-2003 season Jones played in 28 of the 34 games and averaged 3.8 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.
Gunter said she will try to place Hoston and Tillie Willis at the forward spot Jones vacated. Gunter said she has not ruled out the possibility of moving projected starting center Crystal White to the forward position.
In other Lady Tiger news, the NCAA Women’s Basketball Committee announced in late June that the Pete Maravich Assembly Center will be one of 16 host sites for the first and second round of the 2004 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.
Gunter said traveling was tough on the team last postseason.
As a No. 1 seed last year, the Lady Tigers traveled to Oregon for the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.