2020-21 SAMFORD WOMEN'S BASKETBALL FACT BOOK

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford women's basketball team is set to begin the 2020-21 season with a game at Alabama next Wednesday, Nov. 25, at 12 p.m. in Tuscaloosa.
 
This season will mark the second for head coach Carley Kuhns. In her first season last year, she led the team to the program's first-ever SoCon regular-season title and the third SoCon Tournament championship. The Bulldogs lost eight players off year year's squad to graduation. Kuhns said last year's group of seniors will definitely be missed.
 
"We lost a big group of core kids from our program, in terms of production and in terms of leadership," Kuhns said. "So, we've had to almost turn over the entire roster, just from a numbers perspective. That group was a really special group, and what a great way to send them out into their career field with that championship. A lot of them are doing some really cool things. I'm really proud of that group."


 
The Bulldogs return two starts and six letterwinners from last season's team. The group is led by senior center Natalie Armstrong, who was named the 2020 SoCon Tournament Most Outstanding Player, and has been tabbed as preseason All-SoCon this season. Kuhns talked about what she sees for Armstrong this season.
 
"I'm really excited for Natalie this season," Kuhns said. "She worked really hard in the offseason. She has an older sister that played at the University of Georgia and has a lot of friends in the WNBA, so she got to spend most of the summer working out with those players. I can already tell it's improved her game. But I think she's come in with a higher expectation of herself now, and of this team. Last year there were so many unknowns like, 'what's my role going to be,' and now she knows it and she's embraced that. I think she's really taken ownership over that, and taken ownership over this team. I'm excited for the season she is going to have."
 
Also returning as a starter is senior Shauntai Battle, who was named to the SoCon's All-Defensive team last season. Kuhns said they look for Battle to take on more of a scoring role this season.
 
"She's really worked on her game," Kuhns said. "She's expanded her three-point range, working a lot on her mid-range. We've had that conversation, because she's not a kid that ever cares about scoring, she just wants to win and she will do whatever it takes to win. She's probably our most athletic, most dynamic player, because she can do a little bit of everything. I've noticed her in this preseason, looking to score more, looking to do more, looking to contribute more from an offensive standpoint. And she has all of the tools and the capability to do it, it's just changing that mindset from looking for all of the players around you that can score, to looking to going to score the ball."
 
Another returning senior is point guard Raven Omar. Omar looks to take a much larger role with the departure of former point guard Charity Brown.
 
"Raven is one of our biggest leaders," Kuhns said. "She plays a lot of valuable roles that go unnoticed. She's the player on the team that can really pick her teammates up, she can see when people are having a bad day or a bad practice and she can pick that out. That's a really valuable asset to have on a team. She's the kid who knows where everyone else is supposed to be and can put them in position."
 
Kuhns said this year's team would have some added speed at the point guard position that may have not been there in the past.
 
"From our point guard position, we have some more speed in Raven and Mallory Hampton and Ace (Andrea Cournoyer)," Kuhns said. "The three of those kids will bring the ball up at some point this season. We're able to play a little bit faster and we're excited about what that position can do for this team in terms of a speed and transition standpoint."
 
In addition to Armstrong, Battle and Omar, other returners from last season are Katie Allen, Makaila Woolard, Audra Leipold and Kathleen Wheeler.
 
This year's team will welcome six new faces, with two transfers and four freshmen. The transfers are Andrea Cournoyer (Jr., G, Louisiana-Lafayette) and Annie Ramil (Jr., F, Binghamton University). The freshman signees include Mallory Hampton (G, Evensville, Tenn.), Katie Jones (G, Decatur, Ala.), Jaden Langford (G, Madison, Ala.) and Kiersten Nelson (F, New Orleans, La.). Kuhns talked about what that group will bring to the team.
 
"From a transfer standpoint, both of them will have an immediate impact," Kuhns said. "Annie, our transfer from Binghamton, is kind of a four man, a role player. She does a little bit of everything. She is the workhorse behind the team, another vocal leader, and for somebody who has stepped on the floor and already has a leadership presence, just speaks to her leadership qualities. She will have an instant impact on this team, as well as Ace, our transfer from ULL. She (Cournoyer) is a very explosive player, very dynamic scorer, can score at all three levels. She's going to be really fun to watch, just because of how explosive she is and how well she can score the ball.
 
"And then the other kid that has stood out in practice so far is Mallory Hampton, a freshman who will absolutely have a role for us this year," Kuhns said. "She is actually vying for a starting spot for us as a freshman, and really has no concept of how good she already is, which makes her fun to be around and fun to coach. Her teammates love playing with her"
 
The Bulldogs' home opener is set for Dec. 8, against UT Martin at 6:30 p.m.