CAC Women’s Basketball Media Day Wrap-Up

CAC Women’s Basketball Media Day Wrap-Up

MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – On Thursday afternoon, Nov. 7, the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) held its first-ever women's basketball opening tip season preview webcast.  The broadcast featured all ten head women's basketball coaches answering questions about the upcoming 2013-14 campaign and culminated with the unveiling of the league's preseason rankings.

The poll was voted on by the conference's ten coaches and Penn State Harrisburg was picked to finish seventh of the CAC's ten teams.  The full preseason rankings are as follows:

2013-14 CAC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll                           

Team (first-place votes)       

2012-13 Record       

       Points

1. Chris. Newport (6)       

29-3                       

78

2. Marymount (Va.) (3)       

24-5       

70

3. Mary Washington (1)       

20-7       

66

4. York (Pa.)       

20-7       

61

5. Salisbury       

15-12       

49

6. St. Mary's (Md.)        

10-13       

33

7. Penn St. Harrisburg       

18-9       

29

8. Frostburg St.       

6-20       

23

9. Southern Virginia       

15-9       

21

10. Wesley       

3-22       

18

Following a campaign that saw his ladies win 18 games a year ago, Penn State Harrisburg head coach Ross Patrick spoke about what he expects as his program makes the transition to the new league.

"The transition's been great so far for us," he said.  "We're really excited to join a conference like the CAC because the talent on the court and the talent on the sideline go hand-in-hand.  It's just been a very successful conference…and we're happy to be invited to the party."

Patrick was asked about his team and its identity and with the preseason coming to an end, the sixth-year head coach said it's his squad's flexibility that gives it a chance to be so successful this winter.

"We have a team that's going to have a lot of versatility," he said.  "We should be able to guard many positions.  We're a team that's going to use the full court both offensively and defensively."

Patrick also spoke about the Lions' depth and how the team's lineup will be fluid based on who is playing well heading into a particular matchup.  He made a note that returners in sophomore Mercedes Copeland (Reading, Pa. / Reading) and Miranda Zeanchock (Carrolltown, Pa. / Cambria Heights) will have the responsibility of leading the ladies this season and that newcomers in freshmen Rebecca Bailey (Tobyhanna, Pa. / Notre Dame) and Kaitlyn Carmo (Palmyra, Pa. / Palmyra Area) and junior transfer Rachel Moyer (Carlisle, Pa. / Cumberland Valley) look poised to make an immediate impact.  

Finally, Patrick discussed his squad's effort so far this preseason and how it is already paying off as evidenced by his ladies' improvement across the board before explaining that this season's success relies on building team chemistry.

"Top to bottom we have a nice starting cast and with all the depth that we have and all the competition in the preseason we should be good to go," he said.  "We recruit basketball players so that part should be taken care of.  The part that we work on is trying to figure out how to make those basketball players work together."

To view Thursday's webcast in its entirety, click here.

Penn State Harrisburg begins its 2013-14 campaign next weekend when the women travel north to take part in Buffalo State's tip-off tournament on Friday, Nov. 15 and Saturday, Nov. 16.