Carey to try to keep his cool with young, inexperienced team

MORGANTOWN -- Mike Carey will be the first one to admit that patience is not one of his strong suits. Anyone walking the WVU Coliseum corridors at mid-afternoon during basketball season can attest to that.

But Carey says this season he's going to try his hardest to keep his cool because he really has no other choice. This is by far the youngest and most inexperienced basketball team the women's head coach has had in eight years at West Virginia.

Gone from a 25-8 team that went to the NCAA tournament are the five top scorers, including two-time Alll-Big East center Yinka Sanni, a member of this year's WNBA champion Detroit Shock. Also gone are important reserves Lateefah Joye, Kendra Goodley and Kelly Smith. Only three players return from a very good team and those three players accounted for just 8.2 points per game between them.

"This is going to be a test of blood pressure, loss of hair and hopefully some weight," Carey said. "We've got to do the little things. We're not going to come out and out-talent people right now."

If you are wondering, Carey has been in this position before. He took an undermanned West Virginia team to the Big East tournament championship game in 2006, nearly making the NCAA tournament as a sub-.500 team.

Senior Ashley Powell and sophomore Liz Repella are the only two returning players with any real experience. Powell has never been a scorer but she can score, producing double-digit scoring against Marshall last year and two seasons ago against LSU in the NCAA tournament. The guard handed out a team-best 142 assists as a junior and also pulled down 102 rebounds.

Repella has the ability to be a scorer despite averaging just 3.5 points per game as a freshman. Twice she scored a season-high 13 points coming off the bench. Last summer, she averaged 17 points per game participating in the Bajan Friendship Tour of Barbados.

"I think Liz Repella is in good shape and will be better this year," Carey said, adding that the 5-11 guard could be used some at the four-position this year.

Sarah Miles played sparingly last year but has the talent and ability to be a quality Big East guard. She appeared in 16 games in 2008 and scored 10 points in a home win against Presbyterian.

Two newcomers also figure into the mix. Virginia transfer Takisha Granberry made 31 career starts for the Cavaliers in three seasons, producing 18 double-digit scoring games.

"I've been extremely pleased with her work ethic, her attitude and her approach to the game this year," Carey said. "I wouldn't be surprised if she had a big year."

Granberry has just one year of eligibility remaining.

Carey also likes what he's seen so far from junior college transfer Madina Ali. A 6-foot forward from Daytona Beach Community College, Ali was a second team junior college All-American after averaging 13 points and 9.3 rebounds per game while shooting 57 percent from the floor.

"Madina Ali is a legit Big East player but she's small," Carey said.

-- Information from www.msnsportsnet.com