Prickly Pear, Yearbook of Abilene Christian University, 2002 Page: 104
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I I IA
43.6 compared to 41.7 and also were more accurate
from the free throw line.
Although numbers never tell the whole story, the
Wildcats' season statistics demonstrated that they were
a much more competitive team than their record indicated.
And even though they came out on the losing
end of the equation too many times, Wayne Williams'
players showed their Lone Star Conference competition
that they were not the pushover team they had been the
season before. Instead, ACU was a still-young team full
of freshmen and sophomores who were beginning to
show signs of becoming something special.
One reason the Wildcats were a better team in 2002
was a direct result of having seniors Brenda Jacoby and
Kristi Taylor back in action. Both had missed large portions
of the 2000-2001 season due to injury and illness,
and the leadership and experience they brought back to
the court helped their coach in steadying an otherwise
young team.
"Having both Kristi and Brenda back this season
was a big asset to us," Williams said. "In their time at
ACU, they've been a factor in whatever success we've
had."
Another large portion of ACU's improvement in the
2001-2002 season was due to the play of sophomore
center Melanie Carter.
Carter had been fantastic as a freshman, picking up
right where graduated all-America center Jackie Bucher
had left off. And as a sophomore Carter showed no
signs of slowing down as she continued to improve in
all facets of the game. For the season the 6'2" center
averaged 20.5 points and 9.9 rebounds per game while
shooting 67.9 percent from the field.
And even though she was on a sub-.500 team, other
coaches definitely took notice of her abilities, as Carter
was rewarded for her efforts with two special post-season
honors. First she became only the sixth player inACU women's basketball history to be named LSC
South Division Player of the Year. And later on, she also
received national recognition, being selected as a thirdteam
all-American.
The most impressive aspect of Carter's play was the
fact that she continued to excel and post amazing numbers
in the absence of the Wildcat's other front court
presence, 6'2" Jackie Vinson.
Vinson, who, along with Carter, gave ACU a large
and dominant front line, played only 10 games because
of injury, and losing her for much of season was another
factor in ACU's lack of success.
"Losing Jackie for so much of the season definitely
hurt us," Carter said. "She's a big part of what we do,
and we're looking forward to next year when we'll
have everyone healthy again."
Following the conclusion of the season, the Wildcats
admitted they had not played up to their expectations.
But with Carter becoming an even more dominant
inside presence, and with a young team beginning to
make strides forward, the 2001-2002 season was not as
bleak as the record indicated.
And though he would lose Taylor and Jacoby to
graduation, the rest of Williams' players would be
returning for more in 2003, intent on moving the
Wildcat women's basketball program back to the winning
side of .500.
Patrick Buhrmann
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Abilene Christian University. Prickly Pear, Yearbook of Abilene Christian University, 2002, yearbook, 2002; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth39886/m1/107/: accessed May 1, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.