Back In Action

Get ready to “Beast Up” with Southern’s women’s basketball team this season, led by senior guard standout Rolanda Monroe.
“This is the best team I’ve ever coached,” said head coach Sandy Pugh. “It’s a blessing to coach and work with a group like this.”
Picked to finish first in the Southwestern Athletic Conference this season despite their disheartening second place finish last year, the ladies of the gold and blue are ready to take the season by storm.
“I’ve been working hard,” Monroe said. “This year everybody is in shape. Everybody has been working hard and everybody is competing. I’m trying to get my teammates involved a lot more to play as a team and not me doing all the work.”
Monroe, the SWAC’s preseason pick of the year and first-team selection, will be joined by a talented supporting cast that aims to depict beauty on The Bluff, while getting beastly on the court.
Returning with Monroe will be junior guard Tiffany Jones, sophomore forward Krystal Huggins, along with senior guard Ciara Shiggs. Rounding out returnees are sophomore guard Megan Berard, senior forward Latoiya Hill, junior guard Ashley Blake and sophomore Fredrieka Lewis.
Lewis is returning back to the court after playing only five games before sustaining an ankle injury. Berard has been selected as team captain despite her underclassman status, an accolade that stands because of her 30 rebounds, 15 assists and steals and 76 combined points last season.
“I know what Coach Pugh expects of me and my teammates,” Berard said. “I’m trying to help my teammates, encouraging them to strive more for the best, making sure we do everything to perfection.”
The Jaguars (16-14, 11-7 SWAC) also have some fresh faces to combat the SWAC. To help out in the post is 6-foot-1-inch sophomore forward and Purdue transfer Indi Johnson from Harbor City, Calif. Also added to the Jaguars talented 2005 signing class are freshmen forward Sierra Bush from Campti, freshmen guard Diedra Jackson from Amite, freshmen forward Deshundra Antoine from Houston and freshmen center Ashton Jones from Mobile.