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February 19, 2013
Forget the roses and the chocolate – Nicholls State women’s basketball coach DoBee Plaisance got the gift she’s been wanting for close to a half-decade this Valentine’s Day: depth.
After four seasons juggling players and maneuvering through a losing history, Plaisance and her staff have built a talented roster loaded with capable players.
That was on full display on Valentine’s Day when six Colonels pitched in seven or more points in the team’s 65-64 win against Stephen F. Austin.
The win moved the team to 7-5 in league play and 15-8 on the season.
They have since won again and are 8-5 in league play.
“Our balance can be defined by unselfish play,” Plaisance said following the win. “Our players are together and are wanting our program to succeed. It’s not about who makes the points – it’s just about Nicholls making the points. … It’s a whole team effort and quite frankly, that’s the whole reason we’re so successful right now.”
Plaisance mentioned unselfish play – the Colonels have plenty of that.
But a pool of talented players helps, too.
All five of Nicholls’ starters provide the team with the ability to score.
Junior guard KK Babin and senior forward Alisha Allen provide the team with its most consistent scoring – each owning the ability to explode for 30 or more points on a given night.
But the team’s success is also in large part because of role players capable of making big shots and creating offense.
Those players are lesser-known standouts like junior guard LiAnn McCarthy, sophomore guard Jenny Nash, sophomore center JonMarie Guillory and also newcomers like junior transfer Jasmine Scott and freshmen Emani White and Hope Pawlowski.
“That’s when we’re at our best – when we share the ball and everyone is either close to or above double digits,” Babin said. “That gives us the luxury of having options because we know that even if we don’t have our best game as individuals, we can rely on someone else to pick it up a little bit. We can pass it to anybody.”
What Babin referenced has been on full display throughout the season in Thibodaux – especially lately.
In the team’s 69-65 win against Southeastern, Allen led the team with 18 points, while White and Scott pitched in 14 each.
Four days later in the Valentine’s Day win against Stephen F. Austin, Allen again led the team with 14 points, while Babin pitched in 12, Scott scored 11 and McCarthy added 9.
“I like that we’re all able to score a lot,” McCarthy said. “It helps us out because we mesh well and we all play as a team. That’s when we do our best – when we are all getting involved, moving around and taking advantage of everything when we’re able to get open.”
With about three weeks to go in the season, the Colonels’ attention is on establishing the best seed it can in the Southland Conference Tournament.
A total of eight teams in the 10-team league reach the field, which determines the school that will represent the league in the NCAA Tournament.
But this season’s field will be heavily influenced by the regular season. That’s because the Top 2 seeds in the field receive double-byes and seeds 3 and 4 receive a single bye.
That has the attention of the Colonel players who stress they want to collect as many wins as possible before the regular season draws to its close.
Nicholls currently rests in fourth place in the league. They are a game and a half out of first place.
Playing as few games as possible is going to be of utmost importance this year when one considers the parity in the league.
This past week, last place team Texas A&M-Corpus Christi defeated both 2011-12’s regular season champion and tournament champions, Central Arkansas and McNeese State.
Prior to the week of upset, the Lady Islanders had just a 1-20 record.
“It’s crazy,” Babin said. “Everybody is beating everybody else every night. We want to try and keep things moving forward so we can get those byes and keep progressing.”
At least now the Colonels have depth at their disposal as they make their push.
That has Plaisance smiling this Valentine’s Day.
“Now, all we need to do is get the big, talented 6-foot-3 kid in here,” Plaisance said with a laugh. “Then, we’ll be set.”
Nicholls State guard KK Babin dribbles the ball during a game this season. Thanks to Babin and a slew of other scorers, the Colonels have achieved offensive balance this season. Nicholls has won four-straight games and currently sits just a game and a half out of first place in the Southland Conference.
