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WITH TWO STARS, GOLDEY-BEACOM IS OPTIMISTIC

November 26, 2006

Courtesy of Jack Ireland, The News Journal

Cherrise Graham and Toni Jones had something in common even before they became teammates this year on the Goldey-Beacom College women's basketball team.

As high school seniors, Graham, from Conshohocken, Pa., and Jones, a Sussex Tech graduate, were selected as Gatorade girls basketball player of the year in their respective states.

Graham, a former starting guard at the University of Virginia, and Jones, one of the top scorers in Delaware scholastic history, head a Goldey team that's looking for a winning season after going 6-22 a year ago.

Goldey coach Jennifer Smith learned through some contacts that Graham, a 5-foot-8 senior, might be looking to play one more year of college basketball. Graham also was friends with Goldey assistant coach Jessica Bogia. Graham, 24, quit the Virginia team in August 2003 but continued to attend school.

"Basically, I played pickup games with the guys for about three years," Graham said. "I'm confident about playing here, and my teammates are great. I want to have fun again playing basketball, and everything is really positive. It's a lower level [NCAA Division II], but I'm still playing basketball. That's fine with me."

Graham's arrival was a boost for Smith and Jones, who believe the Lightning will be competitive in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference this year.

"She is amazing," Smith said of Graham. "She was on the cover of Street & Smith's [basketball] magazine and had her high school jersey retired. It's nice to have her because she fits in so well. It's not like Cherrise and four other players.

"We have five very good starters. She might not even be the top scorer every night, and that's fine with her."

Jones, a 5-11 junior forward from Rehoboth Beach, led Goldey in scoring (17.5 points a game) and rebounding (8.7 a game) last season. She said she couldn't believe a player as talented as Graham would end up at Goldey.

"It's awesome, and I was very surprised we got her to come here," Jones said. "I had never seen Cherrise play until one day at open gym. I said, 'Are you serious [about joining the team]?'

"She can do so many things to help our team. I've had no trouble getting used to her style of play. Personally, I need to play harder and be more aggressive."

Smith said Goldey fans are going to fall in love with Graham's style of play and hustle. She was an All-American at Archbishop Carroll High. In 2002-03, her only season at Virginia, Graham led the team in scoring (14.8 points a game) and was chosen second team All-Atlantic Coast Conference."Cherrise ... will go up against players 6-3, 6-4 and still finish on her drives," Smith said. "She has no fear. She can knock down the jumper, and she shot 90 percent from the foul line that season at Virginia."

Despite her success at Virginia, Graham said she wasn't happy.

"The program was just not working for me, and I decided to take myself out of that situation," Graham said.

Graham, a business major, signed with Purdue out of high school, but didn't stay there long. She transferred to Virginia in January 2001.

"I played one semester at Purdue," Graham said. "I wish I had never left Purdue. It was a great program, but I was pretty homesick. I like where I am right now. If I didn't come to Goldey, I wouldn't have gone anywhere."

Jones had a brilliant high school career, first at Cape Henlopen and then at Sussex Tech. She finished with 1,752 points, third on the state's all-time list.

"Toni knows all areas of the game," Smith said. "She has an amazing pull-up jumper. She puts the ball so far above her head, you can't alter her shot. Defensively, she is so quick and anticipates real well. She is going to have another great season."

Graham and Jones will be joined in the starting lineup by senior forward Kim Rowley, junior point guard Natasha Scott and freshman swing player Casi Donelan of Fairfax, Va.

"I really like everybody I am playing with," Graham said. "I have really good teammates who catch my passes. I won't be afraid to dish the ball off to these girls. We're fast and pretty mobile. We play well together."

Jones said the Lightning's CACC opponents might be caught off-guard this season.

"We want to prove to everybody that we aren't the same team we were last year," Jones said. "We want to be the No. 1 team in the conference."