The Rice Thresher, Vol. 94, No. 21, Ed. 1 Friday, February 23, 2007 Page: 19 of 24
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THE RICE THRESHER SPORTS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23,2007
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TAYLOR JOHNSON/THRESHER TIANHE YANG/THRESHER
Senior forward Lauren Neaves leads the Owls In points per game, rebounds per game and blocked shots. She is currently 76 points behind Maria Brumfield (Sid '00) for third place on the Owls' all-time points list.
she said. "Some nights I won't be
able to score or have a bad night
shooting, but there should always
be a good night of defense."
Assistant coach Carlos Quintero
(Baker '98), the only assistant from
McKinney's staff still at Rice, has
taken to calling Neaves the "silent
leader."The nickname is apt. Neaves
has played most of the year with an
injured hip that actually caused her
to miss four games in December, the
first injury absence of her collegiate
career. Yet she continues to dominate
opposing defenses without so much
as a peep, preferring instead to let
ln*r play speak for itself. Quintero
said Neaves' play sets an example
for the rest of the team.
"We know what we can get out of
her," he said. "It's also good for the
young I post players) to say, 'Hey
look, this is what she's doing. 1 want to
be like her and get to that level."'
Driven by a close loss to Tulsa
University in the C-USA champi-
onship game last March, Neaves
focused on starting off the year
strong. I)etermined to avoid the slow
starts that have hampered her in the
past, Neaves gained 15 pounds of
muscle over the summer to become
even more unstoppable in the post.
Her hard work paid dividends early in
the season. Hie forward's strong play
led to key wins over the University
of Mississippi, which beat the Owls
by 47 the previous year, and Texas
A&M University, ranked 10th in the
nation at the time, along the way to
a 7-3 start.
Then injuries started to mount
tor the Owls. Six players, including
Neaves, missed time over the course
of one month as Rice floundered into
the conference season. Neaves was
especially frustrated with being in-
jured during a tournament in Miami,
near her hometown of Cooper City,
Fla., and with the prospect of miss-
ing time during her senior season.
However, Neaves actually looks at
her time on the bench as a blessing
in disguise for the rest of her team.
"In the long run, I think me being
out might have been a little beneficial,
in that it helped everyone step into a
more aggressive role on offense and
defense," Neaves said.
WiUi Neaves' return to the lineup,
the Owls have once again begun
another strong finish in conference
play. The team's recent 7-2 run has
been a total team effort, as players
like Stovall, junior forward Tiffany
Loggins and freshman guard Tara
Watts have stepped up to fill new roles.
However, Williams is aware of how
important Neaves' play will be down
the stretch.
"That's something that she's
proven throughout her entire
career," Williams said. "As the season
winds down and you get down into
conference games, important games,
conference tournament games, she's
stepped her game up, and that's the
mark of a really great player."
As one of the top seniors in the
country, Neaves has garnered at-
tention from the WNBA and Euro-
pean professional leagues. Williams,
himself a coach in three different
women's professional leagues, sees
her continuing her success.
"If she gets with the right team,
she has a chance, because she is
a great rebounder, she is a shot
blocker, [and | she can score around
the basket," Williams said.
Neaves. though looking forward
to playing professionally down the
line, now is focused on the task of
winning conference and continu-
ing the rise of the program since
McKinney's tenure.
"It would be such a great finish to
my career," she said. "It would be such
a great thing for us to make it.... We're
talent-wise the best team in the confer-
ence, and we just need to all show up
ready to play on the same day."
Indeed, a win in the conference
tournament and an appearance in
the NCAA tournament would help
to cement the legacy of the best
class in Rice women's basketball
history, a group that has made
winning the norm rather than the
exception. But ask any Owl fan
and they'll say Neaves' legacy has
already been set.
RICE RECORDS
Career points
men's and women's
1. Michael Harris, 2014
2. Brent Scott, 1906
3. Pat Krieger. 1,851
4. Ricky Pierce. 1,847
5. Holly Jones, 1,791
6. Elbert Darden, 1,727
7. Maria Brumfield, 1,703
8. Lauren Neaves, 1.629*
9. Greg Hines, 1,545
10. Torrey Andrews, 1,535
* totals as of Feb. 20, 2007
Career rebounds
men is and women 's
1. Lauren Neaves, 1,131*
2. Michael Harris, 1,111
3. Brent Scott, 1,049
4. Goya Quails, 941
5. Kendall Rhine, 922
6. Holly Jones, 889
7. Pennie Goff, 855
8. Gene Schwinger. 810
9. Temple Tucker, 768
10. Pat Krieger, 710
dcfotcA&cct 0
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Feeling down • Loss of interest in things •
Changes in appetite • Changes in sleep patterns •
Crying spells
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research study for people between the ages of 18
and 70 with depression. If you qualify, you may
be eligible to participate in a study involving an
investigational medication for the treatment of
depression at no cost to you.
For more information please call
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Brown, David. The Rice Thresher, Vol. 94, No. 21, Ed. 1 Friday, February 23, 2007, newspaper, February 23, 2007; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth443177/m1/19/?rotate=270: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.