PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore enters this season with question marks all over the court.
Who among the team's returners is ready to step up and lead?
Which of the talented recruiting class can contribute now?
Where will the scoring come from?
Who will run the point?
After the Hawks finished 12-4 in conference last season and made it to the semifinals of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament, head coach Fred Batchelor — the league's longest tenured head coach entering his 16th season on the Shore — will be looking to find the answers to those questions.
Even if it takes all season.
The Hawks will be looking to somehow find a way to mitigate the loss of three four-year seniors in Ciani Byrom (Winston-Salem, North Carolina), Keyera Eaton (Winston-Salem, North Carolina), Ra'Jean Martin (Jacksonville, Florida).
"We were very fortunate last year to stay healthy," Batchelor said. "For us for the first time in four years we were able to have our backcourt of four-year starters healthy at the same time and finish the year. We are going to miss them tremendously going forward. We had a good group of seniors last year who really led the way and when healthy were some of the best talent in the league."
There is no replacing any of the group, who along with Dominique Walker (Bel Air, Maryland) made up 63.2 percent of the team's scoring a year ago. But the point guard position will mis Byrom the most.
"One of the best players in the history of the program, who just figured out a lot of things for us on the floor — we don't have that any longer," Batchelor said. "We do return four of our top eight and we have a strong program in the sense that we have 11 returners, however, it is going to be a huge challenge that we'll be different and have to play a little differently."
Batchelor thought the team played tough last season, but will need to get even tougher this year and find a way to grind games out and not beat themselves.
Junior Bairesha Gill-Miles (Lexington, Kentucky) is the team's most productive returner. The 2016-18 MEAC Rookie of the Year, started 26 of 29 games played as a sophomore (2018-19) despite spending the summer recovering from a shoulder injury. She reached double-digits in scoring nine times, put up six double-doubles and finished No. 10 in MEAC in rebounding (7.3), No. 7 in MEAC in defensive rebounds per game (5.1). She added 1.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game.
She was voted to the Third-Team Preseason All-MEAC squad by the league's coaches and sports information directors.
"I thought her sophomore year she really struggled coming off of an injury where she was supposed to have surgery and chose not to," Batchelor said. "It didn't allow her to do much over the summer or work on her game at all in the offseason. I think we have shown her that she now has to play at another level because teams and coaches start to prepare for you and they get comfortable with how to defend you and make things difficult for you.
"Bairesha continues to work hard and she is determined to have an impact this year. I think having her on the floor makes us a tough team and gives us some of the experience of winning."
The Hawks return four of their top eight players from a year ago overall.
"That isn't bad and those kids made a significant contribution," Batchelor said. "I'm optimistic about what those kids bring. However, the thing that concerns me is consistency."
Senior Ksenia Popovich (Moscow, Russia) is the team's other returning starter. She made huge strides as a junior and finished the season averaging 3.8 points and 3.4 rebounds, while starting 25 of the 28 games she played.
Sophomore Brooklyn Bailey (Rock Hill, South Carolina) had her ups and downs as a freshman, but played in all 30 games reaching double digits twice.
Senior Adrienne Jones (Baltimore, Maryland) played in 25 games last season — her first as a Hawk — in a reserve role.
What the team will figure out once the season starts with a home game against Wesley College on Nov. 5, is how many of the returning 11 players are role players or players that can be depended on beyond just their role.
"Right now, we start the season with mostly freshmen and backups," Batchelor said. "That is going to be our challenge."
Junior Porsha Sydnor (Chicago, Illinois) is the team's most experienced returning point guard, while classmate Amanda Carney (Parlin, New Jersey) is the team's best returning shooter from deep and made 39 % (20-of-51) of her attempts a year ago.
Senior Chioma Nkpuechina (Anambra, Nigeria) is coming off a strong performance in last year's MEAC Tournament, while sophomore Rose Smith (Harlem, New York) is the team's biggest player and showed flashes of potential last season.
Senior Dayona Godwin (Berlin, Maryland) and junior Angelique Taylor (Wachapreague, Virginia) also boast experience.
"I think we are deep," Batchelor said. "I think we have a lot of different bodies. I think it is going to be a challenge to keep kids involved. Finding the right rotation and finding the right chemistry will be key."
Sophomore Taylor Clayborne (Upper Marlboro, Maryland) will be taking the first semester away from the team to focus on her studies.
The coaching staff is excited about the freshman class, which includes four talented players. For Batchelor it brings to mind when the trio he just lost to graduation arrived on campus. They were four-year contributors who impacted the program and he hopes that this group can say the same when they are done in maroon and gray.
"It's like reloading again with a new group of freshman," Batchelor said. "We think thimay be the best recruiting class in our tenure here."
The group includes Mahogany Lester (Virginia Beach, Virginia), Makayla Adams (Bowie, Maryland), Mya Thomas (Chesapeake, Virginia) and Jamaya Blanks (Greensboro, North Carolina).
Lester is a four-time state champion at Princess Anne High School who averaged 14 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.0 blocks while helping lead her team to a Class 5A title. She is also the daughter of 1995 Naismith College Player of the Year at Maryland and 16-year NBA veteran, Joe Smith.
Thomas led Deep Creek High School to the state tournament for the first time since 2002, while earning First-Team Class 4A All-State honors. Thomas averaged 18.4 points and 6.2 assists while finishing her career as the No. 4 scorer in school history with 1,477 points.
Adams was a team captain and four-year starter for Elanor Roosevelt High School and averaged 11.7 points and 8.7 rebounds. She was a Top 25 rebounder in the Washington Post during her junior and senior years and played her AAU ball for Team Durant — Oxen Hill.
Blanks, comes to The Shore from the same North Carolina basketball program — formerly Forest Trails Academy, now Westridge Academy —Bailey, Popovich, Gill-Miles and even Byrom. Her Westridge squad finished last season 31-0.
"We think she has the potential to be a really impactful player in this league from the time she steps on the floor until she graduates," Batchelor said.
The Hawks also brought in an experienced junior college scorer in Kenetria Redfern (Cheektowaga, New York) from Niagara Community College to help bridge the gap to this class.
Redfern a JUCO All-American — was an integral part of the Thunderwolves' 31-2 season that ended with the team's first NJCAA National Tournament appearance in program history and its first Region III Division II championship. She Averaged 22.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game and was named the Region III Player of the Year.
"Like all of them, it takes some time to adjust to playing at this level," Batchelor said. "They are all learning and they are all struggling at this point. We are optimistic that there are going to be some kids who make an impact on the program as soon as possible, but definitely in the future."
