PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore will look to shake off any rust that developed over the short Thanksgiving break as they host Division III Greensboro College at 6 p.m. on Tuesday (Dec. 3).
The Hawks are coming off five straight games on the road and haven't won since the season opener against Wesley, but the team did get back to town and got in four practices since the holiday.
"Just getting back to playing a live opponent is different," Hawks coach Fred Batchelor said. "It's good to be home to kick it off after being off for nine days. You always have some rust when you don't play that long."
Eastern Shore wasn't exactly hitting on all cylinders to start the year after graduating 65% of its offense. But injuries to key players hasn't helped either. The team is shooting just 32% from the field, 23% from behind the arc and 58% from the free throw line. Turning the ball over 19.5 times a game has not helped either.
"We really need to solidify a rotation that we feel comfortable with, which is a huge challenge with some of the kids who are out," Batchelor said. "That is something that is going to be a work in progress because we don't have an answer for that right now."
The Hawks (1-5) are still without forwards Bariesha Gill-Miles (Lexington, Kentucky) and Mahogany Lester (Virginia Beach, Virginia) who are out with upper body injuries as well as senior guard Adrienne Jones (Baltimore, Maryland) who left last game with a lower-body injury.
Junior guard Amanda Carney (Old Bridge, New Jersey), who leads The Shore in scoring (10.3) and rebounding despite coming off the bench in all six games, will likely make the start in place of Jones.
"Our biggest problem has been our guards handling the ball," Batchelor said. "Even though Amanda has been a bright spot, she doesn't really address that issue for us. She'll be playing the three where she is comfortable and we'll see how that goes. She's really been the one consistent player for us this year that we could count on and she's given us perimeter scoring and a good effort on the glass."
While junior Porsha Sydnor (Chicago, Illinois) and sophomore Brooklyn Bailey (Rock Hill, South Carolina) have both been starting in the backcourt, they have shared the point guard duties throughout the game. That has left that second guard spot as a bit of a question that the coaches are trying to answer.
"Going into Greensboro, I don't think we are going to have that addressed yet either," Batchelor said. "We really would like to put forth a good effort at home coming off the break. I think that is going to be the most important thing is to maximize effort. Hopefully we'll be rejuvenated by playing at home after being on the road for five straight.
"We want to see some progress with our approach and our focus and our energy."
While it has been a struggle so far, the team's young freshman have been showing flashes. Makayla Adams (Bowie, Maryland) made her first start at ECU and Jamaya Blanks (Greensboro, North Carolina) has seen her minutes increase recently as well.
The Hawks have just seven games left to address those issues that the coaches know will be a problem during conference play. The good news is that only two of those are on the road.
Following Tuesday's game Eastern Shore will host Richmond on Dec. 5, at 6 p.m. and then travel to Norfolk to take on Old Dominion on Dec. 8.
