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RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University women’s basketball team will open the 2012-13 regular season by hosting Miami (Ohio) on Friday at 5:30 p.m. at McBrayer Arena.

The Colonel basketball teams are joining efforts with the EKU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) for Friday's season openers to collect toiletry items for the Madison County “Day of Hope” event. Head coaches Chrissy Roberts and Jeff Neubauer have requested admission to this doubleheader be FREE for all fans and are instead encouraging all fans to bring items such as deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste or other similar products to donate to the “Day of Hope” event.

Miami went 21-10 last season and has been picked to win the Mid-American Conference East Division this season. The RedHawks defeated the Lady Colonels, 60-55, last year in Oxford, Ohio.

The following is a preview of EKU’s 2012-13 season:

The 2012-13 EKU women’s basketball team will be as deep and talented as it has ever been under fifth-year head coach Chrissy Roberts. All five starters and two key bench players return from a team that advanced to the quarterfinals of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, meaning the pieces are in place for the Lady Colonels’ to make a run at their first conference title since 2004-05.

EKU’s lofty expectations were validated when the Lady Colonels were picked by league head coaches and sports information directors to finish second in the OVC East this season, their highest preseason conference ranking during Roberts’ tenure.

“It’s exciting to have earned that respect from the league, because we’ve worked very hard to get where we are,” Roberts said. “But nothing is going to be handed to us. We have to stay focused and compete night-in and night-out. If we do that, everything will take care of itself.”

Leading the way for EKU in 2012-13 is a deep and veteran backcourt comprised by seniors Raechele Gray and Brittany Coles and junior Marie Carpenter. Gray, a transfer from Marshall, started all 29 games at point guard for EKU last season and proved to be a steady catalyst of the offense, leading the squad in assists (97), steals (42) and free throw percentage (82.7). Coles is a versatile inside-out guard who ranks fourth on EKU’s all-time blocks list, finished third on the team in rebounds last season (113) and is seven three-pointers shy of cracking the school’s top-10 list. Carpenter, EKU’s lone preseason All-OVC selection, is an explosive sharpshooter who led the Lady Colonels in scoring (13.4 ppg) and three-point percentage (41.8) as a sophomore.

The Lady Colonels are also strong in the paint, as senior Alex Jones returns for her final season at EKU. Jones is a two-time second team All-OVC forward who became the 21st member of EKU’s 1,000-point club in 2011-12. She will be joined in the frontcourt by fellow senior Jade Barber, a 6-2 transfer from Ball State who established her presence in the paint early and often last season, swatting 37 shots and shooting a school-record 56.2 percent from the field en route to being named the OVC Newcomer of the Week five times.

With a strong nucleus back to lead a talented crop of newcomers, Roberts is excited about a team that should play an up-tempo, fun style of basketball.

“We are very excited about this team,” Roberts said. “There are a lot of veterans returning who have stepped up and taken on leadership roles. Do we have our work cut out for us? Yes. But if we continue to look out for each other and play hard for each other, it should be a fun and exciting season.”

Guards

EKU is as deep in the backcourt as it has been in a long time, and according to Roberts, all of the Lady Colonel guards “look to get out in transition and are always in attack mode.”

Gray started every game at point guard for the Lady Colonels in 2011-12, but Roberts expects her to play some at the off-guard position this season and, if needed, provide more scoring. Coles is a four-year senior who provides much-needed versatility as a player who can knock down three-pointers or post up, and as a defender who can guard multiple positions on the floor. Roberts noted that Coles “worked extremely hard over the summer and came back in great shape.” Carpenter, according to Roberts, can “flat out put the ball in the basket.” The Nashville native lived up to that billing last season as she shot 41.8 percent from deep and delivered a team-high 20 double-figure scoring nights. Carpenter, however, is not a one-dimensional player: “She goes hard on both ends of the floor,” Roberts said. “And she is a great on-ball defender.”

Two other veteran guards who will play a key role this season are senior Jalisa Bryant and junior Pilar Walker. Bryant, a transfer from Moraine Valley Community College, started only three games as a junior, but they were the final three games of the season, including the Lady Colonels’ two OVC Tournament games. The Chicago native primarily spelled Gray at the point in 2011-12; however, she has transitioned to the off-guard position this year, a move that plays to her strengths, according to Roberts: “Jalisa shoots the three well and can also create off the dribble.” Bryant proved her coach right in EKU’s lone exhibition game of the preseason against Georgetown College on Nov. 2, coming off the bench to shoot 3-of-3 from behind the arc and finish the night with 10 points. Walker is a Lexington native who transferred to EKU from conference foe Eastern Illinois. She was a solid contributor for the Panthers, serving as the team’s sixth man her sophomore season until she suffered a season-ending knee injury against Southeast Missouri. Roberts noted that Walker has “a great understanding of the game” and her on-court savvy should earn her minutes at the point guard position.

One of the reasons Roberts hopes Gray will eventually transfer to the off-guard position this season is freshman Jasmine Stafford. Stafford is a point guard out of Overton High School in Memphis, Tenn. who “plays extremely fast and aggressive,” according to Roberts, and who the coaching staff also values due to her ability to pass the ball and defend. Another freshman, Alexus Cooper, is expected to see time at the two-guard spot. Roberts said that Cooper “shoots the ball extremely well.” The product of Rocky Mount High School in Rocky Mount, N.C. knocked down her only three-point attempt of the night in EKU’s exhibition game against Georgetown College last week.

Junior Samantha Coleman, a transfer from the University of the Cumberlands, suffered an injury during the preseason and her status is currently up in the air.

Forwards

Roberts called EKU’s frontcourt “a solid, versatile group that works extremely hard in the paint.” She also noted that they “take ownership of the lane area, and that’s what we need.”

That frontcourt is led by one of the most decorated players in Lady Colonel history, Alex Jones. Jones, who Roberts called a “great rebounder” and a “physical, strong post player who also drives hard to the rim and can step out and shoot the three,” joined EKU’s 1,000-point club on a three-point play against Tennessee State in the OVC Tournament. The native of Elizabethtown, Ky. also ranks sixth on EKU’s all-time rebounds list (724) and recorded a team-high seven double-doubles last season. Jones is joined in the paint by Barber and senior #LaRa`e Allen#. Barber started only eight contests last season but still finished second on the team in scoring (11.2 ppg) and rebounding (7.8 rpg). Roberts noted that she is a “long athlete who runs the floor well and can be tough to defend in the paint.” Allen started 18 games in her first season at EKU after transferring from Allegany College of Maryland. She is more of a versatile forward like Jones in that she can play with her back to the basket but also face up and shoot the three or put the ball on the floor and attack the basket.

Sophomore Meredith Polson is another forward who could see minutes in the paint this season. Polson was a walk-on in 2011-12 but will receive a scholarship this season. The native of Mt. Washington, Ky. appeared in seven games last year and, according to Roberts, “works extremely hard at both ends of the floor.”

A trio of freshmen will provide depth in EKU’s frontcourt. Miranda Maples, out of Maryville High School in Maryville, Tenn., has strong post moves on the block, but can also step out and shoot three. As proof of that, the 6-1 Maples won the Blount County (Tenn.) three-point shooting contest as a senior in high school. Jasmine Henshaw, out of Titusville High School in Titusville, Fla., is another inside-out forward who Roberts called “very physical” and noted that she has “adjusted very well to learning the guard and post positions.” Shelly Harper, a product of Colerain High School in Cincinnati, is more reminiscent of Barber in that she is a tall, rangy athlete who “runs the floor well and works extremely hard on the defensive end of the floor.”

Fans can purchase 2012-13 season tickets by contacting the EKU athletics ticket office at 859-622-2122.