JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman's 2019-20 season opens in less than two weeks with an exhibition against Tennessee as we continue the position previews with a glance at the frontcourt with junior guard Addison Byrd (Nashville, Tenn.).
Nearly 50 percent of the team's scoring graduated but the team's top two returning players slot themselves into the frontcourt for a unit that did returns everyone from 2018-19.
Kayla Marosites (Elizabethton, Tenn.) is the team's top returning player having earned an all-region laurel last season. The two-time all-conference pick enters her senior season needing 154 points to join the school's 1,000-point club and 298 rebounds to rack up 1,000 career boards. She would become the fourth Lady Eagle ever to be in both spots.
Marosites has started all 65 games since she walked onto the Mossy Creek campus to start her sophomore season posting 13 points and 11 rebounds per game for her career scoring in double figures 48 times with 45 double-digit rebound efforts. Her numbers ticked up across the board in each category during her junior season. With 21 double-doubles, she accumulated the fourth-most of any player in America ranking 13th with 11.3 rebounds per game.
"It takes a lot of pressure off," Byrd said. "I don't feel like I have to do everything. I get to share that with some body. It's awesome because she runs the floor, obviously she can shoot the three like crazy. I can pass her the ball and I have confidence that she is going to make most or every shot that she puts up."
Check out some of the first half highlights as C-N shoots 40% from the field behind 16 points from @KaylaMarosites and 14 from @HarisJordan
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CNathletics) February 7, 2019
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Teaming up with Marosites is Byrd who posted 12 points per game and earned honorable mention All-SAC laurels in her first season as a regular. She tripled her minutes and points per game last year shooting 48 percent, the sixth-best margin in the league.
Byrd scored double digits 20 times in her second season notching a career-high 25 at Columbus State on Nov. 25 going 11-for-17 from the field. She went 9-for-11 from the field and made six of seven from long range versus Shorter on Dec. 29. In a meeting with No. 18 Anderson on Feb. 13, she notched her lone double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
"I have put a lot of effort in the weight room getting stronger and faster," Byrd said. "I'm always in the gym trying to work on my shot. I'm trying to be more verbal because leaders need to be more verbal on the court to show the younger players what then coaches expect. We have been trying to get more people in the gym because it always pays off."
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— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CNathletics) February 23, 2019
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On the blocks, the Lady Eagles have four players that had their chance to shine down low looking to gain separation entering the upcoming year. Chanler Geer (Knoxville, Tenn.) has dealt with injuries during her time but hit her stride last season averaging 11.3 minutes per game recording nearly two boards per night including career highs of five against Newberry and Queens.
Katie Bean (Knoxville, Tenn.) registered seven blocks as a rookie, Caroline Harville (Morristown, Tenn.) scored 12 points at King on Dec. 12 and Sydney Pearce (Johnson City, Tenn.) scored in double figures twice finishing 10th in league with 22 blocks.
The only newcomer in this position is Harli Smith (Jamestown, Tenn.) who scored over 1,300 points in her career hounding the glass during her prep career as she looks to insert her name in the conversation for a rotational role.
"I think that they have realized that we need a big post," Byrd said. "Other teams don't have that. If we can bring the ball down and feed it to our bigs every time for easy twos. The percentage of a layup or a two-foot shot is higher than a three-point shot. If they keep making their shots then we can have kick outs."
The season tips off on Tuesday, Oct. 29 at Tennessee for a 7 p.m. tip-off from Knoxville. All season, broadcast coverage begins 15 minutes prior to the opening tip on the Eagle Sports Network's flagship station The Mountain 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live. Home contests will feature a high definition video stream on cneagles.com/live.
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