Shoreline Dolphins Women’s Basketball team has played 4 games so far in the 2015-16 season and have come away with a 1-3 record. Head Coach Darnellia Russell begins her second full season at the helm of the program and her first full recruiting class has the staff excited about what is to come in 2015-16. The new class has already made their presence felt with a big win on the road at Green River and a great showing against perennial NWAC Tournament team Highline College.
Last season the Phins were unable to win a game, but Russell worked hard to turn the roster over with an eye on the future. The Phins are young with only two sophomores, Russell stated she is “very excited with the girls we have playing this year. We are a young team but we have plenty of room and time to grow.” Sharpshooting Sophomore Fatuma Abu is the only returner from last year’s roster. She is currently averaging 6 points per game and is 100% from the free throw line in the early season.
In the back court the Phins boast two tough Freshmen Point Guards in Janaya Williams and Dani Hayes. Williams played high school ball at Renton High School and is currently 7th in the NWAC with 4.5 assists per game. She turned in a near tripple double against Pierce with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists. Hayes was a 4a State Champion at Lynwood High School and starred for the Women’s Soccer team in the Fall. The two sport athlete is currently 4th in the NWAC with just over 3 steals per game. Russell had this to say about her point guards, “Hayes and Williams bring tons of energy on the court for our team both defensively and offensively.”
On the wing the Phins have two swiss army knives capable of affecting the game in a number of ways. Darrien Dolquist-Larson is a transfer from Skagit Valley College where she played in 14 games in the 2012-13 season. Dolquist-Larson is is 10th in the NWAC with 3 steals per game and leads the team in scoring with 13.5 points per game. Enjunay Jones-Lee played high school basketball at Franklin and is currently scoring 8 points per game to go with 6 rebounds per game.
The front court is loaded with depth highlighted by Betty Alem, Paris Sanders and Zolviz Keilani. Alem was a high school teammate of Williams’ at Renton High School. Keilani played her high school ball at Rainier Beach and Sanders was a stand out at Cle Elum Roslyn High School. Sanders leads the team with 6.5 rebounds per game and marked her first start of the season with a double-double against Pierce. About her front court Russell said, ‘We are also excited about the post presence Alem, Keilani and Sanders bring to the roster. They are capable rebounders on both ends and provide a defensive presence against opposing bigs.”
With a great recruiting class Russell has turned the program in the right direction. Asked about her feelings regarding the upcoming season she had this to say, ” We have the pieces to make a competitive team. We just need to put it all together in practice, play as a team on the court and make some noise in the NWAC.”
The Phins participate in the Everett Classic and the Peninsula Crossover to close out 2015. After the Winter break the Phins will begin North Region play with a home game against Bellevue College at 2pm on Saturday, January 9th.
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