Oakland Women's Basketball Notebook 2: Sept. 30, 2020
ROCHESTER, Mich. – Check out this inside look at the latest news about the Oakland women's basketball team, staff and alumni on and off the court.
TWEET OF THE WEEK: BEAR IN MIND PODCAST – BRIANNA PERRY
This week, redshirt junior and Temple transfer
Breanna Perry joined the voice of the Golden Grizzlies
Neal Ruhl on the Bear In Mind Podcast sponsored by the Evans Law Group. Neal goes in depth with Breanna discussing her goals for this season including her defensive mindset and comment to contributing on the offensive end of the court.
PUTTING IN THE WORK:
Coach Tungate is expecting big things from Senior
Autumn Kissman, juniors
Kayla Luchenbach Brianna Breedy and
Teneea Heston along with sophomore
Alona Blackwell. Last week, coach gave us his thoughts after summer works. "I'm really proud of what our team did on their own, but Kayla, Autumn, and Brianna took it to a whole new level. Alona and Teneea also put in a great amount of work this summer."
2019-20 highlights:
Kissman:
• Saw action in 27 games with nine starts
• Ranked third on the team in field goal percentage (44.2)
• Reached double figures in eight games with two double-doubles
Luchenbach:
• Saw action in all 30 games with 26 starts
• Led the team in blocks (14) and fourth on the team in scoring (8.7 ppg)
• Scored in double figures 11 times
Breedy:
• Started in all 30 games
• Recorded 5+ assists five times with a season-high seven vs Detroit Mercy (2/1)
Heston:
• Saw action in 28 games off the bench
• Just missed a double-double with season-high 11 points while grabbing a career-high nine rebounds with three assists at Niagara (11/25)
Blackwell:
• Horizon League All-Freshman Team selection
• Garnered Nike® Horizon League Freshman of the Week honors three times in a four-week span
• Scored in double figures 12 times
MEET LAMARIYEE WILLIAMS:
Williams is the lone addition to the 2020-21 squad
Full Name: Lamariyee (La-Mar-E-Yay) Khadeeja Williams
Birthdate: 12/17/01
Hometown: East Lansing, Mich.
High School: East Lansing
Nickname: Sug
Why Oakland?
-Good academic school
-Opportunity to play basketball at the next level while earning a scholarship
-Amazing campus
Coach Tungate on Williams:
"Lamariyee is a great addition to our program. She is a talented all-around player who brings instant offense to our program," said Tungate. "She can shoot it, drive it, get to the free throw line and is also capable of being a very good defender. Most importantly, she's a winner."
Highlights:
• Averaged 22.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists as a junior at River Rouge High School before transferring to East Lansing High School
• 2019 M-Live Dream Team honorable mention
• 2019 Associated Press and Detroit Free Press All-State honorable mention
• 2019 Detroit News Division Three Third-Team selection
• No. 13 ranked guard in the state of Michigan
• Played for the Michigan Storm UAA
ALUMNI CHECK IN: LEAH SOMERFIELD ('18)
Leah Somerfield, played in 116 games over her four-year career with 60 starts at forward for the Golden Grizzlies. She earned a sport in the starting lineup started as a junior and was the recipient of the Basketball Coaches of Michigan (BCAM) Team First Award given to student-athletes who most exemplified putting the team before self while demonstrating teamwork, commitment, service and sacrifice. As a senior, Somerfield led the team in rebounds (8.2) and defensive rebounds (6.0) which ranked second in the league while averaging in double figures (11.2 ppg) for the second consecutive year with a team-best seven double-doubles.
We caught up with Leah who is currently in her third season playing professionally overseas.
Current Team: AB Contern
Location: Contern, Luxembourg
Past Teams:
Vitória S.C. - Guimarães, Portugal.
BBC Troistorrents - Troistorrents, Switzerland.
Top Performance:
25 pts., 20 reb. 1 assist for Vitória S.C.
Leah's favorite memory playing overseas…
"I have so many incredible memories that it's tough to choose just one. I've met amazing people everywhere I've been, being able to live and experience their culture is something I absolutely love. But, I have to say one thing, I'll never forget is when my parents visited me in Switzerland. Being able to share this experience with them for their first time, having them there in the stands, is something I'll never forget."
What Oakland means to her…
"I have so many memories from my time at Oakland University. This is where I met my lifelong friends, overcame adversity and learned the most about myself through trial and error. Coming from Oakland, the people I met and the situations I faced helped prepare me for life after college and basketball. While playing in Europe, I have passed along some of my Oakland gear to my teammates and they absolutely love it. It's pretty cool to see Oakland University being represented around the world. I will always be proud to be an Oakland University Alum and to Wear the Bear!"
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