Excerpt from the Dayton Daily News
The wait to kick off the college basketball season may seem like an eternity to some — it’s two weeks later than normal — but Wright State women’s coach Katrina Merriweather wishes she had even more time before having to do battle against Toledo in the Nov. 25 home opener.
Though she has plenty of veterans to build around, Merriweather didn’t have access to her players through the spring and most of the summer because of COVID-19. And after an extended stretch with no strength-and-conditioning workouts, Merriweather figured the best approach for all was to ease into preseason practice.
“They didn’t hardly do anything all summer until we got them in July. They’d been sitting out for months,” she said. “Everyone is really cautious about the return to play and making sure we’re going slow so we can prevent any potential injuries.”
The Raiders — who also have games against Butler and Michigan on the road and Bradley at home before starting Horizon League play Dec. 12 — may be more equipped than most to handle losing a player or two.
They have a preseason first-team all-conference pick in junior guard Angel Baker, who was third in the league in scoring last season with a 16.5 average and first in assists at 3.8, and a second-team selection in 6-foo-2 sophomore forward Shamarre Hale (8.1 points and 7.6 rebounds per game).
“Angel looks great,” Merriweather said. "She has really focused on being a better leader. She’s playing on both ends of the floor, which is what we’ve asked from her.
“She’s a candidate for player of the year, and if she’s going to do that, she’s got to be able to defend. And she’s responding really well to that.”
