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by Derek Toney
Western High basketball coach Tiffany Silver thought heading into last season the only way her team would be at the girls’ state Final Four is with a ticket. With a roster littered with freshman and sophomores, the Doves found theirselves on the court at UMBC’s Retriever Athletic Center last March playing for another state crown.
Returning to UMBC isn’t a hope for Western this season. A year older, the defending Baltimore City champion Doves are on the short list of Class 3A title contenders.
“We are very young this year,” Western junior guard Akeema Richards. “We were young last year, but we have a lot of expectations this year.”
“We’re still very young as far as sophomores and juniors, but we have a little more experience as far as playing experience,” said Silver. “We’re positive as far as the outlook on the season and how it should end, yet still a little hesistant being as though I still have a lot of players that are learning to play the game and learning how to be champions.”
Silver is looking for Richards, arguably the top player in the City league, to provide on-court guidance. As a sophomore, Richards, 5 feet, eight inches, led the Doves in scoring (14.3 points a game), assists (4.5) and steals (125 total).
“Her strength was her humility, she didn’t know how great she was, she just played hard because that’s all she knew,” said Silver. “Now, this is her junior year, I want her to realize her greatness. She’s still not there yet, where as though I want her to be able turn it on and off. She does it as a reaction instead of a plan.”
“What I really need to work on this season is being a leader and my aggressiveness,” said Richards, who admitted she’s been struggling in the preseason. “I’ll be ready as the season goes along.”
Senior Kiara Foreman and sophomore Ashley Craig returns to the starting lineup with Richards. Sophomore Miquel Stevenson (5-9 guard) headline the other five returning contributors. Junior guard Keirah Hicks, a transfer from Southside Academy, should be an immediate contributor.
Silver is looking for big things from her freshman class including Achiri Ade (6 foot center), guard Raiya McKnight (5-8) and Tenicia Spencer (5-5). The Doves will have 11 underclassmen on their roster with Kiara Foreman, Shari Williams and Umika Smith as the only seniors.
Last season, Mischa Minor, Taqwisha Richardson and Shea Ellison was the veteran backbone for the Doves, who lost to Largo from Prince George’s County in the state finals. Western said its overall inexperience caught up with them.
“We just hard time with them being a senior oriented team. They had more experience than we did,” said Richards. “We need to be smarter and mentally tougher on the court so when we get in those situations, when legs and arms are tired, we’ll have our mental toughness.”
“We were babies last year led by a sophomore and four of five freshman playing 20 minutes a game so to get back there was great,” said Silver. “They [Largo] had eight or nine seniors on their team that had fought and fought every year in 4A against Roosevelt [two-time defending state 4A champ Eleanor Roosevelt from Prince George’s] and they got moved down to 3A and we kind of caught the luck of the draw.”
After setbacks to Largo and, in 2006 to River Hill in the finals, Western wants to claim its first state title since 1995 when Silver, a protege of legendary Western coach Breezy Bishop, was a freshman. Richards said she doesn’t believe in the theory of third time’s the charm.
“It’s not about luck. It’s about doing what you got to do to get it done and get that win,” said Richards. “If you want something, you go after it.”
2007-2008 Western roster
Achiri Ade, freshman, 6-0, forward
Asia Bailey, junior, 6-2, forward
Ashle’ Craig, sophomore, 5-5, guard
Kiara Foreman, senior, 5-8, guard
Keirah Hicks, junior, 5-6, guard
Shelbe Hudson, junior, 5-4, guard
Jenesis Jones, sophomore, 5-11, forward
Raiya McKnight, Freshman, 5-8, guard
Akeema Richards, junior, 5-8, guard
Umika Smith, senior, 5-7 guard
Tenicia Spence, freshman, 5-5, guard
Micquel Stevenson, sophomore, 5-8, guard
Kiara Stubbs, senior, 5-6, guard
Shari Williams, senior, 6-2, center
2007-2008 schedule
Dec. 7 vs. H.D. Woodson (D.C.) at Poly, 7 (Baltimore/D.C. Challenge)
Dec. 14 National Christian Academy, 9 (Breezy Bishop Classic)
Dec. 15 Lincoln (N.Y.), 9 (Breezy Bishop Classic)
Dec. 18 Dunbar, 5:15
Dec. 20 at Patterson, 5:15
Dec. 27-29 at Jim Clark Holiday Classic, Orlando, Fla.
Jan. 4 Lake Clifton, 5:15
Jan. 8 at Poly, 5:15
Jan. 10 vs. Dulaney at Morgan State, 2 (Basketball Academy)
Jan. 12 vs. Catonsville at Morgan State, 10:30 a.m. (Basketball Academy)
Jan. 15 at Douglass, 5:15
Jan. 18 Edmondson, 5:15
Jan. 22 Southwestern, 5:15
Jan. 25 Forest Park, 5:15
Jan. 29 at Samuel L. Banks, 5:15
Jan. 31 Northwestern, 5:15
Feb. 5 at Digital Harbor, 5:15
Feb. 8 City, 5:15
Feb. 12 at Reginald Lewis, 5:15
Feb. 15 Carver, 5:15
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