The fact that the UALR women's basketball team missed out on a NCAA Tournament appearancelast season doesn't bother Coach Joe Foley nearly seven months later.
Foley, who is beginning his 30th season as a college head coach and 14th with UALR, has won and lost countless games over the years.
But the way the final moments unfolded -- when his team couldn't get a basket down the stretch of a 61-60 loss to Troy in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament final -- still is a bit bothersome.
"We should have been more aggressive and been able to score better, and we just didn't do it," Foley said of the final moments of a loss that sent UALR to the WNIT. "It showed our weakness of scoring the basketball and being so limited in what we were doing."
As the Trojans began practice for their Nov. 11 season-opener against North Texas, they are focused on improving an offense that ranked seventh in the Sun Belt last season at 59.6 points per game.
The return of three seniors and a junior, all of whom have played extensively, gives Foley a reason for optimism. UALR lost its top two scorers in Shanity James (15.6 points per game) and Alexius Dawn (10.8), but Foley has confidence in seniors Kaitlyn Pratt, Keanna Keys, Sharde' Collins and junior Monique Townson.
Pratt, a forward, said her goal is to emulate what James gave to the Trojans last year. That's caused Pratt to "get out of my comfort zone" while trying to find new ways to score.
"I want to do great just like Shanity did. She was an amazing basketball player," said Pratt, who averaged 9.5 ppg last season. "So, just trying to drive the ball like she did. She was an amazing driver, and I've got to be able to drive the ball. I've got to be versatile."
Collins, a senior guard who averaged 9.7 ppg last season, has struggled with an inconsistent jump shot. She shot 36.5 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent in Sun Belt games. Collins said the solutions are mechanical.
"I know exactly what I need to do," she said. "I need to follow through and shoot on the way up. Sometimes I lose that touch, and then I have to try to get it back."
Foley thinks it's more mental.
"She's got a good enough shot," he said. "It's not perfect, but it's good enough. I think it's more about her approaching it every game and her ready to be that type of player."
If Pratt and Collins step up, Foley thinks a collection of six freshmen can play complimentary roles. That's the same total of freshmen UALR had last season, but four players transferred after last season, leaving Foley in need of depth.
He said his goal in filling the class was to find scorers. He added guard Emily Lytle, who scored more than 20 ppg at Evangelical Christian in Memphis; Destinee Pointer, who averaged 16 ppg at Waxahachie High School in Texas; and Alex Murray, who averaged 10 ppg at Bearden High School.
"We needed some shooters and we knew that," Foley said.
Injuries have hampered progress a bit. Foley said Murray hasn't practiced because of a back injury, and Lytle has been slowed by a back injury, too. He hopes to get them on the floor soon.
UALR hopes to avoid a slow start like last season even while playing another tough nonconference schedule.
The Trojans, 2-7 in nonconference games last season, host Texas A&M and Mississippi State and plays at Oklahoma and LSU.
"We've got to get some shooting," Foley said. "With [Pratt] and Keanna, we've got a little bit more inside than we have in the past. There are just some pieces that have to fall in place, and if they do, we've got a chance to be all right."
Sports on 10/08/2016