With lighting quick offensive intensity and suffocating defense, transfer junior guard Marneshia Bryant’s play has sparked the Lady Colonels basketball team this season.
Bryant, a native of Spring Hill, La., is second on the Lady Colonels team in scoring with 9.7 points per game average. She is also first in field goal percentage with 38 percent, rebounds with 5.3 and in minutes played per game.
The Lady Colonels interim head coach Sue Syljiebeck said Bryant’s offensive penetration and defensive intensity have provided a spark for a team that is suffering through a 13-game losing streak and a coaching change.
“Where she goes, we go,” Syljiebeck said. “She is probably our best penetrator, and good at getting our team some shots. We knew she was a talented player, and that was a key sign to us for getting her in here.”
Junior guard Lisa Lawrence said Bryant provides a spark every time she steps foot on the basketball court.
“Marneisha has been a bright spot,” Lawrence said. “Whenever she comes out, she is wide awake on the boards, rebounding or whenever we need a spark, she was there for us. She has been a major contributor to our team, so she is definitely a positive.”
Last season at Weatherford College in Weatherford, Texas, Bryant helped to guide the team to both a regional and conference championship. The team advanced to nationals where they finished eighth overall. She averaged 16 points and nine rebounds per game, and she was named to the all-conference team and given the Super Gold Award for her contributions on and off the court.
While attending Spring Hill High School, Bryant and her team won three district championships and advanced to the state playoffs four times to reach the sweet 16 once.
Bryant said there are many different levels of basketball play between a junior college and a Division 1-A university.
“The biggest difference is the players are bigger, faster and quicker. Other than that, everything is just basketball,” Bryant said.
In her first season with the Lady Colonels, Bryant planned to sit back and learn playing at the Division I-A level. But after the team’s struggles this year, Bryant said she jump-started her game to help the team.
“When I first came here, I was just going to sit back and learn,” Bryant said. “Since I was a transfer, I was kind of new to the coaches and the offensive system. But we started playing bad, so I decided to step up and help the team.”
Despite the Lady Colonels woes this season, Bryant said she is happy that the team is still fighting and has not given up on the season.
“I would rather have more wins, but we are sticking together as a team and trying to work through it,” Bryant said. “This is the best team I have ever been on personality-wise.”
Bryant said she is happy with the job Syljiebeck and assistant coach Katie Schreiter are doing since former coach, Louise “Do” Bonin stepped down.
“She’s done a real good job and is picking up where coach “Do” left off,” Bryant said. “We are going to continue to make a run in conference and hopefully make the playoffs.