March 28, 2008
Title season difficult for GC
News Herald (By Josh Weinfuss ) - Time caught up with Roonie Scovel and the Gulf Coast Lady Commodores this season. Her players changed, she said, catching up with the instant-gratification generation. She changed, experiencing basketball as more than X's and O's. Together the coach and players won Gulf Coast's second national championship. On the outside, the Lady Commodores' run to Salina, Kan., was impressive. Their record of 36-1 set a school mark for victories in a season. They won their 11th straight Panhandle Conference championship and their seventh Region 8 state crown. It wasn't as pretty off the court, according to Scovel. "We had a lot of battles," Scovel said. "A lot of battles to kinda keep this thing together and hold it all together and to try to prepare ourselves. We had a lot of talent, but it was a day-to-day battle to fight.
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March 27, 2008
'We did it!'
News Herald (By Josh Weinfuss ) - The crowd inside the Amelia Tapper Theatre on Wednesday morning stood and cheered for Gulf Coast's second national championship team like it was a Lady Commodores' game. More than 350 impassioned Gulf Coast faithful hooted and hollered inside and gave the team four standing ovations during the 45-minute event that honored the basketball team's recent national success. "This is the best part," Gulf Coast coach Roonie Scovel said after the event. "You win out there and you have your basketball family and you celebrate at McDonald's. But to come back, and for these young ladies to just really see the support and the encouragement and everything that goes on behind the scenes to make all this happen, there's so much we take for granted that has to happen for us to be successful. And today is a day that you get to see what all that is."
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March 26, 2008
Scovel staying at GC
News Herald (By Josh Weinfuss ) - Roonie Scovel made one thing certain during the ceremony Wednesday to celebrate Gulf Coast's national championship. She will be back next year, along with assistant coach Grover Hicks. Scovel quelled rumors that she was going to leave the program she restarted in 1996 at the end of the gathering held in the morning at the Amelia Tapper Theatre. "We will be back at Gulf Coast for as long as we have a contract," Scovel told the crowd of about 350. Scovel, 46, led the Lady Commodores to their second national championship Saturday with a 62-61 win over Central Arizona. Rumors of Scovel leaving Gulf Coast have become an annual ritual during the last few years, whether it's for other two-year schools or to a four-year program. And they may continue in the future. Scovel said it's nice to know that there are other options available, even if they cause her to lose sleep.
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March 24, 2008
National champs return to Panama City
News Herald (By Josh Weinfuss ) - The 12-mile ride from the Bay County line to Gulf Coast should take about 15 minutes. With a police escort, maybe less. For Gulf Coast coach Roonie Scovel, the short ride back to campus Sunday night to celebrate the Lady Commodores’ second national championship seemed to last about an hour. When they arrived at the Billy Harrison Field House about 9 p.m., a crowd of about 75 ardent Gulf Coast fans was waiting with signs, and one fan led cheers with a megaphone. “It’s marvelous,” sophomore Janae’ Stokes said. “I’m still having fun.” Gulf Coast defeated Central Arizona 62-61 Saturday night in the finals of the NJCAA national tournament in Salina, Kan. “It’s the best feeling in the world,” Australian freshman Ashlee Kelly said. “I don’t even know if you can explain it. It’s a whole different experience.”
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March 23, 2008
GC wins national title
News Herald (By Josh Weinfuss ) - They’re resilient. They know adversity better than their playbook, and they ended up winning in typical Gulf Coast fashion. Coach Roonie Scovel said this year’s Gulf Coast women’s basketball team was good enough to win the NJCAA national championship. It just needed one of its patented runs to get there, which it got with a 62-61 win Saturday night over Central Arizona. In a year where Gulf Coast rarely trailed and almost never had to come from behind, the Lady Commodores battled back to win three times during the tournament heading into the finals against the top-seeded Vaqueras. Gulf Coast needed a fourth comeback, and it took a 10-4 run late in the second half to secure the school’s second national championship. The Lady Commodores, 36-1, won their first in 2003. It was Gulf Coast’s first trip to the national tournament since 2004, when it finished as runner-up. Central Arizona, 34-1, challenged the Lady Commodores throughout and especially at the finish. With her team trailing by four points with six seconds left, Central Arizona’s Tenaya Watson nailed a 3-pointer to bring the Vaqueras within one, with the score at 62-61.
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March 22, 2008
Fending off adversity
News Herald (By Josh Weinfuss ) - With every game Gulf Coast has played this week at the NJCAA national tournament, adversity has mounted. In the first game it was team illness. In the second game starter Chimere Jordan was out. In Friday night’s semifinal, players still were sick, Jordan still was out and the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith (33-2) was ranked higher. Just as the Lady Commodores (35-1) had done in their first two tournament games, they found a way to fight through adversity and won 72-67 to advance to the national championship game tonight at 7 p.m. They will face topranked and top-seeded Central Arizona.
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March 21, 2008
GC still seeks explosion
News Herald (By Josh Weinfuss ) - Gulf Coast has won its first two games of the NJCAA national tournament without playing the Gulf Coast way. The Lady Commodores have shown brief glimpses of their offensive firepower with runs of 14-2 and 10-0. That’s nothing compared to the 20-point bursts they frequently made during the regular season. Today starts the second of three steps in a season-long odyssey to a national championship. The first step was to reach the national tournament, a feat that had eluded the Lady Commodores since 2004. The second step was to get to the semifinals. The next step, which would be a game away if they defeat Arkansas-Fort Smith (33-1) at 6 p.m. tonight is to win the national championship. Thus far in the tournament, Gulf Coast (34-1) barely is getting by.
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March 21, 2008
Liles named national player of year
News Herald (By Josh Weinfuss ) - Dee Liles didn’t need to score or rebound a lot to impress. Yet, impress she did, as Liles was named the State Farm/Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Association junior college player of the year Tuesday night at a banquet at the NJCAA national tournament in Salina, Kan. “I feel like I accomplished something to carry on to next year,” Liles looked ahead to continuing her playing career at a four-year school. Liles became the fourth Gulf Coast Lady Commodore to win the award. Tiffany Stansbury was the most recent recipient when she won it in 2004. Carol Smith earned the honor in 2000 and Kaunda Williams in 1998. “It’s an honor because they were outstanding players,” Liles said. “They went on to become big-time players in D-1. I just feel like I have to carry on that legacy for next year and keep stepping up in this tournament.” Liles averaged 11.1 points and 7.8 rebounds this season as Gulf Coast went 32-1 and won its first state championship in four years. The Lady Commodores held the nation’s No. 1 ranking for most the year. Through two victories in the national tournament, Liles is averaging 14.5 points and 12 rebounds. In the opening game against Western Nebraska, the sophomore had 13 and 15. “She’s a phenomenal athlete,” Gulf Coast coach Roonie Scovel said. “Probably the top athlete in this country. She’s got a great game.
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March 20, 2008
GC reaches semis
News Herald (By Josh Weinfuss ) - Ashlee Kelly has grown accustomed to the opposite way of life here in America. The Australian has seen toilets flush a different way and Americans drive on the right side of the road. Shooting a basketball, however, had remained the same. Until Wednesday night. When Kelly, a righthanded shooter, hit a lefthanded runner in the lane with 49 seconds left in Gulf Coast’s 64-62 quarterfinal win over sixth-seed Jefferson College at the NJCAA national tournament in Salina, Kan., anyone who knows Kelly was surprised. “She just got the shot off, it was a beautiful play,” Gulf Coast coach Roonie Scovel said. “Definitely not her normal shot, but it fell and that was kinda the play of the game.” That shot, which put Gulf Coast (34-1) ahead 64-59, kept the Lady Commodores’ hopes of a second national championship alive. On the next play, Jefferson’s LaToya Johnson hit her first 3-pointer, after missing the previous six, to cut Gulf Coast’s lead to 64-62.
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March 19, 2008
GC women survive nationals opener
News Herald (By Josh Weinfuss ) - Nothing could stop Gulf Coast in Tuesday morning’s opening game of the NJCAA women’s basketball tournament. The Lady Commodores battled flu-like symptoms, the nerves of playing in the tournament’s 10 a.m. opening game and a well-prepared Western Nebraska team to produce a 68-62 win at the Bicentennial Center in Salina, Kan. “We played a little tight,” Gulf Coast coach Roonie Scovel said. “We ran our offense and things, and did OK, but they had a pretty good scouting report, wherever they got it from. They knew our offense almost as well as we did.” The Lady Commodores (33-1) will play sixth-seed Jefferson College at 6 p.m. today in the quarterfinals. The Lady Vikings defeated Monroe 75-64 in the tournament’s second game. Gulf Coast struggled throughout the first half, hitting just three of its first 10 shots and committing five turnovers in the opening eight minutes. The third seed didn’t break double digits until the 9:25 mark of the first half, when Gulf Coast tied the game at 11-11.
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March 18, 2008
GC hungry for second title
News Herald (By Josh Weinfuss ) - Don’t get fooled by the coachspeak. Roonie Scovel wants to win another national championship. Badly. “I just feel like I’m on a mission,” Scovel said. “I think we can make a run if we can get our minds right and play well. We gotta play well. You gotta have a little luck. Everything’s just got to kinda fall into place.” Five years after winning her first title, Scovel brings the Gulf Coast Lady Commodores (32-1) back to Salina, Kan., for their seventh try in the NJCAA national tournament. Gulf Coast starts its quest today at 10 a.m. against a familiar foe, Western Nebraska (30-4). The Lady Commodores defeated the Lady Cougars to win the 2003 national championship. Playing them early in the day, Scovel said, could be a blessing or a nightmare.
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March 14, 2008
Lady Dores prepare for National Tournament
GCAthletics.com (Steve Merchant ) - The Gulf Coast lady Commodores will depart for the NJCAA National Women's Basketball Championships in Salina, Kansas on Saturday, march 15th. The tournament begins on March 18th and will end with the championship game on March 22. All Commodore games will be broadcast live via WKGC-FM (90.7). Follow the webcast link at the top of the page for all Commodore action.

Good Luck Ladies!

March 9, 2008
Rout to nationals - Salina here we come!
News Herald (By Josh Weinfuss ) - All is right again with the state of women’s junior college basketball. Gulf Coast is back in the NJCAA national tournament after subduing Central Florida 68-45 in the finals of the Region 8/FCCAA state tournament Saturday night. “It’s great after a three-year drought to be able to go back,” Gulf Coast coach Roonie Scovel said. “It wasn’t a great performance, but it was a hard-fought performance. We said there were going to be some tough times at this tournament. We really dug down and played hard.” The Lady Commodores (32-1) got off to another fast start, leading 35-13 with 4 minutes left in the first half. Tournament MVP Jackie Sanders stole the spotlight. She scored 13 of her game-high 27 points during the first half, including seven straight to give Gulf Coast a 20-point lead with just under 5 minutes before halftime. All is right again with the state of women’s junior college basketball. Gulf Coast is back in the NJCAA national tournament after subduing Central Florida 68-45 in the finals of the Region 8/FCCAA state tournament Saturday night. “It’s great after a three-year drought to be able to go back,” Gulf Coast coach Roonie Scovel said. “It wasn’t a great performance, but it was a hard-fought performance. We said there were going to be some tough times at this tournament. We really dug down and played hard.” The Lady Commodores (32-1) got off to another fast start, leading 35-13 with 4 minutes left in the first half. Tournament MVP Jackie Sanders stole the spotlight. She scored 13 of her game-high 27 points during the first half, including seven straight to give Gulf Coast a 20-point lead with just under 5 minutes before halftime. Central Florida (20-13) finished the half with an 8-0 run to trail 35-21 at halftime. When Gulf Coast took the court in the second half, the momentum had swung to the Lady Patriots. “We really kinda ran out of gas a little bit,” Scovel said. “But that was tough, three nights in a row. I thought we really dug down and played some good defense. The last three minutes of the first half I thought were really bad. “But we won. We won by 23. Forget it. I don’t care how bad we played. We won.” In the end, the Lady Commodores did it the way they are most comfortable. Janae’ Stokes hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put Gulf Coast ahead by 17 with 13 minutes left. She added another 3 at the 7:36 mark and Sanders followed with consecutive baskets. “I’ve been waiting on this for two years,” Sanders said. “So it feels good. I just shot the ball. I knew it was going in. I just shoot when I’m open.” Stokes had 13 points and Dee Liles, named the FCCAA player of the year, had 12 points and eight rebounds. Alexis Givands had eight points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Stokes, freshman Chimere Jordan and Sanders were named to the all-tournament team. To Liles, getting Gulf Coast back to the national tournament was priority No. 1. “We just knew we wanted to win this,” she said. “We just settled down we didn’t rush anything. We knew Central Florida was going to come out and get us. “We had no doubt at all. We knew we was going to win that championship. We knew we had the better team.”
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March 8, 2008
GC one victory from national berth
News Herald (By Josh Weinfuss ) - The first few minutes weren’t like Thursday night, but the rest of it was. When Gulf Coast finally got its wheels moving in Friday’s semifinals of the Region 8/FCCAA state tournament it was like déjà vu all over again. The Lady Commodores advanced to their seventh straight state championship game with an 84-46 win over Seminole. Gulf Coast (31-1) will play Central Florida at 7:30 p.m. today for the state title and a berth in the national tournament. “We’re in championship game No. 11,” Gulf Coast coach Roonie Scovel said. “That’s pretty special for us. It’s exciting. We’ll see what we can do.” Championship Saturdays here haven’t been good to the Lady Commodores in recent years. After a stretch of six state titles in seven years from 1998-2004, including the 2003 crown which led to a national championship, Gulf Coast has lost the last three state title games to Chipola.
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March 7, 2008
Lady Commodores Stoked in State Opener
News Herald (By Josh Weinfuss ) - If the rows of college scouts didn’t know who Janae’ Stokes was before they came here, they found out Thursday night. The sophomore sharpshooter lived up to her billing as one of the state’s best 3-point marksmen while connecting on eight and scoring 29 points in the Lady Commodores’ 97-48 rout of Hillsborough. The victory in the first round of the Region 8/FCCAA state tournament propelled Gulf Coast (30-1) into a semifinal matchup with Seminole 8 p.m. today. “You always want one where everything kinda goes right and things are easy and you gain some confidence,” Gulf Coast coach Roonie Scovel said. “Everything about winning a championship is you gotta get some momentum. You gotta feel good. You gotta be composed.”
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March 6, 2008
Focused on a state crown
News Herald (By Josh Weinfuss ) - They’re rested up. They’re healthy. They’re motivated. Gulf Coast coach Roonie Scovel just isn’t sure the Lady Commodores are ready for the Region 8/FCCAA state tournament. “I don’t know if we’re mentally ready or not,” Scovel said. “Twentynine and one, we obviously have done something right physically and mentally. So I don’t want to take away from what has been accomplished at 29-1 in the Panhandle Conference. I think it’s a tremendous feat. “I think as a coach you’re never satisfied. You’re striving for perfection. I don’t think we’re at perfection mentally. I don’t think we’re at perfection physically. But whoever wins the state tournament usually doesn’t play to perfection. It’s usually whoever can play closer to their normal game.” Gulf Coast was four games away from perfection when upended by Tallahassee on Feb. 13. At the time, Scovel didn’t think the defeat would spark the Lady Commodores. Three weeks later, she thinks they are more focused heading into their first-round game against Southern Conference runner-up Hillsborough (17-13). Gulf Coast opens at 6 p.m. tonight at Chipola’s Milton H. Johnson Health Center in Marianna.
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February 24, 2008
FCCAA REGION 8 / STATE TOURNAMENT
GC Athletics.com (By Steve Merchant ) - Below you will find the link to the Region 8 / State Championships to be held in Marianna, Florida on the campus of Chipola College. Chipola will have a simulcast broadcast for the event. WKGC-FM Radio will broadcast all of the Lady Commodore games as well.

   Tournament Information
   WKGC-FM Radio Webcast

February 24, 2008
GC women floor Chipola
News Herald (By Josh Weinfuss ) - Third-ranked Gulf Coast got re-acclimated to the floor where it will play the upcoming state tournament, downing Chipola 84-65 Saturday night at the Milton H. Johnson Health Center to conclude a one-loss regular season. The Lady Commodores (29-1, 14-1) punctuated their Panhandle Conference championship while sweeping the season series against defending state champion Chipola three games to none. They open state tournament play March 6 against an opponent to be determined. “To come in here, score 84 points and beat the team that won the last three state titles, it was a great win for us,” Gulf Coast coach Roonie Scovel said.
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February 21, 2008
ELEVEN STRAIGHT Championships
News Herald (By Josh Weinfuss ) - The Gulf Coast Lady Commodores secured their 11th consecutive Panhandle Conference championship Wednesday night with a 98-26 win over North Florida at the Billy Harrison Field House. “That’s a huge accomplishment with the teams and the athletes in the Panhandle Conference,” Gulf Coast coach Roonie Scovel said. “That’s a phenomenal feat to say that we won the Panhandle Conference this year.” Gulf Coast improved to 28-1 overall and 13-1 in the conference with one game left, Saturday at Chipola.
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February 20, 2008
Lady Commodores streaking toward title
News Herald (By Josh Weinfuss ) - Streaks always have been a part of sports. Some more than others. There’s UCLA’s seven straight national championships, Cal Ripken Jr.’s 2,632 consecutive games played or Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak. At Gulf Coast, the Lady Commodores are a win away from their 11th straight Panhandle Conference championship. Gulf Coast (27-1, 12-1) is expected to clinch it today at 5:30 p.m. against North Florida (2-26, 0-13) at the Billy Harrison Field House. “I think that’s pretty special,” Gulf Coast coach Roonie Scovel said. “As you’re coaching, you’re just trying to win the next game so you don’t reflect on it very much, but as I get a little older and realize that may be the last time you do it, and you gotta really think that way, I think it’s phenomenal.”
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February 17, 2008
Lady Commodores clinch share of title
News Herald (By Josh Weinfuss ) - The hope was that Dee Liles and Janae’ Stokes would be able to rest their injuries while Gulf Coast was downing Pensacola 80-64 Saturday night to clinch a share of the Panhandle Conference title at Billy Harrison Health Building. And they did, Liles relaxing on the bench for the opening 35 seconds and Stokes not entering the game until 2:40 had been played. Then they took turns taking it over for the Lady Commodores, now 27-1, 12-1 entering their final week of the regular season. Liles had 12 of her 13 points helping Gulf Coast to a 38-28 halftime lead. Stokes helped put the upset loss to Tallahassee in the rear-view mirror with 19 of her game-high 26 after halftime.
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February 10, 2008
Gulf Coast fends off OWC
News Herald (By Adam Pruiett ) - A week after the men defeated top-ranked and unbeaten Chipola, the Okaloosa-Walton College women’s basketball team worked to knock off the No. 1 team. The late developmental stage is as close as the Raiders got. OWC put forth a gallant effort, but No. 1 Gulf Coast remained perfect with a 72-62 victory in Panhandle Conference play Saturday at Raider Gym. Gulf Coast clinched a berth in the Region 8 FCCAA state tournament, to be held March 5-8 in Marianna. While OWC (16-8, 5-6) couldn’t pull off the upset, the Raiders got closer to the Lady Commodores (26-0, 11-0) than any team thus far. The 10-point win was Gulf Coast’s closest call all season.
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February 7, 2008
No. 1 GC runs past North Florida
News Herald (Josh Weinfuss) - Gulf Coast has been feeling it as of late, and that meant another loss for a Panhandle Conference opponent. A game after hitting 15 3-pointers against Pensacola, the Lady Commodores hit 10 in a 94-47 win at North Florida (2-24, 0-11). “I hope we’re on a streak from hitting them from behind the arc,” Gulf Coast coach Roonie Scovel said. “We’re on to the last round, so I hope that can improve our game a little.” Gulf Coast (25-0, 10-0), ranked No. 1 in the nation, has five conference games left, one each against the other Panhandle teams .
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February 3, 2008
GC men, women victorious
News Herald (Josh Weinfuss) - A number of patterns continued Saturday night in Panhandle Conference basketball, and not all of them were beneficial to Gulf Coast. Not even for the topranked Lady Commodores, who won 75-42 to improve to 24-0, 9-0. Gulf Coast’s men’s squad snapped its four-game losing streak by extending Pensacola’s to seven with an 86-66 win. The Commodores are 17-9, 3-5, while the Pirates slumped to 12-12, 0-7. The Lady Commodores won easily, but led only 23-16 after a lackluster first half. The concern for Coach Roonie Scovel was that the effort mirrored some recent starts of other GC games. I wish I could explain it, it’s just getting worse,” said Scovel, obviously frustrated by her team coming out not ready to play. “At this point it’s gaining a little momentum, and all from a lack of focus. It’s a pure lack of concentration on getting ready to play a game. We’ve got to have better desire.”
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January 31, 2008
Lady Commodores show skill at thievery
News Herald (Josh Weinfuss) - After No. 1 ranked Gulf Coast missed a few early shots Wednesday night against Chipola, coach Roonie Scovel changed the game plan. “If we couldn’t score, we better play defense,” she said. The unbeaten Lady Commodores did so in their 71-46 win over the Lady Indians at the Billy Harrison Field House. Gulf Coast made 11 steals in its 23rd win of the season and remains atop the Panhandle Conference standings with an 8-0 record. Chipola is 17-6 overall and remained fifth in the league at 3-5, just above winless North Florida. The three-time defending state champion Lady Indians are in danger of not qualifying for this year’s tournament.
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January 27, 2008
LADY COMMODORES SOAR
News Herald (Josh Weinfuss) - Gulf Coast took Okaloosa-Walton’s best shot in the first half of its 73-51 win and slowly wore down the Lady Raiders down Saturday night at Billy Harrison Field House. The game almost mirrored their first meeting of the Panhandle Conference leaders on Jan. 5, until the top-ranked Lady Commodores (22-0, 7-0) took control of the game with an 11-0 run midway through the second half. OWC (15-5, 4-3) managed just 18 points in the final 20 minutes. The result was a threegame lead while not quite at the halfway point of the PC schedule.
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January 25, 2008
BRACE YOURSELF
News Herald (Josh Weinfuss) - Nadirah Gardner wasn’t sure which knee to talk about first. She pointed first to her right knee, free of a brace and protective leg stocking that covers her left one, and explained how she jumped wrong and injured her anterior cruciate ligament in July 2005. Then the freshman from Tallahassee pointed to her left knee and talked about making a move toward the basket when it buckled under her in July 2006, tearing the other ACL. Gardner has undergone two surgeries and two yearlong stints in rehabilitation in the past 30 months. “Coming off of two, (Gardner) was really aggressive,” Gulf Coast coach Roonie Scovel said. “Overaggressive for somebody with two. I can’t believe she plays so aggressively after coming off of two. She’s kind of amazing.” Gardner has played in 13 games this season, averaging 1.9 points for the nation’s top-ranked Gulf Coast Lady Commodores (21-0, 6-0), who host Okaloosa-Walton (15-4, 4-2) at 5:30 p.m. today at Billy Harrison Field House. Gulf Coast’s men (16-7, 2-3) follow at 7:30 p.m. against OWC (19-2, 4-1). Two other Lady Commodores also have undergone surgeries in the past year to repair injured ACLs.
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January 23, 2008
GC WOMEN HANG ON, MEN FALL
News Herald (Josh Weinfuss) - Another slow start turned into another win for the top-ranked Gulf Coast Lady Commodores on Tuesday. Gulf Coast (21-0, 6-0) overcame a first half during which Tallahassee (10-7, 3-3) shot 52 percent from the field and led by two at halftime, for a 68-51 win at the Eagledome in a Panhandle Conference game. “Our perimeter struggled tremendously from shooting behind the arc,” Gulf Coast coach Roonie Scovel said. “We really didn’t play as poorly as they played great. Their defense was very, very tough. “They just got in our grill and stirred up our perimeter game. Our shots were very contested and we just didn’t knock them down.” Until Janae’ Stokes and Dee Liles warmed up in the second half. Stokes sparked a 10-0 Gulf Coast run with a pair of 3-pointers and Liles took control offensively from there, finishing with 22 points and 16 rebounds.
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January 22, 2008
GC HITS THE ROAD
News Herald (Josh Weinfuss) - The Lady Commodores have established an early blueprint to match their undefeated season in 2002-03, when they went 35-0 and won the national championship. Of course much work still needs to be done as Gulf Coast (20-0, 5-0) will go for its 21st straight win at 5:30 p.m. against Tallahassee (10-6, 3-2).
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January 16, 2007
DUO LIFTS GC PAST CHIPOLA
News Herald (Josh Weinfuss) - Jackie Sanders, Dee Liles and some late-game defense. Those were the perfect ingredients for No. 1 Gulf Coast Tuesday night. Sanders hit two late 3-pointers and Liles scored five of her 21 points in the final five minutes to help Gulf Coast to a 63-51 win over Chipola in its toughest game this season. “I just felt like I had to do something,” Liles said. “The last couple of games the post hasn’t done much.”
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January 15, 2008
1 AND 1 BONUS
News Herald (Josh Weinfuss) - It has gone on like this for more than 40 years. Gulf Coast and Chipola have been bitter rivals. For the most part, though, the basketball always has been good. “Their games were wars,” said Chipola Athletic Director Dale O’Daniel. “It was what rivalry and school spirit was all about. Somehow we lost some of those things.” Tonight, that rivalry will be part of a night rarely seen in junior college basketball. The Gulf Coast Lady Commodores and the Chipola men’s team, both ranked No. 1 in the nation, will play under the same roof on the same night.
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January 13, 2008
GC WOMEN CRUISE PAST PENSACOLA
News Herald (Josh Weinfuss) - If playing the nation’s best team on the road wasn’t enough, Pensacola trailed before the game started. An administrative technical foul on the Lady Pirates put top-ranked Gulf Coast on the free-throw line before the opening tip. With a 1-0 advantage, the Lady Commodores started what turned into their 18th win this season, 92-58 Saturday at the Billy Harrison Field House. “You have those things when you have uniform problems,” Gulf Coast coach Roonie Scovel said. “It’s just one of those things that happen.
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January 12, 2008
ASHLEE's AMERICAN ADVENTURE
News Herald (Josh Weinfuss) - New food. New school. New team. Welcome to Ashlee Kelly’s new life. Gulf Coast’s Australian point guard arrived in August and has been adjusting to America — and American-style basketball — ever since. “I’ve gotten used to it all,” she said. “It was hard coming in here with the girls, probably not just being the only white girl, but coming from another country. They were really hard to understand. “They couldn’t understand me. For like the first month it was kinda like I was only speaking to myself. We had to break everything down. It was hard. But I’ve learned their language. They’ve learned mine. So it’s gotten a lot easier by now.”
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January 10, 2008
LADY DORES DOWN TALLAHASSEE
News Herald (Josh Weinfuss) - Gulf Coast was sick and tired and still won a Panhandle Conference game by 35 points. The top-ranked Lady Commodores struggled early for the second consecutive game, but regained their swagger and their scoring touch in the second half Wednesday night for an 80-45 win over Tallahassee at Billy Harrison Field House. “I just think it’s a letdown,” Gulf Coast coach Roonie Scovel said. “We’ve been here since (Dec. 26). We need to get back in some structure.”
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January 9, 2008
SCOVEL GETS A BIG GIFT
News Herald (Josh Weinfuss) - The holidays aren’t over yet for Roonie Scovel. A present — a big present — was dropped into her lap this week. Valerie Blackwood, a 6-foot-5 power forward, enrolled at Gulf Coast and will finish this semester rehabilitating from anterior cruciate ligament surgery in May, Scovel said. “She’s big,” Scovel said. “She’ll be one of the biggest that we’ve ever had. Anytime you have a post player coming off of surgery, it’ll be a lot of work.”
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January 6, 2008
GC WOMEN WIN CONFERENCE OPENER
Freedom News (Adam Pruiett ) - Chimere Jordan raced past midcourt and tossed the ball toward the basket to a streaking Dee Liles. Liles rose high in the air, caught the pass and gently laid it in. Alley-oops of such grace rarely happen in women’s basketball. Panhandle Conference, meet the 2007-08 Gulf Coast Community College basketball team. The hookup between Jordan and Liles occurred during a devastating second-half run. The top-ranked Lady Commodores broke free from a game Okaloosa-Walton College club in dealing the No. 15 Raiders a 90-67 defeat in the teams’ conference opener.
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January 3, 2008
GC WOMEN CONFERENCE FAVORITE
News Herald (Josh Weinfuss) - The best junior college team in America plays in the best conference in America. Surprise, surprise: Gulf Coast is the team to beat in the Panhandle Conference. Again. The Lady Commodores enter the conference season undefeated and ranked first in the NJCAA Top 20. Being on top this early in the season, as Gulf Coast has found out in the last three seasons, doesn’t mean much.
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December 9, 2007
LADY COMMODORES EARN 12TH VICTORY
NEWS HERALD (Staff Reports) - In the world of Gulf Coast women’s basketball, it was just another nail-biter. Sure, the rest of the world would look at a 22-point win and think “blowout,” but for Gulf Coast the 75-53 victory over host Central Florida on Saturday was its third-closest game of the season. The nation’s top-ranked Lady Commodores (12-0) have won six games by 40 points or more, including three by 50 or more. On Saturday, on the final day of the Florida Juco Shootout featuring games involving all 18 women’s junior college teams in the state, Gulf Coast’s halftime lead was just 33-25. “It was a very hard-fought game that was very close in the first half,” said Gulf Coast coach Roonie Scovel. “Then it seemed like they ran out of gas a little, and we got more transition baskets in the second half.” Jackie Sanders led a foursome of Gulf Coast players in double-figures with 18 points. Alexis Givands had 16 points, and Janae’ Stokes and Dee Liles each had 10. Stokes had two 3-pointers. Tiffany Hamilton and Allyson Speed each had 14 points for Central Florida, including four 3-pointers each. Gulf Coast now has three weeks off before playing Abraham Baldwin College in Gainesville on Sept. 29, followed the next day by a game against Santa Fe Community College. The Lady Commodores will play their final nonconference game on New Year’s Eve against Georgia Perimeter College in Atlanta. The Panhandle Conference opens Jan. 5 with Gulf Coast playing Okaloosa-Walton College in Niceville. Gulf Coast has its home conference opener on Jan. 6 against Tallahassee Community College.
News Herald Article

December 8, 2007
LADY COMMODORES CRUISE TO 11TH WIN
NEWS HERALD (Staff Reports) - Gulf Coast’s No. 1 nationally rated women’s squad blistered St. Petersburg 90-40 Friday to improve to 11-0 on the opening day of the Florida Juco Shootout at Central Florida Community College. The 18 women’s community college basketball teams in the state are colliding Friday and today at Central Florida and Santa Fe CC in Gainesville. Alexis Givands had 19 points, Sabrina Johnson 18 and Dee Liles 13 for the Lady Commodores, who led 48-22 at halftime. GC coach Roonie Scovel lauded Johnson, a 6-foot-2 freshman from Jeffersonville, Ind., for her best game of the season. “She came in off the bench. Her game is moving on,” Scovel said. “You’ll notice some of our scorers didn’t score, so we played defense pretty well tonight.” Chelsea Simpson had 12 points and Sloane Lennon 11 for St. Petersburg. Gulf Coast plays Central Florida at 5 p.m. (CST) today in its last game of 2007 prior to three consecutive nights on the road starting Dec. 29. Scovel said she and assistant Grover Hicks have been attempting to keep their players grounded following a series of blowout victories. “It’s a battle, but we’ve got to learn how to handle success,” Scovel said. “We’re four games away from conference play and we’ve got some kinks. Some things have got to get better.” Earlier Friday, No. 5 state-ranked Seminole (12-1) defeated No. 7 Tallahassee 76-55 as LaQuita Curry led four players in double figures with 25 points. Angelee Latouche had 16 for TCC (5-4), which will play Indian River today at 2 p.m. CST.
News Herald Article

November 16, 2007
COMMDORES VISIT LYNN HAVEN ELEMENTARY
GCAthletics.com (Steve Merchant ) - Gulf Coast Women's Basketball, Men's Basketball, and Men's Baseball players recently visited Lynn Haven Elementary School. The athlete's fielded questions from the students from "what is it like to be a college athlete?", to "what country are you from?", to "what is your day like?". The Commodores that participated were from left to right, Norris Harvey (Assistant Basketball Coach), Byron Walker (MBB), Brad Reese (MBB), Jeleesa Williams (WBB), Daryl McGhee (MBB), Ben Vega (MBB), Arian Maliqi (MBB), Dmitry Pirshin (MBB), Curt Trexler (Baseball), Jonathan Murner (MBB), David Schulze (Baseball), and Ben Francis (Baseball).

December 2, 2007
GC WOMEN TOP MONROE
NEWS HERALD (Brad Milner) - Chimere Jordan’s seven 3-pointers and team-leading 27 points helped the Gulf Coast women’s basketball team shrug off a sloppy first half in a 92-65 victory over Monroe CC of Rochester, N.Y., on Saturday. The top-ranked Lady Commodores (10-0) held a 39-29 halftime lead following a sluggish start, but exploded for 53 points in the second half. “We did play sloppy and we missed a lot of open shots,” Gulf Coast coach Roonie Scovel said. “We pressured better in the second half and looked a little better. “But it was still an ugly win. Both nights (of the event) weren’t the best nights of basketball for Gulf Coast, but we’ll take the win.” Janae’ Stokes made five 3-pointers and added 17 points for Gulf Coast. Monroe’s Brittany Hilliard led all scorers with 30 points. Gulf Coast next plays St. Petersburg in a two-day tournament held in Ocala next weekend.
News Herald Article

December 1, 2007
GC WOMEN TOO TOUGH FOR SEMINOLE
NEWS HERALD (Eric Jorgensen) - Jackie Sanders scored 19 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead the nation’s top-ranked Lady Commodores (9-0) to their second-closest win of the season, a turnover-plagued victory over previously unbeaten Seminole (8-1). “We made a lot of turnovers,” Gulf Coast coach Roonie Scovel said. “We didn’t execute offensively that well. We’re just happy to go on the road against a team that was undefeated and manage to win.” Gulf Coast committed 23 turnovers, but put four players in double figures. Janae’ Stokes had 18 points, hitting four 3-pointers and all six of her free-throw attempts. Dee Lilies had 15 points and Chimera Jordan added 14. Seminole was led by Lucite Curry with 18 points, Jessica Knurick with 16 and Jarane Metelus with 14. Gulf Coast plays Monroe Community College from New York City at 1 p.m. CST today in Sanford.
News Herald Article

November 27, 2007
CHIMERE JORDAN SELECTED AS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
FCCAA (Rob Cheney) - Gulf Coast Community College’s Chimere Jordan is this week’s FCCAA Women’s Basketball Player of the Week. Jordan, a first-year guard from Gray, Ga., helped the top-ranked Lady Commodores to a pair of wins over top ten opponents at last weekend’s Commodore Thanksgiving Classic. In wins over No. 6 Daytona Beach and No. 9 Central Florida, Jordan averaged 16.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.0 steals while shooting 52 percent (11-of-21) from the floor and 42 percent (5-of-12) from the three-point stripe. She also hit all five of her free throw attempts. In Gulf Coast’s win over Daytona Beach on Friday, she totaled 21 points, four rebounds, six assists, two steals and one block while shooting 7-of-11 from the floor. One day later against Central Florida, she added 11 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and two steals.

November 25, 2007
GC WOMEN RUN PAST CENTRAL FLORIDA
NEWS HERALD (Staff Reports) - Janae’ Stokes scored 24 points as the Lady Commodores won their eighth straight game to open the season. Four players scored in double-figures: Along with Stokes, Alexis Givands had 16, Chimere Jordan 11 and Sabrina Johnson 10. In all, 11 Gulf Coast players scored. “We shot the ball really well — over 60 percent from the field,” said coach Roonie Scovel. “It was just a great offensive night.” The Lady Commodores raced to a 49-25 halftime lead, led by Stokes, who had 15 points in the first half. Givands had 11 in the first half. Johnson had all 10 of her points in the second half. Tiffany Hamilton scored 20 points, with five 3-pointers, to lead Central Florida. Allyson Speed added 15. Gulf Coast plays Seminole on Friday at 6 p.m. CST in Sanford.
News Herald Article

November 24, 2007
LADY DORES RANKED #1 IN NATION
NEWS HERALD (Brad Milner) - Chimere Jordan poured in a game-high 21 points to pace the Gulf Coast Community College women’s basketball team to a 91-69 win over Daytona Beach in the first day of its Thanksgiving Classic Friday at the Billy Harrison Field House. Jackie Sanders added 16 points and Alexis Givands 14 for the Lady Commodores, who improved to 7-0 on the season. Sabrina Johnson and Dee Liles chipped in 10 points apiece for Gulf Coast, which shares the No. 1 ranking nationally with Central Arizona College. The Lady Commodores rolled to a 52-32 halftime lead and cruised with 29 points in the second half. Tiffanie Stephens and Madina Lee led Daytona Beach with 16 points each and Randall Hurst added 11 points. Gulf Coast plays Central Florida today at 4 p.m.
News Herald Article

November 18, 2007
GC WOMEN REMAIN UNDEFEATED
NEWS HERALD (Josh Weinfuss) - One day it’s their shooting, the next day their defense. The Gulf Coast Lady Commodores haven’t had to rely on the same strength to win consecutive games while improving to 6-0. A day after hitting 17 3-pointers, No. 8 Gulf Coast made 13 steals, forced 23 turnovers and held No. 12 Georgia Perimeter to 27 percent shooting in a 95-55 win Saturday afternoon at Billy Harrison Field House. The final game of the Gulf Coast Classic was the Lady Commodores’ fourth straight effort with more than 90 points. Four players scored in double figures led by Jackie Sanders’ gamehigh 23 points. The Kentucky signee was 3 of 4 behind the 3-point arc. Dee Liles had 16 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Janae’ Stokes had 14 points, five assists and three steals, and Chimere Jordan had 13 points, 11 in the second half on 3 of 5 3-point shooting. “We have a nice post game,” Scovel said. “We have a lot of weapons. “That’s great. When they go bad, somebody can make up for it.” While Gulf Coast shot 59.7 percent from the field and hit nine 3-pointers, the Lady Commodores’ defense depicted why many predict they will be near the top of the next NJCAA national poll released this week. Georgia Perimeter (0-5) reached 20 points with 2 minutes, 42 seconds left in the first half. Lindsay Stephenson led the Jaguars with 13 points. Gulf Coast sophomore Alexis Givands had six assists and three steals, one of which led to a 46-18 lead with 3:05 left in the first half. “I think it changes when Dee (Liles) and Chimere (Jordan) are in the game,” Gulf Coast coach Roonie Scovel said. “They’re tall and wiry and get in passing lanes. Great opportunity for defensive stops.” Ahead 58-23 at halftime, Gulf Coast went on a 15-7 run and then fell into a lull after two dazzling passes for layups. Ashley Ogletree hit a layup off Janae’ Stokes’ assist to give Gulf Coast a 71-28 edge. Less than a minute later, Brittany Moore scored off Ashlee Kelly’s pass that went between two Jaguar defenders. Scovel subbed liberally during the two-day tournament and said she saw her team’s basketball IQ improve over the weekend. She was especially pleased the way her team adjusted to full-court and half-court pressure from the Jaguars. “We’re starting to learn how to play basketball,” Scovel said.
News Herald Article

November 17, 2007
GC WOMEN STILL ON A ROLL
NEWS HERALD (Josh Weinfuss) - A slow start couldn’t cool down Gulf Coast’s hot hands Friday night. The Lady Commodores made 17-of-32 3-pointers in a 108-49 win over Bishop State at Billy Harrison Field House in the second game of the Gulf Coast Classic. “They gave it to us and we have the ability to shoot it,” Gulf Coast coach Roonie Scovel said. Three-point baskets by Australian Ashlee Kelly, Jackie Sanders and Janae’ Stokes opened the game for the Lady Commodores, but a scoreless drought of 4 minutes, 57 seconds ensued. Bishop State (1-3) arrived in Panama City later than scheduled from Mobile, Ala., throwing off Gulf Coast’s pregame rhythm, Scovel said. “(It) got us in the wrong frame of mind,” she said. “Mentally we didn’t stay grounded.” A 3-pointer and layup by Alexis Givands gave No. 8 Gulf Coast (5-0) a 15-14 lead, which it didn’t surrender the rest of the night. Givands then sparked a 22-6 run that led to the Lady Commodores’ largest margin of victory and second 100-point game this season. Givands finished with four 3-pointers and scored 15 of her 18 points in the first half. The second half belonged to Chimere Jordan. The freshman from Gray, Ga., made five of her 10 3-point attempts to finish with a game-high 20 points. Fourteen came in a stretch of 4:28 midway through the second half. “Unbelievable shooting by Chimere,” Scovel said. “It’s great to see her get comfortable.” Gulf Coast led 55-29 by halftime and started the second half with a 16-3 run. After shooting 10 of 21 behind the arc in the first half the Lady Commodores were 7-11 in the second half. Bishop State was led by 17 points from Kimberly Hatch and 15 from Kendalyn Thomas. Stokes scored 10 of her 13 points in the second half and Sanders had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Brittney Moore had 10 rebounds and eight points. For the second time in three games, six Lady Commodores scored in double figures. Kelly had 10 and Nadirah Gardner 17. “Our shooters believe in themselves,” Scovel said. “If we all can have the hot hand, then watch out.”
News Herald Article

November 16, 2007
BASKETBALL PLAYERS SIGN NATIONAL LETTERS OF INTENT
GCAthletics.com (Steve Merchant ) - Four Gulf Coast Commnity College Women's Basketball Players signed National Letters of Intent with Division 1 schools yesterday at the Billy Harrison Field House. From left to right, Jackie Sanders (Kentucky), Dee Liles (Maryland), Kim Jones (La. Tech), and Brittney Moore (Xavier).

November 15, 2007
ALEXIS GIVANDS NAMED FCCAA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
FCCAA (Rob Cheney) - Gulf Coast Community College’s Alexis Givands is this week’s FCCAA Women’s Basketball Player of the Week. Givands, a sophomore guard from Memphis, Tenn., helped power the top-ranked (and NJCAA No. 8) Lady Commodores to a pair of impressive victories over nationally-ranked opponents during last weekend’s Holiday Inn/Alzheimer’s Classic. On Friday, Gulf Coast hammered NJCAA No. 2 Trinity Valley, 120-70, behind Givands’ 23 points (11-of-14 from the field), seven rebounds and one assist. One day later, she added 17 points, one rebound and four steals in Gulf Coast’s 98-54 win over NJCAA No. 15 Monroe. For the week, Givands averaged 20.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals while shooting 65.4 percent (17-of-26) from the floor and 75 percent (3-of-4) from the foul line.

November 14, 2007
LADY COMMODORES SIGN NATIONAL LETTERS OF INTENT
NEWS HERALD (Josh Weinfuss) - For two of the Lady Commodores, Thursday will be a replay of their senior year of high school. Dee Liles will resign with No. 3 Maryland and Brittney Moore will again sign with Xavier. Both women chose those schools coming out of high school. Jackie Sanders also will sign with Kentucky. Gulf Coast coach Roonie Scovel said there may be another Lady Commodore signing on Thursday. For the three that will ink their names to a NLI, Scovel and assistant coach Grover Hicks have helped provoke thought, she said. They also helped their players research the school’s academic programs and the competition at their respective positions. “All three still have some work to do, to move into that level,” Scovel said. In her 11th year at Gulf Coast, Scovel has established a reputation among Division I programs as a coach that will prepare players for the next level. Those programs have placed players who don’t qualify academically with Scovel with hopes of getting them back in a year or two. That’s what happened with Liles and Moore. “That’s where I always wanted to go,” Liles said of Maryland. “It was between Maryland and LSU. I’m just ready to go back home.” The Terrapins run a four guard and one post offense, and told Liles she can compete for a forward position next season. Liles also was considering LSU and Louisville, but felt comfortable with Maryland. Scovel praised Maryland’s re-recruitment of Liles. “They remained loyal to her and she remained loyal to them,” she said. Moore, who redshirted last season at Gulf Coast, will have three years of eligibility left at Xavier, an Atlantic 10 school. The Merrillville, Ind., native wasn’t recruited much by other schools because Moore said it was well known that she would sign with Xavier, located about 250 miles from her home. Moore played AAU basketball with some of the Musketeers post players and was recruited by the same Xavier coaches in high school as she was at Gulf Coast. “I got real close with the coaches,” Moore said. “I like the atmosphere. They told me I will fit in fine and I think I will, too.” Sanders thought her future was in the Southeastern Conference. Her only decision was where. After spurning LSU, where she committed to in high school, Sanders turned down offers to other SEC schools Auburn and South Carolina only to find her fit at Kentucky. “I think it’s the best place for me and because it’s the SEC, and it doesn’t get much better than that,” she said. Sanders said her final choices were between Kentucky, LSU and Louisiana Tech, but she also considered Middle Tennessee State. She said Kentucky’s academic program helped sway her decision. “I think it’s a tremendous opportunity to go in and help Kentucky,” Scovel said.
News Herald Article

November 11, 2007
LADY DORES STAY UNBEATEN
NEWS HERALD (Staff ) - Alexis Givands scored 16 points, Janae’ Stokes added 16 and three other Lady Commodores were in double figures as Gulf Coast won its fourth straight game to open the season. Chimere Jordan, Jackie Sanders and Dee Lilies each had 10 points for Gulf Coast, which had a dozen players score. The Lady Commodores led 42-19 at halftime. “I think we did a good job adjusting, coming off a big win last night,” said Gulf Coast head coach Roonie Scovel, refering to Friday’s 120-70 win over the nation’s secondranked team, Trinity. “We got off to a little bit of a sluggish start, but I thought we did a good job of settling in.” The Lady Commodores host the Gulf Coast Classic on Friday and Saturday. GCCC will play Bishop State at 7 p.m. Friday, following a 5 p.m. game between Chipola College and Georgia Perimter.
News Herald Article

November 10, 2007
LADY DORES BLOW OUT TRINITY
NEWS HERALD (Staff ) - Janae Stokes and Alexis Givands combined for 47 points as the nationally eighth-ranked Gulf Coast Lady Commodores crushed No. 2-rated Trinity Valley Community College 120-70 at the Milton H. Johnson Health Center at Chipola College on Friday. “It went with us from the get-go. We had six people score in double figures and that’s huge,” said Gulf Coast coach Roonie Scovel. Stokes had 24 points, Givands 23, Dee Liles 18 and Chimere Jordan 16. Ashley Ogletree and Jackie Sanders had 10 each. “It was one of those shining games in the history of our program,” said Scovel. “We played extremely well and they did not play their normal game.” Gulf Coast (3-0) led 61-38 at halftime. Gulf Coast plays Monroe Community College, ranked No. 15 nationally, today at 6 p.m.
News Herald Article

November 4, 2007
LADY COMMODORES CRUISE TO SECOND VICTORY
NEWS HERALD (Josh Weinfuss ) - Three Lady Commodores scored in double figures Saturday and Gulf Coast survived nine 3-pointers from Kirkwood (Iowa) Community College to win 72-61 in women’s junior college basketball. “I thought we played pretty hard,” Gulf Coast coach Roonie Scovel said. “I don’t think it was the best we could have played.” Two sophomores led Gulf Coast (2-0) in scoring. Kim Jones and Janae’ Stokes each had 19 points, Stokes hitting five 3-pointers. Freshman Ashlee Kelly from Australia had 16 points. “Ashlee Kelly kinda kept us in the game today,” Scovel said. “We didn’t shoot the ball very well early. She made some big plays early. I think our freshmen are playing great.” Scovel said freshman Chimere Jordan also played well Saturday. Gulf Coast was without sophomore guard Alexis Givands, who was home in Memphis for a wedding. Her absence, along with Nadirah Gardner not at full strength yet from preseason knee surgery thinned the Lady Commodores’ backcourt, Scovel said. Kirkwood, the NJCAA Division II national champion last year, is the first of three straight Gulf Coast opponents who won have won national titles. “Well, we got through this weekend,” Scovel said. “I think next weekend will give us a clearer picture of how hard we (need to) work.”
News Herald Article

November 3, 2007
GCCC HOOPS CRUISES TO WIN
NEWS HERALD (Brad Milner ) - Kim Jones poured in a game-high 22 points to lead the Gulf Coast Community College women’s basketball team to an 86-55 win over Motlow State in the Milton H. Johnson Classic on Friday. Alexis Givands and Chimere Jordan added 13 points apiece and Sabrina Johnson scored 10 for the Lady Commodores (1-0). Jordan and Janae’ Stokes, who added nine points, each hit a 3-pointer. Gulf Coast ran out to a 43-21 halftime lead and cruised in its season opener in the tournament hosted by Chipola College. “It was a good win and everyone got to play and they all got some quality minutes,” Gulf Coast coach Roonie Scovel said. “We were a little lackluster, but we won the first one and we can move on.” Ashley Porter led Motlow State, out of Tullahoma, Tenn., with 11 points, while Kiera Nelson scored 10. Gulf Coast plays Kirkwood College of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, today at 1 p.m. Kirkwood is the defending NJCAA Division II national champion and Scovel expects a stern test.
News Herald Article

October 31, 2007
GCCC RETURNS SIX AS QUEST FOR ANOTHER TITLE BEGINS
NEWS HERALD (Josh Weinfuss) - Following 10 of the past 11 seasons, Gulf Coast coach Roonie Scovel has looked back to see a conference title, a berth in the state championship game and a program developing into the gold standard of women’s junior college basketball in Florida. As she enters her 12th season with the Lady Commodores, Scovel isn’t looking back at the 2003 national championship, six state championships in seven years or even the last three state championship game losses to Chipola. Starting this year, she’s looking forward. “There was a point where we set a standard,” Scovel said. “There’s the standard and where do you compare to that standard? We’re in a whole new society. I’m trying to get where I say, ‘Don’t look back, don’t compare because it’s just apples and oranges.’ “I just think we have a new team and just have to go out and see.” Scovel is hoping to build off last year’s successful young squad that went 27-4 with another team chock full of youth. She has seven freshmen this season, including redshirt Brittney Moore, who are expected to complement the six returning sophomores led by forward Dee Liles, guard Janae’ Stokes, guard Alexis Givands and forward Jackie Sanders. Throughout the first month of preseason practice, despite battling a slew of injuries, Scovel has seen her older players develop a swagger that comes with experience. “If we could put in a little more work ethic that could really be to our advantage,” Scovel said. “I just think the jury’s out on our sophomores.” Scovel gets back last year’s leading scorer in Stokes. Her 3-point prowess led to an average of 14.1 points on 35.7 percent from behind the arc. The Lady Commodores graduated their leading rebounder, Shanea Cotton, but return Sanders, who was second on the team with 6.1 rpg. This season Gulf Coast is again deep, especially in the post. Injuries limited Scovel to less than a full team in fall practice. Liles and Stokes have been sidelined two weeks, and freshman point guard Jelessa Williams is in her fifth month of recovery from ACL surgery and not expected back until the end of December. Scovel said Williams may be the only redshirt on this year’s team. FAMU High graduate Nadirah Gardner was considered one of the top prep point guards in Florida despite suffering two ACL injuries. Scovel expects her to play quality minutes. Gulf Coast enters the season ranked second in the FCCAA state poll behind Chipola and eighth in the NJCAA national poll. As the Lady Commodores try to get healthy in time for the Panhandle Conference opener against Okaloosa-Walton on Jan. 5, they will attempt to forge an identity during the first couple months of the season. Their coach thinks that will come within the first four games against three opponents that have won national championships. During that early stretch, which starts Friday against Motlow State in Marianna, Scovel will be focusing on how her team overcomes adversity. “After a few games I’ll be able to tell how good we are at it, or how much we need to work at it,” Scovel said. “I think we’re athletic, I think we got some speed, got some nice shooters, good basketball IQ. “I think the ability to make plays is there. Those are all strengths. Those are something that we can build off of to have a pretty nice team.”
News Herald Article

October 30, 2007
LADY COMMODORES SUPPORT CANCER SOCIETY
On October 29, 2007, the Gulf Coast Lady Commodore Basketball, Softball, and Volleyball Teams participated in a Breast Cancer Awareness Day on the GCCC campus. All 3 teams and their coaches wore pink shirts designed by Kristin Bortnik, placed a “Think Pink” banner in the student union, and recognized three women on campus that are breast cancer “SURVIVORS.” It was part of a national effort as October is the month for National Breast Cancer Awareness. Go Commodores, "Think Pink".

October 16, 2007
COMMODORES OPEN SEASON ON THE ROAD
The Gulf Coast Lady Commodore Basketball team led by Coach Roonie Scovel, will open their 2007-08 campaign Friday, November 2nd on the road vs Motlow State CC in Marianna, Florida. Game time is 1:00 PM. According to Coach Scovel, "The Lady Commodores return 7 players from last year’s squad that finished 27-4 and won the Panhandle conference Championship for the 10th straight year. Returning starters include Alexis Givands, Janae’ Stokes, and Dee Liles and Jackie Sanders who split starting roles. We hope our experience will be an advantage early in the season while our freshmen develop for conference play.  We look for a very challenging season as the schedule is one the toughest in the history of the program."

Womens Schedule
Womens Roster

August 21, 2007
LADY COMMODORES HOST A FREE THROW-A-THON
The Women’s Basketball Team will be hosting a Free-Throw-A-Thon on Thursday Aug 30th at 2:00 pm in the gym. Each player will be seeking pledges for every made shot out of 100 Attempted Free Throws. We are hoping to raise a little money, have a little fun, and work on a skill that may help us win a game or two throughout the season. The Lady Commodores will be split into 7 teams of 2 and the team that can make the most FT’s will earn a 5 day pass from conditioning drills, and the team that brings in the most money will also earn a 5 day pass. Please join us for some fun and a small pledge can go a long way. Pledges range from .10/shot to 1.00/shot. If anyone is interested in counting for us that day, please contact Coach Scoval at 913-3277. We will need 6 scorekeepers for about an hour.

March 21, 2007
KODAK ALL-AMERICAN
NEWS HERALD (Josh Weinfuss) - Gulf Coast sophomore Shanea Cotton was named a Kodak/WBCA All-American, it was announced Tuesday. The Panhandle Conference Player of the Year is the ninth Lady Commodore to achieve the honor and the first since Helen Johnson in 2005. Cotton, who will play at Temple next year under former Olympian Dawn Staley, led the Lady Commodores to the FCCAA state championship game, where they lost to Chipola. She averaged 13.7 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. Cotton finished her career 10th all time at Gulf Coast in scoring and first in single season and career field goal percentage.

March 12, 2007
COLD START DEMINISHES CHAMPIONSHIP HOPES
NEWS HERALD (Josh Weinfuss) - Act IV had everything a finale would want, right down to the final scene. But in Gulf Coast’s case, the good guys lost. In their fourth meeting of the year, the Lady Commodores fell to the Chipola Lady Indians for the second time and for the third straight year in the FCCAA state tournament championship game, 60-57, Saturday night at the Milton H. Johnson Health Center. Chipola (27-6) advanced to the NJCAA national tournament in Salina, Kan., March 20-24. Gulf Coast finished 27-4. Down 13 points, the Lady Commodores pulled within four when freshman Janae’ Stokes scored a layup with 1:02 left in the game. On the ensuing play, sophomore guard Dominic Cranford picked up an errant Chipola pass and laid it in to cut Chipola’s lead to two with 50.8 seconds left. A Chipola free throw made the lead three, and Gulf Coast’s final heaves clanked off the rim. “We didn’t make plays. We didn’t hit shots,” Gulf Coast coach Roonie Scovel said. “I thought we made a great comeback. I thought our effort was really good. We just got down too deep in the second half. We just got down too far.” The Lady Commodores tried to shoot their way back into the game after keeping the first half close by penetrating to the basket and utilizing an athletic Dee Liles in the post. They were down 28-26 at the break, but shot 1 for 9 from behind the 3-point arc in the second half and finished the game 2 for 14. Liles had a run of five straight points in both halves, and finished with 14 points, but Scovel said she tried forcing the Lady Commodores to find other options.
News Herald Article        FCCAA Tournament Bracket

March 10, 2007
DEFENSE DOESN'T REST IN GC VICTORY
NEWS HERALD (Josh Weinfuss) - Gulf Coast didn’t need its offense Friday to advance to its sixth straight FCCAA state tournament championship game. Defense was enough. The Lady Commodores used 14 steals to run away with an 82-37 win against the Seminole Lady Raiders in the semifinals at the Milton H. Johnson Health Center at Chipola College. “I thought our defense was tremendous,” Gulf Coast coach Roonie Scovel said. “I thought our offense was still a little unsettled. We missed a lot in the paint, easy stuff.” Three Lady Commodores finished with three steals each, and Alexis Givands had 12 rebounds and six points. When Gulf Coast did score, it was evenly distributed, with four Lady Commodores finishing in double figures. Shanea Cotton led Gulf Coast with 14 points, and Jasmine Brown and Shimica Boular each had 13. Janae’ Stokes added 11 points. The Lady Commodores (27-3) appeared more composed after their uneven performance on Wednesday, but their confidence didn’t show on the offensive end. It took Gulf Coast until midway in the first half to reach double digits, and it needed a 26-7 run to lead by 37-12 at halftime. “It started this morning at the motel,” Scovel. “We were just different. Just a lot more settled, really, really excited about coming to play. And I thought it showed in the first half.” Gulf Coast produced offense from its defense. The Lady Commodores scored 15 points off turnovers, and outscored the Lady Raiders 15-3 from behind the arc. GCCC held Seminole, which ended 17-13, under 10 points until 1:01 remained in the first half. Scovel rotated her bench frequently in the first half, and by the time Gulf Coast had opened a 30-point lead, she had used all 12 players. Gulf Coast will play Chipola at 5 p.m. today at Chipola College. “We’re real excited, but we’ll get over it real quick and try to move on tomorrow,” Scovel said. “Tomorrow brings a whole new challenge in a whole new environment. “It’ll be a whole new set of nervousness to have to deal with.”
News Herald Article        FCCAA Tournament Bracket

March 8, 2007
NOT A PRETTY VICTORY
NEWS HERALD (Josh Weinfuss) - When Gulf Coast coach Roonie Scovel went to breakfast Wednesday morning, she saw just how nervous the Lady Commodores were. Instead of Scovel needing to wake some of her team up, the Lady Commodoers were waiting for her at the breakfast table, a sign Scovel said that nerves had gotten the better of them. Those nerves were still with the Lady Commodores in their 71-56 win against Santa Fe Community College in the quarterfinals of the FCCAA state tournament at Chipola College. “A lot more than we think,” Scovel said of how nervous Gulf Coast was. She said the nerves led to a lack of confidence, especially in the first half. It wasn’t until the third minute of the game that Gulf Coast scored its second basket, and with 14:30 remaining in the first half, it was down by one point. The Lady Commodores started to settle down with an 11-0 run to take a 17-7 lead. Besides that run, the characteristic spurts that defined Gulf Coast’s 26-3 season were absent. Freshman sharpshooter Janae’ Stokes struggled all game from behind the 3-point line, shooting 3 for 12 from behind the arc, including 1 for 5 in the first half. She finished with nine points. Gulf Coast struggled to extend its lead as Scovel shuffled lineups to find the right fit due to Santa Fe’s zone defense. The Lady Saints neutralized the Lady Commodores fast break by retreating quickly on defense after shots. It showed on the rebounding totals, as Gulf Coast had 20 more than Santa Fe. Slow, low-scoring games were Gulf Coast’s vice all season and up by only three at halftime, the Lady Commodores were narrowly avoiding the possibility of being eliminated after one game. At halftime, Scovel told her team it was fortunate to be playing poorly and still have a three-point lead. Either the nerves disappeared or Scovel’s halftime talk lit a fire under them, but Lady Commodores found a spark in the second half. Jasmine Brown, who Scovel played in place of Shanea Cotton, finished with 13 points and seven rebounds. “I think she was a more physical presence,” Scovel said of Brown. Cotton logged less than a minute in the second half, and finished with six points in the game. The Lady Commodores also got points from freshman Jackie Sanders, who hit two straight 3-pointers midway through the second half to extend Gulf Coast’s lead to 10. “It wasn’t a pretty game, but we’re moving on,” Scovel said.
News Herald Article        FCCAA Tournament Bracket

March 6, 2007
GCCC WANTS TO SUCCEED CHIPOLA
NEWS HERALD (Josh Weinfuss) - This week’s Florida junior college women’s basketball state tournament in Marianna might need a few extra sets of backup nets. The tournament, which begins Wednesday, will feature 16 of the state’s Top 25 scorers from eight different teams. Games begin at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Milton H. Johnson Health Center on the campus of Chipola College with Southern Conference champion Indian River against Mid-Florida runner-up Seminole. For the 10th straight year, Gulf Coast enters the state tournament as the Panhandle Conference champion and has the best record of the eight teams at 25-3. Its first game will be against Santa Fe from the Mid-Florida Conference at 3 p.m. Wednesday. In the last two state tournaments, the Lady Commodores lost to Chipola in the finals. They finished the regular season on a nine-game winning streak, and two of their three losses came against the other two Panhandle Conference representatives, Chipola and Tallahassee. After the quarterfinal round, the women have Thursday off before returning to Chipola on Friday for the semifinals. The finals are Saturday at 5 p.m. Three teams from the Panhandle Conference, including league champion Gulf Coast will vie for a spot in the NJCAA national tournament. The Mid-Florida Conference also has three entries.
News Herald Article        FCCAA Tournament Bracket

February 28, 2007
LADY COMMODORES NAB 5 CONFERENCE SELECTIONS
NEWS HERALD (Josh Weinfuss) - Three days after securing its 10th straight conference title, Gulf Coast landed five women on the All-Panhandle Conference team chosen by the coaches and released Tuesday. Temple-bound Shanea Cotton led the Lady Commodores’ contingent with a first-team selection and player of the year honors. Cotton was the backbone for a young Gulf Coast squad that went 25-3. She averaged 14.1 points and 8.3 rebounds. Joining Cotton on the first team was freshman of the year Jasmine Brown. Coming off the bench, Brown averaged 12.5 points and had a career-high 27 on Jan. 31. Sharpshooter Janae’ Stokes was the third Lady Commodore on the 12-member first team. The freshman led Gulf Coast in scoring at 14.4 ppg and was third in the state with a 36.8 3-point shooting percentage. Gulf Coast freshman Jackie Sanders and sophomore guard Dominic Cranford were named to the second team. Chipola, Tallahassee and Okaloosa-Walton each had five women named, and Pensacola had four. North Florida had three players named honorable mention.

First team Gulf Coast: Shanea Cotton, (player of the year), Jasmine Brown, (freshman of the year), Janae’ Stokes Chipola: Ra’Shawna Sippio, C.J. Pace Pensacola: Victoria Hunt, Gerica Johnson Tallahassee: Lisa Jackson, Erica Brown, Quaticqua Johnson OWC: Ashley Thrash-Murphy, Geami Britt Second team Gulf Coast: Jackie Sanders, Dominic Cranford Chipola: Crystal Campbell, Latoya Brown, Gekeela Clemmons Tallahassee: Angelee Latouche, Samerria Crowder. OWC: Andrea Kelly, Jennifer Williams, LaShandra McCoy Pensacola: Tateshia Page, Kristian Diggs. Honorable Mention — Pensacola: Jessica Young, North Florida: Monica James, Dione’shia Dunbar, VeYaun Lawyer.

February 25, 2007
LADY COMMODORES CLAIM 10TH CONSECUTIVE TITLE
NEWS HERALD (Josh Weinfuss) - Okaloosa-Walton didn’t care if Saturday night was Sophomore Night at Gulf Coast. The Lady Raiders had upset in their eyes and for good reason. They were playing for the third berth in the state tournament and a win would have helped secure that. But the Lady Commodores had the spotlight during pregame festivities and kept it throughout their 65-48 win at Billy Harrison Field House. The win gave Gulf Coast (25-3 overall, 13-2 PC) its 10th straight Panhandle Conference title and knocked OWC (18-10, 8-7) out of the state tournament picture. “That’s a great accomplishment,” Gulf Coast coach Roonie Scovel said. All 10 have been won outright by the Lady Commodores. On Sophomore Night, a sophomore shined. In front of her mother, grandmother and brother, Shanea Cotton scored seven of the Lady Commodores first nine points, and finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Two freshmen supported her. Dee Liles added 13 points and Alexis Givands scored 11. In spite of Cotton’s success in the first half, the Lady Raiders’ upset was brewing. And the Lady Commodores’ 0 for 12 performance in the first half from behind the 3-point arc didn’t help. Gulf Coast took an early 11-4 lead before OWC came back behind Andrea Kelly, who finished with 14 points. Jamilla Bonner added 11. The freshman guard had back-toback 3-pointers to give OWC a 17-16 lead. It would stay close until the second half. It was then that Gulf Coast turned up its defensive pressure. Seven times on Saturday, the Lady Commodores forced the Lady Raiders to shoot with less than seven seconds on the 35-second shot. “We have learned that our defense has to turn up when we’re not shooting well,” Scovel said. Behind sophomore Nikki Jackson, who committed to play basketball at Barry next season, the Lady Commodores extended their lead. They took a 33-26 advantage off a Janae’ Stokes 3-pointer with 17:10 left in the game and then used a 12-0 run to go ahead 50-34. After OWC scored five unanswered points, Gulf Coast went on a 12-1 run to seal the win. “Defense makes us win games like this,” Scovel said. “Hats off to our defense.”
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February 22, 2007
GC WOMEN STILL ATOP STANDINGS
NEWS HERALD (Josh Weinfuss) - Gulf Coast turned a narrow halftime advantage into a 94-60 win against Pensacola Junior College on Wednesday night behind the hot hand of Shimica Boular. The freshman scored a career high 22 points including six 3-pointers. “She was kind of signed to be a 3-point shooter,” coach Roonie Scovel said. “Hopefully this isn’t a one game thing. Maybe she’s gaining some momentum. We can really use for her to do that.” Up 39-32 at the break, the Lady Commodores were able to stretch their lead in the second half with their patented fast break. “We got off to an early start in the second half and got going pretty well,” Scovel said. Gulf Coast struggled out of the gate. Scovel said her team didn’t play aggressively on defense, and it showed. The Lady Commodores committed 10 first-half fouls compared to PJC’s three. But, Scovel added, the Lady Pirates (12-17 overall, 2-12 Panhandle Conference), “did a very good job of executing their offense.” Gulf Coast (24-3, 12-2 PC) remained alone atop the league standings, and has clinched the top seed in the District VIII state tournament in early March. The Lady Commodores also guaranteed a co-Panhandle Conference championship with Chipola.
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