Thursday, October 30, 2008
New head coach Toby Bush says Lady Wildcats could be MACJC surprise in 2008-2009

     POPLARVILLE — New head coach Toby Bush says his first edition of Pearl River Community College Lady Wildcat basketball could be the surprise of the 2008-09 season in the Mississippi Association of Community-Junior Colleges (MACJC) conference.
      Bush tips off his inaugural season as the PRCC women’s coach Monday when Delgado CC (La.) visits Shivers Gymnasium for 5 p.m. (women) and 7 p.m. (men) contests.
      “We’ve got a great group who has worked hard in practice to improve individually and as a team,” he said. “We’ll be competitive and in every game we play and I feel we’re going to surprise a lot of people this year.
      “Right now, we’re like most teams around the country in that we’re trying to put the right people in the right positions.”
      Bush, who was hired last May after eight-year mentor Ed Walley resigned the post, was head coach at Neosho County CC in Chanute, Kan., last year. But he is no stranger to to the MACJC, as he played at Northwest Mississippi CC under former head coach Mark Dukes the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons.
      “Going in (the season), I’m confident,” Bush continued. “But with any new situation, the players are learning me and vice versa. As far as my system is concerned, they’ve picked up on it pretty well and are trying get better and better on a daily basis.”
      He projects redshirt freshman forward Sabrina Duncan of Petal High (5-foot-10) as his top scorer, but added that freshman forward Emma Craft of Hancock County (5-foot-10) will also be a big point contributor.
      “It’s hard to say right now, but those two should be consistent producers,” he said. “But there are lots of others that can step up. We’ve got some weapons, but it’s my job to put them in position to be successful on the basketball court.”
      Bush touted the likes of sophomore point Jonneshia Pineda of Smyrna, Ga. (5-foot-6), who transferred to The River from Queens College; along with point Reneka Thompson of Bassfield High (5-foot-6) who is one of three sophomores returning from last year’s squad.
      “Jonneshia can score point, but she’s more of a floor leader and set-up kind of player,” he said. “She really sees the floor better than the other point guards, though she’s not the quickest or fastest.
      “Reneka is a great compliment to Jonneshia. They’ll be a great combination. Both are talented players.”
      He noted that this year’s Lady Wildcat team will be one of the shortest, if not the shortest, team in the league.
      “I have to remind them of that,” Bush said, “but I feel we’ll make up for our lack of height with great effort and execution.”
      Sophomore Shyeeda Wynn of Lumberton High and freshman Courtney Lacoste of Hancock County are two 5-foot-10 forwards that will be assets with their rebounding ability, while freshman guard Ashlyn Pittman of Northwest Rankin (5-foot-8) “is going to be a big surprise with her great athletic ability.”
      Freshman guard Breanna Simmons of West Marion (5-foot-5) is a “defensive nightmare,” says Bush.
      “She guards everybody,” he said, “and is going to be a defensive nightmare for opponents this season. She give her own teammates fits in practice.”
      Freshman center Amanda Rollins of Slidell, La., (6-foot) is projected to be a huge influence with her size and strength.
      “Amanda is a pretty high-strung player,” Bush said. “We’ve got to get to her calm down a bit, but she can be special.”
      Bush will be assisted by Zaria Williams, who was a graduate assistant at Mercer College in Macon, Ga., when he was an assistant coach.
      “Zaria’s is just great help,” he said. “I’ve worked with her before and when I was hired on here, she was the first name on my list as assistant coach.”
      Williams, a Destin, Fla., native, was a standout shooting guard at Okaloosa-Walton CC in Niceville, Fla., from 1999 through 2001; then transferred to the University of West Florida in Pensacole where she played from 2002 until 2004 and earned bachelor of science degree in physical education and exercise science.
      From there, she did her graduate assistant stint at Mercer (2004-2006) where she earned her master’s degree in holistic education. She returned to West Florida as a part-time assistant coach for one season, then served the 2007-2008 season at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla., as recruiting coordinator.
      Bush was born in Laurel, but raised in Memphis where he graduated from Bartlett High School in 1993 and went on to earn his bachelor of science degree in physical education in 1999 and his master’s degree in sports and leisure commerce in 2006 from the University of Memphis following his two-year Juco stint at Northwest.
      “I’m very excited about the opportunity presented to me here,” Bush said. “Coach Walley did a great job during his eight years here and I want to pick up where he left off.
      “My main focus is to make sure that our players understand that they’re student-athletes and maintain discipline on and off the court,” he continued. “My goal is to win titles and make it back to the national tournament.”
      Walley’s 2002-2003 team won the Region 23 title and a berth in the NJCAA National Tournament in Salina, Kan.
      PRCC athletic director and men’s basketball head coach Richard Mathis noted the Lady Wildcats are fortunate to get Bush.
      “We’re fortunate to get a young coach of his caliber and experience,” Mathis said. “Coach Bush has Mississippi connections, MACJC connections, and has been a head coach at the junior college level, not to mention coaching experience at the Division I level.
      “He was the unanimous choice by the seven-member search committee for obvious reasons.”
      Bush served as head student manager for the UM Tiger squad from 1995 until 2001, then served as assistant women’s coach and recruiting coordinator at East Central CC in Decatur the 2001-2002 season. From there, he served as assistant women’s coach at Mercer University in Macon, Ga., from 2002 until 2007 before taking over the head coaching reins at Neosho in the touted Jayhawk Conference.