WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
// G L O B A L A P P E A L
GLOBAL THE NATIONAL FLAGS THAT HANG FROM THE LJVM COLISEUM RAFTERS INCLUDE THOSE OF AUSTRALIA, ITALY, GREECE, FRANCE AND GREAT BRITAIN AND REPRESENT THE GROWING INTERNATIONAL PRESENCE ON WAKE FOREST’S WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM, AS WELL AS THE MEN’S PROGRAM. By John Justus
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aintaining competitiveness in the Atlantic Coast Conference isn’t easy regardless of the sport. Winning a league championship or achieving a conference standing that translates to postseason play is a challenge of an even higher degree.
The Wake Forest women’s basketball program, which advanced to the second round of the WNIT a year ago, has certainly faced the demands of the ACC throughout its history. This year, as a most recent example, eight ACC teams were ranked in the USA Today/Coaches Top 25 poll as conference play began in earnest. Competing with that level of opponent begins with recruiting high quality players, and head coach Jen Hoover and her staff have extended their efforts across international borders to find the very best for their program. That doesn’t mean that they can’t have success closer to home, of course. Starting point guard Amber Campbell earned Parade All-American honors in Charleston, S.C., while backcourt mate Ariel Stephenson was rated as a top 50 recruit out of high school in Prince George, Va. But two other current starters and key performers for Hoover’s squad are sophomore Elisa Penna from Bergamo, Italy, and freshman Alex Sharp from Melbourne, Australia.
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Penna, the team’s most accurate three-point shooter and a double-figure scorer, has been a fixture in the starting lineup since joining the Demon Deacons in December last year. Sharp has started this season after an injury to guard Kortni Simmons in late November and is assuming a more prominent role while averaging almost 30 minutes per game. In addition, a key reserve on this year’s club, Clarisse Berranger, is a graduate student from Remiremont, France.
“WE HAVE GREAT SUPPORT FROM THE UNIVERSITY, AND IT FEELS LIKE YOU ARE HOME, EVEN THOUGH HOME IS THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY.” CLARISSE BERRANGER