Lady Greyhounds set for 2018-19 basketball season

Lady Greyhounds set for 2018-19 basketball season

New coach takes the helm for ASU Mid-South women’s program

By Ralph Hardin

ralphhardin@ gmail.com The Lady Greyhounds of ASU Mid-South have released their 2018-19 basketball schedule that features their annual home tournaments and two new region opponents. The women's team features a new head coach in Mercedes Corona, and the men's team is coming off their third NJCAA Region 2 Championship in the last five years, and their first trip to the NJCAA National Tournament where the Greyhounds finished fifth in the nation.

Corona comes to the Lady Greyhounds after serving as Assistant Women's Basketball Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas.

HPU won the West Division title two of the last three years and is the most successful program in the American Southwest Conference having gone 187-61 (.754) with 15 straight postseason appearances, seven NCAA Tournament appearances and one NCAA National Championship.

The Greyhounds once again open the season with the annual Greyhound Tipoff Classic as they open with Baltimore City Community College on Friday, November 2, and take on Parkland College (IL), who finished fifth in the nation in 2016-17, on Saturday, November 3. The women's team hosts the Lady Greyhound Classic on November 9-10 and play National Park College Friday, November 9, and Southwest Tennessee Community College Saturday, November 10.

The men play 15 home games while the women play 14 games in The Dog House including seven home doubleheaders against Crowley's Ridge College JV/Central Baptist College JV (November 26), Itawamba Community College (Monday, January 14), Northwest Mississippi Community College (Monday, January 28), North Arkansas College (Saturday, February 9), Arkansas Baptist College/Wiliams Baptist College JV (Monday, February 11), National Park College (Thursday, February 14), and Southern Arkansas University Tech (Saturday, February 23).

On the road, the Greyhounds will play in six states this season including trips to Texas, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi. Two game tournaments in Harrison (AR), and Jackson (TN) give the Greyhounds plenty to challenge them on the road as they return only two lettermen from last season and welcome 13 newcomers. The Lady Greyhounds travel for a tournament in Jackson (TN) and make trips to Missouri, Illinois, Tennessee, and Mississippi.

The NJCAA welcomes two new basketball programs to Region 2 in National Park College out of Hot Springs, Arkansas, and Southern Arkansas University Tech out of Camden, Arkansas. While neither program is eligible for postseason play in the 2018-19 season, both programs will play region games against ASU Mid-South and North Arkansas College in Harrison. This gives the Greyhounds two more in-state rivals who will compete for the Region 2 title beginning in the 2019-20 season.

The ASU Mid-South Lady Greyhounds are ready for the 2018-19 Season. Come out to the Dog House this season and see the action and the team, including new Head Coach Mercedes Corona and Assistant Coach Tiffany Porter. Players include Javia Wilson (Nettleton High School, Jonesboro), Jayla Woods (Whitehaven High School, Memphis, Tennessee), Briana Stewart (North Crowley High, Fort Worth, Texas), Tori Foster (Gravette High School, Gravette), Tatyana Burks (WMHS, West Memphis), Nariah Matthews (North Crowley High, Fort Worth, Texas), and Haley Morgan (Brookland High School, Brookland).

Photo courtesy of ASU Mid-South