AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn women's basketball team took to the court for the first official team practice of the 2018-19 season Wednesday afternoon, ushering in the seventh season under head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy.
The Tigers practiced for a little more than two hours on the main court at Auburn Arena, including a brief intrasquad scrimmage, before concluding the day in the weight room.
"I thought our energy and our effort was there," Williams-Flournoy said. "We worked hard and hit some shots. That's one of the keys we worked on during the summer and the preseason, getting our offense better and having them catch up with our defense.
"If you look at the analytics in all of our defensive categories, we're in the top three (in the SEC). You look at our offensive categories, and we're at the bottom. So that has to catch up. We've got to score more points. But we have people now that can get to the rack and drive, we've got better 3-point shooters. We can really get that up. And we've changed the offense a little bit, we're going to spread the floor with more of a motion offense."
Point guard Janiah McKay returns for her senior season after leading the Tigers offensively in 2017-18. She averaged a team-best 16.6 points and ranked second in the SEC with 2.3 steals per game, behind only teammate Daisa Alexander, who averaged 2.8 per game.
"It's surreal, it's amazing that I've been here four years," McKay said. "But it's super exciting to help the young players along, and also to improve myself as far as being a leader. I'm excited about this group (of freshmen). They're hungry and ready to learn. It's a lot to handle at one time.
"It's humbling that Coach Flo has trusted me to be her point guard and to lead this team for four years, and I'm honored to play for her. From day one, I feel like Coach Flo has always had my back and given me that chance."
The Tigers return four starters and six letter-winners from the 2017-18 season, including the team's three leading scorers in McKay, junior Daisa Alexander and sophomore Unique Thompson. Two players that redshirted last season, junior Crystal Primm and freshman Kiyae' White, are in the mix for playing time, as well as four freshmen – a group ranked as high as the No. 12 recruiting class in the nation.
Auburn's first game is Tuesday, Nov. 6, at home against Grambling State. The Tigers will play at least 14 home games in 2018-19 with the potential for more if the Tigers progress through the Preseason Women's NIT.
Season tickets are on sale now with general admission seats available for as low as $25. For more information, visit AUBTix.com or call the Auburn Ticket Office at 855-282-2010.
For the latest on Auburn women's basketball, follow @AuburnWBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
