Castro Era Begins This Weekend at Donna Murphy Classic

Women's Basketball at Donna Murphy Classic
Date	Saturday-Sunday, Nov. 12-13 \| 6 p.m. & 1:30 p.m.
Venue	Morehead, Ky. \| Johnson Arena (6,500)
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Live Stats vs. MSU
Watch	OVC Network
Listen	N/A
Twitter	@EMUWBB \| @EMUAthletics
Tickets	Order Tickets Online or call 734.487.2282 \| Clear Bag Policy

MOREHEAD, Ky. (EMUEagles.com) – Coming off its ninth postseason appearance in program history, the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team is set to open its first season under the direction of Head Coach Fred Castro this weekend, Nov. 12-13, at the Donna Murphy Classic.
Saturday night's clash with Georgia State University tips off at 6 p.m. and serves as the lid lifter for both squads. EMU closes out the weekend against tournament host, Morehead State University, Sunday, Nov. 13, at 1:30 p.m.
Neither WEMU nor Eagle All-Access will be making the trip south to broadcast the games of the tournament. Fans wanting to follow the Eagles can find live stats and links to the video broadcasts at MSUEagles.com

12 TEAMS, 12 LEAGUES: The Eagles' 12-game non-conference schedule pits the Green and White against institutions from 12 different leagues. Eastern Michigan will face off against member schools of the Ohio Valley, Sun Belt, GLIAC, ACC, American, WAC, Southland, Horizon League, Atlantic-10, MAAC, Big Ten, and Mountain West. Collectively, the Eagles hold a combined record of 114-124 against the 12 conferences.

SQUARING OFF AGAINST THE COMPETITION: The Eagles will meet Georgia State on the hardwood for the first time in program history, while EMU faces Morehead State for the first time in a decade. Eastern is 1-0 against Morehead State, winning the lone meeting in the 2006-07 season. In that game, EMU overpowered MSU, 90-66, while former EMU coach Suzy Merchant picked up her 200th career win. Two Eagles posted double-doubles in the victory as Sarah VanMetre and Patrice McKinney finished with 12 pts.-10 rebs. and 25 pts.-13 rebs., respectively.

EAGLES IN LID LIFTERS: In 40 seasons, the Green and White have compiled a 27-13 record in season openers. In fact, the Eagles have won six consecutive lid lifters dating back to the 2008-09 season. That year, EMU fell to North Dakota, 80-71, on the road. Most recently however, the Eagles cruised past Hillsdale, 94-77, to open the 2015-16 campaign. Phillis Webb finished the day with 18 points, six rebounds, three steals, and a block to pace the Green and White.

OPENING ON THE ROAD: The Green and White will open the season on the road for the first time in five seasons when it tips-off the first year under the direction of Head Coach Fred Castro, Nov. 12, in Morehead, Ky. as part of the Donna Murphy Classic. The last time the Eagles' lid lifter came on the road was the 2011-12 season, when EMU coasted to a 83-53 win over Northeastern. That season, the Eagles went on to post a 23-9 overall record and won the Mid-American Conference Tournament title en route to a NCAA Tournament berth.

COACHING DEBUT: Saturday's 6 p.m. clash with Georgia State will not only serve as the Eagles' season opener, it will also mark the head coaching debut for EMU bench boss, Fred Castro. A rising star in the coaching world, the 36-year old Castro has spent the past 15 years climbing the ranks from student manager to now the eighth head coach in EMU program history. During his career, he has worked tirelessly to learn and has held nearly every position within a women's basketball program, including serving as offensive coordinator, recruiting coordinator, video coordinator, and travel coordinator.

YOUTH ON THE COURT AND ON THE SIDELINES: Since becoming the head man for the Eagles, Fred Castro has assembled one of the youngest coaching staffs in the nation. Castro and assistant coaches Adam Call, Abi Olajuwon, and Cassandra Callaway have a combined average age of 30.75 years, making them the fifth-youngest coaching staff in the nation. McNeese is home to the youngest staff in the nation with an average age of 27.25 years, while Columbia (27.75) and High Point (28.7) rounded out the top-three.

EMU VERSUS OPPOSING CONFERENCES: Sunday's contest versus Morehead State pits EMU against an Ohio Valley Conference institution for the sixth time in program history. The Green and White own a 2-3 record against the OVC all-time. Meanwhile, Eastern Michigan has never played a current Sun Belt Conference opponent.

GREEN AND WHITE DOWN LAWRENCE TECH IN EXHIBITION GAME: Eastern Michigan outlasted Lawrence Tech, 74-54, in its lone exhibition game, Nov. 6. Senior Sheyna Deans led a balanced offense for the Eagles. Deans scored a game-high 20 points, while adding 10 rebounds, three assists, three steals, and one block in a stat-stuffing performance. Freshman Esabelle Levine, senior Phillis Webb, and junior Tori Easley added nine points apiece. Meanwhile, junior Micah Robinson dished out a game-high seven assists to go along with seven points and four rebounds.

IN SEARCH OF A SCORER: EMU returns just 30.3 percent of the scoring from last season's squad, leaving the Eagles in search of a consistent point-scorer. Senior Phillis Webb and Sheyna Deans will be looked upon heavily while freshman adjust to the collegiate level. The Green and White also return juniors Tori Easley, Sasha Dailey, and Micah Robinson who are poised to have career years, while Ashley Nickens is eligible after transferring from Cincinnati ahead of the 2015-16 campaign.

CHANGING UP THE DEFENSIVE STRATEGY: Fans and media that have covered Eastern Michigan over the last several years have come accustomed to EMU's lock down 2-3 zone. This season, in its first under Fred Castro, the Green and White are expected to play man-to-man defense primarily.

YOUTH MOVEMENT: The Eagles roster is made up of five returners and seven newcomers and has combined to play just 4,635 minutes coming into the season, the least of any team in the Mid-American Conference. Senior Phillis Webb is the most experienced player on Eastern's roster, having played a total of 2,342 minutes through her first three seasons. Additionally, Webb has played more than twice as many minutes as Sasha Dailey (1,114 minutes), the second-most experienced Eagle on the roster.

35TH YEAR IN MAC: The 2016-17 season marks the 35th season Eastern Michigan will compete as a member of the Mid-American Conference. Having been a member of the Cleveland, Ohio based league since the 1981-82 campaign, the Green and White have compiled a 266-317 record against conference opponents all-time.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: Eastern Michigan has won 72 of the last 96 home games dating back to the 2008-09 season. The Eagles have racked up a solid home-court advantage inside the friendly confines of the Convocation Center since the doors opened during the 1998-99 campaign. The Green and White has won 68.0 percent of the contests played in the building, piling up a 166-78 all-time mark.

WEBB WORKING TOWARDS 1,000 POINT MARK: Senior Phillis Webb stands 329 points short of the 1,000-point mark heading into her final season donning the Green and White. Webb has amassed 671 points for her career through her first three seasons. If Webb eclipses four-digits, she will become the 21st player in program history to score at least 1,000 points during their career.

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Players Mentioned

Sasha Dailey

Sheyna Deans

Tori Easley

Esabelle Levine

Ashley Nickens

Micah Robinson

Phillis Webb

Eastern Michigan Athletics