By: Dustin Kent - JCFloridan.com
The No. 4 Chipola Lady Indians haven't been challenged that much through their first five games – all wins by an average of 33.2 points per game – but that could change this week when they head to Midland, Tex., for the Women's NIT featuring eight of the best women's teams in the country.
The tourney will also feature the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country, Trinity Valley and Central Arizona, who played in last year's national tournament final, as well as No. 23 Midland, who takes on Salt Lake today in its first round matchup.
Chipola will open up today with Odessa, who is 6-1 to start the season and averaging 86.3 points per game.
With a win, the Lady Indians will get the winner of Angelina vs. Cloud County on Friday at 6 p.m.
Chipola coach Greg Franklin said Wednesday that he didn't know who he would be matched up with when he accepted the invitation to play in Midland, but he knew that the field would provide a big-time challenge for his club early in the season.
"I knew who was going to be in it and I thought it would be a good test for us early to see where we're at," he said. "It will show us where we are right now. It was a blind draw, but I knew the possibilities that were out there to test us, so we're going to go out there and represent the Panhandle."
The Lady Indians are coming off of their toughest game of the season over the weekend in Jacksonville where they knocked off Florida State College of Jacksonville 76-66.
On the previous night, Chipola obliterated Indian River State 77-40, winning by 30 or more points for the third time this season.
"I thought we played well in spurts in Jacksonville. We played really good defense at times and executed well at times," Franklin said. "It's early in the year, so you understand that those things will come and go, but as time goes along people will develop their roles and find their place in the offense and the defense."
Players are already starting to carve out clear roles for the Lady Indians so far, with 6-foot-2 Evelyn Akhator proving to be a dominant two-way post player in leading Chipola in scoring (15.4 points per game), rebounding (12.8 per game), and blocked shots (3.2 per game).
Point guard Diamonisha Sophus has emerged as the team's primary playmaker with seven assists per game to just two turnovers on average, while Khadijah Ellison has become a destructive perimeter defender with 5.5 steals per night while also giving the Lady Indians an athletic slasher on offense with 10 points per game.
Franklin said he wants to see his players perform at that level against super elite competition like they will see in Midland, but the coach said he believes his team belongs in the same company with the likes of Trinity Valley and Central Arizona.
"Our team has a lot of talent and potential. The question is, are we going to find our true identity and be able to stick with it," he said. "But do I think we're in that top three to five right now? Yeah, sure I do."