The University of the Virgin Islands Basketball Program tipped off on Thursday evening with two games at the Elridge W. Blake Sports and Fitness Center. The Lady Bucs took on the United States Virgin Islands Women's National Team, while the Bucs played host to Team Tola.
The Lady Bucs are entering the 2024-2025 season with a new leader, Head Coach Stephanie Cooper. Her leadership will be essential to the development of this program. The Lady Bucs finished near the bottom of the Historical Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) in 2023-2024. Coach Cooper was on the Florida Memorial University coaching staff, which won the Sun Conference Championship in 2023.
The Lady Bucs welcomed the USVI to the Elridge W. Blake Sports and Fitness Center on Thursday evening for an exhibition game. The home team kept the game close through the first quarter as the USVI clung to a slim one-point lead going into the second frame. The VI national team woke up in the second and dropped 30 points in the quarter while holding the Buccaneers to just seven points. Ultimately, the USVI was simply too much for the collegiate players. The national women walked away with a 72-39 victory. The USVI women are training for the FIBA Centrobasket Women's Championship in Irapuato, Mexico, Nov. 5-10.
The UVI Bucs welcomed Team Tola to their humble abode on Thursday evening. The Buccaneers were anything but gracious as they beat the neighbors to our east 112-69. Amayou'ah Phillips led the Bucs with 23 points in his Bucs debut. Teammates Jalil Langston and Edwin Solis contributed 16 points each. The Bucs proudly have seven players from the United States Virgin Islands on its roster. This is the handy work of the newly installed Interim Head Coach, Kevin Sheppard. A graduate of St. Croix Educational Complex, Sheppard has a wealth of basketball knowledge as he was an international professional player in numerous leagues around the world for over 10 years.
Two Bucs were honored as they were voted to the HBCUAC Preseason All-Conference Second Teams. The Lady Bucs is returning local standout Ashukamayah Phillips, who led the team in scoring with 13.6 points per game last season. Langston was also voted to the HBCUAC second team. Langston averaged 13.9 points per contest in the 2023-2024 season.
The Bucs next game is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 7, when they take on the VI Elite. The Lady Bucs will not see action again until Dec. 7, when they play Wiley University at 1 p.m. Both contests will be at the Elridge W. Blake Sports and Fitness Center.