Crafting a starting five of standout players from the last decade
As the St. Joe’s womens’ basketball team enters the 2021-22 season, I wanted to take a look back at the past decade and the players that made it such a successful team. Here are a few of my past favorites who helped get the program to where it is today.
Guard: Natasha Cloud ’15
The Broomall native transferred to St. Joe’s after her first-year, and she certainly made the most of her three seasons as a Hawk. Her accomplishments include being named the A10 Defensive Player of the Year, and making the A10 All-Conference First Team and All-Big 5 first team. The Hawks had great success as well, winning an A10 title game in 2013 against Fordham University, where Cloud led with a team-high of 15 points. She was also part of the 2014 Hawks that defeated the University of Georgia in the NCAA Tournament. Currently, Cloud has a very successful WNBA career that includes a championship as a member of the Washington Mystics.
Guard: Erin Shields ’14
Shields was the sharpshooter for the previously mentioned NCAA Tournament teams. In the 2014 NCAA Tournament win against Georgia, Shields led the team with 18 points to get the Hawks their first tournament win since 2000. She totaled 1,343 points in her four seasons, pouring in 256 career three-pointers. The former Big 5 first-teamer may have stood at just 5’5, but her accomplishments for the program were immense.
Guard: Chatilla van Grinsven ’13
Despite only spending one season on Hawk Hill, van Grinsven is certainly worthy of a spot on this list. The Colorado State University transfer arrived on campus after her junior season. The senior averaged 14.9 points per game (PPG) and 10.4 rebounds per game (RPG) in her one season on Hawk Hill. Her team won an A10 Championship as well as a win in the NCAA Tournament thanks to her efforts. Her individual awards included a spot on the A10 First-Team, A10 All-Championship team and the title of Big 5 Player of the Year.
Guard/Forward: Chelsea Woods ’18
Woods puts up worthy statistics to be included on this list, totaling 1,228 points and 773 rebounds in her career on Hawk Hill. As a junior, Woods was named the A-10’s Sixth Woman of the Year. The Philadelphia native averaged 14 PPG and 7.1 RPG in a season that resulted in an automatic bid for the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) for the following year. As a senior, the team narrowly missed the NCAA Tournament, falling in the A10 Championship game. In the WNIT, she scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the team to a first round victory against Seton Hall University.
Forward: Sarah Fairbanks ’16
Fairbanks is another member of the 2013 and 2014 NCAA Tournament teams. Fairbanks scored eight points in the win over Georgia, and 12 points in the team’s loss to the eventual NCAA Champion University of Connecticut. Fairbanks averaged 10.5 PPG in her final season, which was enough for her to become a 1,000 point scorer for the program. Throughout her senior season, Fairbanks became the first post player to lead the team in assists in any given season.
This list was incredibly hard to make with so many impressive and talented players who have come through the program. But, I would feel very confident that this Hawks’ 5 would be as good of a combination as any.
Honorable Mention: Michelle Baker, Ciara Andrews, Ashley Prim, Katie Kuester, Katie Jekot, Adashia Franklyn, Kelly Cavallo, Sarah Veilleux, Ashley Robinson, Alyssa Monaghan.
