Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Women's Hoops Takes Stand-Up Approach
8/7/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Marshall Women's Hoops Takes Stand-Up Approach
8/7/2003
By Matt Riley
The PARTHENON
HUNTINGTON, W.Va.--Marshall head women's basketball coach Royce Chadwick and his staff wanted a new way to promote the team, and one day were inspired on a visit to the grocery store.
"It works for NASCAR and other things so why not look into it?," Chadwick said.
The idea -- life-sized cutouts of All-MAC players Catie Knable and Sikeetha Shephard-Hall -- is to get people thinking about the Marshall women's basketball program.
"I thought it was pretty crazy at first," Knable said. "But then after thinking about it and seeing it, I think it's a great way to promote women's basketball to the community and show them what we're all about."
The Herd doesn't have a promotions budget, but this is something Chadwick really wanted to do. But when they looked into it, they found out it costs too much money.
That's when the coaches decided to try and do it themselves.
Local photographer Jeff Gentner took the photo, then they had one mounted for them on the cut-out foam board to see how it was done. Now they're going to try to make their own.
"We just want to do something fun that catches peoples' attention and gets them thinking about our program," Chadwick said. "When you see it, you'll know it's us."
Last season, the Herd made its presence felt in the Mid-American Conference by advancing to Cleveland for the quarterfinals of the MAC tournament for the first time in school history.
The team also knocked off division leaders Ball State and Kent State on its way to a 12-17 overall record. Knable and Shepard-Hall were huge reasons for the success last season.
Knable led the conference and team in rebounding with nine boards per game. She also tossed in 7.1 points per game, keeping teams off-balance with her inside-out game. Chadwick coined her with the nickname Ms. Double-double for her consistency on the glass and putting points on the board. Knable is also a strength and conditioning All-American.
Shepard-Hall took the MAC by storm as a freshman last season. She led the team in scoring with 15 points per game and provided instant offense for the Herd.
As she matures and gets a more solid supporting cast, Chadwick sees unlimited potential for Shepard-Hall with the talent she's already exhibited.
She was named to the womenscollegehoops.com 2002-03 All-Freshman team.
Chadwick said he isn't sure where they're going to put the cutouts, but beware, there could be one standing right over your shoulder, and when you see it, remember the season is just around the corner.
For more information on how you can get your cut out, call the women's basketball office at 304-696-3230.
