| Lanning to play key role for Middle in the Big Dance |
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Posted: Sunday, March 14, 2010 8:22 am
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Anne Marie Lanning has played a key role in the Lady Raiders' success this season. Photo provided by MTSU.
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When the Middle Tennessee women’s basketball team takes the floor next week in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament Anne Marie Lanning of Murfreesboro will be the only junior in the starting lineup.
Lanning, a Riverdale graduate and member of the 2007 state championship team, has played a key role in the Lady Raiders’ superb season, sharing the court with an extraordinary group of seniors who last week posted their second straight Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship along with the regular season title.
Next the Middle women play in the NCAA’s big event next weekend for the 13th time. They will learn their opponent, seed and destination for the 64-team tournament at a special celebration Monday night, a viewing party for the NCAA Women's Basketball Selection Show at the Murfreesboro Embassy Suites.
The Blue Raiders, who entered the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll for the first time this season at No. 25 this week, own a 25-5 record after clinching the Sun Belt's automatic bid for the NCAA Tournament and are on a 16-game win streak dating to Jan. 9.
Joining the floor with four 1,000-point scorers, Lanning’s role will be as important to the team’s success as anyone, Coach Rick Insell notes, including points-machine Alysha Clark who led the nation in scoring last year and is on pace to repeat this season.
Lanning is a player whose game exceeds the sum of the parts.
“She can’t do anything except win,” Insell said. “She is amazing what she is able to do. She can guard quicker players, stronger players and still get the job done.”
While the incredible Clark, 40, 42 and 48 points in consecutive SBC Tournament games, leads the team in scoring, Insell has no qualms about Lanning putting the ball up.
“If she’s got a shot, she’s going to let it fly. That’s what we want her to do … knock down the big shots,” Insell said, pointing to a key Lanning three in the SBC championship game when the Raiders were battling back from an eight-point deficit.
Insell has no doubt Lanning will join her senior teammates next year in the 1,000-point club. This year she has 55 career points, needing just 245 to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
She currently ranks 4th in the latest NCAA statistics with a 47.3 3-point field goal percentage and 29th with a 1.91 assist/turnover ratio.
She had a season high 26 points against Louisville this season, nailing eight of 13 treys.
“They kept getting confused between me and Jackie (Pickel), and I just kept shooting and they just kept falling,” Lanning said of that career performance.
Last week Lanning’s contribution to the team was underscored as she joined Clark on the SBC Tournament Team.
Lanning played consistently throughout the three-game stretch and finished second on the team with 36 points. Eight of her 10 field goals were from behind the 3-point arc in addition to an 8-of-8 effort from the foul line. She led the Blue Raiders with 17 assists and hauled in eight rebounds in playing 119 total minutes, one shy of Clark's team-leading total.
Lanning appreciates the opportunity to play with esteemed seniors Clark, Pickel, Brandi Brown and Chelsia Lymon.
“I love our seniors. When I was a freshman they were the ones I looked up to and now to play with them is so special with great chemistry,” she said.
Probably factoring significantly in the Lady Raiders’ success again this season, Lanning noted, “they don’t make us feel like they are seniors. We all have a main part on the team.”
After two season and tournament conference titles, “just playing with these girls is something special,” Lanning said.
Echoing a common refrain from Insell, Lanning says she is excited to learn Monday night about the team’s NCAA placement and proclaims the team’s goal is “The Final Four is what we are saying. We have a lot of us believing it.”
And, she quickly adds her and the team’s appreciation for their fan base of which some 1,000 showed up for last year’s NCAA tournament-seeding celebration.
“I know our fans don’t always get the credit they deserve. Our fans are just incredible. We say that all the time. They are a part of us and everything we’ve done this year,” Lanning said.
If the Riverdale graduate, the daughter of Mike and Gina Lanning, didn’t have enough excitement in her life, the level went up even more last week as she watched the school she led to the TSSAA state championship three years ago try to repeat.
Lanning said she is never as nervous on the court as she was Thursday while watching the Lady Warriors, including sister Natalie, win a double-overtime 64-63 decision over Mt. Juliet
Next weekend Lanning and her teammates will be looking to provide some court excitement of their own.
And, if the ball goes in to a closely guard Clark down low, don’t be surprised to see her kick it back out to Lanning behind the arc and an “ice in her blood” Annie Marie put it up. |
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