Oct. 24, 2003

The South Carolina women’s basketball team wrapped up the first week of practice on Friday afternoon and the preseason efforts of the Gamecocks have head coach Susan Walvius excited about the upcoming 2003-04 season.

We had a very good week of practice,” said USC head coach Susan Walvius. “The team is in the best physical shape in my six years here which is a credit to the work the players did during their strength and conditioning workouts. I like the depth that we have on the team. I can count five guards and four post players who could be in our starting lineup on opening night.

“We signed the 10th-best freshmen class in the country last year and those eight ladies will make an immediate impact on our program. Everyone has worked hard so far but I’ve been especially pleased by the play of freshmen Lea Fabbri, Iva Sliskovic and Larissa Kulcsar. Sophomore Sarah Burgess has looked real good so far and our seniors, Cristina Ciocan and Kelly Morrone, keep the tempo and energy levels up high in our practices.”

South Carolina opens the season on Friday, November 21st with a road trip to Clemson, South Carolina. Last year, the Gamecocks opened the Colonial Center on November 22nd with a win over the archrival Tigers and attracted the largest crowd in Center history with17,712 fans. The Gamecocks will look for 17,712 fans again on Monday, November 24th when USC entertains Appalachian State in the home opener.