 PJC Lady Pirate Season Outlook 2008-2009
Another exciting season of PJC basketball is just around the corner and the Lady Pirates are anxious for the competition to begin. With the experience and leadership of seven sophomores mixed with one of Coach Rigby’s most talented freshmen recruiting classes, the Lady Pirates are ready to make some noise in the Panhandle Conference.
Several changes have occurred in the structure of the Panhandle Conference since last season. One change is that the conference foe formerly known as Okaloosa-Walton Community College has changed its name to North Florida State College. Another change, which largely affects the structure of the Panhandle Conference, occurred this summer when North Florida Community College dropped its women’s basketball program. Regarded as the best junior college women’s basketball conference in the nation, now five teams will battle for the coveted Panhandle Conference title. Only the top two teams will earn bids to the Florida Junior College State Tournament, which is the only road to the National Tournament in Salina, Kansas in April.
Just as the Lady Pirates have been working hard to become a top Panhandle Conference team, they have been working equally as hard to accomplish academic goals as well. Last year, six women’s basketball players from the Florida junior colleges earned Academic All-American honors, and three of those recipients were PJC Lady Pirates. This is no small accomplishment, and the Lady Pirates are committed to putting in the extra hours to ensure that their team grade point average is the standard setter in Florida Junior College Basketball.
“Expectations are extremely high for the performance of our team both on the court and in the classroom this year,” Coach Rigby comments. “There is no doubt that Pensacola Junior College is one the nation’s top junior colleges, and the Lady Pirate basketball team is committed to being a reflection of that excellence.”
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