PROMISING SEASON FOR HOOP FANS

The women's basketball team, under head coach Tina Martin, will open its home season at 4 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 1, against Princeton University in the Bob Carpenter Center. The women's team's first Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) contest will be against Hofstra University at 1 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 29, in the Bob Carpenter Center.

With a new conference, two new assistant coaches on board and two starting slots up for grabs, the University of Delaware's women's basketball team under head coach Tina Martin, is sure to offer a lot of surprises to fans this season.

The Blue Hens' debut in the CAA this year follows a season where the team amassed a 25-6 record en route to its first America East title and first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.

When the team opens the regular season on the road against the University of North Carolina at Greensboro on Nov. 23, Martin, who was named America East Coach of the Year last season, will be joined by associate head coach Jeanine Radice and new assistant coaches Tyrone Perry and Cindy Johnson.

Radice, a former standout player at Fordham who served as an assistant coach with Martin at Seton Hall for four years, begins her sixth season as Martin's top assistant coach.

Although it will mark the sideline debut for Johnson and Perry as part of the Blue Hen women's coaching roster, both are familiar faces to the hometown crowd at The Bob.

Perry, who helped first-year head coach David Henderson lead the men's basketball team to a 24-8 mark and a first-time-ever appearance in the National Invitational Tournament, began his coaching career as an assistant under former head coach Mike Brey.

After a stellar career where the she set many UD records, four-year starter Cindy Johnson, who concluded her career by being named UD's Outstanding Female Athlete and NCAA Woman of the Year for the state of Delaware, has rejoined the Blue Hens as an assistant coach.

While the Blue Hens will be playing in the CAA against a host of new opponents, some familiar foes like George Mason, Drexel and Hofstra will be returning to settle some old scores at The Bob.

When the regular season gets under way against Princeton on Dec. 1, Blue Hen fans coming out to this and other home games will find a series of special promotional efforts that should make a trip to The Bob a fun family event.

Special promotions include a $1 ticket price for groups of 15 or more, and postgame autograph sessions with select players will be offered on Dec.1, 29, Jan. 11, 20 and 27 and Feb. 1.

Team posters and balloons will be distributed at all home games, and certain lucky fans will be selected at each home game to participate in contests.

For more information, visit the team's web site at [http://www. udel.edu/sportsinfo/womens_basketball/].

MEN OPEN AT HOME NOV. 24

The men's basketball team, under head coach David Henderson, will open its home season at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 24, against LaSalle University in the Bob Carpenter Center. The game will be broadcast on CN8 TV.

The Hens will participate in their first year in the CAA. Contests against those league teams begin Dec. 22 with an away game against George Mason University.

All men's team games and selected women's team games during the season will be broadcast on WJBR (1290 AM) and WVUD (91.3 FM) and on WVUD2 on the Internet.

For ticket information, call UD1-HENS. For information about the team schedules and other UD sports, visit the athletics web site at [http://www.udel.edu/ sportsinfo/].

Photo caption: UD's Megan Dellegrotti with the ball on Nov. 11 during the women's exhibition basketball game against MI Express Photo by Kevin Tucker