Carson-Newman Women’s Basketball Position Previews: The Backcourt
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Our second and final part of our Carson-Newman women’s basketball position previews look at this year’s backcourt with help from senior guard Emily Gonzalez.
VIDEO: Emily Gonzalez Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Our second and final part of our Carson-Newman women's basketball position previews look at this year's backcourt with help from senior guard Emily Gonzalez.
Carson-Newman graduated three players from its backcourt this past season in Makayla Alvey, Campbell Penland and Tori Rutherford. This trio all played in at least 100 games and combined for nearly 3,000 points led by Penland's 1,387 career points. Alvey sparked C-N in a variety of ways and was second on the team with 89 assists last season. Rutherford, the team's point guard, led the Lady Eagles with 94 assists and 67 steals.
"We can all handle the ball pretty well," Gonzalez said. "I think it's good this year that we can distribute that role between at least three of us. It is a big role to fill to be a good point guard."
Despite losing three experienced guards, C-N returns two valuable senior guards in Gonzalez and Jennifer Sullivan. Gonzalez stepped into more of a starting role in her junior year and as a result, doubled her minutes per game from the previous year. She started 23 games and scored 6.4 points per game on 41 percent shooting in 21 minutes per game.
The senior guard was an exceptional defender and passer for C-N in 2024-25. Her 55 steals were second-most on the team and had 10 games with at least three takeaways. As a passer, she dished out 86 assists and posted a 2.0 assist to turnover ratio. Gonzalez recorded three or more assists in 14 games as a junior.
Sullivan returns for her second season in Mossy Creek after becoming the first player in program history to be named the conference's Newcomer of the Year in 2024-25. She led C-N in scoring, averaging 13.8 points per game while making 43 percent of her three-pointers, one of the most efficient marks in DII. She scored double figures in 23 of C-N's 32 games. She scored 20 points or more in seven games, including four times in her first six games as a Lady Eagle.
The Knoxville native buried three or more three-pointers 12 times. Overall, she shot 50 percent or better 11 times and did so from long range as well. The senior guard recorded her first career double-double versus Wingate on Jan 19, scoring 17 points and dishing out 10 assists in a 36-point win.
"I love playing with Jenn," Gonzalez said. "I've been playing with her since high school. She's a great player and I think we have a lot of great court connection. I think its awesome having her, she is very great offensively and defensively. She is a great teammate and player."
The Lady Eagles also return three more guards in juniors Karli Haworth (Maryville, Tenn.) and Madelyn Ladd (Harriman, Tenn.) and sophomore Caroline Hill (Kingsport, Tenn.).
In 57 career appearances, Haworth has drilled 30 three-pointers and has 39 steals. The junior guard has dished out 36 career assists and has recorded 39 steals.
Ladd is coming off a sophomore season in which she made 41 percent of her shots and averaged just shy of four points per game. In 54 games, Ladd has made 56 baskets, 15 of which have come from long range.
Hill played in 17 games as a freshman, playing just 83 total minutes for the year. She scored a career-high five points on two different occasions during conference play. Hill had a six-rebound game versus UVA Wise on Jan. 15.
"Caroline specifically has really jumped from last year to this year," Gonzalez said. "She is doing really great offensively and is going to be good this season for us. Karli and Madelyn are just as good offensively too. I just think we all work well together, everyone is a great teammate and I think we have a great year ahead of us."
The Lady Eagles add one player to the backcourt in freshman Harmony Sullivan. In Sullivan's senior year, she surpassed the 1,000-career point total and finished with 1,278 points by the end of the year. She received district tournament MVP, and region tournament MVP honors. Also, she was named Lakeway Area Girls Basketball Player of the Year for the 2nd time.
"She is a great player offensively and defensively," Gonzalez said. "She is always getting her hands everywhere during practice. I think she is going to give us good minutes this year."
Carson-Newman begins the season with the SAC/Peach Belt Challenge on November 15th versus Lander at 6:00 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins at 5:45 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Mix 105.5 (WSEV-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
