RICHMOND, Ky. - Coach Larry Joe Inman has announced that his 1999-2000 Eastern Kentucky University Lady Colonel basketball team will officially begin practice Saturday morning, Oct. 16, at 12:01 a.m. with a Maroon-White scrimmage in EKU's McBrayer Arena.

"We don't want to compete with anybody doing anything else. We just want to have some fun Friday night after midnight and play a little scrimmage to start things off," said Inman.

EKU, who finished last season with an 11-16 overall record, returns eight letterwinners from a team that ended tied for sixth place with an 8-10 league mark.

Chief among the returnees are junior forward Charlotte Sizemore, who made All-Ohio Valley Conference honors last year while averaging 17.6 ppg., and senior guard Marla Gearhart, who was averaging 14.2 points per contest last season before suffering a season-ending knee injury in the eighth game of the year against the University of Louisville.