11.16.06

Expectations are high for UC
November 16, 2006

By Tommy R. Atkinson
Staff writer

Saying that expectations are high for the University of Charleston women’s basketball team is an understatement.
The Golden Eagles won back-to-back East Region titles to advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division II national tournament each of the past two years, falling both times to the eventual national champion.

Last year, UC set school and West Virginia Conference single-season records for victories and won its first WVC tournament championship with an 81-59 decision over Glenville State. UC finished with a 31-3 overall record and 17-1 mark in the conference last year.

Despite losing conference player of the year and Division II All-American Lisa Lee to graduation, the goals remain the same for the Golden Eagles.

“I think we’ll be battling for the top of the conference again,’’ said sixth-year UC coach Sherry Winn. “I feel we have an opportunity to get back to the NCAA tournament. In the end, I believe we’ll be very strong.’’

So do many of the league’s coaches. Glenville, which returns four starters, barely edged out UC for the top spot in the preseason coaches’ poll. The Pioneers earned just two more points than the Golden Eagles (216-214) and only one more first-place vote (8-7).

UC, which is ranked No. 14 in the Division II coaches’ poll, returns three starters from last year that combined for 98 starts and 2,767 minutes.

Courtney Thomas, a 5-foot-8 guard, averaged 13.8 points and 4.8 assists and was a first-team All-WVC selection. Rachel Pike, a 6-0 forward, added 11.1 points and 5.7 rebounds and Erica McElroy, a 5-7 guard, chipped in 7.2 points and 5.0 assists. Also, junior guard Emily Jones (8.5 points) played in every game while Jihan Williams (6.5), a WVC all-freshmen team selection, missed but one.

However, behind those players is a ton of inexperience with three sophomores who didn’t receive a lot of playing time last year and five incoming freshmen.

“I think they have tremendous potential,’’ said Winn. “I think we have some people who can play. The intangibles are in place, we just need the game experience. I have a lot of faith in the players and how hard they’ve trained.

“We have to see some improvement in some of our younger players. We have to see what they can do in a game. Can they score big baskets? Can they defend? Who’s going to be the go-to players when it gets tough?’’

Winn said she looks for a battle inside the conference this season.
“I think we just keep adding better coaching and players in our conference,’’ she said. “I even see the bottom teams getting better. I think there’s probably five or six teams [that could win the conference]. I think the middle four or five, if you don’t play your game, they could take you. You have to be prepared for every game.’’

Here’s a quick glance at the other league teams (with last year’s overall and WVC records in parentheses):
Glenville State (30-3, 17-1) begins the season ranked eighth nationally behind the strength of four returning starters. Senior guard Rachel Redick was a first-team All-WVC and All-America honorable mention selection after averaging 17.4 points and canning 87 3-pointers last year. Wheeling Jesuit (27-5, 16-2) hopes to make its third straight NCAA tournament appearance behind senior guard Katie Repicky, a second-team All-WVC pick after averaging 11.7 points and adding 93 steals and 54 3s.

sWest Liberty (24-7, 14-4) returns a pair of first-team All-WVC picks in senior Lena Kalvans, who averaged 14.5 points and 6.7 rebounds, and junior Charity Street, who added 13.3 points per game.

Fairmont State (21-8, 12-6) has a strong inside presence in junior Danielle Cornish (13.2 points, 5.3 rebounds) and Molly Kiger, who added 10.4 points and 7.7 rebounds per game while receiving all-freshmen honors last year. Shepherd (16-13, 11-7) returns 10 letter-winners and its top two scorers in Laura Harkins (10.3) and Tiffany Acker (8.8). Concord (14-14, 8-10) welcomes back junior point guard Jamie Cluesman, who missed last season with injuries after averaging 10.1 points and 4.0 assists in 2004-2005. Junior Samm Nester (15.7) and senior Shari Walker (14.6) are proven scorers along with all-freshmen selection Amber Showalter (7.5). West Virginia Wesleyan (11-18, 9-9) senior Sarah Grab (15.5 points) was a first-team All-WVC selection while sophomore Sarah Van Horn, an all-freshmen pick, added 12.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. West Virginia State (16-13, 9-9) returns eight letter-winners, including seniors LaSha’ Anderson (11.3 points) and Ashlee Stevens (6.4). Ohio Valley (12-16, 8-10) has a formidable backcourt with sophomore Brittany Brooks (15.7 points), an all-freshmen pick, junior Natasha Holloway (12.5) and senior Candice Gist (9.8). First-year coach Shane Brown guided Houston Baptist to back-to-back NAIA Final Fours in 2004 and 2005. Davis & Elkins (6-22, 4-14) will be led by junior Courtney Pawlak, who averaged 12.9 points and 6.0 rebounds. Senior Nikki Yokum (9.9 points, 6.6 rebounds) and sophomore Cara Waybright (9.7 points) also return for the Senators. Salem International (5-23, 3-15) has just one returning starter in senior Trisha Griffith, who averaged 8.1 points and 7.3 rebounds. Long Beach State transfer Jeannie Saunders, a 5-8 junior guard, could make a quick impact for first-year head coach Romeo Lagmay, a former men’s assistant at West Virginia University Tech. Bluefield State (9-18, 5-13) will build around senior Jennetta Smith, who led the team in scoring (16.3) and rebounding (9.2) last season. Alderson-Broaddus (1-24, 1-17) rookie head coach Josh Allen adds 10 freshmen to the roster. The former Battler men’s basketball standout will rely heavily on senior guard Kim Nakamura, who averaged 17.7 points and 7.0 assists last year.

Pitt-Johnstown and Seton Hill join the conference this season, but will not play a full schedule and are ineligible for the championship this season.

Pitt-Johnstown, which finished 20-7 last year, will field a young squad behind seniors Jessica Zapf (14.4 points and 8.7 rebounds) and Allison Krischer (11.3 points).

Seton Hill, which went 16-14 last season, should have a strong inside game with 6-2 senior Elena Radenkovic (12.9 points and 8.2 rebounds), 5-10 junior Autumn Himes (11.1 points and 5.3 rebounds) and 6-0 junior Lauren Wilmus (9.0 points and 6.2 rebounds). Former University of Miami head coach Ferne Labati, who was the 1992 Division I coach of the year, takes over this season.