In addition to Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) and NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional titles, the Lady Knights advanced to the NCAA Division II Final Four for the first time in school history last season. Gannon suffered its only loss of the season with a 97-94 overtime setback to eventual national champion Emporia State. The 37 wins broke the NCAA Division II records for most victories in a season and most consecutive wins in a single season.
Gannon returns six letterwinners, one redshirt freshman and brings five new faces to the program this season.
“We had five kids who had been with the program for a long time last year, but this season we have five new kids who are picking up on things quickly,” said head coach Cleve Wright.
Despite last season’s senior class representing the starting five all season, Gannon still has experience on the roster. Five of the six returning letterwinners are entering at least their third season in a Gannon uniform.
“After losing a strong senior class, one of our challenges this season will be leadership,” said Wright. “We began preparing ourselves last year and we can still continue to have strong leaders despite not having five seniors on the court this season.”
Developing leaders and team chemistry is why practices have been so important to the Lady Knights during the preseason.
“We have a bunch of young kids who want to prove themselves,” said Wright. “It has allowed our practices to be more intense with a high level of competition and energy.”
Gannon was predicted to finish third in the PSAC Western Division, according to the 2010 PSAC Preseason Coaches Poll. The Lady Knights were also tabbed 15th in the USA Today ESPN Division II Preseason Top 25 Coaches Poll.
Gannon also brings in a new pair of assistant coaches this season. Tiffany Crocker will make the transition from player to coach.
“Tiffany knows our system extremely well,” said Wright. “I’m excited to have her learning everyday as she changes her perspective to that of a coach.”
Meredith Baugher joins the staff after spending two seasons as an assistant at Division I Youngstown State.
“Meredith has a great work ethic and is a fantastic addition,” said Wright. “Her passion is obvious and she has done a great job with recruiting.”
Crocker and Baugher join Anneke Chewning, who is in her fourth season as an assistant under Wright.
GUARDS
Gannon has seven guards on the roster this season, three of which saw significant playing time off the bench last season. In addition, four new faces are expected to provide depth for the Lady Knights.
Jullie Kleber is in her fifth year with the program after redshirting during the 2006-07 season. Kleber has played in every game over the past two seasons, and is the only returning Lady Knight to see action in every game last year. The senior averaged 22.9 minutes last season and is the top returning scorer after netting 8.6 points per game.
“As our most experienced player, Julie will be our primary leader this season,” said Wright. “She is explosive in her ability to get to the rim and has improved her shooting with hard work.”
Kleber finished second on the team in three point field-goals (56) last season, while leading the conference in three-point field goal percentage (45.2).
Amanda Dacek also brings experience to the team as the redshirt junior has played in 47 games over the past two seasons. The point guard averaged 3.1 points and 1.8 assists last season while also grabbing 29 rebounds.
“Amanda continually improved as one of our leaders at point guard last year,” said Wright.” Her quickness and passing skills will be valuable to us this season.”
Caitlyn Lowe proved to be one of Gannon’s top shooters going 40-of-109 (36.7 percent) from behind the line in 2009-10. She set career highs in three-pointers made (8) and points (32) at Alaska Fairbanks. Lowe returns for her junior season after averaging 4.6 points and 1.4 rebounds.
“Caitlyn showed she is an exceptional shooter with unlimited range last year,” said Wright. “She also provides us with great size on the perimeter.”
Newcomers at the guard position include a trio of freshmen along with a sophomore transfer.
Jessie Tamerlano comes to Gannon after spending one season at Division I Bowling Green State University. She saw action in 20 games during her freshman season, finishing 15-of-35 (42.9 percent) from the field and grabbing 23 rebounds.
Kelley Sundberg, Megan McSwain and Doriyon Glass are all coming off successful high school careers and should compete for playing time during their first season in a Gannon uniform.
Sundberg hails from E.O Smith (Conn.) High School and was selected to the all-conference team three times. McSwain was named the MVP of the Maryland Independence School Athletic League (MISAL) after helping Onley (Md.) High School win both the MISAL and Maryland Christian School State Championships. Glass comes from a strong basketball lineage, as her mother Dorothy is the all-time women’s basketball leading scorer at NCAA Division I Youngstown State. Glass helped Boardman (Ohio) High school reach the Ohio High School Athletic Association final four as a sophomore.
POSTS
Gannon returns three letterwinners in the post while adding a redshirt and true freshman.
Shanna Thomspon returns as Gannon’s most experienced post player, entering her fourth season in a Gannon uniform. Thompson had a breakout season last year, setting career marks in several categories. She returns after averaging 7.2 points and 3.8 rebounds last season.
“Shanna gave us valuable minutes last season and has the potential to have an exciting senior season,” noted Wright.
Kelsey McCoy played in 29 games during her freshman season, scoring 61 points and grabbing 54 rebounds.
“Kelsey is very strong with her high post moves,” said Wright. “She has put in the time and effort during practice to progress her low-post moves, improving her overall game.”
Becky Innes will also provide experience off the bench as the junior saw action in 16 games last season.
“Becky is our tallest post player,” noted Wright. “She will provide needed size against some of the bigger teams we face this season.”
Gannon will have a pair of new post players in action. Danielle Tucker and Jennifer Papich could both figure valuable for the Lady Knights. During her redshirt season, Tucker showed improvement through practices and could see significant playing time this season.
Papich was a four-year varsity starter for Fox Chapel High School, leading them to a WPIAL Section II AAAA Championships during her sophomore and junior seasons. Papich was named to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette Fabulous Five and the North Best of the Best, while also earning Associated Press PIAA All-State second-team honors.
THE SCHEDULE
The 2010-11 schedule includes 26 games this season, 14 of which are Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division contests.
The first two months of non-conference games will be a little more sparse than past years after the NCAA reduced the maximum number of games played to 26 in conjunction with its Life in Balance initiative.
The Lady Knights will kick off the 2010-11 season by heading to the Ferris State Tournament, where the Lady Knights will take on Northwood and Ferris State.
Gannon will head to the California (Pa.) Tournament the following weekend where Molloy College and Wilmington University (Del.) will be the opponents.
Gannon will kick off its home schedule December 9 against Central State followed by a second home game against Urbana on December 18.
The Lady Knights will play in the Bowie State Tournament on December 29 and 30 before playing four PSAC East-West crossover games against Millersville, West Chester, Cheyney and Shippensgurg. The crossover games against East Division opponents do not count towards the conference standings.
Gannon opens PSAC West play with a road contest at Indiana (Pa.) on January 12. Gannon is scheduled to play 11 games at the Hammermill Center and 11 road contests. The Lady Knights will play four games on a neutral court this season.
This season’s PSAC Tournament is scheduled for March 1-March 5. Quarterfinals will be hosted on campus sites while the finals will be hosted by the top seed in the Eastern Division.
No comments:
Post a Comment