2000-01 Women's Basketball Outlook
Ten years ago no one
would have believed that the University of Southern Indiana women’s basketball
team would be among the most competitive teams in the Great Lakes Region.
Since the beginning
of the decade, the Screaming Eagles have reeled off six straight winning
seasons, a 166-65 overall record, a .706 winning percentage, three GLVC
Championships, four trips to the NCAA Division II Tournament, and an appearance
in the 1997 NCAA II Finals. The last time the Eagles finished a decade; USI was
19-92 (.171) and finished in the cellar of the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
Second year Head
Coach Rick Stein is continuing the
winning tradition. Stein, who led the Eagles to a 15-12 overall record in his
first season, set a USI record for winning percentage by a rookie head coach,
while tying a school record for wins in his first season.
Stein also directed
the Eagles to a 10-10 GLVC record and a sixth place finish in a conference that
had the NCAA Division II National Champion and two teams in the NCAA II Great
Lakes Regional.
This year, Stein
will face the challenge of merging six returning players with seven newcomers to
contend for the GLVC elite in 2000-01.
The Eagles return a
solid group on the perimeter with senior
guards Natalie Glaser (Evansville, Indiana) and Karrie
Hochgesang (St. Anthony, Indiana);
junior guard/forward Casey Hughes (Bicknell, Indiana); and sophomore guard Bethany
Miller (Princeton,
Indiana).
In Glaser and
Hughes, the Eagles have two of USI’s all-time leading scorers. Hughes, whose
720 points ranks 16th all-time, led the team in scoring with 13.4
points and was third on the team with 5.1 rebounds despite missing three games
with an ankle injury. Glaser, who ranks 20th at USI with 591 career points, was second on the team with
12.2 points a contest, while grabbing 4.0 rebounds and dishing out 2.9 assists a
game.
Hughes also earned
post-season honors for a second year, being named honorable mention All-GLVC.
Miller recovered
from early season knee surgery as a freshman to start the final 15 games of the
year, leading the team with 3.0 assists per game to go with 5.1 ppg. As a
starter for the Eagles, Miller averaged 7.0 points and 3.8 assists.
Hochgesang had her
best season with the Eagles, averaging 4.6 points with a career-high 20 points
against Spalding University and 1.8 rebounds. She was named GLVC Player of the
Week for her efforts against Spalding and Kentucky State University last
December.
On the inside, Stein
and the Eagles have two solid returning players to look to for support.
Senior
forward/center Elizabeth
Prewett (Washington,
Indiana) rejoined the team when the volleyball season ended and when injuries
depleted the bench in 1999-2000. Prewett appeared in 16 games, started nine, and
led the team with 7.1 rebounds, while contributing 8.0 points a game.
Also in the
frontcourt, the Eagles return junior center Michelle Irwin (Louisville, Kentucky). Irwin, who also battled back from
injuries to play in 20 games as a sophomore, averaged 3.5 rpg and 3.0 ppg in her
first year at USI.
To give USI depth,
Stein and the USI coaching staff have added seven new players with a good mix of
frontcourt and backcourt experience.
Leading influx of
Division I experience is senior center Casey Nations (O’Fallon, Illinois). Nations saw limited action at the
University of New Mexico last season, but she had a great season as a sophomore,
averaging 11.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 4.0 blocks at Belleville Area College.
She also was named All-Great Rivers Athletic Conference at BAC.
Joining the team as
junior forward/centers are Miranda Kettery (Alexandria, Indiana) and Kimberly
Witkowiak (Milwaukee,
Wisconsin).
Kettery averaged 6.7
minutes, 1.8 points, and 1.5 rebounds a game last season for Liberty University,
which was 23-8 and advanced the NCAA Division I Tournament. She averaged 15
points and 15 rebounds a game as a senior at Alexandria High School.
Witkowiak saw action
in 22 games at the University of Nevada-Reno, which was 19-10 while winning the
Eastern Division of the Big West Conference in 1999-2000. The 6’4” junior
averaged 1.2 ppg and 1.3 rebounds last year, but tallied 14.0 ppg and 9.0
rebounds a contest as a senior at Milwaukee Vincent High School.
In the backcourt,
Stein adds two junior guards, Jasmine Moore (Chicago, Illinios) and Mevett
Wooley (Carbondale, Illinois), and two freshmen, guard/forward Jessica
Stuckman (Quincy, Illinois)
and guard Erin Wall (New Albany,
Indiana).
Moore helped the
Lady Vols of John A. Logan College to the Region XXIV finals, averaging 11.2
points and 3.1 assists. The Region XXIV All-Tournament team member also had 153
career steals in two seasons.
Wooley, an All-Mid
Florida Conference performer, led Seminole Community College to a 27-6 record in
1999-2000. She averaged 13.0 points and 4.5 assists as a sophomore.
Stuckman starred
last year at Quincy High School, averaging
17.3 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 4.0 steals, and 3.0 assists and was named to two All-State
teams (first team by Illinois Basketball Coaches Association and third team by
Associated Press). She finished her career at QHS as the second all-time leading
scorer with 1,296 points.
Wall is a graduate
of New Albany High School who
averaged 9.1 points and 3.3 assists a game and was named first team All-Hoosier
Hills Conference. She was selected for the Hoosier Basketball Coaches
Association All-Star team in 1999-2000.
Considering that
more than half of the squad will be making its first appearance in an Eagles’
uniform this season, Stein will have to mold the players into a cohesive squad
quickly.
The team will play
Northern Kentucky University, the Division II National Champion, at the Physical
Activities Center, along with the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Ferris
State University, who were in the NCAA II Great Lakes Regional in 2000.
USI also will travel
to Florida to play in the Northwest Missouri State University Disney Classic in
December. The Eagles will play a NCAA II Tournament team, the University of
Northern Colorado in the two-day tournament.
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