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The Outlook
The Lewis-Clark State women’s
basketball team enters the 2006-2007 campaign coming off a season where
the Warriors won 26 games, were ranked 6th in the nation for
four consecutive weeks, finished with a share of the Frontier Conference
Championship, and made another Sweet 16 appearance at the NAIA National
Tournament. While those might appear to be lofty standards to reproduce,
head coach Brian Orr thinks the bar for this year’s team is even higher.
And considering that LCSC returns a core of nine key players including
four starters, there is good reason to believe the Warriors will
continue to expand on their rich tradition of excellence.
That tradition
includes: 15 straight seasons with 20-plus victories, 10 NAIA National Tournament
trips in the last 11 years, five championship game appearances in
the previous seven Frontier Conference tournaments, along with three
conference titles in the seven years that L-C has been a member of
the league.
“No one can ever predict what is
going to happen along the way,” said Orr. “But one thing we do know, we
are starting this year with more experience than ever before. And this
is a group that has been tested because three years ago we made a
commitment to play tough non-conference schedules, and because our past
success has put us in some big games.” Add that experience with the two
new recruits and it is easy to understand why this season’s expectations
are so high.
The 2006 squad has and abundant
supply of leadership starting with the five returning seniors.
They are led by; 6-3 post, Ashley Baker (Omak, WA), a three-year
starter and the all-time rebound leader in school history; 6’ Aundrea
Morrison (Hermiston, OR), a silky smooth post who led the team in
scoring and along with Baker earned Kodak All-American honorable
mention; Janeen Nelson (Roosevelt, UT), a 5-9 point guard who
returns as the team’s leader in 3-point FG%; Terri Wittmer
(West Yellowstone, MT), a scrappy guard voted as this year’s team
captain by her fellow teammates; and 6-0 Katya Yancheva
(Sofia, Bulgaria), a utility-type
player who led last year’s team in points off the bench.
The Warriors will also
suit-up four juniors: Jade Fulbright (Wenatchee, WA), a two-year
starter who as a sophomore, broke Amanda Campbell’s single season steal
record; another returning starter is Katie Hart (Ellensburg, WA),
a 5-4 point guard and the team’s assist leader for two straight years;
Vanessa West (Jerome, ID) a 6-1 post player who led the club in
free throw percentage; and (one of two new players on the roster) junior college transfer,
6-2 post, Mandy Troutt (Pullman, WA),
who was a NWAACC 1st-Team All-Star selection at Walla Walla Community
College.
Back for her sophomore
campaign is, Kim Preston (Bellingham, WA), a 5-9 shooting guard
who is coming off a successful first season. The final member is
freshman Madison Mendezona (Tualatin, OR) a 5-10 point guard who
led her high school team to a 27-1 record as a senior and also led the
4-A state tournament in both assists and steals.
“We had a good year last season
but we didn’t finish playing our best as a team,” stated Orr. “When we
left Jackson (the national tournament) there was an enormous feeling of
disappointment because we all knew that our best team failed to show
up. And I know that last year’s ending is a big part of the motivation
behind this year. As always, it’s going to come down to a few basic
things; how well we defend, how well we play together as a team, and
whether our mental toughness can endure the grind. We may not be able
to predict what is going to happen but I believe this team will take on
every challenge with resolve and a sense of urgency.”
The Inside Look
Point Guard
There won’t be a lack of depth at
point guard since the Warriors return two and in the off-season signed a
third. Returnees include junior Katie Hart,
who has 39 career starts including every game as a sophomore, along with
senior Janeen Nelson, who joined
the program last year as a junior college transfer after posting a very
successful career at Eastern Utah College. Incoming freshman
Madison Mendezona, rounds out the trio
of candidates competing for minutes as the floor general. “We didn’t go
into last year thinking we were going to recruit a point guard,” stated
Coach Orr, “but two things happened. First, when we got a (video) tape
on Madison we really liked what we saw, and secondly as you may
remember, Janeen started the season on the sideline fighting an
undiagnosed illness and that changed everything.” The daily competition
in practice should certainly make all three better and according to the
coach they all have strengths that fit the L-C system. “Katie has
tremendous endurance and is great at pushing the ball in transition and
at the same time she can get us into our offense especially against
pressure. Janeen has great court awareness and her competitive spirit
is contagious. Coming in we knew she was an outstanding shooter but
what’s more she has proven to be a 'big-shot' maker. We are excited for
her senior year because as she started to get healthy she began to do
some amazing things. With Madison," continued Orr, “we saw something
special. As a freshman she is unproven but she has excellent skills, is
a great passer and we like her size at the point. But what was most
impressive was the bigger the game and the tougher the opponent, the
better she played. That’s a quality you see in champions.”
Forward/Post
The Warriors have two experienced
players who will be playing most of their minutes at the power forward
position; senior Aundrea Morrison
who started last year and junior
Vanessa West. In her first year
at L-C, Morrison had one of the most successful seasons in school
history. She was a 1st Team All-Conference selection while
leading the squad in scoring, field goal percentage, offensive rebounds,
blocks, and free throws made. “Aundrea is one of the most talented
players in the country,” stated Orr. “She does so many things well and
is one of those rare athletes that makes everything look so easy. She
has one of the softest shots you’ll see and she is incredible on the
offensive boards.” Aundrea finished as the second best in the nation in
that statistical category. Both Morrison and West will see time at the
low post position as well. “I am excited that Vanessa will be back at
the 4-spot,” replied Orr, “it’s a more natural position for her
strengths. The fact that she played post all last season will help her
overall game, but she will be more effective at power forward. V has
really worked hard, especially in the weight room, and it is about to pay
off.”
The Warriors have a cast of
players who will be called on to control the paint (including both West
and Morrison). But the bulk of the load is expected to fall on the
shoulders of three-year veteran, Ashley Baker.
Baker, a 1st Team All-Conference selection for two
consecutive seasons, has led the team in rebounding for three straight
years and currently ranks 4th all-time in scoring with 1,546
total points. “Ashley has developed into a dominant post player,”
commented Orr. “She is one of those special players that has the
ability to take over a game. She has had a major impact on our program
and we are expecting this to be her best season.”
A key piece to the puzzle
was added in the form of junior college transfer Mandy Troutt.
“We feel fortunate to be adding an inside player with the attributes
that Mandy possesses. She has a nice shooting touch and can play with
her back to the basket. Besides improving our depth inside, her
experience and skill level allows us to move Vanessa (West) and Katya (Yancheva)
back to positions that take advantage of their offensive strengths. She
instantly made us a better basketball team.” Troutt, who was a teammate
of Aundrea Morrison at Walla Walla Community College, was the club’s top
scorer last season averaging nearly 15 points a game while leading her
team to the NWAACC Championship game.
Off-Guard/Small-Forward
One characteristic of the 2006-07
LCSC women’s team is that there are a number of versatile players who
will be asked to play different positions. There are, however, two
distinct players at the off-guard spot and two at the small forward
position that will initially be filling those roles. In the two years
that she has donned the Warrior uniform, Jade Fulbright
has played point guard and small forward, but mostly has been tabbed
as the starting 2-guard. “Overall, Jade may be our best athlete,”
declared Coach Orr. “She is strong, fast, and is very explosive.
Without question she is our best defender off-the ball, and this year we
want her to play a bigger role offensively.” Fulbright, a 2nd
Team All-Conference selection, has already collected two single season
records: most steals and best free throw percentage. Another
player who is likely to see her role increase is senior captain Terri
Wittmer. According to Orr, “she is
instant energy and it is contagious. Terri is great at pressuring the
ball and every time she steps on the floor our intensity level rises.
You cannot overestimate her overall contribution to our team on and off
the court, she is a real leader.” Wittmer has battle injury in each of
her previous three years but is entering her final campaign in good
health and in great condition, which is bad news for opposing point
guards.
The loss of starting
forward Cami Kalbfleisch has created maybe the biggest question mark as
to who will fill that vacant position. Notwithstanding the fact that
any number of the aforementioned players could fill the job, the most
likely contenders include senior Katya Yancheva
and sophomore Kim Preston. And
according to the coach, both possess similar strengths. “Katya and Kim
are both outstanding shooters and when they get it going they can fill
it up as well as anyone. Katya came off the bench several times last
year and simply took over,” continued Orr. “Moving her back to the
perimeter may just take her game to a new level. And before her
career is over, I see Kim being one of the best players in the league.”
The cream will rise to the top and the daily competition in practice
will certainly help in the development at the small forward position as
well as every other position. The Warriors are coming off one of the
most successful seasons ever, and look to be as talented and as deep as
ever. No wonder expectations are so high.
Schedule Highlights
“The ’06-07
schedule is without question the toughest schedule in five years,”
according to Coach Brian Orr. The Warriors open on the road with
back-to-back exhibition games, beginning with Pac-10 foe Washington
State University (Nov. 3) followed by Boise State University (Nov. 5).
Next is a 3-game tourney in Salt Lake City where LC faces Berry College
(GA) which finished ranked 20th (24-9), along with Concordia
Univ. (CA) and Albertson College (ID). Two other road contests come
against NCAA D-II schools; St Martin’s University (Dec 1), and perennial
power Seattle Pacific University (Dec. 2). The Warriors will be spending
Thanksgiving in Oakland, CA where they face tournament host Holy Names
(Nov 24) and Dominican University (Nov. 26). The Staples Tip-Off
Classic (Nov. 17-18) will have LCSC playing a veteran squad from
Eastern Oregon along with Evergreen College. The December 8-9 tournament
brings two extremely talented teams to Lewiston: Simon Fraser University
and George Fox University. And, as always, every game in the conference
will be a dogfight. LCSC, along with Montana-Western and Carroll
College, are the likely contenders for conference supremacy.
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