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The Outlook
The
Lewis-Clark State women’s basketball team enters the 2007-2008 campaign
coming off a season where the Warriors won 31 games and ended the
regular season ranked 2nd in the final NAIA-DI national poll.
In the process, the Warriors won their second straight Frontier
Conference Championship with an unblemished 14-0 record, and made their
11th appearance at the NAIA National Tournament. It may be unreasonable
to believe that this year’s club can replicate those feats but head
coach Brian Orr is not about to lower expectations. Although admitting
this year will tip-off with some uncertainty, Orr is confident that with
the nucleus of returning players and a talented recruiting class, the
Warriors will continue to expand on their rich tradition of excellence.
That
tradition includes: 16 straight seasons with 20-plus victories, 11
National Tournament trips in the last 12 years, six championship game
appearances in the last eight Frontier Conference tournaments, two
straight conference titles, and four titles in the eight years that the
LC has been a member of the league.
“From top to bottom, we have a
very solid collection of players, maybe our best ever,” said Orr. “And
our senior leadership is as good as it gets.” That leadership will be a
key factor since five players were lost to graduation including Ashley
Baker, the school’s all-time rebound leader. “What remains to be seen,”
continued Orr, “is how quickly we can come together as a team and figure
out who and what are this team’s strengths.”
The
2007-08 seniors are led by; Jade
Fulbright (Wenatchee, WA), a 5-foot-8
guard and three-year starter who as a sophomore, broke Amanda Campbell’s
single season steal record;. Katie Hart
(Ellensburg, WA), a scrappy 5-4 point guard and the team’s assist leader
for three straight seasons; Vanessa West
(Jerome, ID) a 6-1 post player who has been a part-time starter in each
of her three years at L-C; and finally
Mandy Troutt (Pullman, WA), who
transferred to Lewiston last year from Walla Walla Community College
where she was a NWAACC First-Team All-Star.
A key piece
to this year’s roster is the junior class which includes a trio of JC
transfers, along with retuning guard,
Kim Preston (Bellingham, WA), a 5-9
shooter who is expected to see her role increase in this her third
season. New to the program are: Breianna
Gaines (Seattle, WA), a 5-10 silky
smooth guard who put up big numbers at Shoreline CC (23.4 ppg) and as a
high school senior won the 4A State Championship at Roosevelt High
School in Seattle; Sadie Short,
a 5-11 forward (Touchet, WA) is the third player in the same number of
years to transfer from Walla Walla CC, where she averaged nearly 17 ppg
and was the MVP of the NWAACC’s East Region; and finally
Lacie Titmus, a
6-2 post (Orem, UT) who shot over 58% from the field for Snow College,
which was the third best in the Scenic West Athletic Conference.
The lone
sophomore is Madison Mendezona
(Tualatin, OR) a 5-10 point guard who had a fine rookie campaign and
showed improvement every game. Finally, the Warriors will suit out two
highly touted freshman: Nichole Miller,
a 6-0 post (Curlew, WA) who scored 2,126 points in her high school
career while shooting 53% from the field; and
Kenna Reiter,
(Central Point, OR), a 5-9 guard who earned 5-A All-State honors for
Crater High School
“This is going to be a different
team than what we have put on the floor the last couple of seasons,”
stated Orr. “Every single player can score with the ball; we are longer
and more athletic on the perimeter than we have been. As always, our
success will be determined by how well we defend, our mental toughness,
and how well we play together as a team. You never know what the
season’s going to bring, but I believe this team will take on every
challenge ready to compete.”
The Inside Look
Point Guard
There won’t be a lack of
experience at the point since the Warriors return Katie Hart,
who has started in 67 straight games. “Katie is one of those special
players who competes every single possession like it was her last and
that’s her attitude in practice,” stated Orr. “She does so many things
for us; she’s great at pushing the ball in transition, she’s an uncanny
rebounder, and she may be our best on-ball defender. And this year she
has promised we are all going to see more of her ability to score in
transition.” Hart, a senior co-Captain, has 451 career assists which is
currently fourth in the LCSC record book. Competing for the starting
spot at the point will be the team’s lone sophomore, Madison
Mendezona. “We have two very good
point guards and each has different individual strengths,” stated Orr,
“Maddy’s size alone gives her a different look for our opponents. She
has great court vision, is an outstanding passer, and she can hit the
outside shot.” In conference games, Mendezona connected on over 52% of
her shots including 44% from 3-point range. She finished second in the
league in assist-to-turnover margin “No matter what the circumstance,
Madison plays with great confidence and poise,” said Orr.
Forward/Post
Several talented players are
competing for minutes at the power forward position. They are led by
senior co-Captain Vanessa West,
who has been a part-time starter in each of her three years at L-C.
“Vanessa really came on during the conference portion of our schedule
last year,” replied Orr, “In her three years here she has had to
overcome a couple of minor injuries and we have yet to see the real
‘V’. Physically, she is extremely strong, and she is a very smart
player, a great leader and teammate, and right now she is playing with
tremendous confidence.” New to the program is Sadie Short,
who is the third transfer from WWCC in as many years. And from all
indications, she will be making a huge impact in her first year as an LC
Warrior. “Sadie is the fastest player on the team,” commented Orr.
“With that said, she is an outstanding athlete who possesses solid
fundamentals. In fact, we originally recruited her as a 3-guard because
of her perimeter skills. What we have found out is that she does
everything very well. She is a tremendous rebounder who can lead the
fast-break and is very tough around the basket.” Short led the NWAACC
in offensive rebounding and pulled down 12.3 rpg. The third candidate
at the 4-spot is freshman Nichole Miller,
who holds several school records at Curlew High School and was the MVP
at the Washington State B Tournament her junior year. “Nichole is
getting a late start this year because of a foot injury,” said Orr. “But
I can tell you this, she is a fierce competitor, who is fundamentally
sound, and before it is over she is going to make a big impact on our
basketball program.”
This year’s club will be calling
on several players to control the paint (including both West and
Miller). The bulk of the load is expected to fall on the shoulders of
senior Mandy Troutt, along with
junior college transfer Lacie Titmus.
“Mandy had some big moments and big games for us last year. But playing
behind Ashley (Baker) limited her minutes and consequently she didn’t
realize her full potential,” Orr said. “Mandy has an extremely soft
shooting touch, but to watch her in practice now compared to last year,
you wouldn’t recognize her. She’s more aggressive, more explosive, and
more confident than ever. We expect her to be a top performer in the
league.” Last season Troutt finished second on the team in offensive
rebounds and blocked shots. A key addition to the program is Titmus, who
is expected to challenge Troutt for the starting spot. “We are very
fortunate to be adding an inside player with Lacie’s abilities. She can
play with her back to the basket as well as step out and knock down the
three. She can run the floor and most importantly, she makes shots,”
Orr said. Titmus verbally committed (out of high school) to Montana
State University before eventually electing to stay close to home and
play for Snow College.
Off-Guard/Small-Forward
The cast of players suiting up to
fill the remaining perimeter positions is led by senior co-Captain
Jade Fulbright, who has already
been tabbed by Orr as the starting 2-guard. “Overall, Jade may be our
best athlete,” declared Orr. “Her strength and explosiveness makes her
hard to guard, but the reason that she’s a four-year starter is because
Jade is a great defensive player, it’s that simple.” Fulbright, a First
Team All-Conference selection, has two single season school records on
her resume; most steals and best free throw percentage. Another player
who is likely to see her role increase is junior Kim Preston.
“Every year Kim has improved her game and we see her filling the 3-point
threat that we lost with Janeen’s (Nelson) graduation. We are excited
because she returned this fall with a pull-up jumper that is hard to
defend and automatically increases her 3-point opportunities.”
This year’s recruiting class adds two highly talented guards to the
roster; and according to Orr, transfer Breianna Gaines
is as savvy as any player he has coached. “Offensively, Bre can do it
all. She can get to basket and finish, she can shoot the three, and she
is an excellent passer. And on the defensive end she has unlimited
potential.” Gaines averaged over 20 ppg at Shoreline CC. The roster is
complete with freshman Kenna Reiter,
who in early workouts has been turning heads and earning a great deal of
praise. “Kenna is athletic, skilled, and is a tough competitor,” stated
Orr. “Her biggest strength is her ability to penetrate. She also has
excellent court vision and can pass it well. Even though she is just a
freshman, she picks things up so quick it is going to be difficult to
keep her off the court.” Reiter may see time at the point but is
expected to play at off-guard.
Schedule Highlights
“The 2007-08
schedule begins at Clarkston High School when the Warriors open against
University of British Columbia-Okanagan, who last year won the small
college Canadian National Championship. The team then plays the first
of two NCAA D-I (exhibition) games, beginning with Boise State
University (Nov 4), and later they will take on Idaho State University
(Dec. 14). The Warriors square off against three Golden State Athletic
Conference (GSAC) teams when they travel to California to face Azusa
Pacific University (Nov 9), Hope International Univ. (Nov 10), and
Concordia University (Nov 24). The
Staples Tip-Off Classic (Nov 16-17) has
LCSC playing Pacific University and Walla Walla University and then a
trip to Oregon pits the women against that same Pacific University team
(Nov 30) and Lewis and Clark College (Dec 1). LCSC fans will get to see
the Azusa squad (Dec 7) and Albertson College (Dec 8) as both are in
town for the Wells Fargo Classic.
The Warriors will be spending Thanksgiving in Atherton, CA., where they
play a tough game against the host team, Menlo College (Nov 25). And
finally, the non-conference schedule has LC playing in Spokane against
Whitworth College (Nov 20); and another tough opponent, Whitman College
(Dec 30) comes to the Activity Center for the last game of 2007.
As always, every game in the conference will be a dogfight. Along
with LCSC; Carroll College, Westminster, and Montana Tech are all
considered as the most likely contenders for conference supremacy. But
according to Orr, this is one year that no matter how the conference
season ends up, number one through eight are all capable of walking away
with the tournament championship (March 5-8).
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