Women's Basketball Preview - Part 1: Cleveland State
Oct. 30, 2006
Young Guns
Look for marked improvement from a Viking squad that features a talented crop of eager underclassmen.
If, as former British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli once said, "Almost everything that is great has been done by youth," then the Vikings should be in excellent hands this season.
Fourth-year head coach Kate Peterson has assembled a roster that is comprised of two seniors, a pair of juniors and a whopping eight underclassmen. What the group lacks in experience -- the six returners have a total of just nine letters between them -- it more than makes up for in quickness, talent and athleticism.
"I know on paper that we're young and inexperienced, but as talented as our younger group of players are, they represent not only our future, but our present," Peterson said. "We're going to count on them to play key roles for us from day one and I feel that even though we have fewer players on the roster than last year, we have more depth."
That increased talent pool is key to Peterson's plans for this year."Our younger players are going to play a lot because we're going to play an up-tempo, ball-pressure style where we're going to be rotating people in and out. I'm sure there are going to be plenty of times where we have four freshmen on the court.
"Having said that, I don't expect us to come out and be world-beaters right out of the gate," Peterson continued. "Take Dominique Butler's experience last year. It took her a few games to adjust to the college game, but by the end of the season, she was not only our best player, but one of the top freshmen in the league and in the nation. All I want this year is for us to get better and give 100 percent every game. If we continually improve as the season goes along, then I think we have a chance to be pretty successful this year."
Guard Play To Be Key
For the first time during her tenure, Peterson has the services of a true point guard. In reality, she may have three players that are capable of manning the position as junior Brittany Korth and freshmen twins Angel and Jessica Roque are all capable of directing the offense.
"Britt has excellent court vision and we've asked her to handle the ball quite a bit the past two seasons and she's really responded," Peterson said. "The addition of Angel and Jessica should free her up to play more at shooting guard, but I'm very confident in her ability to handle the ball and run our offense."
Peterson has a hard time containing her excitement though when talking about CSU's new backcourt tandem.
"Angel has a chance to be one of the best true point guards in this league from day one. Her quickness and court vision are amazing. Her ability to handle running the offense will determine how much playing time she gets.
"Jessica is also capable of handling the ball, but her scoring mentality and shooting ability make her a better candidate to play the two. I think she has the potential to become a potent scorer for us very quickly. Not only does she have range, but she is very good at getting to the basket.
"The fact that both Angel and Jessica played on the Ontario provincial team gives them some added experience that will be very beneficial as freshmen. Regardless of who handles the ball, we're going to be able to push the tempo and really force teams to react to us more than we've been able to do in the past."
Joining Korth and Jessica Roque at shooting guard will be freshman Kailey Kline. A first team AP all-state selection (all divisions) in Illinois as a senior, Klein brings the mindset of a true scorer to the court."Kailey can score from everywhere and with her size (5-11), I think she's going to cause some headaches for our opponents this season," Peterson says. "She has the ability to take over the game at the offensive end."
Forward Position Features Diversity, Athleticism
As the Vikings will be more inclined to play a three or four guard set, the small forward position may better be referred to as the big guard spot. Sophomore Dominique Butler will see a majority of the time at the position, but sophomore Natalie Miller as well as Klein should also see plenty of action.
A preseason second team All-Horizon League selection, Butler emerged last season as the team's top all-around player and a force to be reckoned with defensively, as she led the league in steals (2.9 pg) and ranked 20th nationally.
"There are very few players that can take over a game defensively, and Dominique is one of them," Peterson said. "Her quickness and athleticism forces other teams to alter what they're trying to do offensively. At the same time, those qualities allow her to get to the basket and create easy scoring chances. As her range improves, she will become harder and harder to guard."
Meanwhile, Miller is the team's hardest worker and an opportunistic scorer.
"Natalie is the kind of player that every team needs. She may not be the quickest or most athletic player on the court, but she more than makes up for that with effort, desire and a great understanding of what's going on on the floor. I expect her to be a very valuable contributor this season. She's one of our best defenders and has emerged as a real scoring threat."
At the same time, Peterson can insert Klein at small forward to give the opposition match-up problems with her range and scoring mentality.
At power forward, senior Nicole Thomas, junior Robyn Hoying and freshman Stephaine Crosley will see a bulk of the playing time, with Butler and Miller also sliding over when the Vikings go to a smaller line-up.
"When Nikki is healthy she's our best rebounder because she's so athletic and really works hard to put herself in good position," Peterson said. "She's able to create offensive opportunities for herself through her work on the glass.
"Robyn is an excellent post defender and has worked hard to have more of an offensive mindset. Her improvement has been significant and if it carries over to the season, she will make a difference for us at the offensive end. I think Stephaine is a good combination of the two," Peterson continued. "She's very athletic, demands the ball in the block and can be a force defensively and on the glass. All three players bring different qualities that will allow them to contribute."
Center Of Attention
Cleveland State will rely on a trio of players to hold down a center spot at which the Vikings enter the season with very little experience. Senior Chenara Wilson has only a year in the program, while sophomore Stephanie Youdath and freshman Katie Baxter both redshirted last season.
"Chenara is a physical, back-to-the-basket player who uses her strength at both ends of the court," Peterson said. "Stephanie is more of a face-up finesse post, who's height (6-4) will give people fits. After two years of sitting out due to a medical condition Katie is working her way back to the top of her game. With her work ethic and the significant strides she has already made, I am confident that she will continue to improve and prepare herself for competition."
There's No Place Like Home
When the NCAA voted over the summer to allow the addition of two more games to the regular season schedule, Peterson took full advantage by having the Vikings play a school-record 15 home games -- nine of which come in November and December.
"With such a young team, it will be key to be able to play at home so much the first two months of the season," Peterson said. "Not only will it give us a good feel for where we are, but it will be nice preparation for the league schedule."
After an exhibition game against Wheeling Jesuit on Nov. 5 in the Wolstein Center, the Vikings play host to Miami (Ohio) on Nov. 10 in the earliest season-opener in the 34-year history of the program. CSU then wraps home games against Niagara (Nov. 12) and Colgate (Nov. 21) around a short jaunt to Ohio on Nov. 17.
The Vikings will spend Thanksgiving in Brooklyn, N.Y., joining the College of Charleston and South Alabama at the Long Island Turkey Classic (Nov. 24-25). CSU closes out the month of November back in the Wolstein Center against Buffalo on Nov. 28.
December's non-conference contests are split evenly at home and on the road and features home tilts with St. Bonaventure (Dec. 4), Akron (Dec. 10) and IUPUI (Dec. 19). The game with the Jaguars kicks off a three-game homestand to close out 2006, that includes the Horizon League-opener with Butler (Dec. 28) and Wright State two days later.
Vikings fans will see very little of the team in January as the league schedule keeps CSU on the road for five of its six games. The squad's lone appearance in the Wolstein Center during the month comes on Jan. 11 against Detroit.
However, the Vikings will play five of their six February games at home, including contests with Loyola (Feb. 1), UIC (Feb. 3) and Youngstown State (Feb. 24) that are all doubleheaders with the men's team. The game with the Penguins will also serve as Senior Day.
The regular season concludes with a road trip to Wright State and Butler (March 1 & 3). The 2007 Horizon League Championship begins with the opening round game on March 5 and runs through the championship game on March 11.
As for being picked to finish last in the league, Peterson has no qualms with it.
"We've done nothing to past two seasons to prove otherwise. However, this is our year to make a change and begin moving into the middle of the pack.
"Look at what Butler's done the past few years," Peterson continued. "Four years ago they were last in the league and now they were picked to finish in the top half. It's our goal this season to begin moving in that same direction.
"In order for us to turn things around, we've got to start dictating the action and taking the game to our opponent. For the first time since I've been here, I feel like we have the personnel to do that."
The gleam returns to Peterson's eye when she talks about the style of play she envisions for the Vikings.
"I want us to attack from the minute the ball goes up right until the final whistle blows. We're going to be active on defense, get in the passing lanes and create easy scoring chances. At the same time, we're going to be much more aggressive on the offensive end and look to take the ball to the basket. We've got to get to the free throw line a lot more than we did last year when we were content to settle for threes. I'm excited to see what this group can do."
If things go to plan and the young Vikings have grown and improved throughout the year, then hopefully Peterson and the rest of the team can look back on this season with the same thought that 19th century English author George Borrow once penned:Youth will be served, every dog has his day, and mine has been a fine one.
