Women's Basketball Preview - Part 2: Cleveland State
Oct. 31, 2005
Guarded Optimism
Youthful Vikings must rely on an experienced backcourt for scoring, and more importantly, strong leadership.
The transition from the run-and-gun style that was in place when head coach Kate Peterson arrived, to a motion-based offense and a man-to-man defense enters its third year under head coach Kate Peterson.
Despite last year's struggles, Peterson believes the program is headed in the right direction -- albeit a young one. The fifteen players on the roster have combined to letter a total 14 times at Cleveland State. Senior guard Erin Martin has as many letters (three) as a Viking as the other two seniors combined.
"I feel like we are going to be more experienced this season, despite how young we may appear on paper," Peterson noted. The biggest difference will be in the backcourt where we return four players who took care of almost all of our ball-handling duties last season. That will be a big advantage for us."
Four On The Floor
With the bulk of Cleveland State's experience in the backcourt, opposing teams could see a lot of four-guard offense from the Vikings this season. Each of the six guards on the roster brings something different to the court and the versatile group gives an almost limitless number of combinations she can put on the floor at any given time.
"If you could pick one area on a team to have veteran leadership it would unquestionably be in the guard position. Our post players will definitely be learning on the fly. I would envision us playing with three or four guards on the court a majority of the time and that group is going to have to shoulder a large portion of the scoring burden early on."
Leading the way in the backcourt is Martin, preseason All-Horizon League second team selection who last year became just the second player in the program's 32-year history to pace the team in scoring (13.1), rebounding (5.0) and assists (2.9). Capable of playing every position on the floor but center, Martin's hard-nosed, physical style will afford her the opportunity to play as a forward much of the time in the multiple-guard set.
Senior Omega Harrington and junior Betsy Bowser will handle most of the duties at point guard, with both proving last season that they are capable scoring threats as well.
Harrington (7.9 ppg, 2.7 apg) can score from anywhere on the court thanks to her ability to create her own shot, while Bowser (5.2 ppg, 1.4 apg) is surprisingly effective inside (despite her 5-6 frame) in addition to being a good three-point shooter.
Sophomore Brittany Korth (7.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.3 apg), who was a Horizon League All-Newcomer team selection, is most comfortable at shooting guard. She has very good range, is an excellent passer and, with a year of college basketball under her belt, should increase her all-around contributions.
Freshman Dominique Butler is a versatile athlete who will be able to spell both Korth and Martin at shooting guard or small forward. An all-state selection as a senior, Butler brings a scorer's mentality to the court. Peterson sees freshman Natalie Miller as a player in the same mold as Ashley Schrock, who despite being just 5-10, earned first team all-league honors at forward as a senior in 2003-04 thanks largely in part to her physical play and ability to score inside.
Frontcourt Gains Athleticism, Height
A heavy reliance on guard play does not mean that Cleveland State's post players are a forgotten bunch. Quite the contrary. This year's group goes much deeper and is more athletic than the 2004-05 edition.
"While it's true that our frontcourt is going to be fairly young and inexperienced, with eight players on the roster who are six feet or taller, we may have one of the tallest teams in school history," Peterson said. "You can't teach something like height and we're going to use it to its full advantage."
"Positions on a roster don't really bother me much when talking about the frontcourt," Peterson pointed out. "If you play solid post defense, the forward and center positions are pretty much interchangeable."
Sophomore Robyn Hoying and junior Nicole Thomas are the most experienced of the posts, each having a year in the program under their belts. Hoying (3.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg) is strong fundamentally and showed tremendous improvement over the summer, while Thomas (2.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg) has a knack for rebounding, especially on the offensive end. If Thomas' back stays healthy this year her contributions could jump dramatically.
Senior Kim Neidermeyer (1.7 ppg) is making the transition from shooting guard to small forward, while sophomore Aisha Farley Samad played sparingly last season.
A pair of newcomers will push for playing time at center. Junior college transfer Chenara Wilson, a Cleveland native, is a physical player with experience at the college level. Freshman Erica Hormig, a two-time all-state selection, brings an array of post moves and a knack for finding the basket.
While the Vikings might boast plenty of height, the only two true centers on the roster will be unavailable for the most part. Junior Sassy Lane is recovering from off-season knee surgery and she is not expected to return prior to the start of league play, while sophomore Stephanie Youdath, a 6-4 native of Eastlake, will sit out this season after transferring from Marist. Freshman forward Katie Baxter will also watch this season from the bench as a redshirt.
Challenging Schedule Awaits
Cleveland State opens the year with a bang. While most will be thinking about cooking turkey, eating turkey and sleeping off turkey, the Vikings will play four games in the first eight days of the season. The schedule starts with a road trip to Wisconsin on Nov. 20, followed by the home-opener on Nov. 23 against Hillsdale and a short jaunt to Akron two days later. The hectic opening stretch concludes when national power Connecticut pays a visit to the Wolstein Center on Nov. 27.
"It won't take long to see how the veterans have progressed since last year and how prepared our newcomers are to play at the Division I level," Peterson noted. "The game with Connecticut is an outstanding opportunity for our program to play a highly-ranked team on our home court -- it's an experience our players will never forget. At the same time, it will give them a glimpse of where we want our program to be."
December's slate has CSU alternating home and road games -- including an Alumni Day affair with Western Michigan on Dec. 11 -- before closing out the month with three straight at home.
Peterson knows the Vikings will have to have a short learning curve before heading into Horizon League play.
"Everything we do in the early part of our schedule has to prepare us for league play. It's easy to focus on wins and loses, but more importantly, we need to learn how to play as a group."
The conference schedule begins at home with Detroit on Dec. 31 and runs through the end of February. The league calendar includes a doubleheader with the men's team on Jan. 12 against seven-time defending conference champion UW-Green Bay and a Senior Day twin bill versus Loyola on Feb. 18. In addition, CSU will play three stand-alone Saturday league games.
Peterson expects perennial league champion UW-Green Bay to once again be the team to beat, with Wright State also figuring in as one of the preseason favorites.
"I think with the way the league shapes up this year, there are going to be a lot of games that go down to the wire," Peterson pointed out. "So many of the teams are very evenly matched and a couple of points here and there could dramatically change where you finish in the conference."
Upbeat & Optimistic
With so many new faces and a fresh slate, Peterson has nothing but high hopes for this year's squad.
"I was very proud of the team last year because even with all of the struggles they never once gave up. We just lacked leadership and experience -- especially from our guards. What I am looking for early on this year is to see that we learned from the experience and can translate it into an improvement on the court this year.
"I am excited about all of the new faces this season. I think it will be good to bring in a fresh perspective and a renewed enthusiasm. Not to mention this is a pretty talented group.
"For us to be successful this season our guards have to step up on the court and in the locker room. I am also looking for our post players to be a threat offensively and rebound, rebound, rebound.
"I know we've got the program headed in the right direction and I am looking forward to seeing what this group can accomplish."
