Women's Basketball Preview, Part 1: Loyola

Oct. 23, 2007

Loyola will look to continue to take steps forward as Shannon Reidy is set to begin her third season at the helm in Rogers Park. The Ramblers are coming off a 2006-07 season in which they made significant strides, only to be plagued by an inability to close out games, going 4-9 in games decided by 10 points or less and 1-5 in games decided by six or less.

With Loyola's five freshmen turning into sophomores and a renewed emphasis on defense, the Ramblers look to turn some of those close losses into wins in 2007-08.

"Last year was one of those years where we did a lot of good things," said Reidy. "However, when you have a lot of freshmen playing you are going to have some ups and downs. We threw them into the fire and they made some mistakes but they also showed sparks of what we will become."

"Defense and conditioning are two things we have really emphasized this offseason," continued Reidy. "Everyone has another year of experience in our system and we have a renewed focus on defense. We will not be at the bottom of the conference again this year."

BACKCOURT
Unquestionably, the strength of last year's team was in the backcourt, and on paper, not much has changed heading into this season, despite having to replace the scoring of two-time all-conference guard Marquise Hanser.

Sophomore Maggie McCloskey leads a young but talented group that will get a boost from transfer Keisha Collins, who played for Reidy at Marian Catholic and started as a freshman at Southern Indiana before transferring and sitting out last season. They are joined by classmates Jennifer Juergens and Jessica Hylton and juniors Jana Lucas and Brittney Marshall to give the Ramblers versatility and options at the guard spots.

McCloskey is a deadly long-range shooter, who buried 73 three-pointers last season, the second-best single-season mark in Loyola history, while running the show as the point guard. She also posted a positive assist/turnover ratio as a freshman and gives the Ramblers scoring and court vision.

"Maggie had her adjustment period and played better as the year went on," said Reidy. "Even though she made a name for herself as a shooter, she showed a lot of diversity in her offensive game, especially down the stretch."

Collins is finally ready to don a Loyola uniform for the first time after sitting out last season. The spark plug guard has excellent court vision, likes to push the ball and is familiar with the up-tempo system that Reidy teaches. With a year of collegiate experience at a quality Southern Indiana program, she is poised to contribute immediately.

"I am happy to get Keisha out on the floor," said Reidy. "She brings tremendous leadership, is a winner and is very well respected by her teammates. She knows the game, motivates her teammates on the floor and expects to win."

Juergens and Hylton, both sophomores, also return. Juergens was one of the team's top rebounders last season and started 26 of the team's 28 games while Hylton, who started four games, gave the Ramblers some scoring punch off the bench. Each will be asked to provide some consistent scoring to help offset the loss of Hanser.

"Jen is such a strong kid who is very smart on the floor," said Reidy. "She lost some of the bulk over the summer and gained strength, quickness and agility. She is an extremely hard worker, had some ups and downs last season but was able to absorb everything and learn from it."

"Jess had the most typical freshman season out of any of our freshmen last year," said Reidy. "She played spot minutes and had some good moments. She is in great shape, was able to learn a lot last season and the best from her is yet to come."

Joining that quarter are a pair of juniors. Lucas, whose6-foot-1 stature gives Loyola a tremendous amount of flexibility, is poised for a breakout season after a strong summer while Marshall joins the program after one season at Southeastern Illinois, one of the top junior college programs in the country.

"Jana was the most improved player on our roster coming back from the summer," said Reidy. "She worked on everything we asked and came back in terrific basketball shape with a much-improved skill set."

"Brittney gives us another ball-handler, has nice vision and is a good playmaker," continued Reidy. "She excels at driving the ball into the lane and to the basket and will be a factor in our transition game."

FRONTCOURT
When looking at the Loyola frontcourt, the top priority is replacing the graduated Jenna Real, who led the Horizon League in field goal percentage while averaging 13.6 ppg and 6.5 rpg last season. While Real was the Ramblers' primary scoring option down low, the cupboard is far from bare. Sophomores Shannon Finnegan and Elyse VanBogaert both saw extensive playing time last season and both showed marked improvement during the second half of the season and will be counted on to help fill the void.

VanBogaert is a versatile player who can score in the paint or step out and shoot the jumper with three-point range. She started 14 games a year ago and gained confidence as the year progressed.

"We could have seen more from Elyse last year but she was behind a couple of upperclassmen," said Reidy. "While I wish she could have gotten more minutes, she had a couple of great people to learn from and she is ready to have a good year this season and keep our inside game going."

Finnegan, who saw consistent minutes off the bench as a backup during the first half of the year, exploded onto the scene over the last month of the season and will look to build upon that success.

"Even though she was not around a lot over the summer, I am confident that she will be back to playing at a high level," said Reidy."She can rebound and score on put-backs, which is something we need on the inside."

Junior Cierra Thurman and freshmen Brittany Boeke and Taryn Randle provide depth. Thurman, who was hampered by an ACL injury suffered her freshman season, closed out last season on a high note, recording career-highs with 11 points and seven rebounds against Detroit in the Horizon League tournament. She will look to maintain that form and carry it over into this season.

"Cierra has gone through a lot, mentally, and had to overcome a lot of injuries early in her career," said Reidy. "She is one of our smartest players on the floor and has a great attitude and will continue to work through it."

Boeke is shaping up to be one of the keys for Loyola this season. An extremely strong player with a solid body, she possesses an all-around game, as illustrated by her playing point guard as a high school senior. Highly skilled, her versatility should help her make an immediate impact somewhere on the floor.

"Brittany has so much untapped potential," said Reidy. "She is a tremendously exciting player because she can do everything on the court.She is a good ball-handler, can play in the low post and is really an excellent passer as well. Our system should put all of her talents on display."

Randle gives the Ramblers athleticism and defense in addition to a winning attitude. She arrives from one of the most successful high school programs in the state and will help with the team's evolving mentality.

"Taryn is raw but is a tremendous athlete," said Reidy. "She is used to playing with great talent and is accustomed to winning. She has a nice offensive game around the basket and will benefit from herminutes this season."

--Story provided by Loyola Office of Sports Information