Women's Basketball Preview Part 6: Detroit
Nov. 16, 2004
The first season under coach Mickey Barrett gave Detroit fans a glimpse of the passion and enthusiasm with which he is leading the Titans' transformation. The Red, White and Blue wrapped up his initial campaign with five more wins than the previous season, and finished third in the Horizon League with a mark of 10-6. This allowed Detroit to post the 15th-best turnaround in the NCAA Division I women's basketball a year ago.A defensive-minded Titan squad proudly displayed its heart and determination on the court all year long as it advanced to the finals of the conference championship, only to meet UW-Green Bay for the third consecutive season. The showdown between two of the Horizon League's elite squads went down to the wire before the Phoenix pulled away en route to securing a 66-54 triumph.
The 2004-05 campaign will mark the return of 10 letterwinners including a trio of starters. The Titans will take a hit in the middle with the graduation starting posts Sara Crum and Nicole Anaejionu along with the departure of Lori Wild. Reserve guards Kristen Gaither and Kelli Howse also did not return.
Returning Players
Top returning scorer, junior co-captain Lindsey Pasquinzo (9.9 ppg), will headline a trio of starters which has been assembled to form the nucleus of the Titan roster this season.As a sophomore, Pasquinzo led Detroit in three pointers with 36, while also ranking among the Horizon League leaders in three offensive categories.
Junior guard Katie Solner, an All-Horizon League Championship Team selection in 2004, averaged 7.5 points, 1.7 rebounds, and ranked ninth and 11th, respectively in the league in assists (2.8) and steals (1.6).UDM's other returning starter is senior co-captain Melissa Harakas. In spite of registering only 2.4 points and 2.6 rebounds last season, Harakas' numbers can be deceiving as she established herself as one the Titans' best defenders as a junior. She served as one of the leaders of Detroit's defensive effort, which ranked 12th nationally in scoring defense by limiting opponents to 55.9 points per tilt. The Red, White and Blue were also rated 12th in the country in field goal percentage defense by holding the opposition to a .357 shooting mark.Also back in the fold are fellow co-captains, senior Elizabeth Krzyzek and junior Joanna Cooper along with seniors April Savalli, Jennifer McGee, Stacy Cobbs and juniors Caitie Goddard and Kelly Jaskot.Krzyzek appeared in 26 contests for the Titans a year ago and played a key role in the squad's season-opening victory over Toledo as she connected on the game-winning shot in a 50-49 triumph. Collecting 12 starts, Cooper nearly doubled her scoring and rebounding numbers by averaging 4.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.
Persevering through nagging injuries all season, Savalli, UDM's lone fifth-year player, recorded 1.9 points and 1.0 rebound per night in 17 tilts. Her game was never better than in tournament play where she elevated her game and averaged 5.7 points while pulling down 2.7 caroms in three games.
As a junior, McGee registered 1.3 points and 0.4 rebounds in 16 appearances last season. A former walk-on, Cobbs posted 1.0 points and 0.4 rebounds in eight games during her initial collegiate campaign.With raised expectations placed on her shoulders following a stellar freshman campaign, Goddard saw her numbers dip slightly last season as she averaged 5.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 29 games. In 16 conference tilts, her numbers were impressive as she registered 6.4 points per contest.
Coming into her own as a sophomore was Jaskot, who averaged 2.8 points and 1.4 rebounds in 23 games for the Titans. Her presence was truly felt in league play as she posted 4.4 points while pulling down 2.2 caroms in 14 conference showdowns.
The Newcomers
Recruiting is often the unknown variable which separates the good teams from the great. Confidence is one characteristic that one can never accuse Barrett and his staff in lacking when identifying the best talent as the Titans will welcome five newcomers to the program this fall.An adidas Top Ten All-American and a McDonald's All-American nominee at Southfield High School, Kandace Evans, a 5-7 guard, joins the Red, White and Blue after competing for the University of Wisconsin as a freshman. While at Southfield High School, she registered 16.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists as a senior. Evans will sit out the 2004-05 campaign under NCAA transfer guidelines.
A four-year starter at Lake Orion High School, Lauren Yurgens, a 6-1 forward, averaged 6.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per contest during her senior campaign in 2002. She was nominated as a McDonald's All-American during her final prep campaign while also being tabbed by Street and Smith's as an Honorable Mention All-America honoree. Yurgens comes to Detroit via Kaskaskia College in Centralia, IL, where she played last season.
Demetria Blair, a 5-9 guard/forward, played for Warren Cousino High School a year ago where she collected All-Conference accolades. She was also chosen as a first team All-East and an honorable mention All-Metro award winner by the Detroit Free Press.
A three-time All-Kent County first team honoree, Barrett's first recruit brings an international flavor to the Titans as he inked Katy Dunlop, a 6-4 post, from Ursuline Chatham College in Chatham, ON.
Shawanna Stubblefield, a 5-7 guard, will round out the newcomers for Detroit. Nominated as a McDonald's All-American as a senior, she helped guide her Flint Northern High School to the Division I title game en route to earning All-State honors after averaging 12.5 points and four assists per contest.
The Schedule
The Titans will have arguably one of their toughest schedules in recent memory as the squad will tangle with eight teams that earned tournament berths last season, including four which qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
Highlighting the slate will be Detroit's first-ever game in the state of Minnesota as the Red, White and Blue will visit historic Williams Arena for a date with the Golden Gophers on December 2. The contest will be a homecoming for Krzyzek, who is a native of Edina, MN.
UDM's away non-conference schedule includes contests versus Bradley (Nov. 27), NCAA qualifier Ohio State (possible opponent at Wonder/Hostess Buckeye Classic on Nov. 28), WNIT invitees Cincinnati (Nov. 21), Louisville (Dec. 8) and Western Michigan (Dec. 22) and finally a date at IPFW (Jan. 5).
Non-conference opponents coming to Calihan Hall include WNIT participant UNLV (Dec. 4), in-state foe and NCAA qualifier Michigan State (Dec. 11) along with Central Michigan (Dec. 20). The date with the Lady Rebels will mark the return of former Titan Randee Henry.
Once again faced with a challenging 16-game conference slate, Detroit will kick off Horizon League play on January 3, 2005 at Loyola. Highlighting the schedule will be the first meeting between the Titans and defending Horizon League champion, UW-Green Bay, on January 22 in Green Bay, WI. A FSN audience will get to catch all the action.
In search of only their second NCAA berth in school history, Detroit will look to reach the title game of the Horizon League Championship (Mar. 1-8) for the fourth consecutive year. Wright State is slated to host this season's conference tournament.
2004-05 Team Notes
•UDM's defensive efforts last season proved very fruitful as it held the opposition to 60 or fewer points in 18 of its 29 games and to less than 70 tallies in all but one contest.
• The Titans finished 12th nationally in scoring defense by limiting opponents to 55.9 points per tilt. The Red, White and Blue were also rated 12th in the country in field goal percentage defense by limiting the opposition to a .357 shooting mark.
•Detroit was recognized by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) for outstanding academic achievement when the Titans were ranked in the 2004 WBCA Top 25 Academic Honor Roll. UDM posted the 15th-highest cumulative grade point average (3.308) among Division I institutions.
•Ten Titans were named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll after achieving a GPA of 3.0 or higher during the 2004 spring semester. That list includes Anaejiounu, Cooper, Gaither, Goddard, Harakas, Howse, Krzyzek, McGee, Savalli and Solner.
• UDM concluded last season with a record of 8-7 in games away from Calihan Hall. While far from ideal, that mark holds special meaning as it represents the first winning season away from home for the Red, White and Blue since the 1999-2000 campaign.
2004-05 Individual Notes
• Only a junior, Solner's 433 career points rank as the highest total among any active player on the Titan roster.
• Pasquinzo, Detroit's top returning scorer (9.9 ppg), will enter the campaign only four three pointers away from cracking the top-10 in school history. Not far behind is Goddard, who will commence the season with 59 career triples.
• Goddard has also made a name for herself at the charity stripe during her brief career as she has connected on nearly 81 percent (.807) of her attempts, a number which would place her tops among all players in school history.
