1999-00
Women's Basketball Preview
The ability to handle
adversity, in a sense, has made the Blackbirds stronger as they
head into a 1999-00 season in which expectations will not be high.
Last year, a new coaching regime, a new system and an unbelievable
run of bad luck were all elements in LIU's two-win season. Still,
second-year head coach Patty Delehanty got her team through it
and will now have to call upon that strength every now and then
if her new-look squad is to have a productive campaign.
Not being saddled with
expectations will somewhat take the pressure off of the Blackbirds,
but in no way does it mean that Delehanty will accept anything
less than an inspired effort from her squad. "Nobody enjoys
losing and the coaching staff is trying to instill a sense of
competitiveness and feistiness in the team," she said.
The Blackbirds go into
the new season having to cope with the losses to graduation of
Heather Ingersoll (9.3 ppg, 4.1 apg) and Rayna Petach (8.7 ppg,
4.6 rpg). LIU will also have to get by without the services of
key players who were counted heavily upon in 1998-99, but whose
careers were cut short by injuries.
With only three bodies
who saw quality minutes returning from last year, Delehanty went
on the recruiting trail and secured one of the largest incoming
classes in LIU women's basketball history as nine newcomers enter
the program.
Since blending such
a large group together may take some time, Delehanty will at least
be able to rely on the play and leadership ability of Kellye Townsend.
The lone senior on the team, Townsend was the Blackbirds' leading
scorer (12.0 ppg) and rebounder (8.5 rpg) last season.and has
totaled 775 points and 501 rebounds through her first three years.
"Kellye was one
of the few players who was able to stay healthy and provide some
stability for us," Delehanty said. She is going to have to
continue her level of play as well as taking on the role of leader
on the floor, helping the new players in all aspects of the game."
Townsend, who at times
last season was forced to play the shooting guard position, will
be stationed in the post where she does most of her damage. Joining
forces with her will be Nisreen Wright, the only other returnee
who had considerable playing time last season. A junior, Wright
established herself on both ends of the floor last season, starting
in 19 games and finishing third on the team in scoring, averaging
9.0 per game. She stepped up her game versus NEC schools, averaging
10.5 points per game
while taking down 5.1 rebounds. The third returnee who will need
to take on more responsibility is shooting guard Erin Welch. A
junior, Welch suffered a torn right ACL last January that shelved
her for the final 14 games of the season. When she went down she
was averaging 8.3 points in an average of 29 minutes per contest.
After nine months of physical therapy and conditioning, she is
expected to resume a full workload in November.
Red-shirt freshman
Brandi Bennett is the final member of the returning squad from
a year ago. She tore her left ACL in preseason and missed the
entire 1998-99 campaign. Bennett has done more than a full year
of rehab and took advantage of her time off by learning Delehanty's
team-oriented system. At 6'0" and extremely athletic, she
should be presented with opportunities to prove herself in the
interior. With the four returnees presumed healthy, Delehanty
will still be forced to lean on some inexperienced new faces to
carry some of the burden. The point guard position will be an
area of concern since none of the nine newcomers can be labeled
a true point guard. "We will play point guard by committee,"
said Delehanty. "We are loaded with talented players at the
'two' and 'three' positions and we will work all of them through
the point to see what works best."
"Our recruiting
philosophy was to go out and get the best nine players that we
could, regardless of what position they played and we did that,"
she continued. "In our shoes we could not afford to be choosy
about the positions everyone played previous to here."
One of the leading
candidates for time at the point is Kecia Rosado. A native of
Mount Holly, NJ, and a graduate of Rancocas Valley High School,
she averaged 16.5 ppg last season. She owns a great stroke form
beyond the arc and comes to LIU well-polished.
Delehanty will also
take a long look at Sterling (NJ) High School product Kim Moro.
A natural shooting guard, Moro is deadly from long-range and also
possesses solid passing skills. As a senior she averaged 16.6
points and 5.9 assists per game in leading Sterling to the New
Jersey State Finals. Sonrisa Garcia and Kim MacMillan will be
the final two newcomers challenging for spots in the backcourt.
A graduate of Pojoaque (NM) High School, Garcia has the ability
to play anywhere on the floor despite her stature (5'5").
Her enthusiasm and aggressive style of play should help
change the personality of the team.
MacMillan, who attended
Toms River East (NJ) High School, looked strong in preseason practices,
particularly from the perimeter. Also with the ability to put
the ball on the floor and create, she will be an ideal player
in Delehanty's system and should be a cornerstone for the next
four years.
In the frontcourt,
the Blackbirds will have several options as five new bodies join
the trio of Townsend, Wright and Bennett. Venessa Harwood, one
of two juco transfers for LIU, may be looked at as a go-to player.
The 5'11" Brooklyn, CT, native was a second team Division
II All-American last season at Mitchell (CT) College after averaging
19.3 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. She is a natural scorer
who can knock down shots from three-point range as well as in
the post.
The other juco arrival,
Kim Fuqua, signed late to LIU following a solid career at Hiwassee
(TN) Junior College. More of a power player, she averaged 18.0
points and 8.0 boards for Hiwassee last season. In the middle,
Delehanty hopes to have a formidable presence in freshman Ann
Calvert. A strong and aggressive six-footer, she will probably
act as Townsend's apprentice this season. The New Britain, CT,
native attended High School at Kingswood Oxford where she averaged
11.6 points and 8.5 rebounds as a senior.
Another inside player
who will be an integral part of the foundation is freshman Tamika
Dudley. A talented 5'9" with an ability to score both inside
and outside, she could make contributions right away. A second
team All-District selection as a senior at Woodbridge (NJ) High
School, Dudley registered 12.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest
last season. Rounding out the newcomers is multi-dimensional Nicole
Winston. A graduate of Bishop Ahr High School in Edison, NJ, the
5'9" Winston brings a competitive approach with her each
day to practice. An effective post scorer despite not having great
size, she also takes pride in her defensive play.
"With nine newcomers
we obviously have many question marks that need to be researched,
but they are all from winning programs and are committed to basketball
and to playing year-round," Delehanty said. "Our goal
is to elevate the program to the next level and I think that with
the group we have coming in we have taken the first step in that
process." The Blackbirds will have 27 chances to reach that
next level with the season opener at Norfolk State on Nov. 22.
LIU will then head down to Florida International for a two-day
tournament with Hartford, Eastern Kentucky and the host school.
It will also play at Georgetown on Dec. 11 before closing the
non-league schedule at home against St. Peter's (Dec. 21) and
Colgate (Dec. 30. The Blackbirds will have nine non-conference
dates in all, including their home opener against Stony Brook
on Dec. 1. The NEC slate begins in Pittsburgh with games against
St. Francis (PA) (Jan. 6) and Robert Morris (Jan. 8) before the
conference home opener versus Quinnipiac on Jan. 13. The 18-game
league schedule concludes with a Schwartz Athletic Center contest
against Robert Morris on Feb. 26. "Our non-conference schedule
will be very competitive," said Delehanty. We have some great
teams on the schedule that will help prepare us mentally for the
NEC campaign. There are also games versus some teams that I feel
we can stay with and pull out some victories. It is important
for us to get a few wins under our belts before getting into conference
play."
"My concern is
getting LIU to a level of respectability both in the conference
and around the nation," she continued. "We were competitive
in the second half of last season with only six or seven available
players and we are aiming for that competitive spirit this season.
We need to win games in the games and some outside of the conference
to build that respectability."
