Nov. 3, 2004
Briefly
The defending WCC Champion LMU women's basketball team will open its schedule on Thursday night with its first exhibition game of the season against Love and Basketball. The Lions return two starters from last year's team, but several experienced players return as the Lions look to defend their title.
Scouting Love and Basketball
The Love and Basketball AAU team is comprised of Southern California residents, most of whom are former collegiate players at local area universities. Love and Basketball played its first game last Saturday, defeating Cal State Fullerton, 78-57. They were led by former LMU standout, Bryn Britton, who scored a team-high 15 points on 6-for-13 shooting.
2004-05 Season Outlook
The 2003-04 women's basketball season was a memorable one for Loyola Marymount University and its fans. The Lions won their first ever West Coast Conference Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, where they faced Big 12 power Baylor in the first round. LMU went 24-6 overall, and was 12-1 at home in Gersten Pavilion. It was a memorable season.
But several key contributors from that team have graduated. And the 2004-05 LMU women's basketball team is ready to make some memories of their own.
The experiences from last season taught the players how to win games, and how to win championships. Many of those players with those experiences and expectations are back, and they are joined by a talented group of newcomers who are ready to soak in the knowledge from the experienced players. This group is led by head coach Julie Wilhoit, the WCC Coach of the Year three of the last five seasons, and the 2004 Russell Athletic/WBCA Regional Coach of the Year for Region 8.
"Our team chemistry is our biggest strength," said Wilhoit. "This team is in a position that is new for them, a position of defending the championship. But they want to win their own championship. They're not trying to be what this team was last year. They're taking things one day at a time in order to accomplish the goals they have set for this year."
GUARDS
Most of LMU's returning experience is at the guard positions. Bianca Ziemann (6.2 ppg) and Mary Turner (5.9 ppg) both started and played prominent roles in last year's run to the championship.
One of B. Ziemann's greatest strengths is her experience. A two-year starter, she played 28 minutes a game last season, and is the team's top returning scorer. According to Wilhoit, B. Ziemann worked incredibly hard in the off-season, and is much stronger and more confident in her ball-handling skills. Her shot is more consistent this year, and the coaching staff expects that she will be one of the players to fill some of the holes left by graduation.
"Bianca has tremendous confidence on the court. Her ability to play at this level has increased with the work that she put in during the off-season. She doesn't have to replace or fill big shoes, but her growth has prepared her to be able to do more than she did last year," said Wilhoit.
Turner has started 63 career games and brings a wealth of experience to the Lions this season. She started 29 games last season, averaging 23.7 minutes per appearance. One of the strongest and quickest defenders in the conference, Turner is a complete package. One of her best all-around games last season was in the WCC championship game, recording five points, four steals, three assists and three rebounds to help the Lions win the title. Turner's defensive philosophy was summarized best last season during the press conference after the Lions won the championship game.
"My role is to play defense and when I do that well, everything else comes to me. I'll walk off the court with two broken legs before I let anyone score on me," said Turner at the post-game press conference.
Joining Turner and B. Ziemann is a trio of talented guards who have been waiting to step into the spotlight. With the departure of Kate Murray and Raelen Self, playing time has opened up and these players are ready to grab it.
Rachael Ziemann has had several big games at LMU. It seems that the bigger the game, the bigger the performance that R. Ziemann has. She played all 30 games last season, coming off the bench to average 14.2 minutes per game. She was named to the 2004 WCC All-Tournament team after scoring 13 points in the semifinals and 10 points in the championship game. As a freshman, she had back-to-back double-digit scoring performances at the conference tournament. If she can have these kinds of performances on a consistent basis, she will bring scoring opportunities to the Lions.
"Rachael is our `X-Factor.' We believe that she has a whole bunch of scoring potential in her, and it's just a matter of time before she opens that lid and lets all of it pour out. She is a very effective offensive player," said Wilhoit.
Jenni Smith has been a key contributor off of the bench for two years, playing in 26 games last season. She has the size and shooting touch to fill a role similar to the departed Murray. She can use her size and post up smaller defenders. Her versatility will provide several options to the coaching staff.
"I'm very excited to see her out on the floor. I see her practicing harder with more and more confidence. With her skill, court awareness and court saavy, she will be able to play a lot of different roles for us," said Wilhoit.
Amanda Patton is a pure shooter with one of the prettiest shots in the conference. She appeared in 14 games as a freshman. She worked incredibly hard in the off-season to get into top physical shape, and is faster and stronger than she was as a rookie. The pure shooter looks good in preseason practices, and will be a big outside threat.
"Amanda will just need to get a lot of reps in practice, but she will be an impact player for us this season. I'm excited for her to find her role," said Wilhoit.
A pair of newcomers will add to the mix of talent at the guard position. Amanda DeCoud is an exciting point guard with great vision on the court. She is also a scoring threat and will score points in addition to creating scoring opportunities. Nicole Thompson will also contribute at the guard position.
"Each of our guards brings something a little different. These players are primed and geared to step into these open spots," said Wilhoit.
FORWARDS
Many minutes in the paint have opened up this season with the departure of Adrianne Slaughter and Murray. A diverse group of experience and youth will battle in the trenches and the coaching staff is excited to see the results.
Jacquelyn Woods has been a key part of the team for the last three years, and is ready to assume a larger position. One of the first players off the bench last season, Woods brings experience and leadership to the front court. She played in all 30 games last season, averaging 13.6 minutes per game. She is a tremendous athlete, and has an improved understanding of the game.
"Jackie's progress has been steadily increasing the last three years. She is an emerging player, and emerging leader. It's all very positive with Jackie. With these spots opening up, Jackie is ready to be a player to do her part and she can carry a big load," Wilhoit commented.
Jennifer Henry provides size and leadership to the LMU lineup. An intense and hard-working player, Henry gives the coaching staff several options offensively. She did not compete last year, taking a medical redshirt to rehab injuries, but is ready to contribute this season. She started 22 games as a sophomore, averaging 4.9 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. During the 2002-03 season, she averaged 1.54 blocks in WCC games, good for second place in the conference.
"Jen brings incredible size to the court. We are a much bigger team with her in the mix, and our post play could be great with her in the mix this season," said Wilhoit.
Junior Jevay Grooms played behind Slaughter for two years and is ready to make an impact this season. She had several big games last season, and looks to get more playing time this season. She scored a career-high 13 points against Santa Clara last season, grabbing five rebounds in 22 minutes of action.
"Our opponents don't really know Jevay, but she learned a tremendous amount from practicing against Adrianne every day. She could step into the role that Adrianne vacated," said Wilhoit.
Sophomore Raquel Castellanos is back with the Lions, and will contribute in the forward position this season. She is a hard-working player, who reached her goals in the off-season, and came back in great shape.
The freshmen post players are an athletic and talented group that come to the college game well-coached in high school and are learning the LMU system at a fast pace.
Valerie Ogoke is a huge talent with enormous potential and is a very quick learner. She is developing her strength, and is an exciting player to coach.
"Valerie is the whole package. She is going to be an outrageous player. She has to work to develop her game, but that will come with time," said Wilhoit.
Bronwyn Evans comes into LMU with a solid all-around game, and strong fundamentals. She has a strong work ethic, and will continue to improve. She has a good understanding of the game, and moves well for her size.
Carrie Noyes is a physical player who will do all of the little things that don't show up in the box score, but are essential for a team to win. She has great mobility and runs the court well. Both Noyes and Evans come from successful high school programs and know how to win games.
SCHEDULE
LMU plays a difficult non-conference schedule that should prepare the Lions for another title run. The Lions face six opponents that qualified for the postseason last year, including UC Santa Barbara, who advanced to the Sweet 16 a year ago.
The Lions begin the season at the Nugget Classic in Reno, NV, and will face NCAA-participant Colorado. LMU opens its home schedule by hosting the LMU Marina del Rey Marriott Thanksgiving Tournament. Northeastern, Weber State and IUPUI join the Lions in the four-team field. Gersten Pavilion has become one of the toughest places to play on the west coast, as the Lions have accumulated a 51-14 record at home over the last five seasons.
The Lions will face several Southland opponents after Thanksgiving, before hosting Utah on December 18th. After playing at Cincinnati, LMU will travel to Florida to play in the Miami Holiday Classic. The Hurricanes finished 22-7 last season and qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year in 2004. LMU wraps up its non-conference schedule by hosting the Gauchos on January 2nd.
As usual, the WCC will provide a tough challenge every night, but the preseason schedule should prepare the Lions. LMU will be a kick off the WCC's Fox Sports Net television package when the game at San Diego is on FSNW on January 8th at 3:00pm. Another conference highlight is on January 29th when the Lions host Pepperdine at 4:30pm in the first game of a doubleheader with the men's team. LMU wraps up its home schedule by hosting Santa Clara on Saturday, February 19th at 2:00pm.
