2001-2002 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

2001-2002 SEASON OUTLOOK

It’s a year of change for the Knights’ women’s basketball team. The 2000-01 senior class has graduated and leaves behind a spotlight looking for leadership.

Third year head coach Sandy Gordon Gaglioti is poised for improvement but understands the difficulty of the situation. Five seniors, including four starters, graduated and none of the remaining upperclassmen has more than two full seasons’ experience.

"We have all the talent necessary to once again contend with the top of the NEC, but it will be a learning process," says Gordon Gaglioti.

Last season she again led the Knights to the NEC Tournament and a 11-17 record. Included in the win column were two regular-season victories over eventual Northeast Conference Tournament Champion and NCAA-bound Long Island and the first win over perennial-power St. Francis (PA) in five seasons.

Despite the seeming difficulty in replacing a core group of five student-athletes who played all four years together, Gordon Gaglioti brings in six talented newcomers who are eager to contribute. Her first recruiting class returns for their sophomore season having contributed significant minutes last season. Although just sophomores, they have logged as many minutes as her upperclassmen in some instances and Gordon Gaglioti sees them to be as experienced.

In attempting to explain the situation, Gordon Gaglioti won’t use youth as an excuse. "Our freshmen last year had a lot of minutes so although we will look young on paper I think we will surprise some people," she says of a roster of 14 that includes 10 underclassmen. Meanwhile, the four upperclassmen will be expected to step up and take on a leadership role. The question remains on how fast this new group of talented individuals will become a unified team.

The Frontcourt

The team will rely on senior Nevin Caple (Baltimore, MD/Baltimore Lutheran) for frontcourt leadership. She started 11 games last season and begins her third year with the Knights as the team’s top returning rebounder and second leading scorer. After a strong off-season there are increased expectations for Caple in the post. Senior Lauryn Ruby (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) and junior Kyle Schmitz (Herndon, VA/Oakton) saw minutes last season, with Ruby notching three starts and Schmitz showed increased potential, posting nearly a double-double in the Knights’ win over Monmouth. Senior Zain Conteh (Bronx, NY/Milton Hershey [PA]) also returns for her third season and has worked hard on improvement in order to contribute bigger numbers.

Gordon Gaglioti looks to five of the six newcomers for additional support in the frontcourt. The Knights are sure to benefit from the versatility and talents of Amanda Budkus (Clinton, CT/The Morgan School), Kay Odenwaelder (Goshen, CT/Holy Cross) and Kelly Tolliver (Verona, PA/Penn Hills), who each have experience both as forward and guard.

Budkus is a physical player who has a range of abilities inside the paint and the capability to step out and run the floor. Odenwaelder can handle the ball well, is a good rebounder and adds a respectable three-point range. Tolliver is more of an outside player but her size and posting-up ability make her extremely valuable in the paint.

Two more newcomers to the Knights’ frontcourt will play a bigger role down low. Vanessa Gercke (Westmont, NJ/Haddon Township) has good moves inside, and is a capable scorer and rebounder. Kanesha Wright (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) will be the Knights’ tallest player and only true center. She has high post range, good hands and is expected to provide a much needed force in the paint.

"The challenge will be to get the most out of the newcomers as we run more plays that utilize their versatility," says Gordon Gaglioti. How fast both the returnees and newcomers can make a large impact in the post is one secret to success in 2001-2002.

The Backcourt

Gone from the squad is last year’s floor general Tommica Woods. There are four sophomores looking to fill that role in addition to one newcomer. Competition at point guard will be fierce as NEC All-Rookie honoree Natallia Marchanka (Rechitsa, Belarus/Republic School of Olympic Reserve), who led the team in several categories last season, looks to be the Knights’ most likely starter at the two guard. Jennifer Kozlowski (Linwood, PA/Cardinal O’Hara) started 17 games and proved a solid asset for the Knights. Meaghan Allan (Millersville, MD/Seton Keough) and Courtney Tierney (Princeton, NJ/The Hun School) add more options to the backcourt. Newcomer Erin Mills (Wilmington, DE/Padua Academy) is a quick player and aggressive defender who is sure to see quality minutes on the court and push for a starting role.

The Schedule

Gordon Gaglioti will guide the Knights in a season which includes 18 NEC games and a competitive nine-game non-conference schedule with two tournaments.

The Knights open their season at Georgetown on November 16th at 5:00pm before returning for their home opener on November 20th to face Lafayette at 7:00pm. They then travel to Rock Hill, South Carolina, for the Winthrop Lady Eagles Classic where they will play Winthrop and Howard. Northa Carolina - Chapil Hill will participate at the Classic although the Knights do not face the Tar Heels.

NEC competition begins early in the season, with a trip to intrastate rival Monmouth on December 1st. The Knights will then finish non-conference action with three more games and the Temple Classic (with Ole Miss and UMES) before traveling to Mount St. Mary’s and UMBC to begin the new year and the rest of the NEC schedule.

"We have a challenging non-conference schedule with no easy wins," says Gordon Gaglioti. "With six freshmen and four sophomores we’ll concentrate on player development early on in the season to get ready for conference competition. There’s enough of a challenge to physically and mentally prepare for what conference play holds in store. Our success will depend on how fast we gel as a team," she predicts.