2001-02 Women's Basketball Outlook
11/1/2001 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
After posting back-to-back 18-win seasons, the DePaul women's basketball program looks to the 2001-02 campaign with high expectations and a few question marks. Among the expectations are the return of one of the most explosive scorers in the country and a talented incoming class of recruits. Among the questions are the replacement of five seniors, including four that started at least 23 games a year ago, and arguably the country's toughest non-conference schedule. However, despite all the questions and expectations one thing is for certain, the Blue Demons look forward to the challenge.
"The culture of this year's team is unique because we have seven returning players and six newcomers," said Bruno. "It's one of those years where the success of the team must be grounded in the improvement and success of our experienced players. Any impact we can get from our freshmen, and I believe that our freshmen are capable of impact, can become a bonus."
Settled in to their new offices and lockerrooms, the Blue Demons tip off the season on Nov. 16 with the annual Moran Realty Classic. Heading into the 2001-02 campaign, the program will have to fill in the holes that five seniors left a year ago. Sylvia Blakeslee, Candis Blankson, Briana Fitzgerald, Jamie Lewis and Molly Watson accounted for just over half of the minutes played and points scored by the 2000-01 Blue Demons.
"We lost five players to graduation. Jamie Lewis we lost with 16 games to play. Her loss had to be overcome during last season. Sylvia Blakeslee, Candis Blankson, Briana Fitzgerald and Molly Watson laid the foundation for our program to move forward. What they did was set a tone and established a culture of winning again with great, hard working people and people that work as hard in the classroom as they do on the basketball court."
On the flip side, head coach Doug Bruno returns leading scorer Lenae Williams who finished the 2000-01 campaign averaged 25 points per game in Conference USA Tournament and WNIT. Williams, a C-USA Player of the Year and All-American candidate, is arguably one of the most explosive scorers in the nation. The all-time leading three-point shooter in DePaul and C-USA history averaged the 25 points per postseason game while playing just 29 minutes per game.
"When you talk about our returning players, you have to start with Lenae Williams," said Bruno. "Lenae has been a classic example of just constant steady growth. Every year she has gotten better. The simple expectation here is that Lenae picks up where she left off in the Conference USA Tournament a year ago."
In the league tournament Williams tied single-game records with 38 points and six three-pointers against Southern Miss. She followed that performance with 19 points against Louisville and 23 against Cincinnati. She earned All-Tournament honors after averaging a tournament-high 26.7 points in 26 minutes per game.
"I really believe Lenae is poised and ready to have a great year," said Bruno. "She worked hard on her game and her conditioning this summer. She a legitimate All-American candidate and she's legitimately one of the best players in Conference USA."
The Backcourt
Going into the 2001-02 campaign, the Blue Demons guards and forwards will carry the load. The combination of their versatility and the DePaul system should create a number of offensive opportunities for the Blue Demons.
"This team has got some very positive guard play. Our strength is our backcourt. There's a lot of people that can play guard and I see the game evolving into that style of play at the highest levels," said Bruno. "The best big players these days have guard skills."
In addition to Williams, returning backcourt players include Sarah Kustok, Agatha Mankiewicz and Laura Sobieszczyk. Sobieszczyk established herself as one of the most consistent and steady guards in Conference USA while Kustok led the team in three-point field goal percentage last year. Mankiewicz is one of four seniors on the team and will add much needed experience to the backcourt.
"Laura has played well everytime we have started her. She's going to give us some increased productivity this season. Her assist-to-turnover ratio is 2-to-1 and her ability to make the right play on the floor is impeccable," said Bruno. "Sarah is a very versatile player. She has the ability to play either guard position for us and score in a number of different ways. Agatha will give us some very important contributions this year. She will play an important role with her experience of playing in our system for four seasons."
Of the six newcomers, four will play out on the floor for DePaul. Freshmen Jenni Dant, Lindsay Forsberg, Khara Smith and Claudette Towers join transfer Ashley Luke and Charlene Smith. Luke and Smith will sit out the 2001-02 season and be eligible to play the year after under NCAA regulations.
The four heralded freshmen have the potential to make immediate impacts in Lincoln Park. Dant was a Parade All-American and finalist for Illinois' Miss Basketball while Forsberg was a two-time state tournament MVP in Oklahoma's largest high school classification. Towers led Fenwick High School to the 2001 Illinois State Championship and the Friars were ranked as the top high school team in the nation throughout the season.
"Jenni Dant can make plays on the defensive side of the ball," said Bruno. "Lindsey Forsberg is a player that makes everyone around her better and Claudette Towers is a great leader and her strength is running a team."
Luke and Smith will be able to suit up next year, but the contributions during the 2001-02 season will help the Blue Demons in their game-to-game preparation. Smith played her freshman season at Wisconsin-Milwaukee while Luke played her first two years at Penn State.
"Ashley Luke and Charlene Smith will both be very beneficial in practice. They both played in the NCAA Tournament last year and Ashley played in the Final Four as a freshman," said Bruno. "They will give us a great impact in practice. Their experience and talent will help us tremendously."
The Frontcourt
On paper, DePaul has just two players 6'2" or taller in Jamie Smith and Khara Smith. The two Smith's and Yolanda Lewis will rotate in the frontcourt for a DePaul lineup that could feature four guard-type players on the court for most games. The flexibility of the players and the system that Bruno and his staff have developed could work to DePaul's advantage and create matchup problems for opponents.
"We're a lot more athletic this season," said Bruno. "Some teams give up basketball skills for athleticism, but we haven't done that. We still have the skilled players who are very athletic and can get down the floor."
Lewis, who had shoulder surgery after the last season, started the final 13 games for DePaul a year ago. As DePaul's top defender, she was able to shut down some of Conference USA's top scorers late in the season.
"Yolanda Lewis played a pivotal role with this team's turnaround last year. She was the quintessential coach's player in that she handled her fluctuating roles with total class and commitment to the big picture," said Bruno. "Finally, when she was inserted into the starting lineup, we became a very different basketball team. She'll play good defense for us this season and get some key buckets during each game."
Jamie Smith returns for her junior season after starting 10 games a year ago. She moved into the all-time blocked shot list after posting 35 blocks last season. Heading into this season, Bruno and his staff expect Smith to become more of a threat on both ends of the floor.
"Jamie has gotten stronger since last season," said Bruno. "We want her to come back this season with the mentality that she has to become more of a goto player for us in the post."
Freshman Khara Smith, a product of Proviso West High School, averaged a double-double with 24.6 points and 14.3 rebounds per game her senior season. She will add depth under the basket and rebounding ability to the front line.
"Khara is a quick study and a bright girl," said Bruno. "She can produce points inside and get second shots. We haven't been a great offensive rebounding team the last couple of seasons and she should help us improve in that aspect."
The Schedule
Bruno and his staff have put together what some might see as the toughest schedule in the nation. On the 2001-02 slate are National Champion Notre Dame and runner-up Purdue. Other NCAA Tournament teams include George Washington, Iowa State, Louisville, Maryland, Tennessee, Toledo and Tulane.
"The schedule is as tough as it has ever been. I see the season breaking down into segments," said Bruno. "The first part is the Moran Classis and the Coaches vs. Cancer Challenge. After that, we have four games in eight days against Northwestern, Loyola, Toledo and Illinois. From there, we have the December stretch with the five games at George Washington, against Purdue and Tennessee, at Northern Illinois and at Notre Dame. The fourth segment is the Conference USA schedule."
DePaul opens the campaign with the annual Moran Realty Classic in Chicago. The Blue Demons host Arkansas State, Eastern Washington and Western Michigan for the two-day tourney. From there the Blue Demons travel to Ames, Iowa for the Coaches vs. Cancer Challenge over Thanksgiving. Iowa State hosts the tournament and joining DePaul will be Maryland and Mississippi State.
The month of November finishes with road games at Northwestern and Loyola. Four of the seven December matchups will be at the DePaul Athletic Center. The Blue Demons host Toledo, Illinois, Purdue and Tennesse while the travel to George Washington, Northern Illinois and Notre Dame.
Conference USA play opens with three straight road games. DePaul opens the league schedule with games at Marquette, UAB and South Florida. From there, the Blue Demons play five games at home against Memphis, Saint Louis, Tulane, Southern Miss and Marquette. After a trip to Charlotte and East Carolina, the Blue Demons return to Chicago for the final time in the regular season with Louisville and Cincinnati. DePaul travels south for the final two regular season games at TCU and Houston.
The 2002 Conference USA Tournament will take place at the DePaul Athletic Center. The 12-team tourney will be March 1-4 in Chicago. The winner receives the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.