William Penn University
OSKALOOSA —
While points should be readily available, the William Penn women’s basketball team will put a higher emphasis on the defensive end as it looks to claim a league title in 2012-13.
Mike Brown takes over the Lady Statesmen program after serving as assistant coach the past two seasons. He inherits a squad that was just 12-19 (9-9 MCC) last year, but returns nearly its entire roster and also adds a plethora of new talent. The nation has taken notice, positioning William Penn unofficially 30th in the NAIA’s preseason poll.
Although there is a new head to the operation, Brown is confident his players have had little issue with the transition.
“I do not think there was a big adjustment for our returners because I was here the last two years,” Brown said. “We are going to run a different offense, so that is a big change, but little else is different. We are looking to open the floor and give our players more freedom on offense. Hopefully we can use our athleticism, speed, and ability to shoot from the perimeter to succeed with this.”
Even if the transition period was smooth, there was nothing to prevent the team from getting bit by the injury bug in recent months.
“We are up against some fairly big injuries right now, so there are some things we have to deal with there,” Brown said. “Our biggest mission right now is getting healthy, but we have a great core group back that is highly competitive, so we should be able to overcome this.”
Many players from that core can score at will, but Brown plans to get his wins with a defensive-minded approach.
“Defending and rebounding are going to be our formula for success,” Brown said. “Our team is starting to buy into the thought that the other end of the floor actually wins the games. We have plenty of players who can score double figures, but we need to remember that defense is where we will hang our hat.”
Last year’s starting point guard Sarah Martin (Sr., Anthem, Ariz., Physical Education) is back in the Lady Statesmen to provide the lineup with a very qualified point guard. Martin tallied 94 assists and a team-best 35 steals a year ago in addition to 6.5 points per game.
“Sarah was solid as a junior, but she is playing at a different level than even a year ago,” Brown said. “She is a doing a really nice job at point so far.”
Although Martin is the incumbent, she will have plenty of competition for the spot, even if Susan Smith (Sr., Eugene, Ore., Physical Education) is not available. Smith suffered a possible season-ending injury this fall, but returners Janay Pritchett (So., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Biology) and Kayla Streeter (So., Chattahoochee, Fla., General Accounting) have both been impressive in early practices.
Smith led William Penn with 96 assists and also averaged 3.9 points per contest, while Pritchett scored 2.9 points each night out.
“Janay is stepping up nicely and Kayla was great in our first scrimmage,” Brown said. “We have some nice depth at the point and could have some other players direct the offense as well.”
The point guards will have a number of options in which to pass. Highlighted by Katie Golomski (So., Milwaukee, Wis., Psychology), who had one of the most prolific perimeter campaigns in school history last season, William Penn is beyond deep with long-ball assassins.
Golomski scored 11.5 points per game as a freshman, highlighted by knocking down 94 3-pointers on a 41.6 percent shooting clip. Her 94 trifectas were the second-most ever in a single season at William Penn.
“Katie was great last year,” Brown said. “She received MCC Newcomer of the Year honors as a freshman, but has stepped up her game even more since then. She has become a great leader and is extremely focused.”
Vanessa Kieres (So., Chicago, Ill. Physical Education) and Megan Evangelista (Jr., Chanhassen, Minn., Biology) join Golomski as returning shooters, while Brittany May (Jr., Gladstone, Ore., Biology) and Makenzie Ficek (Jr., Eugene, Ore., Sociology) finally get to see the floor after redshirting in 2011-12.
Kieres scored 5.4 points per game with 17 3-pointers, while Evangelista accounted for 2.4 points (13 3’s)
“Vanessa and Megan put up nice numbers last year and we are happy to have them back as options,” Brown said. “Brittany had a great junior college career and has the potential to make a lot of deep shots.”
“If Makenzie can get healthy, she can be a major threat,” Brown added. “She can do it all, but we will have to be careful and limit her minutes because of injury. The healthier she gets, the better we will be. We have several strong shooters, so we could score a lot of points from the outside.”
A gang of strong ball-handling wings have the potential to put it in the basket every time down the floor.
Returning NAIA second-team All-American Orielle Thomas (Sr., Waynesville, Mo., Physical Education) tops the list after pacing the Lady Statesmen with a double-double of 14.8 points and 10.7 rebounds.
“I look for Orielle to have an even bigger season than last,” Brown said. “She has worked hard on her defense to complement a great offensive game. That is the next step in the evolution of her game and if she can succeed in doing that, she will have a huge year.”
Sam Abens (Jr., Knoxville, Iowa, Physical Education) and Taylor Reed (Sr., Kalamazoo, Mich., Communication) also return, but bring very different skill sets to the hardwood. Abens, an outside threat, made 32 3-pointers (8.5 points per game), while Reed is more of an inside presence (9.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game last year).
“Sam is a great shooter, but we are hoping she will jump to the next level,” Brown said. “She is beginning to realize she is also a good one-on-one player and could also help us out at the point.”
“Taylor is a great competitor,” Brown added. “Feisty and tough, she can score in multiple ways. She has an innate toughness and is able to bring her teammates to the same level.”
Arielle McClellan (Sr., Los Angeles, Calif., Psychology) has not been in the Lady Statesmen since the 2010-11 opener, but now that she is near 100 percent, she provides William Penn with another Orielle Thomas-esque player. McClellan scored 16 points in just 11 minutes of action in her only game at William Penn two seasons ago.
“Arielle is a multi-faceted, potent player,” Brown said. “All of these young ladies can do a lot with the ball, so we are very happy with our wings.”
Due to injury, interior points may not be as abundant as Brown would prefer, but he still sees plenty of capable bodies in the post.
The trio of Jessie Kreuser (So., Mendota Heights, Minn., Undecided), Morgan Evans (Sr., Creston, Iowa, Industrial Technology) and Michaela Beck (Jr., Onawa, Iowa, Biology) all return to bolster the front line.
Kreuser finished last season with a 6.8 point average (team-best 21 blocks), while Evans added 3.2 points. Beck came off the bench 27 times in 2011-12.
“Our tallest player, Jessie has come along nicely since joining our program,” Brown said. “She still has room to develop, but as she gets more physical, we will call upon her to play long minutes. In turn, though, we need for her to also stay out of foul trouble.”
“Morgan is coming off an injury, but she has put on a lot of muscle and has done everything we have asked of her,” Brown added. “She is kind of a ‘tweener’ as a long, athletic defender, she can perform in several areas.”
“Michaela is a great physical defender and loves to bang around down low,” Brown said. “As a physical player, she will also need to stay out of trouble to be a major factor for us.”
An extremely difficult non-conference slate awaits the Lady Statesmen in the upcoming weeks, beginning with their opener against Waldorf Tuesday night in Oskaloosa. Several preseason top-20 teams, including No. 1 Concordia (Neb.), No. 5 Morningside, No. 8 Briar Cliff, No. 18 Hastings and No. 19 Cardinal Stritch will all face off against William Penn in the pre-holiday section of the schedule.
“Thanks to (former) Coach (Brian) Spielbauer, our non-conference schedule is absolutely brutal,” Brown said. “He certainly did not do us any favors by playing so many teams in the top 20.”
To make matters even more interesting, the squad plays several exhibition games against higher-level opponents, highlighted by a Nov. 6 meeting versus Iowa State.
“The Iowa State game will be a great experience for our kids,” Brown said. “All of these contests will harden us in the end, so the key will be for us to stay together and be focused. This year, more than others, we need to remember this is a marathon and not a sprint, and that it is better to be strong at the end than at the start.”
Grand View, the NAIA’s preseason #8 and defending regular season and tournament champion, is projected to hoist the Midwest Collegiate Conference hardware again this year. William Penn was second in the MCC’s coaches’ poll.
“Grand View has done a nice job replacing what they lost and will be big and athletic,” Brown said. “I think Viterbo is the sleeper of the league, while Mount Mercy and St. Ambrose will also be in the mix.”
Brown said his team’s runner-up position, its highest ever since joining the MCC, has both good and bad aspects.
“This is a mixed bag because we feel like we are better than our ranking, but we also understand we have done nothing to prove that yet,” Brown said. “On paper, we have the potential to be very good, but potential is a scary word.”
“Our fans should be very excited to see this group on the court,” Brown said. “There are so many players who can make a lot of things happen and there should be a lot of ‘Ooh’ and ‘Ahh’ moments. I am just trying to make sure our players are ultra-competitive in everything we do on both ends. If we can do that, we will be able to beat a lot of teams.”
