superhornet
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2011/12 Women’s Season Recap
I’m taking a shot at this, using SD’s template. I claim no pretentions of SD’s quality, however. We’ll see what my first attempt looks like.
The Hornets came into the 2011-12 season off of a disastrous 2010-11 campaign (4-25/1-16 BSC) without any hint that things would turn around. The Hornets lost two seniors, but added five freshmen. The early season was eerily reminiscent of last year, opening with three straight losses, including a 117-55 thrashing at #15 Oklahoma. Unlike 2010-2011, however, the ladies followed that with four straight wins, including one against then-undefeated Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. From there on, the team’s fortunes generally depended on game location, as the Hornets held serve at home (save for games against the Montana schools), but did not do so well on the road. One big exception was a convincing road win at Weber State that completed a season sweep of the Wildcats. Sac State suffered a mini-letdown in early February before heading into the Big Sky Conference Tournament riding a four-game winning streak that stole a berth from Portland State with a late-February sweep of the Vikings. The team upset Eastern Washington in the Conference Tournament at Pocatello before bowing to ultimate conference champ Idaho State. Overall, this was a season of major improvement (9 wins better than 2010-2011, 13-18/7-9), but there is a lot of improvement to go.
There are some positives to take from this season. The stellar play of lone senior Emily Christensen at forward earned her a spot on the All-Tournament team. Christensen leaves as the seventh Hornet with 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. Super-soph forward Kylie Kuhns followed up her honorable mention performance as a freshman. Sophomore guard Alle Moreno was honourable mention, and freshman guard Fantasia Hilliard was named BSC Outstanding Freshman. Kuhns, Moreno, and Christensen averaged double-digit scoring, and Moreno and Christiansen were our key home-run hitters, batting nearly .300 from beyond the arc on over 200 attempts apiece.
While the Hornets greatly improved over last year, they showed signs of being a young team in inconsistent play at times. With the experience gained this year, one would expect the Hornets to continue winning home games against equivalent or lesser competition. Bodybag games (Oklahoma, Cal) notwithstanding, the Hornets must learn how to win on the road in order to be competitive in the Big Sky.
Key Wins (in chronological order)
• 80-66 vs SIU-Edwardsville: The Hornets followed up a decisive home win against the Big West’s Long Beach State with a drubbing of a previously undefeated SIU-E squad. Kuhns led the way with 18 points and 11 rebounds. SIU-E finished 18-12 (12-4 OVC), good for third in the Ohio Valley Conference.
• 98-87 vs Fresno Pacific: Megan Kritscher’s 20 points off the bench led the charge that just missed triple digits in this barnburner. The Hornets never trailed, tied only once, and led by as many as 16.
• 91-85 (2OT) vs NAU: Sac started the conference season with a good performance against the Lady Jacks. Fantasia Hilliard’s no-sweat free-throws in the second OT sealed the deal.
• 77-76 @ MSU: The Hornets proved that they could win a game against a quality foe on the road. The game was a gut-check given that Sac State overcame shooting percentage deficits both from the floor and from the charity stripe. The difference was improved second-half play which saw the floor percentage jump to 46% and the line percentage to 70%. The key stat, however, was the five second-half three-bombs Sac dropped on the Bobcats’ heads over against their ZERO.
• 73-65 vs ISU: Sac split with the eventual conference champions. Moreno’s season-high 25 points led the way. The Bengals went ice cold in the second half, and the Hornets shot 92% from the line.
• 84-82 @ PSU: The Hornets followed up their close home win over the Vikings less than a week before with a tight road win. Sac led by 10 with a minute left, but withheld a furious PSU comeback.
• 71-61 vs EWU: Sac State won a quarterfinal game for the first time in years, overturning an EWU sweep during the regular season. The Hornets never trailed, and led by as many as 12 in the second half. A sizzling 55% rating from the field in the second half was huge.
Key Losses (in chronological order)
• 55-117 @ #15 Oklahoma: The Sooner defense held the Hornets to 21% shooting.
• 57-68 @ UC Davis: The Hornets fell behind by as much as 17 in a lightly-called contest, but couldn’t catch up. The game started a four-game skid.
• 58-68 @ UNC: This game epitomized the home-road dichotomy the Hornets showed this year. Sac was doomed by a 21% first half. A one-point second-half win presages hope for next year against the conference’s second-ranked team.
• 57-78 @ ISU: Once again, a road game is a tale of two halves. The Hornets took an entire half to warm up, allowing a whopping 77% behind the arc to the Bengals in the first half. Sac played ISU much closer in the second frame, but still didn’t match the champs’ output.
• 56-94 @ NAU: The Hornets royally failed to follow up a big win at Weber. Moreno dropped 20 to pair with Kuhns’ 15, but nobody else showed up. NAU’s sizzling 54% from the field in the first half won it, and the Jacks cruised the rest of the way.
Like the men, the Lady Hornets struggled with consistency, particularly on the road. Many games saw the Hornets fail to show up until the second half. Yet home play is so much better. Much of this seems to be due to the relative youth of the team. Coach Jamie Craighead lost only two seniors after the 2010-2011 campaign and only one (Christensen) this year. The presence of three seniors (starters F Mallorie Franco and F Kylie Kuhns, and roleplayer F Natasha Torgerson) should tell in 2012-2013. Longtime fans are losing patience given the horrid Muscatell regime and the length of Craighead’s rebuilding effort. But with senior leadership and the influx of an all-star rebounder and a scoring queen should help.
Team Statistics and Rankings
Rankings based on per game averages from regular season play, stats taken from the BSC website pre BSC Tournament:
• Scoring Offense: 70.9 ppg (1st BSC)
• Scoring Defense: 76.1 ppg (9th BSC)
• Scoring Margin: -5.2 (8th BSC)
• Offensive Field Goal %: 424/1124, 37.7% (7th BSC)
• Defensive Field Goal %: 462/1138, 40.6% (6th BSC)
• Free Throw %: 175/255, 68.6% (7th BSC)
• Offensive 3-Point %: 111/403, 27.5% (9th BSC)
• Defensive 3-Point %: 93/277, 33.6% (8th BSC)
• Offensive Rebounds: 649, 40.6 rpg (3rd BSC)
• Defensive Rebounds: 802, 50.1 rpg (9th BSC)
• Rebound Margin: -9.6 (9th BSC)
• Assists: 281, 17.6 apg (1st BSC)
• Blocks: 76, 4.8 bpg (2nd BSC)
• Steals: 218, 13.6 spg (1st BSC)
• Turnovers: 290, 18.1 tpg (8th BSC)
• Turnovers Forced: 337, 21.1 tpg (1st BSC)
• Turnover Margin: +2.94 (3rd BSC)
Individual Statistics
Only points, assists, and rebounds per game stats listed. Players averaging less than 5.0 ppg not listed.
• Kuhns: 13.6 ppg, 11.6 rpg, 2.7 apg, 46.3-FG%, 60.0-FT%, 13.3-3FG%
• Moreno: 13.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.8 apg, 35.8-FG%, 77.6-FT%, 29.7-3FG%
• Christensen: 12.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.0 apg, 36.7-FG%, 78.6-FT%, 29.9-3FG%
• Hilliard: 8.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 4.8 apg, 33.6-FG%, 71.0-FT%, 29.5-3FG%
• Franco: 6.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.1 apg, 40.8-FG%, 56.6-FT%, 25.0-3FG%
• Clements: 5.4 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 0.8 apg, 31.6-FG%, 71.8-FT%, 30.1-3FG%
Complete listing:
http://www.bigskyconf.com/custompages/wbball/2011-12/Stats/sac.htm#team.ind" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Conclusion
The Hornets were an interesting amalgamation. Offensively, the ladies could score, but they did not have the defense to win track meets. Yet defensively, the Hornets excelled in swiping the ball and in swatting it. Hilliard made the adjustment from High School to D-1 at the all-important point position very well. Overall poor free throw shooting marred this team, yet several made better than 2/3, which bodes well for next season. However, many newcomers did not get significant minutes; in fact, about four must have redshirted given that they played much less than ten games. The Hornets must strive to improve consistency, particularly between halves. As the middle classes now have another year of experience, one would hope that the high turnovers will disappear and that the ladies will choose good looks when possible.
Defensively, the Hornets have allowed opponents to score too easily. The way these ladies can hawk the ball (both in terms of steals and blocks) makes their propensity for allowing high shot percentages (especially from downtown) quite confusing. We would hope that Coach Bill Baxter’s full-court press D will continue to pressure opponents into turning the ball over and develop into harassers that will force teams to turn ice cold.
Players Leaving
• Emily Christensen, G: Christensen started every game and averaged 27 hard-nosed minutes, leading the squad with 78% FTs.
• There is no word of any underclassmen leaving early.
Players Returning
• Fantasia Hilliard, PG: Hilliard was named Freshman of the Year in the Big Sky. She started every game and was the equal of any two other Hornets in assists. She must improve her shooting next year to guarantee a BSCT berth.
• Shanti Smith, F: Only played five games. She averaged about a point for her five minutes per game.
• Se’nyce Parrish, G: Parrish played key minutes in every game this season, but must improve her nearly 1:2 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• Takara Burse, G: The freshman played in four games, draining her only two field goal attempts.
• Mallorie Franco, F: Franco started every game. She must work on her rebounding to help the team next season.
• Jordan Kealoha, G: Kealoha saw limited time marked by poor shooting in all phases of the game. She must take lots of shots over the summer to earn a spot next season.
• Sadie Clements, F: Clements played in every game, starting in place of Moreno in one. She is a good role-player, but must improve her assist-to-turnover ratio as she competes for more PT. Interestingly, her shooting from 3-land is nearly as good as her overall field shooting.
• Mariah Brown, G: The freshman only saw five minutes over two games. She’ll have to do something to catch Coach Craighead’s eye to snare PT in the presence of six returning and one incoming guards.
• Alle Moreno, SG: Moreno averaged more than 30 minutes on the floor, turning in more assists than turnovers. Her task for the break will be to improve her shooting.
• Kylie Kuhns, PF: This junior was a beast, averaging a double-double. As the Hornets’ main post player, she must develop her free throw shooting (60%) as she will be at the line often.
Projected 2011/12 Lineup (next season’s class level listed)
Starters:
• PG – Fantasia Hilliard, 5’-3”, So
• SG – Alle Moreno, 5’-4”, Jr
• 3G – Taylor Peacocke, 5’-9”, Fr
• SF – Margaret Huntington, 6’-0”, Fr
• PF – Kylie Kuhns, 6’-0”, Sr
Bench:
• F – Shanti Smith, 5’-11”, Jr
• G – Se’nyce Parrish, 5’-8”, Jr
• G – Takara Burse, 5’-8”, So
• G – Mallorie Franco, 5’-10”, Sr
• G – Jordan Kealoha, 5’-4”, Jr
• F – Sadie Clements, 5’-10”, Jr
• G – Mariah Brown, 5’-5”, So
• F – Megan Mullings, 6’-1”, So
• F – Liz Mills, 5’-11”, So
• F – Megan Kritscher, 6’-4”, Jr
• F – Natasha Torgerson, 6’-2”, Sr
Not much of the returning cast has much experience. The Hornets would be well-advised to schedule some lower-division teams early in the season to ensure bench development. I understand Coach Craighead’s run-and-gun philosophy, but she might want to look into a true center who might not only provide an inside presence but enhance outside shooting by kicking out when the defense collapse. Many players must work on the freebies, as a 65% team percentage will NOT get the job done. As a rule, Craighead-coached teams do not get into foul trouble, which bodes well for next year. One key concern is that despite a plethora of guards, few had decent PT and are therefore unknowns. Craighead must play these ladies to see if they have what it takes to be successful in D-I.
Another concern is the lack of senior leadership. While there are three seniors on the team (more than in the recent past), only one is likely to crack the starting lineup next year. Craighead generally eschews transfers, preferring to look for good high school kids to develop over four years. So far, her one transfer (from UC Santa Barbara) has been played some good minutes, but shows no evidence of even cracking the starting lineup. However, given how long it is taking some of these young players to develop, unlike our advice to Coach Katz on the men’s side, perhaps Coach Craighead should look for a few JC transfers who show leadership and defensive potential. If the incoming freshmen Peackocke and Huntington prove in camp that they are equal to their hype, they should be impact players almost immediately. I would not be surprised if a few players see the writing on the wall and request transfers before the school year is out.
The Hornets have a lot of work to do during the off-season to prepare for an expanded Big Sky schedule. North Dakota (21-11/9-1 Great West Conference) looks to challenge for the conference title if they can overcome the retirement of their longtime coach. Southern Utah (6-23/2-16 Summit) will likely challenge Weber (2-27/0-16) and NAU (9-20/4-12) for the cellar. In any event, the Hornets must learn to open well on the road and reduce opposing shooting percentage over 40 minutes to consistently challenge for BSCT berths and be a threat for the title and further post-season play.
Go Hornets!
I’m taking a shot at this, using SD’s template. I claim no pretentions of SD’s quality, however. We’ll see what my first attempt looks like.
The Hornets came into the 2011-12 season off of a disastrous 2010-11 campaign (4-25/1-16 BSC) without any hint that things would turn around. The Hornets lost two seniors, but added five freshmen. The early season was eerily reminiscent of last year, opening with three straight losses, including a 117-55 thrashing at #15 Oklahoma. Unlike 2010-2011, however, the ladies followed that with four straight wins, including one against then-undefeated Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. From there on, the team’s fortunes generally depended on game location, as the Hornets held serve at home (save for games against the Montana schools), but did not do so well on the road. One big exception was a convincing road win at Weber State that completed a season sweep of the Wildcats. Sac State suffered a mini-letdown in early February before heading into the Big Sky Conference Tournament riding a four-game winning streak that stole a berth from Portland State with a late-February sweep of the Vikings. The team upset Eastern Washington in the Conference Tournament at Pocatello before bowing to ultimate conference champ Idaho State. Overall, this was a season of major improvement (9 wins better than 2010-2011, 13-18/7-9), but there is a lot of improvement to go.
There are some positives to take from this season. The stellar play of lone senior Emily Christensen at forward earned her a spot on the All-Tournament team. Christensen leaves as the seventh Hornet with 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. Super-soph forward Kylie Kuhns followed up her honorable mention performance as a freshman. Sophomore guard Alle Moreno was honourable mention, and freshman guard Fantasia Hilliard was named BSC Outstanding Freshman. Kuhns, Moreno, and Christensen averaged double-digit scoring, and Moreno and Christiansen were our key home-run hitters, batting nearly .300 from beyond the arc on over 200 attempts apiece.
While the Hornets greatly improved over last year, they showed signs of being a young team in inconsistent play at times. With the experience gained this year, one would expect the Hornets to continue winning home games against equivalent or lesser competition. Bodybag games (Oklahoma, Cal) notwithstanding, the Hornets must learn how to win on the road in order to be competitive in the Big Sky.
Key Wins (in chronological order)
• 80-66 vs SIU-Edwardsville: The Hornets followed up a decisive home win against the Big West’s Long Beach State with a drubbing of a previously undefeated SIU-E squad. Kuhns led the way with 18 points and 11 rebounds. SIU-E finished 18-12 (12-4 OVC), good for third in the Ohio Valley Conference.
• 98-87 vs Fresno Pacific: Megan Kritscher’s 20 points off the bench led the charge that just missed triple digits in this barnburner. The Hornets never trailed, tied only once, and led by as many as 16.
• 91-85 (2OT) vs NAU: Sac started the conference season with a good performance against the Lady Jacks. Fantasia Hilliard’s no-sweat free-throws in the second OT sealed the deal.
• 77-76 @ MSU: The Hornets proved that they could win a game against a quality foe on the road. The game was a gut-check given that Sac State overcame shooting percentage deficits both from the floor and from the charity stripe. The difference was improved second-half play which saw the floor percentage jump to 46% and the line percentage to 70%. The key stat, however, was the five second-half three-bombs Sac dropped on the Bobcats’ heads over against their ZERO.
• 73-65 vs ISU: Sac split with the eventual conference champions. Moreno’s season-high 25 points led the way. The Bengals went ice cold in the second half, and the Hornets shot 92% from the line.
• 84-82 @ PSU: The Hornets followed up their close home win over the Vikings less than a week before with a tight road win. Sac led by 10 with a minute left, but withheld a furious PSU comeback.
• 71-61 vs EWU: Sac State won a quarterfinal game for the first time in years, overturning an EWU sweep during the regular season. The Hornets never trailed, and led by as many as 12 in the second half. A sizzling 55% rating from the field in the second half was huge.
Key Losses (in chronological order)
• 55-117 @ #15 Oklahoma: The Sooner defense held the Hornets to 21% shooting.
• 57-68 @ UC Davis: The Hornets fell behind by as much as 17 in a lightly-called contest, but couldn’t catch up. The game started a four-game skid.
• 58-68 @ UNC: This game epitomized the home-road dichotomy the Hornets showed this year. Sac was doomed by a 21% first half. A one-point second-half win presages hope for next year against the conference’s second-ranked team.
• 57-78 @ ISU: Once again, a road game is a tale of two halves. The Hornets took an entire half to warm up, allowing a whopping 77% behind the arc to the Bengals in the first half. Sac played ISU much closer in the second frame, but still didn’t match the champs’ output.
• 56-94 @ NAU: The Hornets royally failed to follow up a big win at Weber. Moreno dropped 20 to pair with Kuhns’ 15, but nobody else showed up. NAU’s sizzling 54% from the field in the first half won it, and the Jacks cruised the rest of the way.
Like the men, the Lady Hornets struggled with consistency, particularly on the road. Many games saw the Hornets fail to show up until the second half. Yet home play is so much better. Much of this seems to be due to the relative youth of the team. Coach Jamie Craighead lost only two seniors after the 2010-2011 campaign and only one (Christensen) this year. The presence of three seniors (starters F Mallorie Franco and F Kylie Kuhns, and roleplayer F Natasha Torgerson) should tell in 2012-2013. Longtime fans are losing patience given the horrid Muscatell regime and the length of Craighead’s rebuilding effort. But with senior leadership and the influx of an all-star rebounder and a scoring queen should help.
Team Statistics and Rankings
Rankings based on per game averages from regular season play, stats taken from the BSC website pre BSC Tournament:
• Scoring Offense: 70.9 ppg (1st BSC)
• Scoring Defense: 76.1 ppg (9th BSC)
• Scoring Margin: -5.2 (8th BSC)
• Offensive Field Goal %: 424/1124, 37.7% (7th BSC)
• Defensive Field Goal %: 462/1138, 40.6% (6th BSC)
• Free Throw %: 175/255, 68.6% (7th BSC)
• Offensive 3-Point %: 111/403, 27.5% (9th BSC)
• Defensive 3-Point %: 93/277, 33.6% (8th BSC)
• Offensive Rebounds: 649, 40.6 rpg (3rd BSC)
• Defensive Rebounds: 802, 50.1 rpg (9th BSC)
• Rebound Margin: -9.6 (9th BSC)
• Assists: 281, 17.6 apg (1st BSC)
• Blocks: 76, 4.8 bpg (2nd BSC)
• Steals: 218, 13.6 spg (1st BSC)
• Turnovers: 290, 18.1 tpg (8th BSC)
• Turnovers Forced: 337, 21.1 tpg (1st BSC)
• Turnover Margin: +2.94 (3rd BSC)
Individual Statistics
Only points, assists, and rebounds per game stats listed. Players averaging less than 5.0 ppg not listed.
• Kuhns: 13.6 ppg, 11.6 rpg, 2.7 apg, 46.3-FG%, 60.0-FT%, 13.3-3FG%
• Moreno: 13.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.8 apg, 35.8-FG%, 77.6-FT%, 29.7-3FG%
• Christensen: 12.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.0 apg, 36.7-FG%, 78.6-FT%, 29.9-3FG%
• Hilliard: 8.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 4.8 apg, 33.6-FG%, 71.0-FT%, 29.5-3FG%
• Franco: 6.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.1 apg, 40.8-FG%, 56.6-FT%, 25.0-3FG%
• Clements: 5.4 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 0.8 apg, 31.6-FG%, 71.8-FT%, 30.1-3FG%
Complete listing:
http://www.bigskyconf.com/custompages/wbball/2011-12/Stats/sac.htm#team.ind" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Conclusion
The Hornets were an interesting amalgamation. Offensively, the ladies could score, but they did not have the defense to win track meets. Yet defensively, the Hornets excelled in swiping the ball and in swatting it. Hilliard made the adjustment from High School to D-1 at the all-important point position very well. Overall poor free throw shooting marred this team, yet several made better than 2/3, which bodes well for next season. However, many newcomers did not get significant minutes; in fact, about four must have redshirted given that they played much less than ten games. The Hornets must strive to improve consistency, particularly between halves. As the middle classes now have another year of experience, one would hope that the high turnovers will disappear and that the ladies will choose good looks when possible.
Defensively, the Hornets have allowed opponents to score too easily. The way these ladies can hawk the ball (both in terms of steals and blocks) makes their propensity for allowing high shot percentages (especially from downtown) quite confusing. We would hope that Coach Bill Baxter’s full-court press D will continue to pressure opponents into turning the ball over and develop into harassers that will force teams to turn ice cold.
Players Leaving
• Emily Christensen, G: Christensen started every game and averaged 27 hard-nosed minutes, leading the squad with 78% FTs.
• There is no word of any underclassmen leaving early.
Players Returning
• Fantasia Hilliard, PG: Hilliard was named Freshman of the Year in the Big Sky. She started every game and was the equal of any two other Hornets in assists. She must improve her shooting next year to guarantee a BSCT berth.
• Shanti Smith, F: Only played five games. She averaged about a point for her five minutes per game.
• Se’nyce Parrish, G: Parrish played key minutes in every game this season, but must improve her nearly 1:2 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• Takara Burse, G: The freshman played in four games, draining her only two field goal attempts.
• Mallorie Franco, F: Franco started every game. She must work on her rebounding to help the team next season.
• Jordan Kealoha, G: Kealoha saw limited time marked by poor shooting in all phases of the game. She must take lots of shots over the summer to earn a spot next season.
• Sadie Clements, F: Clements played in every game, starting in place of Moreno in one. She is a good role-player, but must improve her assist-to-turnover ratio as she competes for more PT. Interestingly, her shooting from 3-land is nearly as good as her overall field shooting.
• Mariah Brown, G: The freshman only saw five minutes over two games. She’ll have to do something to catch Coach Craighead’s eye to snare PT in the presence of six returning and one incoming guards.
• Alle Moreno, SG: Moreno averaged more than 30 minutes on the floor, turning in more assists than turnovers. Her task for the break will be to improve her shooting.
• Kylie Kuhns, PF: This junior was a beast, averaging a double-double. As the Hornets’ main post player, she must develop her free throw shooting (60%) as she will be at the line often.
Projected 2011/12 Lineup (next season’s class level listed)
Starters:
• PG – Fantasia Hilliard, 5’-3”, So
• SG – Alle Moreno, 5’-4”, Jr
• 3G – Taylor Peacocke, 5’-9”, Fr
• SF – Margaret Huntington, 6’-0”, Fr
• PF – Kylie Kuhns, 6’-0”, Sr
Bench:
• F – Shanti Smith, 5’-11”, Jr
• G – Se’nyce Parrish, 5’-8”, Jr
• G – Takara Burse, 5’-8”, So
• G – Mallorie Franco, 5’-10”, Sr
• G – Jordan Kealoha, 5’-4”, Jr
• F – Sadie Clements, 5’-10”, Jr
• G – Mariah Brown, 5’-5”, So
• F – Megan Mullings, 6’-1”, So
• F – Liz Mills, 5’-11”, So
• F – Megan Kritscher, 6’-4”, Jr
• F – Natasha Torgerson, 6’-2”, Sr
Not much of the returning cast has much experience. The Hornets would be well-advised to schedule some lower-division teams early in the season to ensure bench development. I understand Coach Craighead’s run-and-gun philosophy, but she might want to look into a true center who might not only provide an inside presence but enhance outside shooting by kicking out when the defense collapse. Many players must work on the freebies, as a 65% team percentage will NOT get the job done. As a rule, Craighead-coached teams do not get into foul trouble, which bodes well for next year. One key concern is that despite a plethora of guards, few had decent PT and are therefore unknowns. Craighead must play these ladies to see if they have what it takes to be successful in D-I.
Another concern is the lack of senior leadership. While there are three seniors on the team (more than in the recent past), only one is likely to crack the starting lineup next year. Craighead generally eschews transfers, preferring to look for good high school kids to develop over four years. So far, her one transfer (from UC Santa Barbara) has been played some good minutes, but shows no evidence of even cracking the starting lineup. However, given how long it is taking some of these young players to develop, unlike our advice to Coach Katz on the men’s side, perhaps Coach Craighead should look for a few JC transfers who show leadership and defensive potential. If the incoming freshmen Peackocke and Huntington prove in camp that they are equal to their hype, they should be impact players almost immediately. I would not be surprised if a few players see the writing on the wall and request transfers before the school year is out.
The Hornets have a lot of work to do during the off-season to prepare for an expanded Big Sky schedule. North Dakota (21-11/9-1 Great West Conference) looks to challenge for the conference title if they can overcome the retirement of their longtime coach. Southern Utah (6-23/2-16 Summit) will likely challenge Weber (2-27/0-16) and NAU (9-20/4-12) for the cellar. In any event, the Hornets must learn to open well on the road and reduce opposing shooting percentage over 40 minutes to consistently challenge for BSCT berths and be a threat for the title and further post-season play.
Go Hornets!
