Chris Ferrick-Manley
Staff Reporter
The Green Terror women’s basketball team officially kick-started their 2008-2009 campaign with a Midnight Madness practice on October 21-22. Last year the team endured a reloading season, finishing 13-13, making the Centennial Conference playoffs, but losing at Gettysburg in the play-in game.
Head Coach Becky Martin, who reached her milestone 400th victory last season, believes this year’s edition has potential, but that there still may be a ways to go to reach the 20 win level of years past.
“It is unrealistic to say we are going to win 20 games,” said Martin, “however it is realistic to say we could win 15-16 games and make it back into the conference playoffs.”
The team this year returns three seniors: captains Kim Staub and Lauren Wyble as well as Danny Fraider who is nursing a knee injury. Juniors Sally Grace, Ali Moreland, Ashley Lyles, and sophomore Whitney Snoops are among other returning players who saw significant playing time last year. Losses from last year’s team include the two seniors who graduated, Robbin Gregg and Courtney Gogolinski.
Martin says that this year’s team is going to be heavy at the guard position, but will have more speed this year than last, allowing the team to run the type of offense that allowed them to be very successful when they were nationally ranked as recent as the 2006-2007 season.
Staub, one of the senior captains, explains how the offense this year should involve more cutting, slashing, and driving to the basket.
“It always looks great when you can run the fast break well,” said Staub.
According to Staub, last year the team needed to run a half-court offense in order to be successful and win games.
“We may not have one player who can score 20 points every game, but someone can score every game,” said Staub.
Fraider, one of the three seniors on the team, believes that a conference championship itself may not be out of reach. Last years team, was very young, she noted, and lost seven games by seven points or less.
“We do not want to set our goals too high, that’s definitely a realistic expectation,” said Fraider.
Martin herself states that the goal is always to make it into the conference playoffs, where anything can happen if a team gets hot. She cited how the Terror women have the longest active streak of conference playoff berths in women’s basketball as well.
“No one likes a .500 season, we’re a program that has been a powerhouse,” said Staub.
The first home game for the Green Terror women is Tuesday, December 2 against Swarthmore at 7pm.