The Observer, November 17, 2006
Volume XXXIX, Issue 11
Lady Spartans set to tip off season tonight in Cincinnati
The Case women's basketball team will spring into action this weekend at the Mount St. Joseph Tip-off Tournament in Cincinnati, Ohio. The team will look to start where it left off last season, when it finished the year with four straight victories. Doing so will require the Spartans returning letter winners to step up and replace the loss of five seniors, including Amber Hammell and Carmen Rowan, whose leadership last season was a significant factor in the Spartans' success. Hammell was a three-year starter and a first-team all-conference selection as a senior.
"Any time you lose those types of players – and people – it's going to take some time to build it back up," head coach Jacki Windon said. "We've got the pieces in place, but it still takes time to step into those roles and become confident."
This year Windon will look to the leadership of tri-captains Dana Dempsey, a senior guard who was voted honorable mention all-conference last season, Maria Jackson, and Ashley Horton.
"Carmen and Amber will definitely be missed this year," Dempsey said. "They set a great example for us last year, and we are picking up right where they left off. Our goal is to make sure that everyone continues to develop and get better as the season goes on."
In addition to Dempsey, Jackson, and Horton, the Spartans expect to get a solid contribution from fellow returnee LaVonne Sherald, who started four games last year and will run the offense as point guard this season. Mary Herendeen, Angeline Rice, who sat out the 2005-2006 season due to injury, and Colleen Martin, who started eight games last season, also return.
The Spartan roster includes five talented freshmen who will be expected to play a strong role this season too.
"Our freshmen have done a great job stepping up to the challenge and competing so far this year," said Dempsey. "They're a talented group and will definitely compete for significant playing time throughout the course of the season." The freshmen have received some early tests and performed well this fall in the team's preseason scrimmages.
Another new face for the Lady Spartans this year is assistant coach Freeman Blade, who was named the full-time assistant in August. A Cleveland native, Blade brings a loaded resume to the team, having both played and coached professionally. He has been a coach since 1981, and most recently he served as assistant women's coach at NCAA Division I St. Peter's College in Jersey City, N.J..
"Freeman is a tremendous asset for our team this year," said Windon, "both in the office and on the basketball court. I've known him for a number of years, and I think that our coaching styles complement each other excellently. He brings a ton of experience and is a great teacher of the game."
The Spartans will have a tough road ahead this year, as they play a tough non-conference schedule that includes several ranked opponents, and as seemingly every year, the UAA is loaded with talent as well. Currently, four UAA teams are ranked in the USA Today/ESPN Division III Top 25 poll: Washington (No. 10), Rochester (No. 14), Brandeis (No. 14) and NYU (No. 20).
"There's no question we're going to have our hands full this year as far as competition goes," Windon said. "We will have to be mentally prepared to play every night, control the aspects of the game that we can control, and continue to grind away at things every day. If we can do this, I have no doubt we will have a successful season."
