November 3 will mark the beginning of the 2007-2008 campaign for the Women’s Basketball program. And even though head coach and reigning Big East Coach of the Year Terri Mitchell returns with only one starter, she is very optimistic about this team.
“I feel like a little kid in a candy shop,” said Mitchell of her six newcomers. “It’s been extremely exciting. They’re testing our coaching staff, but they’re so young and enthusiastic. They’re all just a pleasure to coach.” The Golden Eagles are coming off their best season in program history, where they finished tied for second in the Big East, and earned a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
That however, was a senior laden team, and some gaps will need to be filled. The six freshmen that Coach Mitchell mentioned will get the opportunity early on to prove themselves this season. The individual that is expected to lead the class of 2011 is the highly touted Angel Robinson. The 5’8” guard out of St. Paul is one of the highest rated recruits Marquette Women’s Basketball has landed, and should be an impact player right away.
“Angel Robinson is a natural as a point guard,” elaborated Coach Mitchell. “She’ll take pressure off us by allowing Krystal to play the wing, which in turn will allow us to play much faster.”
The lone returning starter from a year ago is First Team All-Big East guard Krystal Ellis. Taking over the point guard duties as a sophomore, Ellis averaged eighteen points per game, and had 115 assists for the season.
This season she will step back into her natural role running the wing and will continue to be Marquette’s go-to player. Ellis understands what she means to her team, and knows what her role must be.
“I feel like I have to step into that leadership role because of my experience over the past two years,” explained Ellis, and she is dead on. Marquette will have only one senior return this year, so Ellis will need to fill the leadership void.
The main reason Krystal Ellis is stepping into the role as team leader, is because of the loss of Christina Quaye and Jasmine McCullough this year. In addition to their great personalities, they accounted for the vast majority of Marquette’s presence in the paint. Between them they averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds a game, which is never easy to replace.
The Golden Eagles do have returning experienced players and talent at the forward position. Junior Kelly Lam will anchor the team in the middle, and she’ll be flanked by Svetlana Kovalenko (the team’s only senior) and Marissa Thrower.
Newcomers to the group that are expected to make an impact are 6’3” redshirt freshman Jocelyn Mellen and true freshman Jasmine Collins out of Detroit, Michigan. Be patient with this group early on as they get acclimated to their more involved roles. Once December hits, they should be just fine and able to match up with any of their Big East foes.
The schedule will not make things very easy for the Golden Eagles with their young roster. They will be tested early on, and on the big stage as well. The University of Wisconsin Badgers will travel to Milwaukee on November 17, but the game will not take place in the friendly confines of the Al Maguire Center. The contest has been moved to the Bradley Center to accommodate what is expected to be a large and raucous crowd.
Over Thanksgiving break, a west coast swing to Oregon and Gonzaga is sure to test the team, followed up by a trip to instate rival University of Wisconsin Green Bay. The Big East’s newly formatted schedule will allow Marquette to face off against all sixteen teams this year, highlighted by National Runner-Up Rutgers at home on January 8, and a trip to Storrs, Connecticut to take on the University of Connecticut Huskies on February 20.
Overall, expect some early struggles as this young team will need some time to hit their stride. But also expect them to eventually hit their stride, and return to post-season play again this year.
Popularity: 4% [?]
