Gopher Basketball
The Gophers, who have been without All-American center Janel McCarville in the first two games, hope to have her return to their lineup this weekend.
Here’s a preview of this weekend’s Subway Classic participants and some observations on the Gophers performance in their two exhibition games and their first two regular season games:
Subway Classic. Valparaiso and Virginia Tech play 6 p.m. Friday at Williams Arena in the first game of this 4-team tourney. Both of these teams earned spots in last year’s NCAA tourney, with Virginia Tech advancing to a second round game and finishing the year with a 23-8 record. Valpo finished 20-12 in a season that ended with a loss to Kansas State at Williams Arena in a first round NCAA tourney game.
The game will be the first regular season game for both teams. Virginia Tech was picked to finish 5th in the Atlantic Coast Conference; with four returning starters, Valpo is the pre-season favorite to win the Mid-Continent Conference.
Valpo’s roster includes four former Minnesota high school players: Abby Nielson from Tartan, Krystal Taylor from Minneapolis North, Tamra Braun from Prior Lake High School, and Jenna Stangler from St. Michael-Albertville High School. Stengler, a 6’1″ senior, is a pre-season 1st Team all-conference pick.
Arkansas State, the Gophers Friday night opponent, will be playing their first game of the season. The Lady Indians from Jonesboro, Arkansas, finished 19-10 last year, earning a share of the Sun Belt Conference East Division title and a WNIT post-season tournament appearance.
Amber Abraham from Moorhead, Minnesota is a 5’10” senior guard who is a tri-captain for ASU and one of the leading scorers from last year.
About the Gophers. The Gophers hope to get back on track after a Monday road loss to Washington, a team picked to finish in the middle of the Pac 10 Conference.
In a season-opening win over UNLV and the loss to Washington, the Gophers committed 20 and 28 turnovers respectively, showing that they definitely have some things towork on before conference play begins in late December.
6’3″ sophomore Jamie Broback picked up some of the scoring slack left by the absence of McCarville with 28 points against UNLV and 18 against Washington. Broback also had 17 rebounds and 13 turnovers in the two games. She was recently named this season’s first Big Ten Player of the Week.
Here are some additional notes and observations on the Gophers:
- Gopher fans should not be overly concerned with the loss to Washington, although this is a team the Gophers should have beaten. The teams will definitely have to cut down on its turnovers as the season progresses. Also, the lack of any fast-break baskets in the Washington game is something the Gophers will have to work to improve. The team’s offense isn’t yet clicking, but that could change with a reduction in turnovers and the addition of a healthy McCarville.
- The absence of McCarville in the first couple of games provided valuable playing time for some of the other inside players, including sophomore Liz Podominick and first year players Lauren Lacey and Natasha Williams. Lacey and Williams each played 25 minutes in the first two games. Although the minutes for these two Illinois high school prep stars may decrease slightly with McCarville’s return, it looks like both players could contribute significantly to this year’s team, and both will certainly be major contributors in years to come. The 6’3″ Lacey has some obvious offensive talent and the 6’3″ Williams should be a solid defensive player.
- Jamie Broback should be one of the team’s best offensive players this year. A player who can drive to the basket and can also hit an occasional outside shot, Broback should combine with McCarville to make a formidable inside tandem.
- April Calhoun, a transfer from Iowa, is a nice addition to this year’s team . She is an intense defensive player who can also contribute offensively. She is not a flashy player, but she’s solid on both ends of the court.
- Kelly Roysland has been one of the first players off the bench in the early games and she should be able to add to an offense that is searching to replace points, rebounds, and assists from departed All-American Lindsay Whalen.
- This year’s version of the Gophers might be the deepest Gopher team ever. It’s a long way from just two years ago, when the team had maybe seven Division I caliber players. The addition of four first year players and two transfers should give Coach Pam Borton a deep bench to work with.
- Stacey Dales-Schuman, the ESPN women’s basketball analyst, recently picked the Gophers to be in her pre-season Elite Eight.
- Because the Gophers are at home and because none of the other 3 teams in the Subway Classic has yet to play a regular season game, the Gophers should be able to defend their tournament title. However, the other three teams are quality teams, and the Gophers will have to play better than they did against Washington to win these games.
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