George Fox University 2003-04 Women's Basketball Preview ---
NEWBERG, Ore. --- With eight letterwinners and all five starters returning, the George Fox Bruins enter the 2003-04 women's basketball season with the expection of being right in the thick of the battle for the Northwest Conference championship again. The Bruins won league titles in 2000 and 2001, but slipped to 3rd and 4th the last two years - and they didn't like it one bit.
"We need to learn from the failures of a year ago," says head coach Scott Rueck, who begins his 8th season at George Fox with a 130-49 (.726) record, "and this team is committed to doing that. Our efforts last year proved these kids can play with any team in our league - but we also played down to the competition at times. We learned that, in every single game, there are opportunities to take control of the game and you'd better take advantage of it, but we didn't always do that."
The 2002-03 Bruins went 15-10 and placed 4th in the league at 10-6. The team was highly competitive, with only one of its 10 losses by double figures, and played tough, consistent defense, but an erratic offense often betrayed the Bruins at critical junctures of ballgames. Establishing offensive consistency will be a key if the Bruins are to return to the top of the conference and make their 3rd post-season appearance in the last five years.
Three All-Conference Performers Anchor Lineup
Three All-Conference performers return for the Bruins: post Darby Cave (6-0, Sr., Portland, Ore. / Central Catholic HS) and wing Kellie Thomas (5-10, So., Medford, Ore. / South Medford HS), who were First Team All-NWC, and Honorable Mention All-NWC wing Liz Clark (5-9, Jr., Elbe, Wash. / Eatonville HS). Cave averaged 10.8 points and 6.2 rebounds while leading the league in field goal pct. (.549), Thomas averaged 12.6 points and 3.2 boards, and Clark averaged 8.3 points and was 2nd in the league with a 7.8 rebounding mark.
"Darby is playing the best basketball of her life right now," obseves Rueck, "and with increased efficiency, she can be the dominant post player in this league. Kellie is a year smarter and a strong shooter who is playing extremely well. Liz has a sprained ankle that may keep her out of the first few games, but she learned last year what she is capable of doing. We have challenged these three to take their games to the next level, and we'll be hard to beat if they do."
Other returning starters include wing Amy Fitch (Ritzville, Wash. / Ritzville HS), who averaged 6.2 points and 3.7 rebounds a game, and point guard Kim Leith (Sherwood, Ore. / Sherwood HS), who had figures of 9.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.0 assists. Leith, however, will shift to a wing this season.
"Kim's more natural position is at a shooting guard," comments Rueck. "She's very dangerous out there with both her shooting skills and her ability to drive." Rueck considers Fitch perhaps the top defensive wing in the conference, believing "she can lock down anybody. We'll look for more scoring from her and if she comes through, it will make us awfully tough."
With Leith at a wing, the point guard position falls to Melissa Alexander (5-3, Jr., Portland, Ore. / Wilson HS), who missed 10 games in the middle of the season with an injury but averaged 2.4 points and 1.7 assists in the 15 games she did play.
"Mel's injury last year put some pressure on Kim at the point; she did a very capable job, but she's a scorer at heart," admits Rueck. "Mel protects the ball very well, creates shots for herself by driving, and is a fine passer who can dish it off to the open shooter."
Post Sarah Myhre (6-0, Jr., Corvallis, Ore. / Crescent Valley HS), who averaged 5.5 points and shot .583 from the field, will see plenty of playing time, and will pose a formidable double threat down low with Cave when the two are in the game together.
"Sarah is a talented inside player who can even take it outside if needed," says Rueck. "She's a good shooter from anywhere on the floor and likes to go to the boards as well.
Brittanie Strutz (5-11, So., Oregon City, Ore. / Oregon City HS) should also see increased court time after showing tremendous improvement in the fall. Erin Powers (5-11, Fr., Salem, Ore. / South Salem HS) was red-shirted after missing all of last season with a knee injury and will provide depth at either a wing or post in her rookie season.
"Brittanie is playing very well so far - well, everyone is," Rueck observes, "and Erin could be a key for us. She is a good athlete with a good understanding of the game, and appears fully recovered from her knee injury."
Only Two Newcomers This Year
There are only two new faces on the Bruins' roster this year, and both are expected to see significant playing time in their first seasons: point guard/wing Robin Taylor (5-7, Fr., Bend, Ore. / Mountain View HS) and post Katie Plumb (5-10, Fr., Drain, Ore. / North Douglas HS).
"Robin is one of those players who just loves basketball and plays hard all the time," says Rueck, "and she'll get some time at both point and wing this season. Katie comes from a 2A program where she was regularly the best one on the court, and is quickly learning to play 100 percent of her athleticism. I see a bright future for both of them."
Summary
"We are defensively solid, which is the sign of a veteran team," Rueck observes. "Our freshmen played a lot last year, and gained great experience in every kind of situation, so they really play much older than sophomores.
"Defense kept us in every game last year; we were just inconsistent offensively. Our teams in the past have always shot the ball very well, and we did at times last year, but our scoring deserted us at the wrong time sometimes. We also turned the ball over more than any other team I've had, so if we can do those two things - be more consistent offensively, and cut down on turnovers - we could have an outstanding year.
"Our offense is much more defined this year. Several teams concentrated on stopping our inside game and let our guards shoot, but this year, we will have four scorers on the perimeter all game long; we are very balanced and teams won't be able to key on any one individual."