Bison Look For Experience to Pay Off in 2011
11/11/2010 10:26:00 PM | Women's Basketball
North Dakota State head women's basketball coach Carolyn DeHoff enters her third season in Fargo with seven returning letterwinners including three starters.
DeHoff and the group of upperclassmen, seniors Whitney Trecker and Megan Shea, and juniors Abby Plucker and Katie Birkel, have been through quite a lot over the past two seasons.
"Their leadership and experience is priceless," said DeHoff.
It was the injuries and adversity that has made the bond between the players, and the players and coaches tighter.
NDSU's goal is to be the best team in the Summit League.
Yes, the Bison have put together back-to-back 16-13 seasons.
Yes, the Bison have five freshmen to work into mix.
However, DeHoff enters her third season at NDSU. Trecker and Shea, Plucker and Birkel have played a role in the first two seasons.
"The area we control is our effort that we bring today. Effort can be measured by doing the little things and finishing possessions. Doing the little things will take care of the big picture," said DeHoff.
"Entering our third year, the most notable difference is our leadership with the four upperclassmen (Whitney, Megan, Abby, Katie). Having been in our system for two years they are now able to teach the young players our expectations in all areas, basketball, academics and social accountability. It's hard to measure the importance of their leadership until you realize the first two years the coaches were teaching the players our system."
There's a good teacher in Birkel, who has started in all 58 games played at NDSU and holds the school career record averaging over 32 minutes per game.
Birkel, a 5-foot-8 guard from Lincoln, Neb., has been added to The Nancy Lieberman Award watch list for most outstanding women's college basketball point guard. She was a 2011 preseason All-Summit League first league selection on the heels of picking up all-league first team honors last year, along with Summit League all-tournament and all-newcomer team recognition as a freshman.
"Her ability to direct the offense, be an offensive threat, and know how to make players around her better certainly became obvious towards the end of last season," said DeHoff.
"We look forward to Katie continuing where she left off."
The coaching staff is looking for continued improvement by the aggressive 5-10 sophomore Dani DeGagne (Brandon, Manitoba) and continued inspiration from three-point threat 5-11 sophomore Hannah Linz (Watkins, Minn.), who has her made way back to the court. Linz was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma cancer in April, went through chemo in spring and summer, and is back fighting for additional minutes. Also in the backcourt are a pair of North Dakota products, 5-foot-7 freshman Kelsey Peltier (Dunseith, N.D.) and walk-on, 5-5 freshman Sam Lako (Hunter, N.D.)
Trecker, a 5-9 forward from New Prague, Minn., has been the energizer and trend-setter on the squad over the past couple of seasons.
"Whitney has been our best perimeter defender for the past two seasons," said DeHoff.
"This season we are excited about Whitney's development over the spring and summer to become a complete player. She also gives us great speed on the wing."
Another senior, who is looking to shake off the rust and play, is Shea, a 6-foot forward from Plymouth, Minn., who has had her time on the court limited by frustrating knee injuries. She has persevered and values each minute on the floor, either in practice or a game.
"Megan returns as a redshirt senior and has impressed the coaches greatly in the fall and during practice," said DeHoff.
"Much of Megan's turnaround is the trust she is showing in her abilities. She is showing us the basketball player and athlete she is capable of developing into this season."
Then there's Plucker, a 5-11 junior from Parker, S.D., who's personality allows her to tackle a busy schedule that includes work with the Summit League and NDSU Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC). She is the president of the Bison SAAC and the Summit's vice-president. A gifted public speaker, Plucker has represented NDSU student-athletes at several different functions.
And basketball-wise...
"Abby is stronger and incredibly confident in her skill set right now," said DeHoff.
"The summer strength and conditioning program along with the spring and fall skill sessions were a tremendous advantage for Abby. She can do many things on the court for us and we look forward to seeing her at her best this season."
Plucker will be passing on past lessons learned to freshmen, 5-11 Ali Browning (Iowa City, Iowa), who gained national attention with her AAU play, and 6-foot Lauren Dudenhoeffer (Lee's Summit, Mo.), who is scheduled to redshirt this season.
Taking advantage of the lessons learned, along with the summer strength and conditioning program was 6-foot-5 sophomore Janae Burich, who led the Summit League and ranked among the national leaders in blocked shots. Burich will receive help inside from 6-foot-2 freshman Miki Stephenson, who played her high school basketball right across the Red River in Moorhead, Minnesota.
North Dakota State opens the season at home with a pair of Western Athletic Conference opponents in November. That will prepare the Bison for a five-game road trip that ends in Brookings with two-time Summit League tourney champion South Dakota State on Dec. 4.
"It will be a challenge - preparation will be key - especially handling the number of games we have on the road, said DeHoff.
"The early games on the road at the Kansas tournament should do a nice job preparing us for our conference opener at SDSU in December. We need to have patience with young players and depth development early."
Keeping everyone focused on the little things and improving with each day, each practice and each game is a priority for the Bison coaching staff.
There's little things like taking care of the basketball, building team defense, and finishing the possession on both ends of the floor, that all add up at the end.
"To be successful in Summit League, our experienced players need to elevate their games day-to-day," said DeHoff.
"Our young bigs and depth need to be making significant growth over the course of conference play."
DeHoff, along with the Trecker, Shea, Birkel and Plucker, will be keeping a watchful eye.
