Story courtesy UND Media Relations
Oct. 16, 2001
Can you see the footprints? You can see them if you really try, turning the Hyslop Sports Center basketball floor into something resembling an Arthur Miller Dance Lesson. They've been there for a while now, and were only added to last year when the 2001 UND women's basketball team made a run at the national championship. Once you spot them for the first time, they're as obvious as the national championship banners hanging on the wall.
They're a lesson for future UND teams left over as a gift from those past players who've worn the green and white before them - the LeCuyers, the Pudenzes, the Crouses, the Kleinsassers, the Heislers, the Meiers, the Corcorans. The footprints mark the sweat and sacrifice that must come before any future team will have the opportunity to do what past teams have done before. They are the lessons learned and are now the tried and true recipe for success. Want to challenge for the NCC championship, the North Central Region championship, the national championship? Then follow the lead we've set before you, the footprints say.
Though the 2001-02 North Dakota women's basketball team will be young - five juniors, no seniors - and inexperienced - one returning starter - it's still the next team in line to maintain the tradition of success.
"The biggest thing about UND women's basketball is that the players who played before are still here. That's what tradition is all about," says UND coach Gene Roebuck who is entering his 15th season at UND and has overseen the growth of the program from pedestrian to peerless. "The players we have now and the players we have in the future will know what the teams before them have accomplished and they'll understand what they have to do to continue that tradition.
"It can be a burden, but it also lends itself to an excitement every year. We've got a new, young team with no seniors. This year will be a great learning experience for these players, and that's a good thing because they'll all be back next year.
"(The 2001-02 team) has the potential to be a very solid team. From top to bottom, this might be the most even group of players I've had. There is not a lot of difference talent-wise. There is some difference experience-wise, and that's what gives some of the players an edge going into the season, but evenness opens this team up for a lot of challenges and to me that's what makes a team better."
For the 2001-02 team to emulate the type of success its predecessors have had, they will need to break the mold that has worked so well. The 1998 team that went 31-1 returned All-NCC players Jenny Crouse and Tiffany Pudenz, along with Jaime Pudenz, Kami Winger and Katie Richards from the 1997 national championship team. In 1999, Crouse and Jaime Pudenz returned. They were joined by Mandy Arndtson, Katie Richards and Tami Winger from the team that won the 1998 national championship. In 2000, Richards and Pudenz entered the season as All-NCC players, being joined by Arndtson from the 1999 national championship team. Last season, 2001, a solid core of returning seniors - Theresa LeCuyer, Tonia Jones, Jenny Hoffner and Arndtson, who between them had 30 games of NCAA tournament experience - returned to lead the Fighting Sioux back to the national championship game.
This year's edition of the UND women's basketball team will not have that depth of experience. But the cupboard is far from empty.
The Point Guards
"I like what we have at the point in Mary Perrizo and Megan Pick," Roebuck said. "They bring contrasting styles of play to that position. Mary is a little more attack-oriented and offensive-minded. She wants to get the ball and go and one of her strengths is attacking the basket. Megan's game is more about breaking the defense down with solid passing. She's very good at setting up the offense and getting the ball to the right people.
"In basketball the point position is such a critical position. We've been fortunate to always have had good points in the program and this year shouldn't be any different. A team needs the point guard to be the leader on the floor and I think Mary has those qualities. And Megan is a very intellegent player. It's almost like having a coach on the court."
Perrizo, a 5-10 sophomore from Mandan, N.D., will wear the Sioux uniform for the first time this year after transfering from North Dakota State and sitting out last year. As a freshman for the Bison, Perrizo played in 31 games as NDSU advanced to the national championship game. She played just over 11 minutes per game and averaged 4.1 points and 1.8 rebounds.
"Mary will give us a different look than we had last year with Tonia Jones at the point. They both have temendous quickness and the ability to get into the lane, but Mary has the added threat of the outside shot to her game. And at 5-10 she’s got very good size for a guard."
Pick, a 5-7 junior from Annandale, Minn., played in 28 games last season in a reserve role, averaging eight minutes per game, but according to Roebuck has done the things necessary to assume added responsibility this winter.
"Megan has really been patient within the program. She worked very hard this offseason and it looks like she's a step quicker now than she was last year. I think she's ready to step in and give this team a good lift at both the offensive and defensive end of the court."
The Wings
"On the wing we've got a couple of players that have a lot of playing experience," said Roebuck. "Becky Moen was very instrumental for us down the stretch last year and Trish Fleming played a lot of minutes last year in a very good league (the Great Lakes Valley Conference). They combine to give us quality at the wings.
"The other players have some talent, but are untested. Whoever steps forward in practice will get the opportunity to fill an important role."
Moen, a 5-11 junior from Morris, Minn., was simply a role player averaging 5.7 points per game mid-way through the 2001 season, but down the stretch averaged nearly 15 points per game. She was named the co-MVP of the Wells Fargo NCC Finals and to the all-tournament team of both the North Central Regional and Elite Eight.
"Becky has been patient within the system, and that paid dividends for her the second half of last season when she became one of our top scorers. She gained a lot of confidence from that and has since worked hard to step into a more important role, both in leadership and playing time.
"Offensively she has very few weaknesses. She can hit the three, she’s got a good mid-range jumper and she can drive to the basket. She's difficult to defend. We'll rely on her to put up consistent numbers this season."
Fleming, a 5-10 transfer from IUPU-Fort Wayne, will be a junior this year after playing two seasons for the Mastodons. As a sophomore she finished fourth in the nation in scoring with a 20.8 average. She had 14 games in 2001 when she scored over 20 points, including outings of 37, 35 and 32 points.
"In Trish we get a proven scorer and someone who's done it at our level, which is an important distinction," Roebuck said. "Offensively she does things well in every area. She handles the ball well, she passes well and she's a very good shooter. And she even has a good post game if mismatches present themselves. She'll really add some depth to our scoring."
The other wings who will have the opportunity to step into important roles are sophomores Tamar Elias (5-10, Fargo, N.D.) and Tara Zoanni (5-10, Conrad, Mont.), and freshmen Gina Britz (5-10, Shakopee, Minn.) and Jamie Reese (5-8, Crookston, Minn.).
The Posts
"In Jenny Boll, Janel Palbicki and Marisa Leighton, we have three players who have experience in big games. Out of those three, two will start, and that's a good situation. That allows us to rotate with those players. The question is, How will Janel and Marisa handle the increased minutes this year? That's going to be an important spot as a compliment to Jenny, so it'll be critical that we get solid play out of that position."
Boll, a 6-1 junior from Crookston, Minn., was named All-NCC last year after averaging 12.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. She had some of her best performances in some of the Sioux's biggest games last year, scoring 16 points and grabbing a career-high 19 rebounds in UND's win at North Dakota State and matching a career-high with 25 points in the national championship game versus Cal Poly Pomona.
"Jenny is a very driven athlete and has worked very hard in the offseason to improve her game," Roebuck said. "She was not our first option last year, but she knows that she'll be looked upon more this year. She's a player that other teams will key on defensively."
Palbicki, a 6-3 junior from Bloomington, Minn., played in all 33 games last year, averaging 6.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. She averaged just over 15 minutes of playing time per game.
"Janel appears to be ready to make the move from reserve to a 20-to-25 minute player," Roebuck said. "She came back to campus this fall in the best physical condition of her career. In the offseason she made a lot of strides. This could be a break-through year for her. We need her presence and strength inside."
Leighton, a 6-0 sophomore from Minnetonka, Minn., played in 32 games a year ago, averaging 3.2 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.
"We expect Marisa to step up and have an increased role this year," Roebuck said. "She runs the floor and takes the ball to the basket well, and she has an improving outside shot. Defensively, she’s got good quickness and can really defend the passing lanes with her long arms."
Sophomore Kristi Kilander (6-0, Fargo, N.D.), who played in 18 games last year, and freshman Chelsea Hausauer (5-10, Velva, N.D.), while able to play the wing, will also see time at the four. Freshman Megan Glynn (6-3, Fullerton, N.D.) will also provide depth at the post.
The NCC
"Like always, the North Central Conference will be very good," said Roebuck. "But what's changed a little is that the bottom teams are closing the gap with the top teams. The teams that finish in the bottom half of the standings will be much better than the teams that finished in those spots in previous years. Because of that, it's going to be a struggle for whomever wins it.
"I couldn't even begin to predict an outcome. The top teams all lost some quality players, while the teams in the middle of the pack all seem to have a lot back. I think there's going to be a lot of parity. The big question for most of the teams is How will they fill the holes? Like a lot of teams, we’ve got some newcomers, but most of them have some experience, they’re not untested. I think that's a positive for us."
The Wrapup
Even though the 2001-02 North Dakota women's basketball team is young and much less experienced than UND teams of the past half decade, it will face high expectations, courtesy of those past teams who've left the footprints. But wouldn't you rather have it that way than no footprints left behind at all?