2000-2001 Women's Basketball Season Outlook
11/1/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Sue Darling, entering her third season as head coach, helms a talented and dedicated coaching staff with the will and desire to make women's basketball a winning program. Statistically, her teams have improved in each of her three seasons, both offensively and defensively, and she has gained valuable coaching experience. Robyne Bostick returns as an assistant coach, and is joined by newcomer Marc Acker, an assistant coach from Tucson, Ariz. Although this is Acker's first coaching stint at the collegiate level, he has been involved in basketball his entire life.
"Acker is one of the most knowledgeable persons I know in basketball," Darling said. "He has a great work ethic, and he has a passion and love for the game. He has a strong teaching ability and the ability to connect with the athletes."
The 2000-01 season will be a pivotal season for the Falcons. The team loses seven players from last year's team. Among those lost are starters Megan Thiedeman and Mollie Peters, who accounted for 45 percent of the team's offense in 1999-2000. Lindsay Payne, who started 12 games last season, and Kylene Grove have also left the team, leaving the Falcons without any seniors on this year's team. Despite the loss of key players at key positions, the Falcons have a solid core of returning players. And despite there being no seniors on the team, there is great leadership in the junior class.
"We have players coming back that know what it takes to win at the Division I level and are willing to do what it takes to win at the Division I level and to win within our conference," Darling said. "The returning players have raised our level of work ethic. They are talented players."
RETURNEES
C2C (Jr.) Rozalyn Russ will take the leadership role as team captain. She is coming off an outstanding season, where she broke the Falcons' Division I record for most rebounds in a season with 162. She also averaged 9.9 points per game, third best on the team. In January 2000, Russ led her team to a win over San Diego State, snapping a 37-game conference losing streak. She was named Mountain West Conference player of the week for her efforts.
Russ will supported by C3C (So.) Morgan Bennett and C2C Samantha Clifton. Bennett started 23 games as a freshman last year and was one of the Falcons' most consistent players. Bennett, a guard, was particularly strong defensively, where she was second on the team with 43 steals. Clifton started 13 games at forward and became a key player on the boards. Averaging just 20 minutes a game, Clifton grabbed 115 rebounds, third best on the team.
C2C ShaNekia Peebles, a 5-3 guard, will be expected to regain her role as a starter. C2C Alison Tomlinson returns to the team after a one-year hiatus. Tomlinson played on the team in 1998-99. She will be a solid contender for a starting position at the guard position. C2C Sarah Albright (guard) and C3C Wendy Stillman (forward) say limited playing time last year, but will add depth at their positions.
NEWCOMERS
For the Falcons to be successful, they will need help from their recruiting class. The Falcons bring in 12 new players, four of which are expected to step in immediately and make an impact at the varsity level. Amoy Jackson, a 5-8 forward from Houston, Texas, is the Falcons' top recruit. Jackson averaged 17.5 points and 11 rebounds per game her senior season at Cypress Creek High School. She was selected to the 5A All-District second team, a top honor for Houston schools. Other top recruits to watch include Andrea Jennings (Peoria, Ill.), Melonie San Pietro (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Shawna Neff (Anderson, Ind.).
"This is the most talented freshman class we've ever brought in," Darling said. "Our recruiting classes have been better and better each year. This year's group is extremely talented; we are going to depend a lot upon our freshmen."
SCHEDULE
The Falcons' difficult schedule will challenge the young group of players. There will be no easy victories for the Falcons, as each game will serve to help the team grow quickly and become better. It will also prepare the team for its tough conference schedule.
In non-conference action, the Falcons open with Denver, who was picked to finish first in the Sun Belt conference. They will look to get revenge against Southern Utah, North Texas, Nevada and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi - teams which defeated Air Force last season. They will face Penn and Alabama-Birmingham - two schools with all-American candidates. They face Baylor and Navy - schools with a history of solid basketball programs. The Falcons face Lafayette and Army on the road - teams which the Falcons defeated last season at home.
Then the Falcons enter their Mountain West conference schedule, looking to improve upon their 1-13 conference record from last season. The team expects to win between four and eight conference games.
"The beauty of our conference is that it always going to be tough," Darling said. "If our conference wasn't one of the toughest in the nation, we wouldn't get some of the toughest recruits in the nation. We wouldn't be expected to perform at a very high level."
OVERALL
The combination of dedicated group of returning players and a strong recruiting class should help provide numerous wins for the Air Force women's basketball team in 2000-01.
"The strength of our team is going to be our team work and our team play," Darling said. "Each player - the returning players and the newcomers - will play an integral part in what we are doing and how successful we will be."
