Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Embark on 2006-07 Campaign Friday
11/8/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 8, 2006
Valpo Notes
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Evanston, Ill. -- The Wildcats begin the 2006-07 season at 6 p.m. Friday against Valparaiso at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The contest is the first game of a double-header Friday night, with the men's basketball team clashing with Cornell following the women's matchup at 8:30 p.m.
"Friday night sets the tone for our season," head coach Beth Combs said. "Our team has put in the time, energy and attitude to make this a special year. We are ready and I am looking forward to watching them play together and lay it on the line Friday night."
Here are some things to keep in mind when heading to Welsh-Ryan on Friday:
• Men's basketball season ticket holders receive free admission to the women's game.
• Seniors (60 &over) receive admission to the game for only $2.
• Friday is Heroes' Day. That means armed service members, public safety officials and their families receive free admission with a photo ID. Offer valid day of the game only.
With this year's campaign about to begin, NUsports.com caught up with head coach Beth Combs to get her thoughts on this year's squad.
Last year Sara Stutz saw time at several different positions. What kind of role do you see her taking on this year?
Sara has put a ton of time into her game in the postseason and then in the summer. Our goal this year is to keep her out of the point and on the wing. She's a scorer and a shooter and we are going to do our best to keep her on the wing. We've made that clear to her and we've made that clear to the rest of her teammates, so everybody has to carry their weight a little bit.
Our returners have come back with a new mission and a new focus. They worked out a lot together this summer and are in fantastic shape. They went to camps and made themselves better. They've done everything they need to do to get better and it's been a great preseason seeing our upperclassmen where they are now compared to a year ago.
Discuss the competition in the backcourt.
I think that Beth (Marshall) and Nadia (Bibbs) are going to be fighting for time at the point. Nadia is one of those returnees who has come in in fantastic shape. Her exposure this summer with the Mexican National Team has helped her confidence.
Beth is a fantastic point guard and I think the competition between the two of them is making all of us better. Nadia knows she hasn't won the starting position and Beth wants to get it. They're both fighting for a spot and they both bring very different things to the table. Nadia is a slasher, a passer and likes to run the floor. Beth is more of a set shooter who looks to set the offense. They're going to be able to give our team very different looks. It's a win-win situation.
Talk a little bit about the other freshmen. You added some more height with Kaitlin McInerney down low and Lakhiyia Hicks seems like she brings some athleticism and versatility.
We're very pleased with this class. On paper, it's the 74th-best recruiting class in the country. Beth comes from a fantastic program. She's played some of the best players in the country. Lakhiyia (Hicks) was an unknown. She was definitely a diamond in the rough that we were able to steal. No one saw her because she didn't play AAU. But she's an athlete, a slasher and a good defender. She has progressed daily and is willing to do whatever it takes. She's going to bring a dynamic to our team that we haven't had.
Kaitlin McInerney is a workhorse. She comes from the same AAU program as Nadia and Erin and she loves to bang down low, loves the put-backs and loves the contact. She needs to get stronger, as most freshmen do, but she's going to make a difference for us right away, so we're excited about her.
Kristin Cartwright had a great freshman campaign, leading the team in several statistical categories. What do you expect from her now that she's had a year of Big Ten basketball under her belt?
I think that players make the biggest jump from their freshman to sophomore year and Kristin is definitely proof of that. She has come in with confidence. She's getting it done. She's come in stronger and faster. These first couple of weeks I expect Kristin to step up. Being a starter is not going to be enough from her anymore. She's got a great game and she now has the confidence and attitude to go along with it.
A.J. Glasauer and Holly Palin are the team's seniors. What are the different strengths they bring to the team?
Holly is a field hockey walk-on that we gave a scholarship to this year. She is not a basketball player, but she makes your basketball team better. She's the first person to dive on the floor, the first person to spring to the ball. She's the first person to knock somebody down and the first person to pick them up. She's the strongest kid we have in the weight room and her attitude and work ethic are contagious. She's one of those student-athletes that is willing to do anything to make everybody around her better.
A.J. is looking to make things different her senior year. She has taken on a leadership role and is willing to put this team on her back a little bit. We've made her captain. She said to me in the postseason that she wanted to lead this team. She wanted her senior season to be something she could look back on proudly and she's doing everything she needs to do to take this team with her. She's always been a great ball player.
Seven opponents were ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. Talk a little bit about the schedule and what the thought process was while constructing it.
Putting together a schedule is tough, because you need to do a couple things. You're thinking about how you're going to prepare for the league. In your nonconference schedule you get some parity between playing some games that you can win at home and preparing for one of the toughest conferences in the country. DePaul is a no-brainer for us. They're a fantastic team, but they're here in the city. Our goal as a program is to win the city and you need to play DePaul to hold that mark. We're going out to Utah to play in an extremely tough environment, which will be fantastic for our players. We need to walk into our first Big Ten game on the road this year and know what it's like and nothing prepares you for that like playing top-ranked teams. Our goal is to win the first game of the Bahamas Tournament (Junkanoo Jam), so we can play Maryland, because you only learn by playing the best. For us, we can take small victories away from that, but our goal is to play the Terps.
Your leading scorer and rebounder, Ifeoma Okonkwo, graduated. Who are you looking at to step up and fill that role?
I think the thing that's going to make us good is that any person on our team has that ability to be our go-to player. We would like A.J. to be our consistent go-to. She needs to carry us not only in scoring but with her leadership, but I see a lot of people on this team who could step up and be our leading scorer or rebounder. The person that I would most like to see have that breakout year is Julie Bielawski. Julie has an unbelievable amount of talent and doesn't realize how good she is. She's as strong as anybody we're going to play in the league. She's got as nice a touch as anybody we're going to play in the league. If we're going to be successful, we need someone like Julie Bielawski to step up and make a difference for this program.
Talk a little about where the program is now and how the tools you have put in place for this season will take this program to the next level.
This is our third year in the program. I think our players have a new focus. I think our freshmen have raised the bar. The addition of new staff members and bringing in freshmen always leads to new ideas, new focuses, and enthusiasm, and we need to take advantage of that. Obviously we're very lucky to have the staff we do now and to bring in someone like Kelly Komara who has played professionally, who has won a national championship, who is someone that our girls have seen on the floor and can look up to is spectacular. We're excited about that, but I think when it comes down to it, our team is taking ownership and if they continue to do that, good things will happen.
It's just a matter of our team getting together and making a decision that we want to make our mark. We want to make our mark at Northwestern University. You have a group of 12 young women and a coaching staff that is willing to make themselves better. It's not what you do; it's how you do it. It's not the quantity of your time; it's the quality of your time. This team has come with a new focus and a renewed motivation. Our job is to put them in the best positions to succeed and to give them the tools and the guidelines to build a team, but it's up to them to achieve it.
