A Quick Look At: Carleton

Heard back from Carleton Head Coach Cassie Kosiba yesterday on my inquiry to her about her squad and this upcoming season and she seems to be feeling pretty good about her squad and what they'll be able to do this year:


"I was very pleased with the progress we made last year in both culture and performance.  We made some big changes in philosophy last season knowing it would take at least 2 years to really see the benefits of those changes.....We began to see some of those benefits last season, particularly in our motion offense, and are excited to continue building this season....For the first time in many years, we are a more veteran/experienced team which will hopefully lead to forward progress for this program.  We did not graduate anyone last season and are not in a position where we need new players to step in to fill big holes.  We have great leaders, versatility within our positions and eager new players...This is a great position to be in...The biggest challenge for us will always be the depth of the MIAC.  We have great teams in our conference which makes every game a toss up.  This is also a great benefit as we are challenged every game and, as a result, have an opportunity to grow as a team every game."   


A glance at the 2017-18 Carleton roster reveals why Kosiba and her staff SHOULD feel good about this upcoming season.  Great senior leadership with their primary weapon Anne Hamilton who comes back; presumably healthy from the get-go along with other seniors Sarah Paller, Sarah Waldfogel, Lindsey Chavez, Katherine Miles, and Anna Flitner.  You've got a pretty solid backcourt with sophomore Katie Chavez and Paller and a good front line combo of Hamilton, Waldfogel, junior Cece Leone and Miles.  The nice thing when I look at this roster is that Kosiba really does have that versatility she refers to.  Paller can come in and provide minutes at the point guard spot and fits in just as well at the off-guard position.  Sophomores Samantha Cooke and Malika Adda-Berkane can come in to give quality minutes and let the main chain gang of Hamilton/Waldfogel/Leone/Miles get the breathers when they need them.  Assuming the key components here can stay healthy, the Knights have a very good chance to compete for that coveted sixth spot in the MIAC Playoffs if not better.  Again, the big thing will be making sure those key players stay healthy.  They can ill-afford to lose Hamilton or Leone to an injury.  That's still a delicate balance that the Knights have to tread.  Last season, Carleton had a very good stretch of wins in the month of January; winning six out of seven games.  But things unraveled for them in the critical home stretch and that's where they Knights need to shore things up.

Carleton has an interesting early-season schedule.  They open things up on 11-15 at UW-River Falls out of the WIAC but then get UMAC opponent Northwestern at home in West Gymnasium a little less than a week later on 11-21.  The really interesting set of games comes right after Thanksgiving when they play Crown out of the UMAC on Friday (11-24) and then the next day host Calvin out of the MIAA in the College Town Classic in which crosstown rival St. Olaf will also be participating.  Then it's time for the Knights to dive into MIAC play as they at St. Kate's on Saturday (12-2) and then host SMU the following Wednesday on 12-6.  Roadies to both Macalester and Augsburg follow that.  Additionally, Carleton will be making a trip to the Chicago area in mid-December where they'll face two CCIW opponents - North Park on 12-16 and Elmhurst on 12-17.  It's important for the Knights to come out of this early portion of the schedule in good shape because once they dive back into MIAC play after the first of the year, their first two opponents are a home date with GAC and a roadie to UST.  Yikes. 

A Quick Look At: Hamline

Heard back from new Hamline Head Coach Alex Focke recently and he was gracious enough to invite me to one of his practices when I get up and about (which I'm really thankful for!).  More importantly, he gave me a bit of a synopsis on what he's looking at in his first year as he takes the reigns from Kerri Stockwell who resigned after last season:


"As for our team, it has been fun getting out on the court with our team these past 3 days....We graduated 3 starters from our team last year with Chloe Graves, Tia Diggins and Ivannie Robertson.  They were 3 of our top 6 scorers from last year so those will be some big shoes to fill.  We are returning Alaina Quaranta, Reilly Geistfeld, Kaeli Stayer, Aly Sartain and Morgen Coleman.  They gained valuable experience last year and we will look to them to continue to grow and develop." 


No doubt losing Graves who averaged 11.8 ppg last year not to mention her leadership will be a huge void.  She had an uncanny ability to make things happen on both ends of the floor.  Fortunately for Focke and his staff, they do have Quaranta, the junior from Eau Claire, Wisconsin back.  Quaranta; who led the team in scoring last year with 12.1 ppg will be looked to for scoring again but what likely sets her apart from many other players is that she is an absolute terror on the defensive end and she snared 62 steals last season and I would expect that trend to continue going forward.  Geistfeld made significant strides last year in her freshman season and she'll be counted on heavily to anchor the front line.  But this is still a very young team and consistency is something I'm sure that Focke and his staff will be striving for as the season progresses.

The early part of the Pipers schedule is very manageable.  They start off on the road but those contests are against four UMAC teams:  at Crown on 11-15, at Northwestern on 11-17, at North Central the following day on 11-18, and then a trip up to the Twin Ports on 11-28 to take on UW-Superior.  They'll need to get any head of steam that they can as mighty UST comes a callin' to Hutton Arena on 12-4 to start off MIAC play.  Roadies to both St. Olaf and GAC follow that on 12-6 and 12-9, respectively, followed with a home date against CSB on 12-13.  Hamline has a home non-conference game with UW-Stout three days later on 12-16 and then, after the Christmas break, the Pipers head out for Vegas for (hopefully anyway) some fun and two games as well - against Occidental of the SCIAC and UC-Santa Cruz right before the first of the year. 

A Quick Look At: Bethel

Got a very nice and detailed reply back from Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer late Monday and his outlook for his team for the 2017-18 season.  This is a squad that had a great season last year; recording an overall record of 22-5 (16-2) in MIAC play with those two losses coming to powerhouses UST and GAC.  The Royals lost an incredibly tough MIAC semifinal playoff game to the Gusties down in St. Peter and, despite their solid record, Bethel was denied a berth in the NCAA Tournament; a very unfair snub, IMHO.  That alone should fuel a lot of fire for his squad this season and they'll be out to show that last season was definitely no fluke.  This team is in the elite status of the MIAC and they've earned their way there.

So how does Herbie see his team this year?  Here's how he describes it in his own words:


"We have 4 of 5 starters returning from a 22-5 team that probably overachieved a bit after the loss of Kali (Zimmerman)."

"Key Losses:  Kalli Zimmerman; 3-time All-Conference and All-Region.  Also, Shanni Moorse; 2-time All-Defensive Team and probably the best all-around defender in my time at Bethel."

"Key Returners:  Hannah Johnson; 6'1" junior All-MIAC.  Taite Anderson; 5'11" sophomore All-First Year and All-MIAC.  Abby Miller; 5'3" senior Honorable Mention MIAC (was our best player down the stretch last season and will be relied on for Senior leadership).  Angie Kirchoff; 5'8" senior 3-year starter at PG.  Jasmin Bretoi; 5'9" senior - one of the MIAC's best bench players last year in her first year with us and will be much better in her second season."


So what about the challenges facing Bethel this coming season?  Here's how Herbie sees it:

"Replacing Kalli and Shanni's leadership....Abby and Angie are our captains and are off to a great start but big shoes to fill left by Kalli and Shan....Tough non-conference schedule and 12 of our first 13 games are are road or neutral court games including at UW-River Falls who was 12th in the country when they lost Brynn Liljander and at CSB, at Concordia, at UST, and at SMU in an eight-day stretch before finals....Our only home game prior to January 10 is against George Fox; a perennial top-5 program....However, if we can survive this difficult road stretch in contention, we are then home for 8 of our final 10 MIAC games."


All I can say when I look at the Bethel schedule is - YIKES!  Talk about brutal.  First, the Royals set up camp down at Mt Vernon, Iowa on Union Pacific's "Overland Route" mainline on the campus of Cornell to take on CCIW opponent Carthage on Friday (11-17) and turn around the next day to take on IIAC opponent Buena Vista.  On Tuesday (11-21), Bethel makes that trip across the St. Croix River over to River Falls, Wisconsin to take on said Falcons team.  Then on Saturday (11-25) Bethel finally gets its first home game of the season.  The rub?  It's against that perennial powerhouse George Fox team out of the NWC.  Four days later, Bethel gets something of a breather (if you really want to call it that) as they make the short hop over to Roseville to take on Northwestern out of the UMAC.  Then it's time to dive head first into MIAC play with FOUR STRAIGHT road games:  at CSB on 12-2, then the roadie on U.S. Highway 10 and the BNSF's Staples Sub mainline up to Moorhead to take on Concordia on 12-4.  Then the hop over to St. Paul two days later on 12-6 to take on UST followed by a trip down the Mighty Mississippi and CP Rail's River Sub mainline to Winona to take on SMU three days later on 12-9.  At least the Royals give themselves a chance to bask in the tropics a bit as a trip to Rincon, Puerto Rico is in the offing where they'll take on Westminster out of the PAC on 12-21.  After a well-deserved break for the Christmas holiday, it's time to hit the road again as they go down to St. Olaf shortly after the first of the year on 1-3 and then over to St. Kate's on 1-6 before they finally, FINALLY get to enjoy the friendly confines of Robertson Center again on 1-10 when they host Augsburg.  If that's not enough to get you battle-tested when you delve into the meat of the MIAC season, then I don't know what is.  The key for Bethel here to avoid the season-ending disappointment they suffered last year is to WIN those key, non-conference games against quality opponents - Buena Vista, UW-River Falls, George Fox.  If they do that AND finish in the top three in the MIAC with, say, 23-24 wins, it's going to be difficult to keep them out of the Big Dance.  But they have to take care of business where they can.  The good news for Bethel, however, is that they've got the goods to do it.  The only area where I'm a bit reticent when it comes to Bethel is their depth.  How long will it take for the newcomers and other reserves to develop to the point where Herbie and his staff will feel fully comfortable in giving them quality playing time to give his key starters rest when they need it? 

A Quick Look At: SMU

Got a reply back from SMU Head Coach Brent Pollari; now in this third season as head coach of the Cardinals down the River in Winona.  The Cardinals finished 13-12 last year overall (7-11 in MIAC play) but faded badly down the stretch; going 2-8 in their final ten games that cost them that coveted sixth spot in the MIAC playoffs. 

The first thing that caught my eye when I glanced at the roster on the SMU website was the incredible number of new faces coming on to the roster this season - 14 freshmen in all.  Only one senior is back for this season - Alexa Huisman from Adrian.  One sophomore and four juniors make up the rest of the roster so obviously youth abounds on this team.  Still, Pollari has an air of optimism about his young team:

"I am excited about this year....We graduated key pieces with Emma Schaefer, Sam Jones and Brigitte Audette graduating....As you probably know, our program was very thin with numbers the last couple of seasons but we hope to have that fixed by bringing in 15 new freshmen....So far we are looking good but we will be young....Key returners are Brandi Blattner, Lex Huisman and Kirsten Keefe....We should be a lot deeper this year but not as experienced."


That's probably the best analysis in a nutshell that you could come up with.  No doubt, losing players like Schaefer who was a wiz in the backcourt along with frontline players like Jones and Audette hurts.  Still, having someone like Blattner back who may very well be one of the best players in the MIAC is huge for this SMU team and the junior and former Dover-Eyota standout will have to carry a huge load this year if the Cardinals hope to vie for a MIAC playoff berth.  But the main focus this season for Pollari and his staff will be developing the influx of young players in this program and hoping that they can contribute - soon.  One of the newbies that stuck out in my mind this last summer at the Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League was Claire Patterson out of Stillwater.  She just stuck out to me as someone who has the capability to step up in big-game situations and that would be a huge plus for Pollari and this young squad if that is indeed the case.  I would expect that junior Brittany Flom out of Kenyon-Wanamingo will also figure heavily in the Cardinals success this season as well.

Outlook:  The Cardinals open things up the first weekend in November when they travel across town to take on Winona State in an exhibition game on Saturday (11-4).  They host Martin Luther out of the UMAC at home on Wednesday (11-15) before traveling up to St. Joe for something of a MIAC-WIAC-UMAC Challenge - they take on UW-La Crosse on Friday (11-17) and then UM-Morris the next day (Saturday 11-18).  A trip down the River and CP Rail's River and Marquette Subs to Dubuque, Iowa is in the offing as they take on Dubuque out of the IIAC on Tuesday (11-21) and then it's a trip across the River to WIAC opponent UW-Eau Claire on Sunday (11-26) before a home date on Wednesday (11-29) with UMAC opponent  St. Scholastica.  It's critical, IMHO, for the Cards to come out of this non-conference slate in good shape as their first two MIAC games are at Augsburg and Carleton.  Right after that, Bethel will come a callin'.  So it will be interesting to see how this young squad holds up by the first part of December.

A Quick Look At: CSB

Got a very nice reply from CSB Head Coach Mike Durbin yesterday on my inquiry to him about his squad this upcoming season.  His analysis was pretty much what I had expected as his squad went 16-11 overall last season (11-7 in MIAC play).  Durbin acknowledges that there's some holes to fill with the graduation losses of Annie Dittberner, Alison Newton, Macy Kelly and Grace Pouliot.  Still there's reason for optimism as the Blazers return a solid core of players that bring a lot of experience (not to mention length) for the 2017-18 season.  First, let's look at the roster that Durbin provided me as practices are now underway up in St. Joe:

Practice Roster   Position   Hometown/ High School
4 Danee Voss   Forward/Wing   Minneapolis, MN (Southwest High School)
5 Bre Gates   Wing    Big Lake, MN (Red Wing High School)
10 Haylee Fingalsen  Wing    Rogers, MN (Rogers High School)
11 Maddie Schmitz  Forward/Wing   St. Martin, MN (Albany High School)
12 Megan Thompson  Post    Inver Grove Heights, MN (Holy Angels)
13 Sophie Koeppl  Wing    Edina, MN (Providence Academy)
14 Chelsey Guetter  Wing    Wabasso, MN (Wabasso High School)
15 Shae Olsen   Post    Plymouth, MN (Wayzata High School)
21 Sidney Schiffler  Point    Albany, MN (Albany High School)
22 Hallie Euerle  Forward   Litchfield, MN (Litchfield High School)
23 Taylor Fields  Forward/Wing   Brooklyn Park, MN (Champlin Park)
24 Courtney Nelson  Wing    Big Lake, MN (Big Lake High School)
25 Sarah Ouimet  Point    Mundelein, IL (Mundelein High School)
31 Sarah Carney  Post    Traverse City, MI (Glen Lake High School)
33 Jo Merten   Wing    Rice, MN (Holdingford High School)
34 Megan Anderson  Post    Omaha, NE (Marian High School)
35 Alex Johnson  Post    Becker, MN (Becker High School)
41 Niki Fokken   Forward/Post   Oronoco, MN (Pine Island High School)
42 Kate Banovetz  Post    Minneapolis, MN (Holy Angels)
44 Jenna Steichen  Wing    Overland Park, KS (St. Thomas Aquinas)

And here's a closer look at the actual roster the way things are shaping up right now postion-wise although this is certainly not a depth chart:

Point Guard:

Sidney Schiffler (so)

Megan Thompson (fy)

Sarah Oimet (fy)

Shae Olsen (fy)

Sarah Carney (fy)

Wing:

Chelsey Guetter (sr)

Courtney Nelson (jr)

Breanna Gates (jr)

Taylor Fields (so)

Haylee Fingalsen (fy)

Jo Merten (fy)

Sophie Koeppl (fy)

Jenna Steichen (fy)

Forward:

Niki Fokken (sr)

Maddie Schmitz (fy)

Danee Voss (fy)

Post:

Kate Banovetz (sr)

Alex Johnson (so)

Megan Anderson (fy)

Hallie Euerle (fy)

As I mentioned, although Durbin certainly hasn't pegged a depth chart as of yet; much less a starting five, you can pretty much bet that things will revolve around Guetter, Fokken and Banovetz.  Schiffler appears to be the heir apparent at the point guard spot and she got some valuable experience with considerable playing time last year.

So what are the strengths of this team?  Here's what Durbin has to say about that:

 Strengths

Overall - senior leadership more depth, especially in the back ct, more athletic, a very good defensive team, good rebounding team
Front court - experienced, talented, deep (Kate Banovetz, Niki Fokken, Alex Johnson, Chelsey Guetter)
Pt guard - Sidney Schiffler, logged lots of minutes last year (started last 4 games when Ali got hurt) 

Areas that need to develop
Overall - need to improve from the arc and FT line
Back court - inexperienced based on minutes played (Sidney, Bre Gates, Courtney Nelson)
 - back ct depth will come from first year players 
Need to replace 19 pts from 3 graduating seniors 

When I take a look at this roster, there's no question that CSB appears set on the front line with Guetter, Fokken and Baonvetz.  And I think Schiffler will eventually settle in and feel confident at the all-important PG spot to make things run smooth.  But again, as Durbin points out, the Blazers need to find a way to replace all those points that Dittberner, Newton and Kelly provided.  For me, it will be interesting to see who emerges at the off-guard position to bolster the backcourt.

And, as you likely noticed, Durbin has a lot of new, young faces coming into the picture as well.  Here's how he breaks that down:

Top Incoming Players:

Maddie Schmitz

Megan Thompson

Haylee Fingalsen

Jo Merten

Megan Anderson

Obviously, getting a new group of freshmen feeling comfortable at the college level and learning a totally new system does not happen overnight.  I don't know any of these players personally but knowing Durbin's ability to get quality recruits into CSB, I would expect that he'll develop these players into solid performers with work and experience.  

Outlook:

For the most part, CSB's early season schedule appears favorable as they open things up in mid-November (unfortunately for me, the very same weekend as the UCLA-USC and LA Rams-Minnesota Vikings games) with home dates against UM-Morris out of the UMAC and then the following day against UW-La Crosse - both winnable games for the Blazers.  They then get UW-Superior at Claire Lynch three days later on 11-21 which they SHOULD get through without too much trouble.  The bigger tests come right after Thanksgiving as the Blazers head down to my home state of Iowa where they'll first take on Buena Vista on Friday (11-24) and then host Simpson on Saturday (11-25).  If the Blazers can come out of those two games against IIAC opponents with at least a split, they should feel pretty good about themselves going into their game against UW-Eau Claire in the friendly confines of Claire Lynch on Wednesday (11-29) before they dive head-first into MIAC play against Bethel; again at home in Claire Lynch on Saturday (12-2).   

Another Season Is Upon Us!

Hard to believe we're in the middle of October yet again and with it, a brand new season has dawned.  Some of the faces change over the years but the objective for each squad always remains the same - to win a championship. 

These last few months have been trying for me as I have been suffering from a problematic right hip that sidelined me from the tennis this last summer and I just underwent stem cell therapy treatment almost two weeks ago.  I believe I'm on the road to recovery but am still getting around with crutches for the time being so it'll probably be a while yet before I can get out and start seeing things.  What I hope to do in the meantime is to give a capsule analysis of all the MIAC teams that I can plus some others as well (Anoka-Ramsey, Northwestern, and Concordia St. Paul and give a bit of a preview of what they have and what challenges each squad faces.  It's always a fun time of the year as teams begin the push toward another season and if last year is any indication, it will be an incredibly competitive process. 

As always, feel free to drop any thoughts or suggestions along the way.  Here we go!

Change Coming For St. Kate's

Earlier this week, St. Kate's Athletic Director Eric Stacey announced that Sean Pinkerton; who had been at the helm of the women's basketball program the last five seasons, was stepping down as Head Coach to accept a similar position at Oswego State out of the SUNYAC.  Pinkerton; who hails from upper New York state and graduated from Hamilton College in '05, compiled a 44-81 during his five-year stint which at first glance may seem hardly impressive but that doesn't reflect the fact that each subsequent year he was able to take the team up another notch.  From a dismal 2-23 record in 2012-13, the 'Cats upped that record to 4-21 the following season and then notched a 10-15 record in the 2014-15 season and then went 14-11 the following year.  This last season, the Wildcats went 15-11 and hard work and perseverance enabled Pinkerton to get St. Kate's into the MIAC Playoffs for the first time since the 2009-10 season.  And keep in mind that St. Kate's doesn't have all the natural advantages that a school such as UST, GAC, Concordia or CSB has to offer.  This guy turned the St. Kate's program from nothing into something in a relatively short period of time.

I hate to see Pinkerton leave.  I consider him a good friend and a coach I can always talk to after a hard game - win or lose.  I probably learned more of the nuances of the game than I have from any other coach or player and the business of how conferences and the NCAA work.  But, at the same time, this is a great opportunity for him to get closer to home and his family back in New York and you can't blame him for that.  And no doubt he'll work his magic at Oswego State in a very tough SUNYAC that includes the likes of perennial powerhouse SUNY Geneseo that went 28-2 last year and made a nice little run in the NCAA Tournament along with SUNY New Paltz; another NCAA Tournament participant and SUNY Oneonta.  Even more interesting is that recent St. Kate's grad Mari Lee will be Pinkerton's assistant at Oswego State.

Now the burden lies with St. Kate's Stacey who must gather up a short list of names and make a good choice to lead the program forward.  Many times the process is a bit easier as these things usually happen in March and April after the season has ended.  But the fact that this happened in late July/early August gives Stacey a very short window of time to work with and an equally short window of time for any future coach to get himself/herself acclimated to a new surrounding and acquainted with the players as well and sell (quite possibly) an entirely new system to them - never an easy task.  I think if anyone can make a good hire in a relatively short period of time, it's Stacey but there will be a lot of pressure on him to make the right hire and for the new coach - whoever that is - to keep the beat that Pinkerton had going.

Also, I want to apologize for those who have been following my blog for the Women's College Summer League and who had hoped to see the results of the playoffs that concluded there last night.  I have been experiencing some serious issues with my right hip that has hampered my ability to get around the way I would normally like (not to mention keeping me off the tennis court and the workout room as well).  I'm currently undergoing treatment for my hip issue and when it comes time for me to take the next step - whatever that is - I'll let you know.