Post by rainman on Oct 21, 2007 7:42:13 GMT -5
WVU women ‘have all the pieces’ to be successful
By Bob Hertzel
For the Times West Virginian
MORGANTOWN— There is a nationally ranked basketball team at West Virginia University and, no, it isn’t the one coached by Bob Huggins that won the NIT championship last season.
As difficult as it is for those who recall the days when the Mountaineer women’s team was as likely to get beat by 30 points as they were to beat some sacrificial lamb from Podunk U., it is Mike Carey’s women’s team.
Bolstered by the return of star Meg Bulger from a pair of knee surgeries that cost her a year and a half, deep and experienced at every position, the women believe they are ready to make a run at the Big East championship and deep into the NCAA Tournament.
“We have all the pieces,” said senior forward LaQuita Owens as Carey began putting those pieces together. “No excuses this year. We can’t say we don’t have Meg.”
The truth is they can’t say they lack anything.
With Bulger, once the Big East’s leading scorer, back in place at one wing and Owens, a shooter who hit 91 3-pointers last year while averaging 13.5 points a game, on the other wing, the Mountaineers can shoot from the outside.
With center Yinka Sanni returning inside as the team’s leading scorer at 14 points a game and with slashing Chakhia Cole bringing back her 11.9 average, point guard Ashley Powell has a gold mine of options each time down the court.
All she has to follow is the major rule Carey has in place for her.
“We make it real simple for her,” he said. “Hit the open man.”
No force feeding Bulger, as was done in the past. No hammering into Sanni as she often had to do when Bulger was out.
Just get the ball to whomever is open, and surely someone will be for with so many choices defenses can’t simple concentrate on one person.
“Any team is better when it doesn’t rely on one person,” Powell said. “We proved last year we could do it without Meg. If you have just one scorer, teams know it and they figure you have nowhere else to go if they take that scorer out of the game.”
Now, if they take Bulger out of the game, there’s Owens or Sanni or Cole or any of a number of scorers like Sparkle Davis, who can come off the bench.
“Who can stop us? That’s how I look at it,” Powell said.
Now there does still remain some question about Bulger’s recovery. While she is practicing, no one seems sure if she will be ready to go all out for 30 minutes a game or more once the season begins.
“My philosophy is that now’s the time to find out if she can play,” Carey said. “We have practicing and we’re not being easy on her. The last couple of days I’ve seen her make strides.”
Bulger’s offensive skills can’t be questioned. Whether or not she can pick up on the full-court pressing defense that Carey is incorporating into his game plan this year is another story.
“We tease Meg, tell her it doesn’t matter, she never plays defense anyway,” said Carey, laughing at his own joke.
As strong as WVU is on offense, it is a stronger defensive team. Carey stresses defense as evidenced by holding opponents last year to just 56.3 points a game, only three teams all year scoring more than 70 points and 19 teams scoring 60 or fewer.
“This team’s strength will be defense,” Carey said. “I stress it every day. If you don’t play defense, you don’t play and I usually stick to that.”
The WVU women open the season Nov. 9 at home against Canisius.
By Bob Hertzel
For the Times West Virginian
MORGANTOWN— There is a nationally ranked basketball team at West Virginia University and, no, it isn’t the one coached by Bob Huggins that won the NIT championship last season.
As difficult as it is for those who recall the days when the Mountaineer women’s team was as likely to get beat by 30 points as they were to beat some sacrificial lamb from Podunk U., it is Mike Carey’s women’s team.
Bolstered by the return of star Meg Bulger from a pair of knee surgeries that cost her a year and a half, deep and experienced at every position, the women believe they are ready to make a run at the Big East championship and deep into the NCAA Tournament.
“We have all the pieces,” said senior forward LaQuita Owens as Carey began putting those pieces together. “No excuses this year. We can’t say we don’t have Meg.”
The truth is they can’t say they lack anything.
With Bulger, once the Big East’s leading scorer, back in place at one wing and Owens, a shooter who hit 91 3-pointers last year while averaging 13.5 points a game, on the other wing, the Mountaineers can shoot from the outside.
With center Yinka Sanni returning inside as the team’s leading scorer at 14 points a game and with slashing Chakhia Cole bringing back her 11.9 average, point guard Ashley Powell has a gold mine of options each time down the court.
All she has to follow is the major rule Carey has in place for her.
“We make it real simple for her,” he said. “Hit the open man.”
No force feeding Bulger, as was done in the past. No hammering into Sanni as she often had to do when Bulger was out.
Just get the ball to whomever is open, and surely someone will be for with so many choices defenses can’t simple concentrate on one person.
“Any team is better when it doesn’t rely on one person,” Powell said. “We proved last year we could do it without Meg. If you have just one scorer, teams know it and they figure you have nowhere else to go if they take that scorer out of the game.”
Now, if they take Bulger out of the game, there’s Owens or Sanni or Cole or any of a number of scorers like Sparkle Davis, who can come off the bench.
“Who can stop us? That’s how I look at it,” Powell said.
Now there does still remain some question about Bulger’s recovery. While she is practicing, no one seems sure if she will be ready to go all out for 30 minutes a game or more once the season begins.
“My philosophy is that now’s the time to find out if she can play,” Carey said. “We have practicing and we’re not being easy on her. The last couple of days I’ve seen her make strides.”
Bulger’s offensive skills can’t be questioned. Whether or not she can pick up on the full-court pressing defense that Carey is incorporating into his game plan this year is another story.
“We tease Meg, tell her it doesn’t matter, she never plays defense anyway,” said Carey, laughing at his own joke.
As strong as WVU is on offense, it is a stronger defensive team. Carey stresses defense as evidenced by holding opponents last year to just 56.3 points a game, only three teams all year scoring more than 70 points and 19 teams scoring 60 or fewer.
“This team’s strength will be defense,” Carey said. “I stress it every day. If you don’t play defense, you don’t play and I usually stick to that.”
The WVU women open the season Nov. 9 at home against Canisius.
