Sunday, November 13, 2011
Coach Sees Many Options With Deep, Talented Roster
WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- The options are many as coach Michelle Ferenz sorts through a Whitman College women's basketball roster of three seniors and three rookies wrapped around nine juniors and sophomores.
"In terms of kids who can play, this group has the potential to be the deepest we've ever had," Ferenz says on the eve of her 11th season at Whitman.
"The challenge for the coaching staff is to get everyone playing together. We've had a few kids rise to the top already, but playing time at other positions is still a day-to-day battle, which is good."
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| Ferenz |
Quality depth will be a necessity rather than a luxury as Whitman moves toward a more up-tempo style of play.
Whitman's lone loss to graduation was Rebecca Sexton, who at 6-foot-3 anchored a half-court attack in recent years.
"With Rebecca gone, we need to use the strengths we have with this roster, which are quickness and depth," Ferenz says.
"We'll look to run more on offense and press more on defense. That means we'll need to sub more, and we have the players to do that.
"We also can use different line-ups and rotations depending on who is playing well for us and the match-ups we're facing with other teams."
Whitman finished fourth in a rugged Northwest Conference last winter while dropping no fewer than six close decisions to the teams that ended the season at the top of the standings.
"The league was tough, but we were a little inconsistent at times," Ferenz says. "Part of the problem was that our first-year kids had to play a lot of minutes. That's a lot to ask at this level."
Ferenz likes her latest crop of new players, noting that one or two might well contribute right from the start. But, she adds, "we shouldn't have to put the new kids into as many pressure situations as we did a year ago."
Whitman won't be alone in the NWC in terms of bringing more experience to bear this season.
"None of the teams in conference lost much to graduation," Ferenz says. "The NWC was good last year, but not as good as it's going to be this season. From top to bottom, this could be one of the top two NCAA Division III conferences in the nation."
George Fox and Lewis & Clark are the two NWC teams listed in one national preseason poll, but "we can compete with anyone in our conference," Ferenz says. "We've added to our talent, depth and experience, and we've got great leadership."
Opening at Home: Six of Nine at Sherwood
Whitman plays six of its first nine games at home, starting Tuesday when NAIA Division I powerhouse Lewis-Clark State rolls into town for a 6 p.m. tilt at Sherwood Center.
After heading next weekened to Massachusetts for NCAA Division III games against Williams and Tufts, the Missionaries make a much shorter trip to Kirkland, Wash., on Nov. 23 to play the NAIA's Northwest University.
Whitman hosts its first two NWC games on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 2-3, against George Fox and Lewis & Clark, the two teams ranked in the preseason Top 25.
The Missionaries stay at home Dec. 9-10 for the annual Kim Evanger Raney Memorial Classic and then host a final pre-Christmas non-conference game against Portland's Warner Pacific on Dec. 17.
Veteran Leadership: Senior Triumvirate
A trio of battle-tested seniors are ready to lead from the top of the Missionary roster.
Jenele Peterson, a 5-foot-7 point guard and team captain, is back for a fifth year after losing a season two winters ago to a knee injury. She bounced back nicely last year, making the All-NWC First Team while averaging 13.6 points and 3.0 assists per game.
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| J. Peterson |
She knocked down 80 percent of her free throws and led the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio. An all-conference player in each of her three seasons, she starts her final campaign with 859 career points, needing just 141 points to become the 13th player in the program's history to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
"Playing a more up-tempo game will fit Jenele's skill set," Ferenz says. "She likes to run and push the ball.
"She knows how to play, and she knows our conference as well as anyone. She still needs to get her points this season, but we look for her assist numbers to go up.
"With the talent we have on this year's roster, there will be opportunities for Jenele to get the ball to her teammates. She can capitalize on whatever the defense makes available."
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| Keyes |
Jennifer Keyes and Anna Forge, the other two seniors on the roster, are both graduates of Walla Walla High School.
Keyes, a 5-foot-5 sharp-shooter, also serves as a captain and is poised for her most healthy season since her rookie year.
"Jenn is one of the best shooters in the conference, and this is the most healthy she's been in a long while," Ferenz says. "She wants to have a good, healthy season, but she's also very team-oriented. She's a great leader, and what she wants most is for the team do well."
While hobbled a bit last season, Keyes averaged 8.2 points and was third in the NWC in 3-point accuracy, making 41.7 percent (40-96) of her attempts. She was 44 of 109 (40.4 percent) from the 3-point stripe in her first season.
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| Forge |
"When Jenn gets her feet set behind the 3-point arc, she is absolutely deadly," Ferenz says. "But she's also a gamer who knows how to play. We had her rated as one of our most efficient players last year. She sees the floor like a point guard, even if she is a shooter."
Forge, a 5-foot-10 wing, is also back for a fifth year after suffering a season-ending knee injury at about the same time as Peterson.
Like Peterson, Forge made a nice recovery last season, averaging 5.2 points and 4.9 rebounds while blocking 27 shots in 26 games. That made her the fourth-best shot blocker in the conference.
"Anna's knee was still giving her some trouble last season, and she was inconsistent at times," Ferenz says. "The knee is stronger now, and she's off to a very good start.
"She's doing a much better job of letting the game come to her. Anna is one of the most athletic kids in our conference, so she has to guard against the temptation of trying to do too much.
"The up-tempo game also fits Anna's skill set. Her quickness and jumping ability can really help us. As a defender, she's definitely the answer with some tough match-ups.
Junior Class: Experienced Talent
Forward Mary Madden and guards Kelly Peterson and Emilie Gilbert are back for their their seasons while junior transfer Shiann Dreadfulwater joins the roster after two stand-out seasons at Walla Walla Community College.
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| K. Peterson |
Dreadfulwater, a 5-foot-8 guard, will help in any number of ways, Ferenz says. "There aren't many weaknesses in her game. She's smart, athletic, runs the floor, plays defense and is versatile enough to play all three perimeter positions.
"She also gives us something we didn't have at times last year, which is a big guard. We've been shoved around at times when we were a little too short or a little too skinny. That won't happen with Shiann."
Dreadfulwater earned all-region honors for WWCC last season, and her transition thus far to Whitman has been seamless, Ferenz says. "It will be hard to keep her off the floor."
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| Madden |
Kelly Peterson (no relation to Jenele), a 5-foot-8 rebounding guard, hit the ground running in her rookie season when a rash of knee injuries hit the Missionaries. She averaged 11.4 points and 4.0 rebounds that season, making the All-NWC Second Team.
Her contributions continued last season as she averaged 8.0 points and 4.4 rebounds, earning All-NWC Honorable Mention recognition.
"Kelly is a kid who gets an A-plus for effort every day," Ferenz says. "Her work ethic is phenomenal. No one outworks her."
This season's Missionary roster means Peterson's role will be changing. "Kelly loves to play a physical defensive game and crash the boards. She will have more freedom to do the things she really loves to do."
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| Dreadfulwater |
Peterson also knows when and how to get after her teammates.
"Kelly's heart is all about helping her team. She is the nicest kid in the world, but she gets after it on the floor. If things aren't going our way, she'll tell her teammates what needs to happen. They respect and respond to her because they know how much she puts into the game."
Madden, a 5-foot-10 forward who was Kelly Peterson's high school teammate in Huntington Beach, Calif., was slowed by knee problems of her own last season. Still, she averaged 5.0 points and 3.8 rebounds and showed signs of better games to come.
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| Gilbert |
"Mary is playing really well to start this season," Ferenz says. "She's confident, seeing the floor well, taking good shots and playing well defensively.
"Mary gives us a strong presence around the hoop. She makes good decisions and shoots the ball well, which is just what we need from our forwards."
Gilbert, a 5-foot-7 guard, is a two-sport athlete who has yet to join the basketball team on a full-time basis. She just qualified for the national cross country championships, which take place Nov. 19 in Wisconsin.
"We're always glad to get Emilie back on the floor, but she's knows she'll be behind and have to battle for playing time," Ferenz says. "I'm sure she'll give it everything she has when she gets back. That's just the kind of person and player she is."
Sophomore Handful: Rising Stars
Whitman's sophomore class is five deep, counting a second-year junior, and brimming with ability and potential.
Sarah Anderegg, a 6-foot-2 forward/post, and Tiffani Traver, a 5-foot-8 guard, saw the most playing time a year ago.
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| Anderegg |
Anderegg hit 82 percent of her free throws -- the fourth-best mark in the conference -- while averaging 8.7 points and 4.3 rebounds.
"Sarah started some games for us and had a very productive first season," Ferenz says. "She needed to get a lot stronger to play at this level, and she's done that. She also was sick quite a bit last season."
Given better health and some added strength, look for Anderegg's contributions to go up this season, Ferenz says. "Sarah is a very talented player, and she's continued to work hard on her game."
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| Traver |
Traver saw her playing rise toward the end of her first season. She knocked down 17 3-pointers and picked off 26 steals in relatively limited time, averaging 4.3 points.
"Tiffani is quick and long at the guard spot with a great wing span," Ferenz says. "She's also made herself stronger, and she needs to play more.
"She's still very young and developing, but she has great maturity on the court and great potential. She can shoot, and her quickness gets her into the passing lanes. She loves to play up-tempo defense."
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| White |
Meghan White, an athletic, mobile 6-footer, is also ready for more playing time as a sophomore, Ferenz says. She averaged just nine minutes in 21 games last season, but she still averaged 3.1 rebounds.
"Meghan started to make good strides toward the end of last season, and she has really improved since then," Ferenz says.
"We knew we were getting a great rebounder when we recruited Meghan, but her offense is also coming around. She can be a very efficient scorer at the basket. She doesn't need a lot of touches to get her 10 points."
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| Alindogan |
White will surprise teams this year and prove to be a "very interesting" match-up problem, Ferenz says. "She runs very well for her size. She's athletic and has a sixth sense for rebounding. She's strong and physical by nature. Most of the time she doesn't even notice if someone else is trying to play a physical game."
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| Ross |
Guards Marah Alindogan and Jazzmyne Ross are competing for time at the point guard spot.
At 5-foot-6, Alindogan is quick, athletic and a fountain of energy on the floor, Ferenz says.
"Marah worked tremendously hard in the off-season and came back in great shape. She's still learning the nuances of playing the point in this conference, but I've been pleased with her progress."
Ross, a 5-foot-3 junior in her second season of college ball, has some "great instincts as a point guard," Ferenz says. "She has a knack for finding the seam and getting the ball to her teammates in the right spots.
"Jazzmyne is smart, opportunistic and effective with what she does."
First-Year Trio: Bright Future
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| Lovelace |
Ferenz sees a bright future for her three first-year players -- Heather Lovelace, Hallie Buse and Katie Gray.
Lovelace, a 6-footer from McKinleyville, Calif., should see some time in the forward and post roles.
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| Buse |
"Heather is strong and runs the floor well," Ferenz says. "She rebounds well and has some nice moves around the basket.
"She knows she has a lot to learn yet, but she keeps getting better every day."
While Buse, a 5-foot-10 forward from Boise, Idaho, is still adjusting to college ball, she has nonetheless managed to give her coaches a few "wow" moments in practice, Ferenz says.
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| Gray |
"Hallie is long and athletic and smart.
"She can shoot the ball and she likes to rebound. She gives us more depth around the perimeter."
Gray, a 5-foot-11 forward from Reno, Nev., gives Whitman more depth closer to the basket.
"Katie is strong and physical around the basket," Ferenz says. "She's a good rebounder, and she's got some nice moves around the hoop.
"Katie just needs to keep working and improving and learning to play at the collegiate level."
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CONTACT: Dave Holden,
Sports Information Director
Whitman College, Walla Walla, Wash.
holden@whitman.edu; (509) 527-5902
