2 — indiana gazette iup basketball preview, sunday...

By TONY [email protected]

Joe Lombardi likes puzzles, and he’sgood at them.

It takes him a whole year to do one,but they are really something to see,and each one becomes part of the mo-saic that is the IUP basketball pro-gram.

Lombardi, IUP’s sixth-year coach,has started another complex puzzle.This one is built around his seniorguards, Ashton Smith and JulianSanders, and this one might be thetoughest one yet for a coach who tookover a program on probation and re-stored its national prominence in onlythree seasons.

“Like I tell people, it’s like building apuzzle,” Lombardi said. “You haveyour main pieces, and that’s Ashtonand Julian, and you fill in around themwith the players that can best comple-ment them. You need people to getopen and get them space by stretchingthe defense so they can do what theydo well. That’s kind of how my philoso-phy is for building a team.”

Having Smith and Sanders is a goodstart. They form what is probably oneof the best guard tandems in all ofNCAA Division II basketball. They area time-tested entity, key componentsof the program for four years — five inthe case of Sanders, who redshirted asa true freshman.

IUP has won 81 games in three sea-sons since they joined the lineup. TheCrimson Hawks have won two straightPennsylvania State Athletic Confer-ence championships, and two yearsago they played in the national cham-pionship game. Both feats are un-matched by any team in school histo-ry, and only one other PSAC team, theCheyney powerhouses of 1978-80, canboast of such lofty accomplishments.

The past, though, offers no guaran-tee of continued success.

IUP enters this season the same as itdid last year: as the team with the tar-get on its back. That target could bemade bigger due to the fact that theHawks have a shiny, new home, Ed Fry

Arena at the $79.7 million KovalchickConvention and Athletic Complex.

The pieces to this year’s puzzle in-clude the senior guards, a handful ofreserves and four new players, includ-ing a couple starters who have to makean immediate impact if the Hawkshope to sustain the success they haveenjoyed the last two seasons.

One piece lost is Darryl Webb, a four-year starter who graduated in May asthe national player of the year and

IUP’s all-time leader in scoring, re-bounding and blocked shots.

“The core of the group will be guysputting on an IUP uniform for the firsttime,” Lombardi said. “I have to bemore patient as a head coach and un-derstanding that the things we do andteach and the way we play are going totake a little more time to kick in. I thinkwe have good learners, though. Eventhough it’s going to take a little moretime, we have guys that are attentive

and guys with good basketball IQs. Sohopefully that speeds up the process.

“But I’m as excited about this teamas the last two that won PSAC champi-onships. This team has the ability tohave great success, and they have thework ethic and want-to to have greatsuccess. … As I tell the guys, we don’twant to be just bricklayers, we want tobuild a cathedral, and we want to dothat day by day.”

2 — Indiana Gazette IUP Basketball Preview, Sunday, November 6, 2011

IUP opens the KCAC on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. against Seton Hill

Putting it all togetherCrimson Hawks working on another puzzle

TERI ENCISO/Gazette

SENIOR GUARDS Ashton Smith, left, and Julian Sanders, who celebrated IUP’s NCAA Division II Atlantic Region championship as sophomores, are the ringleaders on this year’s team.

Continued on Page 3

BY THENUMBERS

Career pointsscored by

Ashton Smithand JulianSanders

IUP’s record the last three

seasons

IUP’s record athome the lastthree seasons

Career pointsscored by the rest of the team

IUP’s preseasonranking by the

NABC

Starters returning/lost

Here’s a look at some of thepieces Lombardi has to work with.

THE SENIOR GUARDS“We have to establish who the

piano players are,” Lombardi said,“then get the players most willingto carry the piano for them.”

Smith and Sanders are the maes-tros. Each has scored more than1,100 points in three seasons, andeach was brought along slowlythrough the program, gainingmore responsibility with each sea-son.

This team is theirs.Smith was steady as a freshman

point guard and better as a sopho-more. Last season, he was theshooting guard first and the pointguard second. He was the playerwith the ball in his hands in themost crucial situations, and mostof the time he delivered.

A first-team all-conference selec-tion last year, he is a candidate tobecome IUP’s third straight PSACWest player of the year.

“Along with the development ofhis game, he’s a guy that’s justmade a steady crawl forward,”Lombardi said. “We take a lot ofpride in individual developmentand working with guys and puttingin extra time. We can help them getbetter because they’re good play-ers, but it’s up to them when theybecome a great player.

“Ashton has developed into agreat player. Good teams arecoach-driven, and great teams areplayer-driven. With someone likeAshton you have a chance to be agreat team because he’s the type ofplayer that drives the rest of the

team.”Sanders is the main guy that

stretches the defense. He holds thesingle-season school record for 3-point field goals made and at-tempted. Soon he will be the ca-reer leader in makes. He also holdsthe single-season record for freethrow percentage at 87.5.

He has made a lot of shots, andhe has made a lot of big ones, par-ticularly in postseason play.

His key this year is consistency— more 3-for-5s and fewer 2-for-10s — and improved ball skills sothat he can create shots for himselfand open up opportunities forothers. He also has to continue hisknack for grabbing key offensiverebounds.

“I also have a great sense of pridein Julian,” Lombardi said. “He’sgoing on his fifth year, and he’s hada lot of ups and downs and beenvery faithful and loyal and com-mitted to the program. And he’salso been very unselfish and putthe team and the success of the

team above his own goals. “He’s very motivated to win, and

he’s put a lot of time into develop-ing his game in different areas. He’sa young man that wants to do whatthe team needs. He’s really im-proved his defense over the yearsand taken pride in that and alsoimproved his passing ability. Hehas improved on a steady basis,and his leadership is another rea-son I’m optimistic this team cancome close to reaching it’s poten-tial, which is pretty high.”

Last season, IUP came up onewin short of returning to the EliteEight, the Division II nationalquarterfinals, in Springfield, Mass.

“I just want to get back,” Smithsaid. “I just want to get back toSpringfield.”

“We’re just going out and playinghard every day,” Sanders said.“With the new people coming in,we’re jelling perfectly.”

The only other senior on the ac-tive roster is Ethan Robinson, a 6-7forward.

“We have great leadership withour three seniors,” Lombardi said.“They’re the captains, they’ve allbeen around the program for fouror five years, and they understandthe culture and the expectations ofhow you have to work and what ittakes to be successful over the longhaul. And they’ve done a great jobof imparting that on the new peo-ple in the program.

“I’m pleased with how they’veapproached it and worked ex-tremely hard up to this point andtook the approach that we stillhave a lot to prove and be success-ful even though we lost threestarters from last year.”

Indiana Gazette IUP Basketball Preview, Sunday, November 6, 2011 — 3

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Senior guards lead Hawks into new seasonContinued from Page 2

Continued on Page 4

“ASHTON HAS developed intoa great player. Good teamsare coach-driven, and greatteams are player-driven.With someone like Ashtonyou have a chance to be agreat team because he’s thetype of player that drives therest of the team.”

Joe Lombardi,on senior guard Ashton Smith

TERI ENCISO/Gazette

DANNY AYEBO, a junior forward from Indiana, is one of two local productson the IUP roster. Craig Ciranni, a freshman forward from Homer-CenterHigh School, is redshirting this season.

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THE POINT GUARDSAnthony Wells is a 6-foot-1 jun-

ior transfer from Division I Cleve-land State. He played in 25 gamesas a freshman but only eight lastyear while dealing with an injury.

How quickly he develops and re-turns to form is going to go a longway toward determining the effi-ciency of IUP’s offense.

“He’s a good distributor,” Lom-bardi said. “This could be our bestpassing team, 1 through 5. He dis-tributes, and he likes being a facili-tator. And he’s another guy that isgoing to help Ashton and Julian bebetter. We hope to mold him intobeing a good defensive stopper be-cause he has good length and sizefor the point guard position.”

Devante Chance, a 5-10 fresh-man from Philadelphia, is thebackup and an unknown com-modity when it comes to the col-lege game. As with Smith when hewas a freshman, he will be asked totake care of the ball on offense andfind the open man, pressure theball on defense and make openshots.

“Devante is as good a freshmanpasser as I’ve been around at anylevel,” Lombardi, a longtime Divi-sion I assistant, said. “He makessome passes in practice that justmake you step back, and he’s goingto be entertaining in his own way.He has a great work ethic, which isjust encouraging me that he’sgoing to get better and better.”

Their expected progression, cou-pled with the presence of Smithand Sanders, allowed senior guardScooter Renkin to take a redshirtseason. Renkin, who transferred as

a sophomore from James Madi-son, was a key contributor the lasttwo seasons.

“If we didn’t have the talent wehave at the guard position then Imight have more concerns,” Lom-bardi said, “but the two youngmen in Anthony Wells and De-vante Chance are very capable ofmaking an immediate impact onthe program. They may struggle attimes early on, but I think they’llbe very efficient and do a great jobcomplementing Ashton and Ju-lian. It gives me a lot of confidenceto have two veteran guys to holdthat down, so I’m comfortable withScooter making that decision.”

THE MAN IN THE MIDDLEIt isn’t Darryl Webb. He’s gone.Webb, a 6-6 forward, scored

1,949 points and grabbed 1,214 re-bounds, far and away the schoolrecords. He redshirted as a fresh-man and spent five years in theprogram. He was Lombardi’s firstrecruit, so Lombardi has never puttogether an IUP team that didn’tinclude him.

“Going into last year no onelooked around and said, ‘How arewe going to replace Tom?’” Lom-bardi said in reference to ThomasYoung, the leading force in IUP’sdrive to the national champi-onship game.

“We didn’t try to replace him, wejust became something a little bitdifferent. Whatever the players’abilities are, we try to mold ourprogram to their strengths and fitthem in that way. ... Darryl has togo down as the best player in thehistory of IUP basketball, but thatsaid, it’s not like we jumped on his

back and just took a ride everygame. He complemented otherguys, and other guys complement-ed him.”

Josh Wiegand, a 6-9 transfer fromDivision I Loyola (Md.), is takingWebb’s spot.

Wiegand won’t be asked to dothe things Webb did — few playersat this level can. With IUP’s offensemore guard-oriented this year, hewill be asked to score a little, setscreens, grab some rebounds andplay a lot of defense.

“Josh gives us a big presence in-side,” Lombardi said. “We haven’thad anybody with his size, and hehas a good wingspan and does agood job of positioning on de-fense.

“He can catch and finish andplay defense and set good screens.He does a lot of the little things,and he’ll help Ashton and Julian bebetter players.”

Danny Ayebo, the still-blossom-ing Indiana High School product,is a backup. His assignment is thesame as Wiegand’s.

“Danny’s a high-energy guy, andhe put on 15 pounds of muscleover the summer,” Lombardi said,“and he played good defense lastyear.”

THE X-FACTORUruguay is far, far away, some

5,400 miles. That’s how far Marcel Souber-

bielle came to play basketball atIUP.

Souberbielle, a 6-foot-7 forward,is the lone player from last year’srotation off the bench to move intothe starting lineup.

Two new point guards running the showContinued from Page 3

Continued on Page 5

TERI ENCISO/Gazette

MARCEL SOUBERBIELLE, a sophomore forward, has moved into the starting lineup.


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JOE LOMBARDI enters his sixth season at IUP.

He showed promise as a freshman, particularly latein the season.

At times, though, his freewheeling spirit took over,and he tried to play outside the system. That broughtrebukes from his coach.

It was understandable, though, that the freshmanwould struggle — most do. In Souberbielle’s case, hecame from a foreign land where he learned to playbasketball geared more toward the European style,which isn’t as structured as the U.S. version and reliesmore on mid-range and 3-point shooting and doesn’tstress defense or rebounding.

Then, he arrived here and had to learn to play in aregimented system.

Then he developed tendinitis in his knee. Then he struggled when he didn’t have the individ-

ual success he’d experienced in the past, when he wasalways one of his team’s best players.

But he did have his moments. His best game statis-tically was a 19-point, nine-rebound effort in Decem-ber against Holy Family. His best performances,though, came in the NCAA tournament when he aver-aged 7.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in three games.

“He’s a little bit of an x-factor,” Lombardi said. “Thetransition from Uruguay, it’s far away, and to come uphere when you’re 18, you have a lot coming at you. Ithink he matured over the summer and wants to dowhat is expected of him and has an understanding ofwhat is expected of him, and that’s focus on detail anda lot of the little things and be willing to do the dirtywork.

“He’s working on becoming a better rebounder, andhis shot has improved. And he’s a good passer. Hehelped Darryl get a lot of easy shots last year, and weput a lot of emphasis on that. He got a lot of minuteslast year because he can pass.”

The backup forwards are Kevin Jones, a 6-6 sopho-more who redshirted last year after playing one sea-son at Lackawanna Junior College, and Chris Ed-wards, a 6-6 junior who begins his fourth year in theprogram after redshirting as a freshman.

“Jo Jo is another high-energy guy and gives us goodathleticism,” Lombardi said. “He can guard the point,and at 6-4, 6-5, he can guard inside, too. We need himto be high-energy night in and night out and providethose complementary things.

“Chris is going to have to give us some good min-utes. He’s a good shooter and has great length on de-fense.”

MODUS OPERANDIWhat’s IUP’s M.O., its mode of operation?“I have to find out,” Lombardi said. “It’s up to them

to establish that entity. We talk about that, what ourM.O. will be, what we’ll be good at.

“In the past we established ourselves as a strong re-bounding team, a low turnover team, a good defen-sive team, and on the offensive end we kind of playedinside-out. I hope a lot of those things don’t change.

“One thing that might change some is we might notplay as inside-out as we have in the past. What I meanby that is I don’t know if we’ll be as good scoring in thelow post as we have in the past. Some guys have tal-ent, but we might be more conducive to shooting afew more 3s and getting off the dribble more.

“We still have to get the ball into the paint, and inthe past we did it with the pass, but I think this teamwill be a little more geared toward doing so off thedribble.

“Because of that I think this could be the best 3-point shooting team we’ve had because of all five guysbeing able to shoot from the perimeter.”

Lombardi’s first five teams displayed the ability toimprove over the course of a season. That starts withindividual improvement that carries over to the team.

“This team will improve a lot over the course of theyear just because of the way they work at it,” he said.“They’re unselfish, they share the ball, they’re respon-sible to each other and accountable to each other.

“They understand you don’t have success unlessyou pay the price on a daily basis.”

Hawks working on newpuzzle in new home

Continued from Page 4

TERI ENCISO/Gazette

JULIAN SANDERS has been involved in three net-cutting ceremonies at IUP, two for conferencetitles and one for a regional championship.


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The Hawks’ New Nest

DANIELLE BURGLUND/Gazette

IUP SENIORS, from left, Ashton Smith, Julian Sanders, Ethan Robinson and Scooter Renkin posed with coach Joe Lombardi on the concourse leveloverlooking Ed Fry Arena at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex.

Basketball teams have a state-of-the-art home at Kovalchick ComplexBy TONY COCCAGNA

[email protected]

Warning to drivers on winter nightson Wayne Avenue in Indiana: Don’tget caught looking at the video boardinside the Kovalchick Convention andAthletic Complex. You can see it fromthe street.

Warning to IUP basketball players:Don’t get caught looking at yourselfon the video board.

Both could be dangerous.Fans should beware, too, because a

roving cameraman might projectthem onto the video board, so theyprobably don’t want to do anythingembarrassing or unseemly.

The IUP Crimson Hawks have anew home, Ed Fry Arena at the KCAC,a $79.7 million facility that ranksamong the best Division II basketballvenues in the country — and it’s prob-ably better than a lot of Division I are-nas.

The KCAC replaces Memorial FieldHouse, IUP’s home since 1968, andhouses the men’s and women’s bas-ketball teams, the women’s volleyballteam and the athletic department. Italso features a number of conferencerooms and suites, a 650-seat auditori-um and a banquet room. The KCAC isoperated by Global Spectrum.

Both teams play their first games intheir new home Saturday, with thewomen taking on Goldey-Beacom at2 p.m. and the men squaring offagainst Seton Hill at 7:30. The men’sgame is being billed as a whiteout,and white T-shirts will be distributedto fans.

Continued on Page 7


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IUP basketball teams set to open KCAC Tickets on sale for home openers

Tickets for the IUP basketballhome openers on Saturday at theKovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex are on sale.

The women’s team plays at 2p.m. against Goldey-Beacom,and the men play at 7:30 againstSeton Hill.

Tickets can be purchased either by visiting the KCAC boxoffice, by calling (800) 298-4200or by going online to www.ComcastTIX.com.

The KCAC box office is open

Monday through Friday from 10a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturdayfrom 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There areadditional fees for online orders.

For IUP students, tickets forthe men’s game will be availableon Wednesday and Thursday inthe Oak Grove on campus. Students must present their I-Card to receive one free ticketfor the Nov. 12 game.

Free white T-shirts will begiven out to the first 4,000 fansin attendance at the men’s game.

A promotional video at www.iupathletics.com proclaims “YourTeam, Your House. Let’s Sell Outthe Whiteout.”

The KCAC is a big and brightstate-of-the-art facility, an enter-tainment center that has been thesite of concerts, a circus and con-ferences.

It is a gem. “We’re fortunate that the univer-

sity allows us to be a tenant,” IUPmen’s coach Joe Lombardi said. “Itwasn’t built for us, but we’re happyto be a part of it, and I hope thecommunity and the business com-munity and people that supportthe institution and support men’sbasketball will come out and sup-port the functions that are here.IUP and the state made this a giftto the community, and I think theway we can repay it is to get in-volved and partake of it and makeit something that’s a joint effort ofeverybody.”

The horseshoe-shaped arena hasa capacity of 4,000. As visitorsenter the spacious lobby and walkup the stairs to the concourse levelthey are greeted by giant photos ofIUP athletes from the past. At thetop of the stairs, the coaches’suites and athletic department of-fices are on the left, a trophy caseand concessions on the right. Awalkway rings the arena, and onesection features IUP’s hall of fameclasses and more photos of ath-letes from the past.

This vantage point offers a fullview of the arena. There are luxurysuites perched above the court onthe left. The $1.1 million video

board is at the far end. To the rightare those windows through whichthe drivers on Wayne Avenue cansee the video board. (You can’t seemuch, but you can tell whensomething is going on inside).

The court sits below, the bencheson the left, with the home team atthe far end.

The section behind the near bas-ket has been dubbed The Cage, re-served for the Crimson Crazies, theteam’s student cheering section.

Padded, chair-back seats witharm rests and cup holders lineeach side. The end bleachers areretractable.

There’s not a bad seat in thehouse.

“It’s a wonderful place, it’s fanfriendly, and we’re going to get bet-ter crowds,” Lombardi said.“There’s going to be more energyand enthusiasm than we’ve everhad in our building. And there’ssomething for everybody with thevideo board and the food court.”

The first IUP athletic event washeld in September, when the vol-leyball team broke in the arena.

The court actually was chris-tened by the world-famousHarlem Globetrotters, the openingshow for the KCAC in March.

The basketball teams split prac-tice time between the arena andthe field house.

The men scrimmaged Pitt John-stown, and the women playedMount Aloysius in an exhibitiongame on the new court, but no of-ficial basketball games have beenplayed there.

“Our student-athletes are eager-ly anticipating playing in arguably

one of the top NCAA Division II fa-cilities in the country,” women’scoach Jeff Dow said.

“There is a tremendous amountof excitement among the playersto compete in the Ed Fry Arena,”Lombardi said. “It will be one ofthe nicest basketball venues in allof Pennsylvania. We look forwardto it being a community builderand a place where IUP studentsand residents of Indiana Countycan go to watch entertainingCrimson Hawk basketball andenjoy the incredible amenities thatthe building has to offer.”

The men’s program has won thelast two Pennsylvania State Athlet-ic Conference championships. TheCrimson Hawks played in the na-tional championship game twoyears ago and fell one win short ofa return trip to the national quar-terfinals last year.

IUP enters another season as theteam with the proverbial target onits back. A brand-new home mightmake that target a little bigger.

“We’re used to it now,” seniorguard Ashton Smith said. “We’reready for everybody’s best shot.”

Added Julian Sanders, anothersenior guard, “I think we’ve been inenough high-pressure situationsthat we know how to handle it.”

Two men’s games and threewomen’s games will be played atthe field house rather than thearena due to scheduling conflictswith Global Spectrum events: themen’s-women’s doubleheader onDec. 3 and 4 against Bloomsburgand Mansfield, and the women’sgame Nov. 29 against WashingtonAdventist.


TOM PEEL/Gazette

THE IUP women’s volleyball team heldthe first official athletic event in theKCAC on Sept. 16.


SCHEDULEOct. 31 at Florida St. (exh.) L, 81-50Nov. 3 at Loyola (Md.) (exh.) 7 p.m. Nov. 12 Seton Hill 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14 Thiel 7:30 p.m. Nov. 19 at Cheyney* 3 p.m. Nov. 20 at Shippensburg* 3 p.m. Dec. 3 Bloomsburg*@ 3 p.m. Dec. 4 Mansfield*@ 3 p.m. Dec. 9 at East Stroudsburg*7:30 p.m. Dec. 10 at Kutztown* 4 p.m. Dec. 18 W. Va. Wesleyan# 7:30 p.m. Dec. 19 Urbana# 7:30 p.m. Jan. 6 West Chester* 7:30 p.m. Jan. 7 Millersville* 7:30 p.m. Jan. 11 California* 7:30 p.m. Jan. 14 at Clarion* 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 18 Edinboro* 7:30 p.m. Jan. 21 at Mercyhurst* 3 p.m. Jan. 25 Lock Haven* 7:30 p.m. Jan. 28 at Slippery Rock* 3 p.m. Feb. 1 at Gannon* 7:30 p.m. Feb. 4 Clarion* 7:30 p.m. Feb. 8 at California* 7:30 p.m. Feb. 11 Mercyhurst* 7:30 p.m. Feb. 15 at Edinboro* 7:30 p.m. Feb. 18 Slippery Rock* 7:30 p.m. Feb. 22 at Lock Haven* 8 p.m. Feb. 25 Gannon* 7:30 p.m.

* PSAC game@ at Memorial Field House# Indiana Regional Medical Center

Classic

ROSTERNo. Player Pos. Yr. Ht. Wt. Hometown/high school3 Anthony Wells G Jr. 6-1 175 Cleveland, Ohio/Shaker Heights 4 Devante Chance G Fr. 5-10 170 Philadelphia/Electrical & Technology 5 Devon Cottrell* F Fr. 6-6 205 Pittsburgh/Gateway

10 Marcel Souberbielle F So. 6-7 210 Montevideo, Uruguay/American 11 Ethan Robinson C Sr. 6-7 230 Gales Ferry, Conn./Ledyard 13 Julian Sanders G Sr. 6-3 205 Medford, N.J./Shawnee 21 Chris Edwards F Jr. 6-6 205 Philadelphia/Northeast Catholic 22 Kevin Jones F So. 6-6 215 Washington, D.C./Bishop O’Connell24 Terrell Rickard G Jr. 6-5 215 Waynesboro/Waynesboro30 Ashton Smith G Sr. 6-2 185 Scarborough, Ontario/West Hill 32 Scooter Renkin* G Sr. 6-3 200 Midlothian, Va./Blue Ridge 35 Craig Ciranni* F Fr. 6-4 185 Homer City/Homer-Center 42 Danny Ayebo C Jr. 6-8 205 Indiana/Indiana 44 Josh Wiegand C Jr. 6-9 240 Whiteford, Md./John Carroll

*-redshirt

FAST FACTSNickname: Crimson HawksColors: Crimson and grayHome court: Kovalchick

Convention and Athletic Complex,Ed Fry Arena (capacity, 4,000)

League: PSAC (West Division)2010-11 record: 26-6Starters returning/lost: 2/3Lettermen returning/lost: 6/6PSAC West preseason poll: 1stNABC preseason poll: No. 19 Head coach: Joe Lombardi

Season: SixthCareer record: 100-53Alma mater: Youngstown

State, 1981

THE CRIMSON HAWKS

JAMIE EMPFIELD/Gazette

Seated, from left, Scooter Renkin, Chris Edwards, Anthony Wells, Ashton Smith, head coach Joe Lombardi, Julian Sanders, Devante Chance, Craig Ciranni and Danny Ayebo; and second row,manager Farrad McLaughlin, assistant coaches Kevin Funston and Chris Fite, Devon Cottrell, Marcel Souberbielle, Josh Wiegand, Ethan Robinson, Terrell Rickard, Kevin Jones, manager MattHowerton, trainer Rob Baron and student coach Dom Lombardi.


SCHEDULEOct. 30 at Potomac St. (exh.) W, 92-34Nov. 2 Mt. Aloysius (exh.) W, 71-34Nov. 12 Goldey-Beacom 2 p.m. Nov. 19 at Cheyney* 1 p.m. Nov. 20 at Shippensburg* 1 p.m. Nov. 29 Wash. Adventist@ 6:30 p.m. Dec. 3 Bloomsburg*@ 1 p.m. Dec. 4 Mansfield*@ 1 p.m. Dec. 9 at East Stroudsburg*5:30 p.m. Dec. 10 at Kutztown* 2 p.m. Dec. 18 Seton Hill# 2:30 p.m. Dec. 19 Bowie State# 2:30 p.m. Jan. 6 West Chester* 5:30 p.m. Jan. 7 Millersville* 5:30 p.m. Jan. 11 California* 5:30 p.m. Jan. 14 at Clarion* 5:30 p.m.

Jan. 18 Edinboro* 5:30 p.m. Jan. 21 at Mercyhurst* 1 p.m. Jan. 25 Lock Haven* 5:30 p.m. Jan. 28 at Slippery Rock* 1 p.m. Feb. 1 at Gannon* 5:30 p.m. Feb. 4 Clarion* 5:30 p.m. Feb. 8 at California* 5:30 p.m. Feb. 11 Mercyhurst* 5:30 p.m. Feb. 15 at Edinboro* 5:30 p.m. Feb. 18 Slippery Rock* 5:30 p.m. Feb. 22 at Lock Haven* 6 p.m. Feb. 25 Gannon* 5:30 p.m.

* PSAC game@ at Memorial Field House# Susan G. Komen Shoot for the

Cure Classic

ROSTERNo. Player Pos. Yr. Ht. Hometown/high school0 Ashley Stoner F 6-1 Fr. Pittsburgh/Thomas Jefferson 1 Talen Watson G 5-8 So. Odenton, Md./Arundel 3 Arika Ullman G 5-7 Sr. Baltimore, Md./Seton Keough 5 Marita Mathe G 5-7 Fr. Indiana/Indiana

10 Liz Kane G 5-6 So. York/West York 11 Jen Rasko G 5-9 So. Windber/Windber 12 Leslie Stapleton G 5-11 Fr. Indiana/Indiana 13 Jessica Wallace G 5-8 So. Vanderhoof, B.C./Nechako Valley 14 Vianca Tejada G/F 5-10 Sr. Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill East 22 Lisa Burton G/F 5-9 Fr. Pittsburgh/Penn Hills 23 Melanie Todd F 5-9 So. West Springfield, Va./Lincoln Memorial 24 Amy Fairman G 5-10 Fr. Creekside/Marion Center 42 Sarah Pastorek F 5-11 Jr. Johnstown/Bishop McCort

FAST FACTSNickname: Crimson HawksColors: Crimson and grayHome court: Kovalchick

Convention and Athletic Complex,Ed Fry Arena (capacity, 4,000)

League: PSAC (West Division)2009-10 record: 19-8Starters returning/lost: 1/4Lettermen returning/lost: 4/6PSAC West preseason poll: 3rdHead coach: Jeff Dow

Season: FourthRecord at IUP: 62-24Career record: 175-90Alma mater: Oregon, 1988

THE CRIMSON HAWKS

MIKE WALKER/Gazette

Seated, from left, Liz Kane, Marita Mathe, Arika Ullman, Melanie Todd, Talen Watson, Jessica Wallace, Lisa Burton and Amy Fairman; and standing, assistant coach Jerod Alltop, assistantcoach Emily Briggs, Jen Rasko, Leslie Stapleton, Vianca Tejada, Sarah Pastorek, Ashley Stoner, Kayla Kazmierski and head coach Jeff Dow.

Second-teamAll-PSAC Westselection lastyear and first-team preseason pickthis season …has scored1,152 points,good for 17th inschool history… averaged 14.3 points, third on team,and 3.0 boards … holds the schoolsingle-season records for 3-point fieldgoals made (88 last season) and attempted (243 in 2009-10) … rankssecond in school history with 246 3-pointers made and first in attemptswith 654, good for 38 percent … madesix 3-pointers in game twice last season ... set the school single-seasonrecord for free throw percentage lastyear at 87.5 (70-for-80) and has shot atan 80.6 clip in his career … scored a career high 31 points against HolyFamily last year ... averaged a team-high 18.7 points in three NCAAtournament games last season.

Coach’s comment: “Julian has been a rock for the program for the last threeyears and made big strides last yeardefensively as well as having a goodyear shooting the basketball from theperimeter. We need Julian to be a greatshooter this year, and the way to dothat is just being more consistent, andhe’s put in the work to do that and alsoadded to his game, and I think he’ll beable to get off the dribble and facilitatefor others.”


First-team All-PSAC Westselection last year and preseason pick and honorable mention All-American this season …has scored 1,107 points,good for 19th place in schoolhistory… started 31 of 32games last season and averaged 14.7 points, second on the team, and 3.5 rebounds … had a team-high 112 assists … had 149 assists as a sophomore, tied for the eighth-highestmark in school history … shot 43 percent from the floor overall, 38 percent from 3-point range and 75 percent from the free throw line …posted career highs of 32 pointsagainst Clarion, 11 rebounds againstEast Stroudsburg and nine assistsagainst Lake Erie last season … scoredin double figures in 26 of 32 games, including the last 12, last season …has 359 career assists, good for sixthin school history and 91 shy of theschool record of 450 … ranks seventh

in school history in stealswith 101, eighth in freethrows made with 283 andattempted with 388 and 15thwith 92 3-point field goals …... has played in all of theteam’s 90 games with 83starts in his career.

Coach’s comment: “He’sone of the best all-around Division II guards in the

country. I wouldn’t trade him for anybody. He has worked on his gameconsistently over four years, and he’smade himself into a good perimetershooter combined with his ability todrive to the bucket. He’s an above-average defender, rebounds the ballwell for his position, and he’s gottenbetter at passing. With all those physical attributes, his biggest strengthis his leadership and how much hecares for the team and his teammates.And he’s just a winner. As a coach youtry to figure out why you win, and it’sthose intangibles that separate goodteams from really good teams.”

30 ASHTON SMITH6-2 Senior Guard

THE CRIMSON HAWKS

13 JULIAN SANDERS6-3 Senior Guard

The projected starter atcenter after transferring fromDivision I Loyola (Md.) …entered Loyola as a walk-onand earned a scholarshipafter taking a redshirt in hissecond season … played in14 games with five starts asa freshman and 25 with onestart after his redshirt season.

Coach’s comment: “Josh gives us abig body that we really haven’t had in

the program. He reminds meof a smaller version of AaronGray, who played at Pitt afew years back. He moveswell for his size and hasgood hands, he finishesaround the bucket, and defensively he clogs the lane.He has a high basketball IQand takes pride in doing thelittle things like screening

and executing the offense that lead togood team basketball.”

The projected starter atpoint guard … transferredfrom Division I ClevelandState, where he played ineight games last year beforean injury took him out of therotation … played in 25games as a freshman, whenhe was due to redshirt butwas pressed into action dueto injuries … averaged 1.4points in 10.8 minutes per game andshot 50 percent from field (15-for-30)as a freshman … two-time all-state selection at Shaker Heights (Ohio) and

averaged 22.1 points as asenior.

Coach’s comment: “He’scoming off a year when hewas injured most of the yearat Cleveland State, and he’sjust getting back to findinghis sea legs. He’s a guy thatbrings another quick guardto our team. He can penetrate as well as shoot

the 3, and he’s a good facilitator andmakes others around him better. I thinkhe’ll be a very good complement forJulian and Ashton on the perimeter.”

Moving into the startinglineup after playing as a reserve in 30 of 32 gameslast year as a freshman,when he averaged 5.1 pointsand 4.0 rebounds … scoreda career-high 21 pointsagainst Holy Family and hada double-double of 10 pointsand 11 rebounds againstLock Haven … averaged 7.3points and 4.7 rebounds in three NCAAtournament games ... member of threeconsecutive undefeated champions inthe South America Athletic Conferenceand was the top scorer in all three tournaments, averaging 24 points.

Coach’s comment: “I’m encouragedby Marcel’s improvement. He had aninconsistent year last year, but that

didn’t surprise me due to an18-year-old being 5,000miles away from home andlearning how to play a somewhat different style ofbasketball. I thought he wasplaying his best at the end ofthe year last year and playedextremely well in the NCAAtournament. I never gave upon him and just felt he had

an upside that he could reach, and Ithink he’s gotten a lot closer to his potential. He’ll take charges and rebound, and one thing he did very welllast year was pass the ball ... and tohave a big guy that’s able to pass is aluxury. He makes others around himbetter, and he has also improved hisperimeter shooting.”

10 MARCEL SOUBERBIELLE6-7 Sophomore Forward

44 JOSH WIEGAND6-9 Junior Center

3 ANTHONY WELLS6-1 Junior Guard

4 DEVANTE CHANCE5-10 Freshman Guard

Expected to bethe backup pointguard … averaged 16.6points per gameas a senior atPhiladelphiaElectrical andTechnology.

Coach’s comment: “He’sahead of his years in a lot of ways from the standpoint of ability to understand the game and see the gameand make great passes. He’s an exceptional passer, a good shooter, andat 5-10 we hope he can be a disruptiveforce at some points on the defensiveend.”


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THE CRIMSON HAWKS

11 ETHAN ROBINSON6-7 Senior Center

Returned tothe team lastyear after studying abroadin 2009-10 ... selected one ofthe team’s tri-captains withSmith andSanders …played in 14games last season … played in 59games in three seasons and scored 61points and pulled down 88 rebounds.

Coach’s comment: “Ethan has beena steady presence for us over the years.He studied in Spain two years ago, buthe came back last year and was excitedto be a part of it and get back on trackto being part of a championship team.Ethan is a captain, and that’s well-deserved. He’s in the honors college, and he’s the first one to offer todo community service. He’s goingthrough the second stage of applyingfor a Fulbright Scholarship so we’rejust extremely proud of who he is offthe court, and he has improved muchon the court, too, and he’s just an individual that we know we can counton to give us good minutes.”

22 KEVIN JONES6-6 Sophomore Forward

Redshirted lastyear after transferring fromLackawannaJunior College,where he averaged 10.9points and 6.7rebounds andshot 54 percentfrom the field inhis only season there ... nickname is Jo Jo.

Coach’s comment: “Jo Jo had a good learning experience last year as a redshirt. He gives us another strong, physical player inside. He’s alefty so that’s a little bit of a wrinkle forteams. He’s very good around thebucket and can shoot the jump hookwith either hand, and he’s a guy defensively that can guard multiple positions from the biggest to the smallest and do a pretty good job withthem all.”

42 DANNY AYEBO6-8 Junior Center

Came off thebench last yearand played in 27games, averaging 1.3points, 2.0 rebounds and10.5 minutes ofplaying time …shot 59 percentfrom the field(13-for-22) … scored four points threetimes and grabbed five boards twice.

Coach’s comment: “Danny is ourmost improved guy physically. He puton 15 to 20 pounds of muscle over thesummer. He came in as a freshman atabout 185 and now he’s 215. Heworked very hard in the weight room,and that’s an important aspect whenyou’re being counted on to be a physical inside player around the bucket. He’s a good rebounder and understands his role and the expectations that we have, he playswithin himself and doesn’t try to dothings he’s not capable of doing andthat just adds quality to the team’s performance.”

21 CHRIS EDWARDS6-6 Junior Forward

Played in 15games as a redshirt freshman twoyears ago and 11 last year.

Coach’s comment: “Chrishas not gotten alot of playingtime, but he’sworked and gotten better. I look for himthis year to be a guy that can knockdown open 3s when the defense iscrowding Ashton and Julian, and he’salso a very good offensive rebounder,and with his length he can cause people some problems on defense.”

24 TERRELL RICKARDGuard Junior 6-5

Joined theteam as a juniorwalk-on this season ... averaged 18.0points and 6.2rebounds as asenior at Waynesboro in2007-08 and finished with 990career points ... named a Mid PennCapital Division first-team all-star ...won gold medals in the state high jumpas a junior (6-9) and senior (6-10).

Coach’s comment: “He’s an upperclassmen that we’ve known forthree or four years now and had previously shown some interest in joining the team. He’s another guy thatbrings a lot of maturity to the team andwill help us every day in practice. Andhe’s talented enough that I wouldn’t besurprised to see him at some point onthe court.”

32 SCOOTER RENKIN6-3 Senior Guard

Will redshirtthis season ...came to IUP as asophomoretransfer from Division I JamesMadison in2008-09 …played in all 32games with fivestarts last season … averaged 5.6 points and 3.1 rebounds per game … shot 50 percentfrom field (58-for-116), including ateam-high 41 percent from 3-pointrange (19-for-46) ... averaged 10.7points in three NCAA tournamentgames … scored in double figuresseven times, including a career-high 14against Bowie State in the NCAA tournament … had 17 assists in a keythree-game stretch late last season.

Coach’s comment: “He’ll be sittingout this year due to a personal decisionbetween him, his family and me. Welook forward to having him be the bestpractice guard in Division II. He’s justreally matured and blossomed, andwe’re really excited about his future,but I’m fully supportive of his decisionto redshirt.”

35 CRAIG CIRANNI6-4 Freshman Forward

Will redshirtthis season …one of the topplayers in Indiana Countyduring his highschool career …averaged 23.5points and 12.8rebounds pergame as a seniorand was named to the all-state team.

Coach’s comment: “He’s been apleasant surprise. He’s made terrificstrides over the last couple months andhis shot has gotten more consistent.He plays with a lot of confidence andtoughness, and he’s a guy that’s justgoing to get better and better year afteryear as he grows and develops in theprogram.”

Will redshirt this year …averaged 17.6 points, 10.0rebounds and 4.6 blockedshots as a senior at Gateway,which went 43-11 his lasttwo seasons, including 23-5last year … named the Pittsburgh Tribune-ReviewPlayer of the Year and madethe Pittsburgh Post-GazetteFab Five team … led Gatewayto its first WPIAL Quad-A championship.

Coach’s comment: “He’svery talented and has exceptional shot-blockingability. He has a good nosefor rebounding and knowshow to get the ball in thebucket. Strength is an issue,and with some of the depthwe have up front, it’s best for him to redshirt this yearand concentrate on putting

on another 10 to 15 pounds of muscle.”

5 DEVON COTTRELL6-5 Freshman Forward

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By MIRZA ZUKIC [email protected]

Jeff Dow is still piecing the puzzletogether.

He knows he has a load of talentin his incoming freshman class.And he has a two-year all-confer-ence starter in Sarah Pastorek, amember of his first recruitingclass.

Other than the fact Pastorek isthe centerpiece and the pillar ofthe team, how all the remainingpieces will fit is unclear.

Dow is still very much evaluat-ing, and doing lots of it, as he be-gins his fourth season as IUP’swomen’s basketball coach.

“In all honesty, if somebodyasked me who’s our starting five,”Dow said about two weeks into the2011-12 preseason, “outside ofSarah, I don’t know that I couldgive you a definite answer. It prob-ably changes from day to day.”

Chances are that is likely to be aseason-long theme. With nine newplayers, including a talent-richfreshman class of five, Dow andthe players are still getting used toeach other. And Dow is still learn-ing his players’ tendencies andstrengths.

A preseason All-PSAC West selec-tion, Pastorek headlines the re-turning foursome, which also con-sists of seniors Arika Ullman andVianca Tejada and sophomore LizKane.

“Of course, it’s a long season andthings change, and I don’t neces-sarily see us having the same start-ing five every single game by anymeans,” Dow said. “That’s not nec-essarily a bad thing at all.”

Despite all that, the CrimsonHawks were picked to finish thirdin the PSAC West in the coaches’preseason poll, a ranking thatpleasantly surprised Dow regard-less of how little stock he puts inthe poll.

It probably had something to dowith the incoming players.

“I’m sure there are some peoplethat are familiar with some of ourincoming recruits,” he said.“Maybe it has something to dowith that. And obviously, Sarah isan awfully good one returningstarter.”

Pastorek was selected to the pre-season All-PSAC West team for thesecond straight season.

“I don’t really like to think aboutit a whole lot,” Pastorek said. “Peo-ple can be placed on there and canhave a great impact on a game. Atthe same time, there are peoplewho aren’t placed on the confer-ence preseason polls teams, andthey come in and they have quitean impact, just as much as anyplayer that was on the team.”

AMONG THE incoming freshmenare three Indiana County prod-ucts: former Indiana standoutsMarita Mathe and Leslie Stapletonand Marion Center’s Amy Fair-man. All are all expected to be inthe regular rotation.

Rounding out the freshman classare two WPIAL products in LisaBurton and Ashley Stoner.

Stoner, a 6-foot-1 forward fromThomas Jefferson, has impressedearly and gives the Hawks a com-plementary inside presence along-

side Pastorek.“She’s a physical, rugged player

that I think has a chance to be,maybe not right away this year, butI think in time she’ll end up being adouble-figure scorer,” Dow said,“and I’d like to think even as afreshman this year, she can get sixor seven rebounds per game andmaybe take some of the load offSarah defensively. Those two, I’d befairly certain they’ll be starting onopening night.”

BEYOND THAT, it gets cloudy.Following the graduation of 3-

point specialist Lacey Claar, whoplayed out of position and helddown the point guard spot for twoseasons, the Hawks have four play-ers in the mix at that position.

Massachusetts transfer TalenWatson, a sophomore, and Matheare the frontrunners to run the of-fense.

Meanwhile, Ullman will seeplenty of action, some as a backuppoint guard and some at shootingguard. She brings experience andpresents a 3-point threat, andKane is a capable fill-in whosestrength is defense.

“The three guard spots, I wouldsay it changes on a daily basis,”Dow said. “I don’t think anybodyhas solidified anything, which isgood. It’s a healthy competition.There’s some depth there, but atthe same time, I’m kind of waitingfor some people to separate them-selves from the bunch and estab-lish themselves.”

Watson and Mathe have quick-ness Claar didn’t possess and givethe Hawks a potentially new di-mension in the fast-break game.

That doesn’t mean IUP wants toturn to a run-and-gun style of play.

Although the faces havechanged, defense remains the sta-ple of the program, and it has to beif the Hawks are to be successful.


Looking for a perfect fit

TERI ENCISO/Gazette

SARAH PASTOREK is IUP’s lone returning starter from last season, whenshe averaged team highs of 12.5 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.

With one starter returning,Hawks need to fill some holes

“IN ALL HONESTY, if somebody asked me who’sour starting five, outside ofSarah, I don’t know that Icould give you a definite answer. It probably changesfrom day to day.”

Jeff Dow,IUP coach

IUP opens the KCAC on Saturday at 2 p.m. against Goldey-Beacom

Continued on Page 13

Dow proudly points to IUP’srecord as proof.

Over his first three seasons, theCrimson Hawks are 56-7 whenholding teams under 65 points and6-17 when opponents eclipse themark.

Last season, IUP allowed 56.0points per game to lead the confer-ence, and a key contributing factorwas the Hawks’ plus-8 turnovermargin, which ranked fourth inthe nation.

The Hawks forced just under 25turnovers per game, and they’relooking for much of the same.

“We emphasize it on an almostdaily basis,” Dow said. “We’re nottrying to get into a run-and-guntype of game, let’s try to play intothe 70s and 80s. Quite frankly, Idon’t think we have enough offen-sive weaponry to get into that kindof game.

“ And it goes to show you, in thehistory of the past three years, wehaven’t had a whole lot of successwhen we haven’t buckled downdefensively and been able to kindof grind it out. We certainly want torun, and I think we’re more athleticthan we’ve been, but again, we’renot trying to win games 85-81 byany means. I don’t think thatwould suit our personnel as awhole.”

THE HAWKS will get out on therun when they can, though.

Along with having quick guards,the Hawks are more athletic on thewings, too, with freshmen Burtonand Stapleton leading the way.

Stapleton is a solid shooter anddeceivingly quick, Dow said, andBurton impressed the coaches inpreseason conditioning workouts.

Also competing for spots on thewing — at either shooting guard orsmall forward — are Fairman,Johnstown-area native Jen Raskoand transfers Melanie Todd (Lin-coln Memorial; Division II) andJessica Wallace (Northern BritishColumbia, Canada).

“I feel like we’ve got a few moreathletes on the wing,” Dow said.“Lisa Burton, a freshman, was out-standing in the preseason. I thinkher and Marita Mathe, arguably,had as good of a preseason as any-body from a conditioning perspec-tive in terms of how well they didin all the preseason conditioningdrills. And there are a few others aswell who can get out and run the

floor.”But it all comes back to the de-

fense.“As I often remind them, it’s hard

to run if you’re pulling the ball outof the net,” Dow said. “If the oppo-nent just scored, it’s really kind ofhard to fast break. So until we fig-ure out that, we’ve got to be reallygood defensively, and it’s going tobe difficult to push it as much aswe’d like.”

According to Dow, the CrimsonHawks are still far from where he’dlike to see them defensively.

With so many newcomers, andall coming from various basketballbackgrounds, not all of them havethe same knowledge of basketball

terms and strategies.“So in a lot of cases, you’re really

starting from scratch, especially onthe defensive side of things,” Dowsaid.

What he has seen is Pastorek takeon a leadership role and becomemore vocal than in previous years.

Pastorek, too, acknowledged IUPhas a long way to go, but the tire-less worker in her likes the effortshe’s seeing from all her new team-mates.

“We definitely have a lot to moveforward with, but I’m pleased withhow everyone is trying to learn,and everyone is trying to work to-gether to become a quality defen-sive team,” she said.


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TERI ENCISO/Gazette

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THE CRIMSON HAWKS

The only returning starterfrom last season, Pastorekwas a preseason All-PSACWest selection for the second straight year ...ended last season as a second-team All-PSAC Westselection, when she averagedteam-highs of 12.5 pointsand 6.9 rebounds per game... averaging 11.5 points and6.1 rebounds over 47 career games atIUP.

Coach’s comment: “Just as solid asever. As we’ve always kind of jokedabout it, there’s nothing real flashy withSarah. She tends to keep it vanilla, butthere’s a reason why vanilla is still themost popular flavor in the world. Shehas taken on more of a leadership rolewith Lacey Claar having graduated. But

I think she knows she’s gotto step up her game evenmore. I think the biggestchallenge for Sarah is goingto be staying out of foul trouble. That’s has probablybeen the single biggest thingthat’s kept Sarah’s numbersdown. She’s been everythingand more, in terms of whatwe expected. I think she also

understands, as a leader, as somebodywho’s been in our program for threeyears now, she has a feel for whenwe’re having a good practice, whenwe’re not having such a good practice,and she’ll motivate the team or individual players when she thinks theyneed it. We’re certainly counting onSarah a lot. Without a question, our go-to player.”

42 SARAH PASTOREK5-11 Junior Forward

Brings physicality the teamhas lacked in the low post inrecent years ... expected tocontribute immediately ...last year, as a senior atThomas Jefferson, averageda WPIAL Class AAA-best20.7 points and 13.0 rebounds per game ... averaged 15.6 points and 12rebounds as a junior.

Coach’s comment: “She’s off to agreat start. She’s a physical, ruggedlow-post player. I think as freshmen go, she’s certainly adjusting quickly tothe physicality of the college game, and not everybody does, especiallypost players. I really think she’s got a

bright future. If you’re to ask me today about ourstarting line up, she woulddefinitely be in it at thispoint. I think she brings a little different element thanwhat we’ve had in the postthe last couple years. I think we’ve probably been a little more finesse in the post, maybe not

necessarily the most physical teamaround. But I do think she’s going tobring that to the table. I think she’s capable of being somewhere in theneighborhood of 10 points a game,maybe even six, seven, eight reboundsa game.”

14 VIANCA TEJADA5-10 Senior Guard/Forward

In her thirdseason aftertransferring fromSt. Francis (N.Y.)... moving to thepost as a power forward ... averaged 6.8points and 3.6rebounds whileappearing in all27 games last season ... scored career-high 25 points versus Bloomsburg.

Coach’s comment: “We’re looking ather exclusively as a post. She can stepoutside and shoot 3s but also finisharound the rim. I think the biggest thingwith V is consistency. I’m not talkingabout just scoring, but defensively andrebounding. Certainly somebody thatought to be able to give us a scoringpunch off the bench.”

A transfer from FairmontState (W.Va.) and a Windbernative ... comes with thebilling of being a 3-pointshooter ... last season, appeared in all 27 games atFairmont State, and despiteaveraging just 16 minutesper game, finished third onteam in 3-point field goalsmade with 31 ... averaged4.6 points and 1.9 rebounds per game.

Coach’s comment: “She’s doingwell. Initially, we were just kind oflooking at her primarily as just playing(small forward), and now she’s probably getting as much time ormore time playing (power forward),and she’s never really done that

before. She’s probably a little bit undersized but wewould only do that if wewanted to go with a smallerlineup. She’s a perimeter-oriented four. Her historywas always that of being a3-point shooter. … One ofthe things I like about her isyou’ve got another player onthe floor that can handle the

ball fairly well, another player that canstretch the floor because she canshoot the 3s. I think the challenge forher is going to be defensively and rebounding because she is giving upsome size. One of the things we’d liketo see with her is being a little moreversatile and put it on the floor.”

11 JEN RASKO5-9 Sophomore Guard

0 ASHLEY STONER6-1 Freshman Forward

13 JESSICA WALLACE5-7 Sophomore Guard

Transfer fromBritish Columbiaon the westcoast of Canada... will serve primarily as abackup guard.

Coach’s comment: “Jesswill compete forminutes at pointguard and two-guard. She’s probably one of ourbest talkers, getting people organizedand communicating. She’ll make acrafty play out of nowhere.”

23 MELANIE TODD5-9 Sophomore Forward

Transfer fromDivision II Lincoln Memorial(Tenn.), whereshe averaged 7.7minutes in 22games ... playingpower forwardfor the first timein college.

Coach’s comment: “Melanie’s kind ofundergoing a transformation. She’splaying (power forward) for us, andshe’s certainly undersized. But she’sjust relentless and just has a way ofmaking plays. ... Sort of the EnergizerBunny of the team.”

Another of the speed-ori-ented wing players and alsoa strong ball handler ... stilladjusting to the physicality ofthe college game ... averaged13.2 points and shot 47.8percent from the field as asenior at Marion Center,where she was a 1,000-pointscorer and led the Stingersto their second straight District 6 title.

Coach’s comment: “Another playerthat will compete for minutes both at(shooting guard and small foward). Ithink she has a chance to be certainly a

very good player defensively.I think she’s got pretty goodinstincts and long arms andtiming, in terms of gettingdeflections and making playsand getting steals. Offensively, still a work inprogress in terms of her 3-point shooting but hasshown flashes of that. She’llmake kind of the crafty,

no-look pass every now and again thata lot of players don’t possess that skilland be able to thread the needle andmake a great post feed. But still gettingbetter on both ends of the floor.”

24 AMY FAIRMAN5-9 Freshman Guard


THE CRIMSON HAWKS

3 ARIKA ULLMAN5-7 Senior Guard

One of four returning players, she livedup to her reputation as asolid 3-pointshooter last season, hitting45.5 percent (25of 55) ... rankedthird on the teamin 3s made ... appeared in 24 gameswith three starts, averaging 15.7 minutes and 3.6 points per game.

Coach’s comment: “Arika came backa different player from last season. shecame back in great shape and was oneof the leaders of our preseason conditioning and six weeks of preseason workouts ... She’s still a verygood 3-point shooter. I’ve challengedher to be is a little more versatile and alittle harder to guard than just being aspot-up 3-point shooter. She’s takenthat to heart and she’s done a little better job of taking it to the rim and either scoring or drawing fouls. Definitely will be challenging for minutes at the two-guard spot.”

10 LIZ KANE5-5 Sophomore Guard

A walk-on inher second season ... averaged 10.3minutes pergame in 16 appearances lastseason ... averaged 1.7points and 1.4rebounds.

Coach’s comment: “She kind of gaveus a spark off the bench, probablymore so on defense. She makes hustleplays, and she’s very quick. She’s oneof those players that you could haveher guard the other team’s best perimeter player and she would do wellbecause of her foot speed and she’spretty feisty.”

22 LISA BURTON5-9 Freshman Guard/Forward

Anotherspeedy wingplayer ... expected to seeplaying time immediately ...averaged 15.0points and 6.9rebounds as asenior at PennHills ... namedMVP of the Roundball Classic, a WPIALall-star game for seniors.

Coach’s comment: “Very good athlete. She was phenomenal in preseason workouts and goes hardevery day. She’ll be the first to admitthat she’s learning a ton in terms ofadapting to the college level. She hasthe ability to get to the rim, has theability to draw fouls, runs the floor well.... We’re still working with her on tryingto expand her range. Right now, mostof her game is primarily going to bewithin 15 feet. ... She has the potentialof being a very good player defensively.”

5 MARITA MATHE5-7 Freshman Guard

One of threeIndiana Countyproducts on theteam, she iscompeting withTalen Watson forthe starting pointguard position ...averaged anarea-high 5.1 assists at Indiana High last year along with 5.0rebounds and 3.2 steals per game.

Coach’s comment: “She showed upin great shape, did a great job in the preseason workouts. ... Marita iscertainly adjusting to the college game.There are things you get away with inhigh school just because you’re a better player ... and she’s finding outthat the point guard position especially, decision-making is huge andshe’s got to learn to cut down onturnovers, but I’m confident she will.She’s making progress and not makingsome of the same mistakes she did theweek before. She pushes it well in transition, sees the floor very well andmakes the hit-ahead pass to rewardpeople who get out and run. Her 3-point shooting is continuing to getbetter. Defensively, she has a little waysto go.”

12 LESLIE STAPLETON5-10 Freshman Guard

The Gazette’shigh school player of the yearin 2010 as a junior ... one ofthe players in adeep group ofsmall forwardsand shootingguards ... a1,000-pointscorer at Indiana... averaged 15.7 points, shot 44.5 percent from the floor and made 48 3-pointers as a senior.

Coach’s comment: “She’ll be in themix at our wing positions. Certainly, avery solid 3-point shooter. Not surprisingly, using Marita Mathe as anexample, they’re certainly adjusting tothe speed of the game from a defensivestandpoint and having to go up againstbetter players and that kind of thing.She’s getting there. She’s made a lot ofimprovement in the past couple weeks.And I think she’s deceptively quick. Alot of times people make the assumption with Leslie that she’s just aspot-up shooter or a 3-point shooter,but she can put the ball on the grounda little better than most people realize.”

A transfer from Division IMassachusetts ... in the running for the starting pointguard position ... appeared in21 of UMass’ 30 games last season, making two startsand averaging 2.0 points in10 minutes per game ... shot46.7 percent from 3-pointrange, making 7 of 15 attempts.

Coach’s comment: “She has goodquickness. She’s a good athlete. Shepushes it pretty well in transition. She’s kind of having to re-adjust toplaying point gaurd. She was a pointguard her senior year of high schoolwhen they won the state championship,and at UMass they probably used hermore as a two-guard than anything

else. ... She is certainlysomebody that is capable of being very good defensively. She has goodspeed, can pressure the ball.Offensively, she can makeplays in that she can get tothe rim, she can drive anddish. She can certainly extend her range and shoot the 3 as well. She’s

definitely in a pretty spirited competition right now between her and Marita Mathe at the point guardposition. I also think Talen, though, isversatile enough that it’s not out of the question that we could play the two of them together and she could slide over to the two-guard position.”

1 TALEN WATSON5-8 Sophomore Guard


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