12/30: KU 127, PSU-Abington 65

Steve Coffey scored a career-best 14 points off the bench as KU cruised past PSU-Abington on Tuesday evening by a 127-65 score.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Dennis 23.9 - Cruised to 23 points on 10-of-19 from the field, while assisting on 6 and notching a whopping 7 steals
2. Washington 22.2 - What a shooting day for the sophomore! 10-of-12 for 21 points, 7 boards, and 6 dimes
3. Woodlin 19.6 - Proved to be one of his better games this season: 7-of-11 for 18 points, 7 boards, 6 assists
4. Ben 17.8 - Wasn't the star in this one, but contributed 15 points, 6 assists, 6 boards, 4 steals
5. Coffey 15.0 - Scored 14 off the bench on 5-of-7 shooting and had 6 assists
6. Bower 14.9 - Had the team's only double-double, with 14 points (on 6-of-8 shooting) and 11 boards in 22 minutes of action.
7. White 8.9 - 8 points, 7 rebounds in 17 minutes
8. Gray 6.5 - Just 2-of-6 from the floor, but helped the cause with 7 points, 4 assists, 3 steals
9. Ford-Bey 6.0 - 7 points, 3 rebounds in 12 minutes
10. Vrabel -1.1 - A shot and a foul in 4 minutes

Inactives:
Wenner
Coombs

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

12/30: KU 76, Chestnut Hill 65

KU had little trouble taking care of business against Chestnut Hill on Tuesday, improving its overall record to 8-1 as PSAC play looms.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. McQuade 24.4 - Paved the way to victory once again with a 7-of-11 shooting day for 20 points and 9 rebounds. She also chipped in 5 assists and 3 steals.
2. Schroeder 14.9 - Great game for the center, as she knocked down 4 of her 7 shots for 12 points, while snagging 7 boards and stealing 3.
3. Wisemiller 12.8 - Just 5-of-13 from the floor, including 1-of-5 from long range, but ended up with 15 points, 4 boards, 3 blocks, and a pair of steals/assists.
4. Dellegrotti 7.3 - Scored 9, assisted on 5, and stole 3, but had 4 turnovers
5. Melvin 5.5 - 8 points on 8 shots and had 4 dimes
6. LeVan 1.7 - Hit her only shot and had 4 rebounds, but also committed 4 fouls in 6 minutes. Ouch!
7. Starr 1.0 - Only played 17 minutes, missing her only shot and turning it over 3 times. She did, however, help the cause with 4 assists and 2 steals.
8. Mertz 0.9 - 2-for-3 for 4 points in 19 minutes
9. Greaves -0.4 - A bucket, turnover, and foul in 7 minutes
10. Dovey -0.6 - Not her best work, but not an awful day: 2-of-6 for 4 points, 4 boards, 2 fouls, and 3 turnovers

Inactives:
Bonanno - Suspension (until 2009)

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

12/20: KU 68, Philly U. 60

The Golden Bears improved to 8-0 with the win over Philadelphia on Saturday.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Dennis 16.7 - 23 points on 21 shots in 39 minutes. Also had 8 boards, 4 assists, and 3 steals
2. Ben 13.3 - Nailed half of his 14 shots for 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists
3. Washington 6.5 - Fouled out, but still put up a full day's work, scoring 6 points, hauling in 10 boards, assisting on 5, and swatting away 4
4. Bower 3.4 - Started and played 16 minutes, contributing 3 points and 4 rebounds, but also had 4 fouls
5. Coombs 2.7 - A better outing for Coombs: 5 points, 4 boards in 13 minutes
6. Woodlin 2.5 - Just 2-of-11 for 8 points, while adding 7 boards and a pair of steals
7. Coffey 2.3 - 2 points and a rebound in 9 minutes
8. Gray -0.4 - Back-to-back rough outings for Gray: 1 points, 4 fouls in 17 minutes
9. White -0.4 - Missed a shot and had a rebound in 7 minutes

Inactives:
Ford-Bey
Vrabel
Wenner

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

12/20: KU 64, Philly U. 68

The Golden Bears finally lost on Saturday, but it was more of the same from Melissa McQuade, who knocked down 17 points to go with 7 rebounds and 7 assists.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. McQuade 20.4 - Is there any doubt that McQuade could play all five positions effectively? 7-of-13 for 19 points, 7 assists, 8 rebounds, 2 steals
2. Wisemiller 12.3 - Led the team with 22 points on 15 shots and added 5 boards
3. Schroeder 5.1 - Couldn't seem to get a shot to fall, but still managed a solid 8 point, 10 rebound day
4. Dellegrotti 4.5 - Still not 100%, but chipped in 8 points, 3 assists in 17 minutes off the bench
5. Dovey 3.1 - Got another start at the 4 and answered with 4 points and 8 rebounds, including a team-best 7 on the defensive boards
6. LeVan 0.0 - Nothing doing in 4 minutes of work
7. Mertz -0.5 - Much to my surprise, only saw 4 minutes against a tall Philly U. squad, failing to score, while hauling in a rebound and committing a pair of fouls
8. Melvin -0.7 - Missed her only shot in just four minutes of work
9. Greaves -2.2 - Showed her inexperience today, struggling to 1 rebound, 2 fouls, a turnover, and a missed shot in 6 minutes
10. Starr -3.3 - Not a good day for Starr as she was just 1-of-8 for 3 points and had 4 turnovers to offset her 4 assists

Inactives:
Bonanno - Suspension (until 2009)

Boxscore

YTD Hollinger Game Score

Are you for real?

A lot of people are asking me the same question: Is this women’s basketball team better than the teams from the last few years or is their 7-0 record simply a product of an easy schedule. While I may not have a simple answer to that question, I did some research and learned a few things. Enjoy.

First of all, here is KU’s record through seven games over the last four seasons, including this year:
2008: 7-0
2007: 2-5
2006: 5-2
2005: 4-3In 2008, the Golden Bears are 7-0 and have outscored their opponents (Slippery Rock, Pitt-Johnstown, USiP, Lincoln, Columbia Union (x2), and PSU-Berks) by an average score of 73-47. Over the last three seasons, KU has taken on teams from that group on 18 occasions and is 14-4 in those contests, outscoring them by an average score of 69-55. So, based solely on that, they are clearly better than they have been.

Here is a more detailed breakdown, which will show the team’s success against each of their to-date 2008 opponents over the last four years, including this year’s games:

Slippery Rock:
2008: Won 66-51 (+15)
2007: Won 67-60 (+7)
2006: Lost 51-63 (-12)
2005: Lost 57-58 (-1)
05-07 Average Score: 58-60 (-2)

Pitt-Johnstown:
2008: Won 86-72 (+14)
2007: DNP
2006: Lost 56-65 (-9)
2005: DNP

USiP:
2008: Won 64-52 (+12)
2007: Won 57-50 (+7)
2006: Lost 62-66 (-4)
2005: DNP
05-07 Average Score: 60-58 (+2)

Lincoln (Pa):
2008: Won 75-48 (+27)
2007: Won 79-54 (+25)
2006: Won 62-58 (+4)
2005: Won 79-53 (+26)
05-07 Average Score: 73-55 (+18)

Columbia Union:
2008: Won 72-37 (+27)
2008: Won 76-30 (+27)
2007: Won 87-72 (+15)
2007: Won 52-45 (+7)
2006: Won 78-54 (+24)
2006: Won 69-54 (+15)
2005: Won 78-59 (+19)
2005: Won 80-56 (+24)
05-07 Average Score: 80-57 (+23)

PSU-Berks:
2008: Won 74-38 (+36)
2007: Won 81-54 (+27)
2006: Won 71-34 (+37)
2005: Won 84-40 (+44)
05-07 Average Score: 79-43 (+36)

There you have it. If you’re keeping score at home, you’ll see that of their six opponents this season, they’ve widened the scoring margin compared to the average of the last three seasons against 5 of the 6 teams with the PSU-Berks margin of victory remaining the same.

This data does seem to indicate that the Golden Bears are playing better, but the teams they are playing are not only teams they usually beat, but could also conveniently be having down years. For example, Slippery Rock, who KU was 1-2 against the last three years before beating them this year, is picked to finish last in the PSAC West this season.

In conclusion, I think it is safe to say that the 2008-09 version of the KU women’s basketball is better than teams from the last couple of years. How good? That is hard to say. Once the Golden Bears get a few PSAC games under their belt, we will have a much better idea where they are going this year. Right now, it looks like they could manage a PSAC East record near 9-5, which would mean a return to the postseason.

Regardless of their schedule, they are still a perfect 7-0. You don’t get there by accident.

12/17: KU 95, DoC 56

David Ben was the man of the hour, but Ryan Washington (pictured) was impressive as well, scoring 13 points, while also chipping in 11 boards, 6 assists, and 4 steals.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Ben 30.2 - All but single-handily won the game with a huge second half. Ended up 14-of-23 for 32 points, 7 assists, 4 steals, 4 rebounds
2. Dennis 23.6 - Another outstanding shooting day, 9-of-14 for 23 points, 8 boards, 4 dimes
3. Woodlin 19.1 - 7-of-11 for 19 points, 4 assists, 4 boards
4. Washington 18.9 - Ben stole the show, but how about this game for Washington: Put up a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds and also chipped in 6 assists and 4 steals.
5. Bower 6.9 - Started again for Coombs and answered with a half dozen points and boards in 21 minutes
6. Coffey 1.7 - Missed his only shot in 7 minutes, but had a rebound, assist, and 2 steals
7. Vrabel -0.4 - Only a foul on the sheet in 3 minutes
8. Wenner -0.7 - 0-for-1 in 4 minutes
9. Ford-Bey -0.7 - See Wenner
10. White -1.0 - 2 points and 3 rebounds in 8 minutes, but had 2 fouls and a turnover
11. Coombs -2.9 - Apparently not back to 100% quite yet, he played just 8 minutes, failing to score, grabbing only 1 board, and committing 2 fouls and a turnover
12. Gray -3.3 - Easily his worst day as a Golden Bear, Gray suffered through a 0-for-5 outing and didn't do much else in 21 minutes of work

Inactives:
N/A

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

12/17: KU 76, Columbia Union 30

Rachel Wisemiller had 15 points and 7 assists for the Golden Bears on Wednesday.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. McQuade 18.4 - Hit 6 of her 8 shots for 15 points and notched 5 boards and 5 assists
2. Wisemiller 13.4 - Hit a third of her 9 threes for 15 points and chipped in 7 assists
3. Starr 9.2 - A solid 6 points, 8 assists in 23 minutes, but was 0-for-3 from long range
4. Dellegrotti 8.4 - 4-for-5 in her first game back from injury for 11 points
5. Schroeder 8.2 - Looked impressive in the lane, shooting 4-of-7 for 9 points, but just 2 rebounds in 22 minutes is disappointing. And don't think I didn't see those 2 steals.
6. LeVan 7.7 - 3-of-5 for 7 points, a pair of assists, and a trio of steals
7. Melvin 6.6 - Only 1-for-4 for 3 points in her first action since the opener, but did have 6 assists and 4 steals
8. Dovey 6.0 - Back in the starting lineup after missing a game, shot 3-for-7 for 6 points and hauled in 7 boards
9. Mertz 1.4 - The seven rebounds is what Coach Malouf is going to need from Mertz in regularity, but she will need to improve on just 2 points in 18 minutes
10. Greaves -2.2 - Back-to-back rough outings for Greaves: 1-for-5 for 2 points and 3 turnovers

Inactives:
Bonanno - Suspension (until 2009)

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

Looking ahead to 2009-10

Two young ladies have already signed on to play basketball at KU next season.

Jackie Burg
Position: Guard
Hometown: West Chester
High School: Bishop Shanahan

Notes from www.kubears.com: "Burg was a three-time letter winner. In her junior season she was the leading scorer and named to the all-conference and all-area teams."

Other notes: Here are two of her recruiting videos from Youtube. She runs the point in high school, appears to have a ton of speed, and, as you can see, can make some very athletic plays.
Video 1
Video 2

Melanie Mahan
Position: Shooting Guard
Hometown: Mullica Hill, N.J.
High School: Clearview Regional

Notes from www.kubears.com: "Mahan is a three-time varsity letter winner for basketball and was named first team South Jersey. She is also a letter winner in lacrosse for two years and cheerleading for two years."

Other notes: You’ll notice she is from Mullica Hill, NJ, which happens to be the hometown of recent KU standout Mercedes Van Wagner. Van Wagner does not have to worry about her breaking her rebounding record, however, since Mahan is not a center like Van Wagner, but rather a guard. I spoke to Van Wagner about Mahan and she had this to say: “She plays really hard. She likes to drive to the basket and is a really good defender. She has a lot of energy on and off the floor.” I don’t have her exact height, but Van Wagner said she is around 5’9”.

Beat Up Bears

I know several of you are wondering about the status of a few of your favorite Golden Bear basketball players, so here is the scoop on a few of them…

Men’s Basketball:

Jeremy Coombs: Coombs has averaged 8 less minutes a game and his production has been down across the board this season as opposed to a year ago. According to Coach Bernie Driscoll, this can be traced to a lingering severe ankle sprain suffered earlier this season. “He is getting better each week and should be ready to go full speed soon,” said Driscoll via email on Tuesday.

Mike Connolly: Connolly is done for the year after suffering a torn meniscus. He had surgery on Monday, which accounts for his third knee surgery in the past two years.

Nate Edwards: As reported prior to the start of the season, Edwards received an injury redshirt for the 2008-09 season and will return to the court for his third year of eligibility next season.

Women’s Basketball:
(Note: I’m still waiting to hear back from Coach Malouf with an update on the status of the injured players. I’ll update this as soon as I have new information)

Vivian Melvin: Has been out with an injured finger since the season opener, but should be back by the end of this month.

Lara Dellegrotti: Has been out with an injured wrist since the team’s third game on November 22, but isn’t expected to be out much longer.

Vanina Bonanno: The freshman has yet to play this season due to suspension. She is expected to make her debut in 2009.

Linzie Stahl: Stahl is transferring from KU and will not play for the Golden Bears.

Cecily Scavicchio: She is also transferring from KU and will not play for the Golden Bears.

A Starr in the making?

With the women’s basketball team off to an impressive 6-0 start this season, it’s about that time where we will begin debating whether or not this team is for real or not. One way to do that is to review the improvement of some of the team’s key players.

Melissa McQuade, Lara Dellegrotti, and Rachel Wisemiller have received most of the spotlight for the early success, and while it is certainly warranted, the success of those three should not be much of a surprise. All three players were outstanding a year ago and are continuing that trend here in the early portion of 2008-09.

One player who doesn’t jump out in the scoring column of the boxscore, but who deserves a lot of credit for both her improvement this season and for the team’s strong start is sophomore guard Meredith Starr.

After hitting a game-winning three pointer off the bench in her first collegiate game, Starr was thrown into the starter’s role just two games later and suffered through some growing pains throughout the year.

This year, Starr entered her sophomore season as a starter in the backcourt and has quietly been sensational. She’s shown improvement in almost every single statistical category, which begs the question, is she for real or is this simply a product of the team’s relatively easy early season schedule? We won’t know for sure until PSAC games start in a few weeks, but it’s never too early to check out her progress. I’m usually a stickler for sample size, but I compared Starr’s numbers from last season to her numbers so far in six games this year.

Shooting Percentage:
Starr has been shooting the ball better this season, improving her overall field goal percentage from 29% to 34%. That is not a mind-blowing improvement, but it is easy to trace. Last season, 56% of her shots were from beyond the three point arc. This season, only 43% of her shots have come from long range. So, despite the fact that she has seen her three-point percentage drop one point to 27% this year, she has still improved her overall shooting percentage simply by improving her shooting percentage on 2 point field goals from 30% to 40%.

I already mentioned she is taking less three pointers per game, but another statistic that jumped out at me was the fact that she is actually taking slightly less total shots per minute of action, which is not a bad thing, as it opens up the opportunity for her to improve in other categories, which is a good segue (I’d swear that word was spelled ‘segway’ until today) to…

Assists:
This is where Starr has really stood out this season. She has more assists per minute this season (.201) than all but one Golden Bear (J. Needham 94-95) has managed since 1992. After notching 69 dimes in 685 minutes of 27 games as a freshman, she already has 40 assists this season in 199 minutes of 6 games. At this pace, she will put up 180 helpers this season, which would absolutely shatter Megan Bainbridge’s KU single-season record of 148. As of December 11, Starr leads the entire PSAC in assists and assists per game. Having committed only 11 turnovers this year (1.8 per game), she is also first in assist/turnover ratio.

Points:
Let’s be honest, Starr’s number one priority is not scoring. Her job is to run the point and set up her outstanding shooters with easy scoring opportunities. We know she’s done that well, but how well is she doing when she actually does have to shoot? Well, we already mentioned she is shooting more efficiently and taking fewer shots. That has translated into an increase in points per game from 4.1 to 5.7 and an increase in points per minute from .162 to .171. So, there is not much change here, but the improvement is worth noting.

Rebounding:
Am I really going to discuss a point guard’s rebounding statistics? Yes, I am. Starr already has already hauled in 31 rebounds this year, which is exactly half of her total for 2007-08. She is averaging 5.2 total rebounds per game (.156 per minute) compared to 2.3 RPG last year (.091 per minute). Her offensive rebounds are actually slightly down, which means many of her boards are coming on the defensive glass. Again, rebounding isn’t a priority for a point guard, but hey, 5 rebounds a game are 5 possessions a game.

Minutes:
In an article I wrote a few weeks ago about Head Coach Janet Malouf (Malouf ’08: Time for Change), I mentioned Malouf’s trend of giving her players a ton of minutes in their first year, just to see them drop considerably in their sophomore season. That has not been the case with Starr. After seeing 25.4 minutes per game last season, she has seen her floor time rise to a hefty 33.2 MPG. You are probably thinking “Holy Cow, that is a lot of minutes!” You’re right it is, but there is a good reason for it. The suspension of Vanina Bonanno and the injuries to Vivian Melvin and Lara Dellegrotti have left Starr and Wisemiller as the only healthy true 1-2 guards on the roster. Expect Starr’s minutes to drop under the 30 minute mark once Melvin and Dellegrotti return.

Other Notes:
Starr is also doing several of the little things better in her sophomore campaign. She is averaging one foul every 3 games this year after committing 1.6 fouls per game last season. Her free throw percentage is up from 67% to 75%. Finally, she is snatching 1.3 steals a game after averaging 0.7 last year.

In conclusion, is this enough evidence to anoint Meredith Starr as one of the PSAC’s best point guards? Probably not. Is it enough evidence to show that she has improved from last season and is a player who can effectively run the point for the Golden Bears over the next three years? Yes, it probably is. My only disclaimer here, is that KU has played what some would call “easy” opponents and Starr will need to prove herself once the PSAC games start in a few weeks. The moment she begins putting up 6 points, 5 boards, 8 assists, 1 foul, and 2 turnovers in 34 minutes against teams like West Chester, Millersville, and Shippensburg is the moment we can anoint her Saint Starr. I like the sound of that.

12/6: KU 90, PSU-Berks 49

David Ben paved the way to a win over PSU-Berks with 24 points.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Ben 28.0 - Outplayed Dennis in this one: 9-of-16 for 24 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 9 (yes, 9) steals. Sheesh.
2. Dennis 20.5 - Just 5-of-14 for 15 points, but did his thing with 7 boards, 6 dimes, 4 steals, and 4 blocks. Not bad for a point guard.
3. Woodlin 8.9 - Not his best showing, but scored 11 and had 4 steals
4. White 6.9 - Hit 4 of his 6 shots for 8 points and hauled in 6 boards in just 14 minutes
5. Coffey 6.1 - Started over Woodlin and managed 6 points, 6 boards in 28 minutes
6. Gray 5.9 - 9 points and a pair of assists and steals in 23 minutes
7. Bower 3.7 - Only a field goal and a pair of free throws in 11 minutes from the starting center
8. Coombs 3.0 - Scored 3 points, grabbed a rebound, and committed a foul in 3 minutes
9. Washington 2.7 - 6 points, 7 rebounds in 18 minutes is about right, but 3 fouls and 4 turnovers is sloppy for a normally solid performer like Washington
10. Wenner 2.3 - Scored once, grabbed a rebound, and snagged a steal in 5 minutes
11. Ford-Bey 1.0 - 1-of-2 from the field during a relatively quiet 9 minutes of work
12. Vrabel 0.3 - Only one rebound in the boxscore in 5 minutes of work

Inactives:
Connolly - Injured - Out for season

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

12/6: KU 74, PSU-Berks 38

Schroeder and the Golden Bears had a relatively easy go of it at Penn State-Berks on Saturday despite playing with just seven players.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. McQuade 19.5 - Another game, another double-double: 15 points, 13 boards to go with 4 each in the steals and assists department
2. Wisemiller 14.0 - Another solid shooting night: 16 points, 5 boards, 3 dimes, 3 steals
3. Starr 13.7 - Only 2-of-7 from the field for 4 points, but did her thing at the point with 9 assists and an impressive 6 steals. Also had an odd 7 rebounds.
4. LeVan 11.3 - Went for a team high 16 points (as did Wisemiller) in her first career start.
5. Schroeder 9.6 - Only hit a third of her shots, but 8 points and 6 rebounds is solid
6. Mertz 7.9 - 10 points in 20 minutes, but there is more to be desired in the rebounding department (3)
7. Greaves -1.5 - Far from her best effort: 2-of-11 for 5 points, 4 fouls, and a pair of turnovers

Inactives:
Dellegrotti - Injury (Wrist)
Dovey - Personal
Melvin - Injury (Finger)
Bonanno - Suspension (until 2009)

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

Weekend Games

I'll be in Pittsburgh this weekend (at the Cowboys-Steelers game), so I will not be able to post my recaps (including the Game Scores) of the PSU-Berks games until Tuesday.

Update:

Women: Won 74-38
Boxscore

Men: Won 90-49
Boxscore

12/3: KU 97, Chestnut Hill 77

Stephen Dennis is shown here scoring his 1000th career point on Wednesday.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Dennis 21.6 - Another superb day: 10-of-14 for 28 points, 5 boards, 4 dimes
2. Woodlin 14.4 - 6-of-8 for 19 points, 4 boards
3. Ben 12.3 - Just 3-of-8 from the field with 7 turnovers, but 8-of-11 from the charity stripe for 15 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds.
4. Washington 11.2 - Missed just 1 of his 6 shots for 12 points and 5 rebounds
5. Gray 9.9 - 4-of-7 for 12 points in 25 minutes off the bench
6. Bower 6.0 - Started and went for 6 points and 7 boards
7. Ford-Bey 2.7 - Hit his only shot in 1 minute of work
8. Coffey 2.3 - 3 boards and 2 assists in 10 minutes
9. Wenner 1.9 - Only played one minute, but hit a pair of free throws and grabbed a rebound
10. Vrabel -0.4 - Only a foul in a minute of work
11. White -0.7 - 2 points and 2 fouls in 10 minutes
12. Coombs -2.2 - Only played 5 minutes off the bench, contributing only 3 fouls and a turnover

Inactives:
Connolly

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

12/3: KU 72, Columbia Union 37

Meredith Starr in action this season

Hollinger Game Score:

1. McQuade 16.3 - Another double-double: 17 points, 10 rebounds
2. Wisemiller 15.2 - 5-of-8 from long range, 17 points, 3 dimes, 7 boards
3. Dovey 9.7 - Stellar in her second straight start: 11 points, 6 boards, 2 assists
4. LeVan 8.1 - 10 points, 5 boards, 3 assists off the bench
5. Starr 8.0 - Just 1-of-5 from the floor, but made up for it with 6 boards, 5 assists
6. Greaves 2.0 - 4 points, 4 boards in 20 minutes
7. Mertz 0.6 - 5 points, but 4 fouls and only 2 boards in 22 minutes
8. Schroeder 0.2 - Started, but struggled in 18 minutes of work: 4 points, 2 boards, 2 fouls, 2 turnovers

Inactives:
Dellegrotti - Injury (Wrist)
Melvin - Injury (Finger)
Bonanno - Suspension (until 2009)

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

11/30: KU 87, Holy Family 66

Dave Ben in action earlier this season.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Dennis 26.3 - A 23 point night has come to be expected, making his 9 dimes and 7 boards the story of the night for the junior.
2. Ben 18.3 - Scored 21 points on 17 shots and hauled in 7 boards.
3. Woodlin 12.5 - Just 5-of-13 for 13 points, but had 5 assists, 5 boards, and 3 steals.
4. Washington 10.5 - 8 points/9 boards in 31 minutes
5. Bower 8.3 - Got the start again, scoring 11 and grabbing 4 rebounds in 27 minutes
6. Gray 7.7 - 9 points and 2 assists in 24 minutes
7. White 1.7 - Scored once in 4 minutes
8. Coffey 0.0 - Missed shot and assist in just 5 minutes of work
9. Wenner 0.0 - Nothing doing in one minute
10. Ford-Bey 0.0 - Nothing here in 2 minutes
11. Vrabel -1.4 - A foul and a turnover in one minute won't help your stock
12. Coombs -1.8 - Lost the starting job, now is losing playing time. In only 8 minutes, Coombs had 3 turnovers, failed to score, and grabbed only 1 rebound.

Inactives:
Connolly

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

11/25: KU 94, Goldey-Beacom 71

Andre Woodlin hit an impressive 10 of his 12 shots on Tuesday.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Woodlin 24.0 - A ridiculous 10-of-12 from the floor for 22 points. 6 boards and 3 assists are nice on the side.
2. Dennis 17.1 - Hit less than half of his 17 shots, but scored 22, donated 5 dimes, and hauled in 5 boards.
3. Washington 15.3 - 5-of-7 for 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 blocks. Did I say 7 blocks? Jeeze.
4. Ben 12.0 - A nice shooting day (7-of-12) for 20 points and 3 boards.
5. Gray 6.6 - Doing a very nice job off the bench as a rookie: 3-of-4 for 8 points on Tuesday
6. Coffey 2.7 - Hit a pair of shots in seven minutes
7. Wenner 2.3 - Scored once and grabbed 3 boards in just 2 minutes
8. White 1.6 - Also scored on basket, while chipping in with a pair of rebounds in just 6 minutes
9. Bower 1.5 - Got the start over Coombs, but wasn't too impressive: 0-for-2 and 1 rebound in 16 minutes
10. Connolly 0.3 - Failed to take a shot in 5 minutes of work
11. Ford-Bey 0.0 - Nothing doing in 2 minutes of work
12. Coombs -0.7 - Missed his only shot in 2 minutes of work

Inactives:
Vrabel

Boxscore

11/25: KU 75, Lincoln 48

Katie Dovey was superb off the bench for KU on Tuesday.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. McQuade 24.0 - She can't really be this good...can she? 12-of-16 from the field for 27 points. Toss in 5 steals and 8 boards and that's not too bad a night, eh?
2. Wisemiller 12.1 - Definitely not afraid to shoot, she had as many shots as points (16), while chipping in 6 boards and 4 dimes.
3. Schroeder 11.0 -Oh, Canada! 5-of-7 for 10 points, 6 boards, and 4 assists in 19 minutes.
4. Dovey 10.0 - Finally a breakout game for Katie. She nailed half of her 8 shots for a dozen points and hauled in 7 boards.
5. Starr 8.0 - Converted just 1 of her 7 shots, but dished out 13, yes 13, assists. Maybe she should stick to passing!
6. Greaves 1.6 - She was busy in 10 minutes. 1 basket, 1 miss, 1 foul, 1 dime, 1 block, 1 steal...oh, and a pair of turnovers and boards.
7. Mertz 0.8 - 0-for-3 in 21 minutes. Not much else here, but she did manage 3 steals, which is something.
8. LeVan -1.7 - 2-of-7 for 5 points in 14 minutes and committed a trio of turnovers and fouls.

Inactives:
Dellegrotti - N/A
Melvin - Injury (Finger)
Bonanno - Suspension (0 games left)

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

Hollinger Game Score: Year-to-date

Hollinger Game Score
Women's Basketball 2008-09
(FINAL)

~Number shown is the player's average Game Score this season~

1. McQuade 15.3
2. Wisemiller 11.2
3. Schroeder 8.1
4. Dellegrotti 5.3
5. Starr 5.3
6. Dovey 3.3
7. Melvin 2.5
8. Bonnano 2.0
9. Mertz 1.4
10. LeVan 0.4
11. Greaves -0.3

Hollinger Game Score: Year-to-date

Hollinger Game Score
Men's Basketball 2008-09
(Through 3/3/09)

~Number shown is the player's average Game Score this season~

1. Dennis 17.9
2. Ben 17.0
3. Washington 13.0
4. Woodlin 12.8
5. Bower 4.5
6. Gray 3.8
7. Coffey 1.8
8. White 0.9
9. Wenner 0.8
10. Ford-Bey 0.8
11. Coombs 0.3
12. Connolly 0.2
13. Vrabel -0.4

11/22: KU 79, USP 65

David Ben in action at Keystone Hall last season

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Dennis 18.0 - Another outstanding effort: 10-of-15 for 22 points
2. Ben 11.7 - 6-of-11 from the floor for 17 points, while snagging 5 boards
3. Woodlin 10.6 - A better effort in game two: 14 points, 4 assists
4. Washington 10.0 - A solid 10 point/5 board effort
5. Gray 9.0 - Thrown right into the fire, 10 points in 32 minutes of work
6. Coombs 1.7 -Started, but played just 7 minutes, scoring one bucket
7. Coffey 1.3 - Scored one basket in three minutes
8. Connolly 0.0 - Not much in three minutes after missing the opener with an injury
9. Bower -1.2 - 3 fouls, no rebounds in 16 minutes
10. White -1.4 - Only a foul and turnover in his three minute collegiate debut

Inactives:
Vrabel
Ford-Bey
Wenner

Boxscore

11/22: KU 64, USP 52

It took a total team effort for the ladies to knock off USP on Saturday.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Mertz 11.2 - Very impressive in 23 minutes. 4-for-5 from the floor for 8 points, 4 boards
2. Starr 9.6 - Another strong effort: 11 points, 5 boards, 5 assists
3. Wisemiller 9.3 - Hit 4 threes en route to 15 points, 6 boards
4. Greaves 4.2 - 5 points and 3 boards in 13 minutes
5. Schroeder 3.7 - A solid 9 points, 6 rebounds in 18 minutes
6. McQuade 3.3 - Not her best shooting effort: 2-for-8 for 5 points. 7 boards, 4 assists, 3 steals a nice side dish, but we could do without the 5 turnovers and 4 fouls
7. Dellegrotti 3.0 - Took all six of her shots from long range, making just one. 8 point, 3 assist day
8. LeVan 2.0 - Hit a three pointer in 6 minutes of work
9. Dovey -1.7 - Not much production in just 4 minutes of work

Inactives:
Melvin - Injury (Finger)
Bonanno - Suspension (1 game left)

Boxscore

11/19: KU 99, Wilmington 64

Stephen Dennis in action last season.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Dennis 29.1 - So much for rust. 9-of-13 for 29 points to go with 5 steals and 5 dimes
2. Ben 20.9 - Made half of his 20 shots for 24 points and had a whopping 8 assists
3. Washington 13.9 - A solid evening; 5-for-7 for 12 points along with team-best 6 boards
4. Gray 6.5 - Solid debut for Gray: 5 points and 4 assists
5. Coombs 5.6 - Started at center and scored 8 in 14 minutes
6. Bower 5.1 - Played 21 minutes, snagging 4 boards and scoring 4 points
7. Woodlin 4.9 - Disappointing debut; 9 points, 4 steals in team-high 32 minutes
8. Coffey 2.4 - 4 points, 4 fouls, 2 dimes in 13 minutes of work
9. Ford-Bey 2.0 - Scored a bucket in 3 minutes of debut.
10. Wenner -0.4 - Scored in his first collegiate game
11. Vrabel -1.6 - 3 fouls and 2 turnovers in debut

Inactives:
Connolly - Injured
White - N/A

11/16: KU 86, UPJ 72

Melissa McQuade - Tournament M.V.P.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. McQuade 31.0 - What a game! 10-of-10 from the line leads to 30 point/14 rebound day
2. Wisemiller 19.5 - A nice rebound after a rusty opener. 21 points/8 boards/4 assists/4 steals
3. Schroeder 15.2 - 19 points/10 boards for first double-double...and only 2 personal fouls!
4. Starr 5.3 - 5 points and a solid 6 assists
5. Dellegrotti 5.1 - Only 2-for-8 today, but still managed 9 point, 5 assist day
6. Dovey 0.3 - Only two boards in 15 minutes of work
7. LeVan 0.0 - Nothing in the boxscore in 4 minutes of play
8. Mertz -2.0 - Two turnovers in two minutes of action
9. Greaves -4.0 - 0-for-4 from the floor with 3 fouls in nine minutes

Inactives:
Melvin - Injury (Finger)
Bonanno - Suspension (2 games left)

Boxscore

11/15: KU 66, SRU 51

Lara Dellegrotti - Game high 21 points

Hollinger Game Score:

1. McQuade 22.2 - 1 game. 1 double-double. 16 and 10 in the opener.
2. Dellegrotti 13.9 - Showed no rust, knocking down game-high 21.
3. Starr 6.0 - Very nice opener. 7 points-2 assists-1 turnover
4. Schroeder 1.6 - Productive in only 7 minutes of work, but needs to stay out of foul trouble
5. Wisemiller 1.3 - Showed rust. 4 pts on 2-of-9 shooting, but had 6 boards and 4 assists
6. Mertz 0.6 - Man is she tall! 3 boards in her debut
7. Greaves 0.1 - 5 points in her debut, but 1 rebound is disappointing
8. LeVan -0.5 - Didn't do much in her first collegiate game
9. Dovey -1.5 - Only 1-of-6 from the floor
10. Melvin -1.7 - 0-for-4 from the charity stripe and 5 turnovers overshadows 7 boards.

Inactives:
Bonanno - Suspension (3 games left)

Boxscore

KUVS Plan of Attack

With the women's basketball season set to begin tomorrow at 3 p.m., now is a good time to let you know what my plan is for this season in terms of coverage.

Like last season, I will cover women's basketball, men's basketball, baseball, and softball. Obviously, the next few months will be mostly basketball with baseball and softball coming around this spring.

I won't begin extensive previews for men's and women's basketball games until divisional play begins in a month or so. In the meantime, I will recap as many non-conference games as possible. I'm going to use a customized version of the Hollinger Game Score (similar to the Clay Player Rankings I used last season) to rank player production on a game-by-game basis and will chart these in each game recap. Each player's year-to-date rank will be available on the main page. Hopefully this will allow fans to get good idea of which players have been the most productive.

Aside of previews and recaps, I will continue to post as many statistical studies and editorials as possible. Basically, you can expect much of what you saw last season with a bit more statistical analysis this time around.

Good luck to both basketball teams this winter and here's to another season of solid coverage by Kutztown University Vital Sports!

Malouf ’08: Time for Change

Rich Scarcella wrote an excellent article in the Reading Eagle yesterday about women’s basketball head coach Janet Malouf’s plan for change in 2008. Let me be the first to say: it’s about time.

(In bold is the article. In regular font is some analysis.)

Janet Malouf, bothered by missing the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time in her career, knew that something had to change.

Why stop there? Coach Malouf was a fairly impressive 64-32 in PSAC East games during her first eight seasons at KU, which included not one losing season against divisional opponents. Since then? 32-40 over the last six years including just one season with a record above .500 against the division. Only four times in school history, all under Malouf, have the ladies advanced past the first round of the PSAC Playoffs. Never have they won a PSAC crown.

It was her.

"We've had to change a lot, and I've had to change a lot," said Malouf, the Kutztown University women's basketball coach. "I felt I needed to make changes and trust my players a little bit more. I have to let them know they're making mistakes out there and let them ride through them.

"I have to learn to have a little more patience with them."

It is no secret that half of the team’s problem over the last few years has been player management. For whatever reason, the seniors tend to have the shortest leash on the team and the freshmen have the longest. Each season, it seems that the freshmen get way too much work, which is fine in a rebuilding year, but hey, you can’t rebuild every year and expect to win.

Last season, Meredith Starr was thrown into the point guard role as a freshman and certainly had her share of growing pains. Melissa McQuade was one of those superstar talents that deserved to be in the starting lineup immediately, but, again, it’s going to be hard to succeed when you continually lean on freshmen. Furthermore, Malouf has had a bunch of freshmen standouts over the last few seasons, but they rarely seem to improve on their freshman year production. Maybe McQuade can turn the tide on that trend.

What is most interesting about Coach Malouf’s use of player personnel is not simply that she overuses freshmen—it’s more of what happens to those freshmen the next year. I did a little study on players who played significant roles as freshmen by taking a look at how much playing time they had their sophomore year. Of the 26 freshmen that played at least one minute during the four seasons spanning from 2003-04 to 2006-07, all but eight of them saw less minutes their sophomore season. This is partially a result of 10 of them leaving the team, but of the nine players who played at least 275 minutes in their freshman season (not including two who left the team), only three of them saw more work the following season.

Players who saw at least 275 minutes of work as a freshman:

Freshman Season
Player Name – Freshman year minutes – Sophomore year minutes

2003-04
Bainbridge – 910 – 718
Brady – 474 – 582
Daley – 300 – 162 (Left team)

2004-05
Reyna – 302 – 273
Weidensaul – 777 – 564
Harlor – 275 – 148
Van Wagner – 694 – 670

2005-06
Dellegrotti – 556 – 784
McElmoyle – 582 – 0 (Left team)

2006-07
Wisemiller – 295 – 521
Melvin – 610 – 513

If that doesn’t prove at least some sort of freshman bias, I don’t know what will.

Malouf will need plenty of that in her 15th season with the Golden Bears. She has six freshmen and just one senior on her roster as Kutztown tries to return to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference playoffs for the first time in three seasons.

It shouldn’t take too long to see if Malouf really has changed. Lara Dellegrotti, Rachel Wisemiller, Melissa McQuade, Meredith Starr, Vivian Melvin, Katie Dovey, and Chauntelle Schroeder return from last year’s team and all seven can be effective at this level. There is no reason each of them shouldn’t get an opportunity to earn minutes early in the season while the freshmen are slowly worked into the mix. The strategy of throwing the rookies right into the fire hasn’t worked. It’s time to try something different.

A few days ago, I emailed Coach Malouf to ask if she had chosen a starting five yet and while her response was not a total shocker, it was a pleasant surprise. She listed a “main crew”, which consisted of 10 names. The first seven listed were the names of the seven returning players. No complaints here.

She will continue to run a structured offense, but with greater flexibility and freedom for her players. The Bears, at times, became paralyzed on the floor, worried more about where they were supposed to be and what they were supposed to do than playing basketball.

As mentioned earlier, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to notice this was happening. Each player stands out in her own way and the head coach holds the responsibly of taking full advantage of those skills.

In no particular order, a list of a few things I’d like to see in 2008-09:

1. An isolation play for Vivian Melvin – Melvin has proved she has the talent to be in the starting lineup. Where she gets into trouble is turnovers. Often you will see Melvin get the ball on the wing, make a good move to get free of her defender, drive to the lane, and turn the ball over when three defenders block her shot or strip the ball. An attempt should be made to set up Melvin with an opportunity to make plays in the lane.

2. When in doubt, force the ball to Melissa McQuade – She proved in her freshman season that she is the team’s best player. The best way to win is to get her the ball on offense. Let her score some buckets and take some pressure off the rest of the team. When defenses begin keying on her, it will set up opportunities for players like Dellegrotti and Wisemiller to knock down a few threes or for McQuade to find Schroeder, Dovey, etc. open underneath for a layup. McQuade had 59 assists last year while also leading the team in scoring. Her court awareness is hard to find at this level and should be taken advantage of.

3. Rachel Wisemiller and Lara Dellegrotti can shoot the basketball…so let them – When McQuade isn’t dominating the inside of the perimeter, plays should be designed to get Wisemiller and Dellegrotti, both superb shooters, open looks from long range.

4. Pretend Chauntelle Schroeder is Monique Boykins – Remember how crazy “Mo” was? She wasn’t the best at making her layups in one shot, but she would usually get her own rebound if she missed and put it right back in. She was also an absolute monster on the boards. She managed to make such an impact because, despite her sometimes sloppy play, she simply was bigger and more aggressive than most players in the PSAC. Schroeder isn’t quite as tall as Boykins, but she plays a very similar style. She’s worth a look at the center position.

5. Don’t overreact to mistakes – Freshmen aside, the fear of God seemed to be on the mind of every player on the floor during the last few seasons. As mentioned, the leash got shorter as you aged and that meant that Coach Malouf wasn’t afraid to pull a senior starter off the floor a minute into a game if she turned the ball over. Furthermore, you’d see a veteran come off the bench, miss a layup, and get pulled immediately. That player usually wouldn’t see another second of play that day. Sure the bench player’s job is to be ready to come in and perform at any given moment. That said, it should be no surprise that a player is going to be nervous and overwhelmed knowing that this is their make or break moment. Going out onto the court with the mindset of “Okay, I have to make a play here and not screw up or I won’t see another second today” is no way to play. Not to mention it is a terrible confidence booster. And, in my irrelevant opinion, confidence is more important in basketball than any other sport.

Kutztown finished 12th (out of 14 teams) in the PSAC last season in scoring and last in turnover margin, committing almost six more turnovers a game than its opponents. Those numbers led to a 11-16 record and a change in Malouf's approach.

And that was an improvement from some of the jaw dropping turnover numbers put up in previous years. Over the last five seasons, KU has averaged 22.3 turnovers a game. Last year they actually were better than that when they averaged 21.6 turnovers a game, which, as Scarcella pointed out, was still high enough to put them last in the PSAC in turnover margin. If not for Malouf’s dominant defensive system, her teams would be lucky to win five games all season…at least that’s been the case for the last half decade.

"We want to keep the big picture in mind and not get bogged down in all the details," she said. "I think we did that too many times the last two years. We'd pass it around and pass it around and the next thing you know, instead of taking a shot, we'd have a turnover.

"We don't want them to pass up good shots."

Amen.

The Bears lost two of their three leading scorers, All-PSAC East first-team pick Mercedes Van Wagner and second-team pick Rachel Weidensaul. But they return sophomore Melissa McQuade, their leading scorer and rebounder last season, and Lara Dellegrotti, their best 3-point shooter and their only senior.

"Lara is the one who's been around the most and who has played the most," Malouf said. "She understands what college basketball is all about.

"We certainly have high expectations for Melissa. Our opponents are going to be more aware of her as well. "

Point guard Meredith Starr, another returning starter, will be in the backcourt with Dellegrotti. Rachel Wisemiller, a top reserve last season, moves into the starting lineup with Chauntelle Schroeder. Juniors Katie Dovey and Vivian Melvin, and 6-1 freshman Hannah Mertz also will be in the rotation.

Add Brittany Greaves and Brittany LeVan to that list and you have the players likely to make a significant impact in 2008-09. Expectations won’t be too high for a team that lost two of its best players in Van Wagner and Weidensaul, but I believe the team will actually improve this season. Not only does Coach Malouf claim she will open things up, but Dellegrotti-McQuade-Wisemiller is quite the trio. That said, the frontcourt is where games are won in this league and that is where the question marks lie. It shouldn’t take long to see where this team stands.

Kutztown has been strong on defense during most of Malouf's career. The Bears finished second in the PSAC in field goal percentage last season, the 13th consecutive season they've been first or second.

Coach Malouf is the defensive mastermind of the PSAC. No one will ever question her defensive prowess.

Their question mark, though, is how quickly they adapt to their new freedom on offense.

"We're not so rigid," Dellegrotti said. "Last year a lot of us were afraid to make mistakes within the offense. We really didn't deviate from plays to just play basketball.

"She (Malouf) has made an effort to make sure we know we can go out and play. Last year, I think, we lost that. It's amazing. It's just not as stressful. You feel a lot less pressure."

Hey Lara, you know that “stress” and “pressure” you felt on the court? If it is any consolation, know that it was as palpable as the scent of mushrooms at the Rt. 222 Business exit in Reading. Everyone in the arena knew the team was stiff and afraid to make a mistake or deviate from the play that was called. It’s too bad it took this long for Coach Malouf to realize it, but, hey, now is better than never.

In conclusion, I’m rooting for Coach Malouf to get this straightened out. She proved in her early years at KU that she can be an outstanding coach, but she has yet to push this team over the top. California University of Pennsylvania has proven that a PSAC team can win the Division II title, yet KU hasn’t even been a serious threat to make the field of 64 in its history. Kutztown University is growing every year and it is about time that the women’s basketball program begins to take advantage.

Lady Bears Production Rankings

It’s time to have some fun with numbers.

In my possession are the statistics from each women’s basketball player from the 1980-81 season through the 2007-08 season. Unfortunately, minutes were not tracked by the KU Athletic department until the 1992-93 season, so my study will be using all player data from the 92-93 season through the 2007-08 campaign.

What I did was determine the most efficient players on a per-minute basis at several statistical categories. I removed any player who played less than 100 minutes in a particular season. The reason for this is to avoid a player making the list who, for example, played one minute in 1998 and had a steal, which would put that player at the top of the list.

Each category will have a player’s name followed by the notable season, which will be followed by the per-minute production. (eg. A ‘.104’ in the assist category means that player notched ‘.104’ assists per minute that season)

Points:
1. Janelle Needham 94-95: 1.209
2. Keri Suydam 99-00: .537
3. Robin Avery 94-95: .530
4. Hillary Worley 00-01: .526
5. Danielle Warntz 00-01: .515

Comment: Needham was second on the 94-95 team in scoring despite playing about a quarter of the minutes of the starters.

Three point baskets:
1. Danielle Warntz 00-01: .129
2. Danielle Warntz 01-02: .100
3. Amanda Zinobile 01-02: .080
4. Kelly Barger 92-93: .080
5. Danielle Warntz 03-04: .073

Comment: You can probably guess who is sixth on this list. Warntz loved to shoot from beyond the arc and is KU’s all time leader in three pointers made.

Free throws made:
1. Janelle Needham 94-95: .242
2. Jennifer Coss 95-96: .160
3. Brianne Homyak 98-99: .138
4. Becky Savage 01-02: .134
5. Trish Dudeck 04-05: .132

Comment: How did Needham score so much in so little time, you ask? Check the free throw line for the answer. Homyak is second all time in made free throws.

Rebounding:
1. Monique Boykins 05-06: .403
2. Monique Boykins 03-04: .364
3. Monique Boykins 02-03: .359
4. Keri Suydam 98-99: .342
5. Monique Boykins 04-05: .338

Comment: This one isn’t too exciting. “Mo” was a monster on the boards and one of KU’s all-time leading rebounders. Career KU rebound leader Mercedes Van Wagner’s four seasons rank eighth, tenth, seventh, and eleventh, respectively.

Personal Fouls (ability to avoid fouls):
1. Courtney Robinson 00-01: .014
2. Amanda Zinobile 02-03: .034
3. Patti Kline 98-99: .036
4. Janelle Needham 96-97: .037
5. Janelle Needham 95-96: .038

Comment: It’s much easier to score when you’re not sitting on the bench in foul trouble. Zinobile and Needham both played over 900 minutes during the 02-03 and 96-97 seasons, respectively.

Assists:
1. Janelle Needham 94-95: .256
2. Angie Holland 99-00: .168
3. Megan Bainbridge 05-06: .161
4. Jessica Pieczynski 02-03: .161
5. Amy Wahl 98-99: .151

Comment: Needham sure did it all her sophomore season, eh? Bainbridge was on pace to break Wahl’s career assist record, but only played for three seasons.

Turnovers (ability to protect the ball):
1. Lisi Reyna 07-08: .050
2. Molly Brown 06-07: .053
3. Katie Harlor 05-06: .054
4. Casey Reath 00-01: .054
5. Janelle Needham 96-97: .056

Comment: Lisi Reyna must seem pretty random, but it is no fluke. She protected the ball well in her time at KU.

Blocks:
1. Sophia Vucetaj 01-02: .105
2. Monique Boykins 03-04: .096
3. Mercedes Van Wagner 07-08: .095
4. Mercedes Van Wagner 05-06: .078
5. Becky Savage 02-03: .072

Comment: Like in the rebounding department, Van Wagner and Boykins are the dominant parties here. Savage’s 02-03 season mark of 68 blocks is a KU single-season record.

Steals:
1. Janelle Needham 94-95: .137
2. Amy Wahl 95-96: .106
3. Jen Wabby 95-96: .103
4. Amy Wahl 96-97: .099
5. Amy Wahl 97-98: .085

Comment: Wahl is KU’s career leader in steals.


In closing, was Needham’s 94-95 campaign the best season in KU history that nobody knows about? It sure seems like it. Simply looking at the stats from each season would do her no justice, but checking up on each player’s per-minute production really shows who makes the most of their time on the floor.

This seems like more than enough for one post, but if you’re wondering about a particular player, season, or category, let me know and I’ll do what I can for you.