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
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
12/30: KU 127, PSU-Abington 65
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
Saturday, December 20, 2008
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)
Thursday, December 18, 2008
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: 4-3
In 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
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
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.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
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.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
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
Friday, December 5, 2008
Weekend Games
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
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
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