Pioneer Women's Hoop Summer Preview
7/15/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
July 15, 2005
Complete 2005-06 Women's Basketball Summer Prospectus in PDF Format
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Guards... By far the deepest position on the Sacred Heart roster, the Pioneers return their top-three scorers to the postion led by All-Northeast Conference choice Amanda Pape and co-captains Nicolle Rubino and Kerri Burke. As a sophomore, Pape led the team in scoring for the second-straight year averaging 14.9 points per game. She also led the team in rebounding, pulling down 7.0 boards and in steals with 79 on the year. Rubino is just 36 points away from the 1,000-point plateau heading into her senior season. She finished 2004-05 averaging 10.2 points per contest while handing out a career-best 102 assists and making 54 steals. She also grabbed a career-high 125 rebounds on the season (4.5 rpg). Burke is coming off a breakout season as a sophomore where she took hold of the point guard position and finished second on the team in scoring. Burke averaged 10.8 points and 4.24 assists per-game last year while playing 36.6 minutes per game, second only to Pape. She also became a major-threat from behind the three-point arc, burying 34.6% (52-143) from downtown. The trio will once again pace the Pioneer offensive attack heading into 2004-05.
Returning to the guard mix is sophomore Lisa Moray who averaged 4.1 points as a freshman but shot 40.0% from long range (30-75), third in the NEC. Three incoming freshmen will also be added this season to give the Pioneers added depth in the backcourt. Newcomers Khalia Cain, Rachel Hudec and Liz Gruber will be looking to crack Coach Swanson's gaurd rotation this coming season.
Forwards... Junior Jasmine Walker returns after a strong sophomore season to anchor a young group down on the block. Walker posted five double-double games last season and averaged 7.7 points and 7.0 rebounds on the year. She was seventh in the NEC in rebounding and also blocked 23 shots on the year. The junior forward spent much of the early part of last season battling her way through illness. She returned to the starting line-up in game 12 and led the Pioneers to a 13-3 record the rest of the way. One of the questions facing the Pioneers heading into the season is who will fill the shoes left by the graduation of Colleen White. White had a stellar season, coming out of nowhere to average 9.9 points while shooting 45.7% from the field. She posted career-best numbers in every major category in helping solidfy the SHU front court. A pack of young talent will have to step up and contribute right away for the Pioneer front line to be effective.
A pair of sophomores, Mikara Cimmino and Jocelyn Kelly, are back after seeing limited time as freshman. Junior Mary Rush also returns after spending all of 2004-05 out of action due to a foot injury. Her return would help both the forward and guard positions. Freshman Katie Brown will add size in the paint at 6-2.
Center... Freshman Kaitlin Sowinski from Tabor Academy is the only center listed on the Sacred Heart roster, standing tall at 6-4. Sowinski could provide the Pioneers with a legitamite center, a position they have been searching for the past few years. The freshman could provide a compliment to Walker on the block helping to give SHU a formidable inside/ outside combination with their wealth of experience at the guard position.
Schedule... The Pioneers start the 2005-06 season as road warriors with seven of their first nine scheduled games away from home. The season gets underway on Friday, November 18th with the first of two battles with the Big East, at Providence. From there, the Pioneers travel to Hofstra and Syracuse during Thanksgiving week before their home opener on December 1st against cross-state rival Yale. A pair of Northeast Conference games also highlight the last month on the calender as SHU welcomes St. Francis (NY) to the Pitt Center on December 7th before traveling out to Loretto, PA for a December 10th date with four-time defending champion St. Francis (PA). The remainder of 2005 plays out with trips to Iona, Ohio State and Rider.
The new year tips-off a four-game homestand for Sacred Heart as they round out non-conference play with games against St. Peter's and Columbia. The NEC slate will feature home and away games with every team except conference runner-up Robert Morris and Monmouth.
