There are 14 people who believe frogs can exorcise demons and
make cats and cougars whimper like kittens.
But these are not just any frogs. They are Horned Frogs.
The 14 Conference USA women’s basketball coaches selected the
Texas Christian University Horned Frogs as the top team in the
2003-2004 Preseason Coaches Poll. This puts TCU ahead of the DePaul
Blue Demons, the Cincinnati Bearcats, the Charlotte 49ers and the
Houston Cougars, who rounded out the projected top five teams in
the league.
Saint Louis University was ranked to the No. 10 spot, which is
consistent with the rankings of previous years, said women’s
basketball coach Jill Pizzotti.
American
Marquette University has something few teams in the
league have: postseason veterans. Sophomore Carolyn Kieger led the
team from the point last season and is expected to do the same this
year. She was third on the team in scoring, averaging 11.9 PPG and
was solid from every spot on the floor, especially from behind the
foul line. She set a school record by shooting 87.5 percent from
the free-throw line, collecting 98 points. Also look for Kelly
Schwerman to put up big numbers. She finished just ahead of Kieger
last year in three-point field goals, making good on 51 of 131
tries. Marquette’s middle of the pack preseason ranking might not
justify the team’s scoring potential this season if they can hold
up defensively.
The University of Louisville‘s brightest aspect of this
year’s squad might very well be the 2003 recruiting class. Ranked
21st in the nation by the All-Star Girls Report, the newest class
of Cardinals is expected to fit in with three-point queens Nina
Simontes, Sara Nord and Connie Neal, who all finished well above
.300 from three-point territory. Look to Nord to run the offense
and strong perimeter play from Simontes, Angel Bradley and Kim
Graham.
The University of Cincinnati returns senior guard Valerie
King and junior center Debbie Merril, who were selected to the
C-USA Preseason All-Conference team. The two combined for the first
and second place leading scorers on the Bearcat lineup, King with a
16.4 PPG avg. and Merril with 18 PPG.
Cincy’s lineup is going to be a mix of old and new talent all
over the court, but the Bearcats are still expected to be a strong
shooting team, particularly with tough perimeter players like Sara
Piepho and Leslie Knoch.
“Over the years we’ve had tremendous games with DePaul … and I
think our kids like the rivalry between Cincinnati and between
Memphis. I think in Conference USA, you end up being more
rivalry-driven with the other midwestern schools,” Pizzotti
said.
Saint Louis University is coming off its best season
under Pizzotti and the second best finish in program history, with
17 wins. The Billikens graduated a huge senior class of seven last
year and will be looking to many fresh faces to fill the void,
particularly in the back court. Kirsti Holloway and Shea Kenny are
the only returning guards; Holloway is a senior veteran and will be
one of the team’s leaders, while Kenny will look to pick up more
playing time this year. In front, Angie Lewis is expected to be one
of the bright spots on the roster and is expected to be one of the
leading scorers. Stephanie Solomon returns as a well-experienced
center who caught fire last season, and should be strong this year
as well.
DePaul University returns nine players from last season’s
team that made it to the NCAA Tournament, including all five
starters. Jenni Dant is expected to play a leading role for the
Blue Demons as a leading scorer and an all-around solid offensive
player. Last year, Dant averaged 14.4 ppg, collected 60 steals and
netted 143 free throws to lead her team in all three
categories.
“[DePaul coach Doug Bruno] is just loaded, they’ve got guards
coming out of their ears, they are just loaded,” Pizzotti said.
“They have tremendous triple shooting … they shoot the three like
crazy. If you man up, they have the best triple penetrators in the
league,”
University of North Carolina-Charlotte didn’t have a
player selected to the Preseason All-Conference Team, but can’t be
counted out of the league’s top five. The 49ers shoot the ball well
and have several rising stars on their lineup, especially Peaches
Harris and LaShanta Johnson.
East Carolina University returns Jennifer Jackson and
Courtney Willis to lead the Pirates’ backcourt. Jackson averaged
more than 17 points per outing last year and Willis is just the
18th player in ECU history to tally more than 1,000 career points.
Look to Shanita Sutton to show off as a leading rebounder.
National
The University of Memphis is one of the younger teams in
the league with six underclassmen. The Tigers’ lone senior,
Princess Swilley, was plagued with instability last year and
underwent shoulder surgery on March 11. Memphis is already having
problems staying healthy since Raven Rogers is out with a stress
fracture and Tamika Butler is pestered by shin problems. Memphis’
returning squad is light offensively, with only Swilley averaging
double figures.
University of Alabama-Birmingham should have an
interesting mix of old and new players with the duo of Natasha
Thomas, a 6-feet-2-inch senior who drained 17 points a night and is
sixth on the school’s all-time scoring list, and freshman Domaneice
Moore, who was considered one of Alabama’s top high-school
talents.
Tulane University returns eight from last season’s 19-10
squad. The Green Wave will be led by Delacey Joseph who was second
on the team in scoring with 9.6 PPG. Joseph finished behind Kelly
Nadeau in three-point field goals. Tulane’s returning lineup is
thin offensively but coach Lisa Stockton doesn’t seem bothered and
expects her team to remain a force in the league with their new
press and full-court defensive style.
University of Houston rounds out the top five and has the
C-USA Preseason Player of the Year, Chandi Jones. Last year, Jones
led the nation in scoring with an average 27.5 PPG and 8.1 RPG
Jones will be surrounded by a split mix of veterans and newcomers,
and Cougar coach Joe Curl expects this year’s squad to have a
newfound depth that will help them surpass last year’s
disappointing loss in the first round of the conference
tournament.
University of Southern Mississippi is facing a season of
learning with its very young team. The Golden Eagles are stacked
with six freshmen and three sophomores on their 13-player roster.
In his fifth season at the helm of the Golden Eagles, Rick Reeves
is going to have to rely very heavily on seniors Marlena Lee and
Lana Lewis to hold up the backcourt and put up points.
Texas Christian University will be led by junior forward
Sandora Irvin, who tallied 12 points per game last season along
with 9.7 rebounds per game. Irvin was second in the nation last
year in blocking with an average of 3.9 blocks per game and was
named C-USA Defensive Player of the Year.
The Horned Frogs have an experienced roster filled with players
who have proven they are capable of putting up big numbers
consistently and being a high-scoring team.
University of South Florida lost six members of last
year’s team, including three of the team’s top four scorers. Coach
Jose Fernandez enters his fourth season leading the Bulls and hopes
to turn the program around this year and finish in the top half of
the league. He will rely heavily on Sarah Lochmann as the leading
rebounder and second leading scorer, but she will need to improve
her consistency.
