University of Minnesota Athletics
Women's Basketball 2005-06 Season Preview
10/13/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The Golden Gophers climbed the ladder to the elite quickly over the last four years and now find themselves as one of just six teams that have advanced to the last three NCAA Sweet 16s. Borton and her charges take extreme pride in this statistic. That trio of Sweet 16s, one that included the memorable ride to Minnesota’s first Final Four in 2004, is tangible evidence to the Golden Gophers’ rock-solid identity belonging to the elite programs of collegiate women’s basketball.
Minnesota’s identity starts with family-like commitment to the team, a dedication to hard work, solid leadership and a healthy dose of good old-fashioned defense. Throw in every player’s natural love for putting the ball in the basket and a rabid fan base and you have the ingredients necessary to make an annual trek deep in the thrills of March Madness.
“As far as our expectations go, we expect nothing less of ourselves than to win a Big Ten championship, get back to the Final Four and win a national championship,” said Borton, a two-time Naismith Coach of the Year finalist. “We’ve built a tradition and established ourselves as a perennial power by advancing to the Sweet 16 three years in a row. We want to continue this tradition of success.”
Leadership responsibilities are a shared commodity. Seniors Shannon Schonrock, Shannon Bolden and April Calhoun will serve as team captains, but they also have three fellow seniors in Christina Collison, Katie Alsdurf and Hannah Garry to help shoulder the load.
“This is the best leadership I’ve had at Minnesota and perhaps the best I’ve ever coached,” says Borton. “You’re only going to be as good as your leadership and we have outstanding leadership in our senior class. They’ve been through the trenches, experienced several Sweet 16s and the Final Four. They’ve faced adversity. I have great faith they will keep this team focused in the direction we want to go.”
The Gophers’ two Shannons, Bolden and Schonrock, may not carry the All-America credentials of a Lindsay Whalen or Janel McCarville, but this duo certainly has left their mark in Minnesota women’s basketball history. Schony and Boldy helped lay out the welcome mat inviting and enticing the best in-state talent to stay at home and become Golden Gophers. They were the marquee players in the state of Minnesota coming out of high school and committed to the program before the Gophers’ stock sky-rocketed. Now, they head into their senior campaign looking to establish this senior class as the winningest class in Minnesota history.
“These kids are believers,” said Borton of Schonrock and Bolden. “They had a vision for this program and that’s why they came here. There’s nothing better than instate kids playing for their home school and having the experience they’ve had as Golden Gophers. The biggest thing that has translated to our success is they believe in what we do as coaches and what our goals are. They make the rest of the team believers as well.”
Speaking of believing, the Golden Gophers are true believers in the concept that defense wins championships. Borton’s defensive philosophy serves as a cornerstone of her architectural plan for the Minnesota program. The Gophers have sliced points off the school defensive scoring average record in each of Borton’s first three season with the Maroon and Gold, enough to rank 20th in the nation in overall defense a year ago.
“We take a lot of pride in our defense. We want to be a great half-court defensive team. That is where you’re going to win basketball games once you get into the championship rounds of the NCAA Tournament,” explains Borton. “Our kids believe in our defensive system. They love it, and know it’s our identity. Our kids are tough, physical and work extremely hard. That’s all part of what a good defense is.”
Minnesota heads into the 2005-06 season with perhaps its most talented and deep roster in its 30-plus year history of the program. The Golden Gophers return a dozen letterwinners from the squad that marched to Minnesota’s third consecutive NCAA Sweet 16 appearance and an NCAA-era best 26 victories a year ago. Granted, the one player gone from last year’s squad is a huge loss in two-time All-American and WNBA top pick overall Janel McCarville, but the talent pool has already proven ready for the challenge of filling her shoes and building on the successes of past seasons.
For the first time in several years, the Gophers embark on a season without a bona fide superstar in the spotlight. Junior forward Jamie Broback seems poised to take her turn as the Gophers’ go-to player. Broback was the team’s second-leading scorer and rebounder a year ago (14.4 ppg./5.4 rpg.) and earned honorable mention All-Big Ten acclaim. The 6-3 post stepped forward to play a leading role in helping the Gophers’ to their first Big Ten Tournament championships game.
“Jamie has a great focus and her skills are better than ever right now,” said Borton. “She gained a lot of confidence last year and was phenomenal in the last few games of the season in pressure situations. She understands what her role is on the floor, what she can do and what she can help her teammates accomplish.”
The Minnesota backcourt is loaded with experience. All three starters return in Schonrock, Bolden and Calhoun, as well as, Kelly Roysland, who blossomed into a reliable sixth-player as a sophomore. Schonorock collected All-Big Ten honorable mention honors in 2004-05 and has her sights set on the Minnesota career three-point field goal record (has 173 and needs 44 for the record).
“Shannon’s leadership and the intensity she brings to floor, in addition to her three-point ability and her point guard ability, are reasons she needs to be on the floor,” said Borton of her three-year tri-captain. “She should benefit as much as anyone by our added depth in that she won’t have to play 35 minutes a game, night in and night out. The development of Emily Fox will be very important.”
Bolden is one of the top one-on-one defenders in the Big Ten and has drawn the assignments of defending some of the top players in the game the past few years.
“Boldy understands the game, is a student of the game, studies the game and her opponents, is coachable and smart,” said Borton. “She has embraced her role as the defensive stopper of this team and takes a lot of pride in shutting people down.”
Calhoun made an immediate impact on the squad last season, her first as a Golden Gopher after transferring from Iowa and sitting out the 2003-04 season. She led the Gophers in assists (3.6 apg.) and showed her merit with gritty, hard-nosed hustle plays.
“April’s role changed at least five times last season,” added Borton. “She’s more confident and comfortable in what she needs to do for our team this year.”
Borton makes it a point of selling her philosophy that being in the starting lineup really isn’t a big deal. The sixth, seventh and eighth player off the bench needs to step onto the court prepared as if it were the opening tip. These non-starters have bought into Borton’s plea to make the team better whenever they hit the floor. One such player who held a very key role for the Gophers in this capacity is Kelly Roysland. Roysland was the team’s top free throw shooter (89 percent) and chipped in 7.1 points per game a year ago.
“Kelly was seen as a sixth-player last year,” said Borton. “Those sixth and seventh players on your team are often the difference-makers of whether or not you win. Kelly is prepared for everything, whether it’s off the bench or starting.”
Junior Liz Podominick is expected to be the leading contender to step into the starting center position. Podominick is a solid low post player who has seen plenty of minutes in her first two seasons and is ready to make her mark in the starting lineup. Podominick is a two-sport student-athlete at Minnesota. She was the 2005 Big Ten champion in both the shot put and discus for the Gopher track and field team and advanced to the NCAA Championships in both events.
“Her track season really took Liz’ confidence to another level,” said Borton. She found tremendous success and has taken another step in the mental side of the game. Liz will do whatever it takes to be successful.”
Other low post players expected to play major roles this season are sophomores Lauren Lacey and Natasha Williams. Borton expressed high expectations for this duo during their rookie season. Over the summer, Lacey and Williams put in the necessary work and now are ready to play bigger roles for the Gophers this season.
For Lacey, this meant getting into the best shape of her life. For Williams, it was expanding her game offensively. “Both Lauren and Natasha have improved enough that they will contend for starting berths, but regardless, they will see significant minutes in key roles for us this season,” said Borton. “Lauren made huge strides over the summer to get into the condition she needs to be in to excel at this level. Natasha has always been a great rebounder but now she will be an offensive threat as well.”
Other letterwinners returning are seniors Alsdurf, Collison and Garry and sophomore Leslie Knight. Sophomore Brittany Davis also returns after missing the second semester of the 2004-05 season to academic ineligibility.
In speaking of Alsdurf, Collison and Garry, Borton reflects on the leaderships these seniors provide, both on and off the court.
“It’s nice to have a fifth-year senior on your roster with the kind of experience and work ethic,” said Borton of Alsdurf.
“Every program needs to have a player like Christina,” adds Borton. “She’s a great leader who understands and accepts her role. Another of Christina’s strengths is how she mentors and pushes the younger kids around her.”
A former walk-on, Garry is a fan favorite who Borton says has improved drastically since she first joined the Gophers as a walk-on three years ago. “Hannah should get the most improved award,” explains Borton. “Not only has Hannah improved her game, but she is respected by every person on this team. She has a great presence.”
Knight and Davis have also shown improvement in their skills and look to contend for playing time this season. Knight continues to work diligently on the move to the perimeter after playing at the post in high school. The coaches hope Davis’ athleticism and quickness are assets to the Gopher game plan.
Freshmen Ashley Ellis-Milan, Emily Fox and Katie Ohm join the Gophers and will be challenged to earn playing minutes on such a talented roster. In maintaining its status among the elite teams in the nation, the Gophers hope to have the luxury of letting their freshmen grow into their roles as they experience collegiate basketball.
“You have to give team time to learn,” said Borton. “When you’re playing freshmen in key roles against top-level teams, it’s like sharks smelling blood. You can see teams that play with freshmen and are successful, but there is not the consistency that leads to success over the long run.”
Borton is excited, however, to bring the Gophers’ three rookies into the fold. “We have a very talented freshman class joining us. We’re going to have some freshmen ready to play by mid-season.”
The 2005-06 Minnesota women’s basketball schedule is highlighted by 10 games against teams that advanced to last year’s NCAA Tournament and several non-conference contests versus teams from power conferences.
“This is the most challenging schedule we’ve put together since I’ve been here,” said Golden Gopher head coach Pam Borton. “We have some very good teams coming to play in Williams Arena and we have several very tough road trips in return, but it’s my belief that for our team to be the best we can be, we have to play the best.”
The Golden Gophers have 14 home games on the docket to be played in Williams Arena. Minnesota finished fifth nationally in average attendance figures a year ago, drawing 9,200 fans per game. The 2005-06 home schedule kicks off with the annual Subway Classic on Nov. 19-20. Minnesota will open its season against San Francisco.
The other teams in the Subway Classic are Stanford and Long Island, setting up what could possibly be the Gophers’ first major test of the season in a game against the talented Cardinal from the Pac-10. Washington State, another team that hails from the Pac-10, will visit Williams Arena on Dec. 10.
The Gophers will head to warmer weather to celebrate Thanksgiving and to compete in the Paradise Jam on the island of St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands. Minnesota will open against Nevada on Nov. 25, then play either Alabama, from the Southeastern Conference, or Virginia, from the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Gophers’ second-round NCAA opponent last season. If the Gophers do not face Alabama, two other SEC teams await visits from the Minnesota squad, South Carolina on Dec. 13 and LSU on Jan. 7.
After a trip to New Mexico, Nebraska comes to Minneapolis on Dec. 3, for the Gophers’ first of two non-conference clashes with schools from the Big 12 Conference. A long-awaited match-up with Iowa State is Minnesota’s final game before Christmas on Dec. 22.
Minnesota will open Big Ten Conference play at Northwestern on Dec. 29, then play host to Wisconsin on Jan. 5, before traveling to LSU for a game nationally broadcast by CBS.
Other big home dates for the Gophers are Jan. 12 versus Purdue, Jan. 15 versus Michigan State, Jan. 29 versus Penn State and Feb. 16 versus Ohio State.
The 16-game Big Ten schedule finds the Gophers playing six teams on a home-and-home basis and four schools just once. Minnesota’s schedule could be favorable as games at Williams Arena against perennial powers Ohio State and Penn State are not reciprocated with trips to Columbus and State College. The Gophers will also face Illinois and Iowa once during the season with both of those games on the road.
The Big Ten Tournament is once again slated for Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis in early March. After hosting NCAA First and Second Round action in Williams Arena the past two seasons, the Gophers hope to garner their fifth consecutive NCAA berth and take their show on the road. Purdue and Penn State both host NCAA First and Second Round sites this season. The Final Four will be held March 2 and 4 in the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston. Every program in college basketball looks for an identity. Some have had it seemingly forever. Others get a fleeting taste. The Minnesota women’s basketball program, under the guidance of head coach Pam Borton, has securely placed itself in the echelon of teams whose identity has become a hallmark and that hallmark has led to success.
The Golden Gophers climbed the ladder to the elite quickly over the last four years and now find themselves as one of just six teams that have advanced to the last three NCAA Sweet 16s. Borton and her charges take extreme pride in this statistic. That trio of Sweet 16s, one that included the memorable ride to Minnesota’s first Final Four in 2004, is tangible evidence to the Golden Gophers’ rock-solid identity belonging to the elite programs of collegiate women’s basketball.
Minnesota’s identity starts with family-like commitment to the team, a dedication to hard work, solid leadership and a healthy dose of good old-fashioned defense. Throw in every player’s natural love for putting the ball in the basket and a rabid fan base and you have the ingredients necessary to make an annual trek deep in the thrills of March Madness.
“As far as our expectations go, we expect nothing less of ourselves than to win a Big Ten championship, get back to the Final Four and win a national championship,” said Borton, a two-time Naismith Coach of the Year finalist. “We’ve built a tradition and established ourselves as a perennial power by advancing to the Sweet 16 three years in a row. We want to continue this tradition of success.”
Leadership responsibilities are a shared commodity. Seniors Shannon Schonrock, Shannon Bolden and April Calhoun will serve as team captains, but they also have three fellow seniors in Christina Collison, Katie Alsdurf and Hannah Garry to help shoulder the load.
“This is the best leadership I’ve had at Minnesota and perhaps the best I’ve ever coached,” says Borton. “You’re only going to be as good as your leadership and we have outstanding leadership in our senior class. They’ve been through the trenches, experienced several Sweet 16s and the Final Four. They’ve faced adversity. I have great faith they will keep this team focused in the direction we want to go.”
The Gophers’ two Shannons, Bolden and Schonrock, may not carry the All-America credentials of a Lindsay Whalen or Janel McCarville, but this duo certainly has left their mark in Minnesota women’s basketball history. Schony and Boldy helped lay out the welcome mat inviting and enticing the best in-state talent to stay at home and become Golden Gophers. They were the marquee players in the state of Minnesota coming out of high school and committed to the program before the Gophers’ stock sky-rocketed. Now, they head into their senior campaign looking to establish this senior class as the winningest class in Minnesota history.
“These kids are believers,” said Borton of Schonrock and Bolden. “They had a vision for this program and that’s why they came here. There’s nothing better than instate kids playing for their home school and having the experience they’ve had as Golden Gophers. The biggest thing that has translated to our success is they believe in what we do as coaches and what our goals are. They make the rest of the team believers as well.”
Speaking of believing, the Golden Gophers are true believers in the concept that defense wins championships. Borton’s defensive philosophy serves as a cornerstone of her architectural plan for the Minnesota program. The Gophers have sliced points off the school defensive scoring average record in each of Borton’s first three season with the Maroon and Gold, enough to rank 20th in the nation in overall defense a year ago.
“We take a lot of pride in our defense. We want to be a great half-court defensive team. That is where you’re going to win basketball games once you get into the championship rounds of the NCAA Tournament,” explains Borton. “Our kids believe in our defensive system. They love it, and know it’s our identity. Our kids are tough, physical and work extremely hard. That’s all part of what a good defense is.”
Minnesota heads into the 2005-06 season with perhaps its most talented and deep roster in its 30-plus year history of the program. The Golden Gophers return a dozen letterwinners from the squad that marched to Minnesota’s third consecutive NCAA Sweet 16 appearance and an NCAA-era best 26 victories a year ago. Granted, the one player gone from last year’s squad is a huge loss in two-time All-American and WNBA top pick overall Janel McCarville, but the talent pool has already proven ready for the challenge of filling her shoes and building on the successes of past seasons.
For the first time in several years, the Gophers embark on a season without a bona fide superstar in the spotlight. Junior forward Jamie Broback seems poised to take her turn as the Gophers’ go-to player. Broback was the team’s second-leading scorer and rebounder a year ago (14.4 ppg./5.4 rpg.) and earned honorable mention All-Big Ten acclaim. The 6-3 post stepped forward to play a leading role in helping the Gophers’ to their first Big Ten Tournament championships game.
“Jamie has a great focus and her skills are better than ever right now,” said Borton. “She gained a lot of confidence last year and was phenomenal in the last few games of the season in pressure situations. She understands what her role is on the floor, what she can do and what she can help her teammates accomplish.”
The Minnesota backcourt is loaded with experience. All three starters return in Schonrock, Bolden and Calhoun, as well as, Kelly Roysland, who blossomed into a reliable sixth-player as a sophomore. Schonorock collected All-Big Ten honorable mention honors in 2004-05 and has her sights set on the Minnesota career three-point field goal record (has 173 and needs 44 for the record).
“Shannon’s leadership and the intensity she brings to floor, in addition to her three-point ability and her point guard ability, are reasons she needs to be on the floor,” said Borton of her three-year tri-captain. “She should benefit as much as anyone by our added depth in that she won’t have to play 35 minutes a game, night in and night out. The development of Emily Fox will be very important.”
Bolden is one of the top one-on-one defenders in the Big Ten and has drawn the assignments of defending some of the top players in the game the past few years.
“Boldy understands the game, is a student of the game, studies the game and her opponents, is coachable and smart,” said Borton. “She has embraced her role as the defensive stopper of this team and takes a lot of pride in shutting people down.”
Calhoun made an immediate impact on the squad last season, her first as a Golden Gopher after transferring from Iowa and sitting out the 2003-04 season. She led the Gophers in assists (3.6 apg.) and showed her merit with gritty, hard-nosed hustle plays.
“April’s role changed at least five times last season,” added Borton. “She’s more confident and comfortable in what she needs to do for our team this year.”
Borton makes it a point of selling her philosophy that being in the starting lineup really isn’t a big deal. The sixth, seventh and eighth player off the bench needs to step onto the court prepared as if it were the opening tip. These non-starters have bought into Borton’s plea to make the team better whenever they hit the floor. One such player who held a very key role for the Gophers in this capacity is Kelly Roysland. Roysland was the team’s top free throw shooter (89 percent) and chipped in 7.1 points per game a year ago.
“Kelly was seen as a sixth-player last year,” said Borton. “Those sixth and seventh players on your team are often the difference-makers of whether or not you win. Kelly is prepared for everything, whether it’s off the bench or starting.”
Junior Liz Podominick is expected to be the leading contender to step into the starting center position. Podominick is a solid low post player who has seen plenty of minutes in her first two seasons and is ready to make her mark in the starting lineup. Podominick is a two-sport student-athlete at Minnesota. She was the 2005 Big Ten champion in both the shot put and discus for the Gopher track and field team and advanced to the NCAA Championships in both events.
“Her track season really took Liz’ confidence to another level,” said Borton. She found tremendous success and has taken another step in the mental side of the game. Liz will do whatever it takes to be successful.”
Other low post players expected to play major roles this season are sophomores Lauren Lacey and Natasha Williams. Borton expressed high expectations for this duo during their rookie season. Over the summer, Lacey and Williams put in the necessary work and now are ready to play bigger roles for the Gophers this season.
For Lacey, this meant getting into the best shape of her life. For Williams, it was expanding her game offensively. “Both Lauren and Natasha have improved enough that they will contend for starting berths, but regardless, they will see significant minutes in key roles for us this season,” said Borton. “Lauren made huge strides over the summer to get into the condition she needs to be in to excel at this level. Natasha has always been a great rebounder but now she will be an offensive threat as well.”
Other letterwinners returning are seniors Alsdurf, Collison and Garry and sophomore Leslie Knight. Sophomore Brittany Davis also returns after missing the second semester of the 2004-05 season to academic ineligibility.
In speaking of Alsdurf, Collison and Garry, Borton reflects on the leaderships these seniors provide, both on and off the court.
“It’s nice to have a fifth-year senior on your roster with the kind of experience and work ethic,” said Borton of Alsdurf.
“Every program needs to have a player like Christina,” adds Borton. “She’s a great leader who understands and accepts her role. Another of Christina’s strengths is how she mentors and pushes the younger kids around her.”
A former walk-on, Garry is a fan favorite who Borton says has improved drastically since she first joined the Gophers as a walk-on three years ago. “Hannah should get the most improved award,” explains Borton. “Not only has Hannah improved her game, but she is respected by every person on this team. She has a great presence.”
Knight and Davis have also shown improvement in their skills and look to contend for playing time this season. Knight continues to work diligently on the move to the perimeter after playing at the post in high school. The coaches hope Davis’ athleticism and quickness are assets to the Gopher game plan.
Freshmen Ashley Ellis-Milan, Emily Fox and Katie Ohm join the Gophers and will be challenged to earn playing minutes on such a talented roster. In maintaining its status among the elite teams in the nation, the Gophers hope to have the luxury of letting their freshmen grow into their roles as they experience collegiate basketball.
“You have to give team time to learn,” said Borton. “When you’re playing freshmen in key roles against top-level teams, it’s like sharks smelling blood. You can see teams that play with freshmen and are successful, but there is not the consistency that leads to success over the long run.”
Borton is excited, however, to bring the Gophers’ three rookies into the fold. “We have a very talented freshman class joining us. We’re going to have some freshmen ready to play by mid-season.”
The 2005-06 Minnesota women’s basketball schedule is highlighted by 10 games against teams that advanced to last year’s NCAA Tournament and several non-conference contests versus teams from power conferences.
“This is the most challenging schedule we’ve put together since I’ve been here,” said Golden Gopher head coach Pam Borton. “We have some very good teams coming to play in Williams Arena and we have several very tough road trips in return, but it’s my belief that for our team to be the best we can be, we have to play the best.”
The Golden Gophers have 14 home games on the docket to be played in Williams Arena. Minnesota finished fifth nationally in average attendance figures a year ago, drawing 9,200 fans per game. The 2005-06 home schedule kicks off with the annual Subway Classic on Nov. 19-20. Minnesota will open its season against San Francisco.
The other teams in the Subway Classic are Stanford and Long Island, setting up what could possibly be the Gophers’ first major test of the season in a game against the talented Cardinal from the Pac-10. Washington State, another team that hails from the Pac-10, will visit Williams Arena on Dec. 10.
The Gophers will head to warmer weather to celebrate Thanksgiving and to compete in the Paradise Jam on the island of St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands. Minnesota will open against Nevada on Nov. 25, then play either Alabama, from the Southeastern Conference, or Virginia, from the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Gophers’ second-round NCAA opponent last season. If the Gophers do not face Alabama, two other SEC teams await visits from the Minnesota squad, South Carolina on Dec. 13 and LSU on Jan. 7.
After a trip to New Mexico, Nebraska comes to Minneapolis on Dec. 3, for the Gophers’ first of two non-conference clashes with schools from the Big 12 Conference. A long-awaited match-up with Iowa State is Minnesota’s final game before Christmas on Dec. 22.
Minnesota will open Big Ten Conference play at Northwestern on Dec. 29, then play host to Wisconsin on Jan. 5, before traveling to LSU for a game nationally broadcast by CBS.
Other big home dates for the Gophers are Jan. 12 versus Purdue, Jan. 15 versus Michigan State, Jan. 29 versus Penn State and Feb. 16 versus Ohio State.
The 16-game Big Ten schedule finds the Gophers playing six teams on a home-and-home basis and four schools just once. Minnesota’s schedule could be favorable as games at Williams Arena against perennial powers Ohio State and Penn State are not reciprocated with trips to Columbus and State College. The Gophers will also face Illinois and Iowa once during the season with both of those games on the road.
The Big Ten Tournament is once again slated for Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis in early March. After hosting NCAA First and Second Round action in Williams Arena the past two seasons, the Gophers hope to garner their fifth consecutive NCAA berth and take their show on the road. Purdue and Penn State both host NCAA First and Second Round sites this season. The Final Four will be held March 2 and 4 in the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston.
