University of Minnesota Athletics
Underclassmen Are Emerging for Gophers
1/23/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
As Minnesota's season reaches the final third of the regular season schedule, the team's core group of underclassmen is becoming more and more productive.
The Gophers' two sophomores -- guard Leah Cotton and forward Katie Loberg -- have made major jumps from their freshman campaigns of a year ago. Last year, Cotton played just 93 total minutes in Big Ten games and finished the season with an average of 3.4 ppg, while Loberg played in 25 games, but averaged just 2.0 ppg.
This season, Cotton is tied with junior guard Kiara Buford for the team lead in scoring at 14.7 points per game, having led the team in scoring nine times and recording a team-high total of six games with at least 20 points.
"Leah has been a big scorer for our team. I think a lot of people forget that when you get into the Big Ten, coaches focus on taking away tendencies," ninth-year head coach Pam Borton said. "Leah was able to get into the paint for 8-10 points from the free throw line in the non-conference season. Now she has to be able to adjust and realize that they've taken that away. She's a young player, who didn't get a lot of experience last year, so she's trying to find her way."
Cotton's scoring average has dropped slightly in recent weeks, but she came off the bench to make 8-of-18 field goals and 8-of-9 free throws for a game-high 24 points in Thursday's loss versus Wisconsin, and she has four of Minnesota's five highest scoring outputs this season.
Loberg has missed five games with injuries, but ranks third on the team for both points (8.7 ppg) and rebounds (4.4 rpg). She made 6-of-12 field goals and 6-of-8 free throws for 18 points to go along with five rebounds and a career-high three assists in Minnesota's 58-54 loss at Penn State on Jan. 13. Today, she plays at Michigan State's Breslin Center, where she recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds in the Gophers' regular season finale last Feb. 28.
"Katie began the year as the most productive player on the team before she got hurt," Borton said. "I think she had the best game of her career against the Nittany Lions, so hopefully she's back to 100 percent."
The Gophers also have a group of five freshmen, many of whom are beginning to feel more comfortable in the team's offensive and defensive sets. The two who have made the biggest impact so far have been guard Sari Noga and forward Kionna Kellogg.
"Both (Sari and Kionna) are extremely smart players and very coachable. Kionna is playing very tough, very aggressive especially on the defensive boards. She's able to compete against those bigger, more athletic players," Borton said. "You can tell that Sari is a coach's kid. She's very fundamentally sound. Her confidence is growing by the day."
Noga ranks fourth on the team in Big Ten games with an average of 5.2 ppg, while making 5-of-15 three-pointers and averaging 15.4 minutes per game. Over the past three games, Noga is averaging 7.7 points and 2.7 rebounds and has made a pair of treys in two of those games.
Kellogg is averaging 3.2 ppg and 2.3 rpg in 14.2 minutes per contest in Big Ten tilts. Kellogg tied for the team-high with five rebounds at Penn State and is averaging 3.3 rpg over her past four games.
"Micaëlla Riché is (also) coming around. She's learning how to use her body. When the light bulb goes on, I think she's going to be unbelievable."
Riché has played in all but one game for the Gophers this season. She has highs of seven points against Virginia Tech, all of which came during the second half of that victory, and six rebounds in the two-point loss to San Diego State. For the season, she's averaging 1.8 ppg and 2.1 rpg.
Another member of the freshman class is 6-7 center Amber Dvorak, who is in her second year with the program after taking a redshirt year in 2009-10. Dvorak appeared in both of Minnesota's games versus Wisconsin, averaging 4.5 rebounds and 12.5 minutes, and she pulled down a career-best seven boards in the loss to the Badgers in Madison.
Shonté Clay, a 6-2 forward from Chicago Von Steuben High School, hasn't played as much as other underclassmen for the Gophers, but has been putting in lots of extra work with Minnesota assistant coach Curtis Loyd and is making improvements to her post game.
With so many young players beginning to emerge, the future of the program looks bright, especially when factoring in Minnesota's Top 20 national recruiting class of guard Rachel Banham (Lakeville North HS) and forward Kayla Hirt (Bemidji, Minn.).
The Gophers have a tough challenge in today's game at #12/12 Michigan State, where they'll attempt to get their first Big Ten victory. Minnesota has won two of its past three trips to the Breslin Center, but this year's Spartans are off to the best start in program history at 17-2, and are in first place in the Big Ten with a mark of 5-1. The game tips off at 1:00 p.m. (CST).
--Athletic Communications Assistant Michael Molde
