By Bob Bonett
In the era of 24-hour sports networks every analyst, athlete, and coach somehow manages to find the positives in a loss-ridden season, preventing themselves from admitting that sitting more than 10 games below .500 is a monumental disappointment.
Yet, somehow, for the women’s basketball team, it is justifiable this year. Yes, the team is 4-16. They are 2-15 in their last 17 games. A stretch of the schedule saw them go 1-14. Their spot at the bottom of the CAA has been firmly entrenched.
Forget about records, though. Forget about comparing this young, green squad to last year’s experienced bunch, and forget about writing the women’s basketball team off as a lame duck squad with nothing to play for as the season winds down.
For Krista Kilburn-Steveskey’s team, the grass is in fact much greener on the other side of the fence.
Before defending a team that’s winning percentage is .200, though, it must be conceded that the 2007-08 season is, in itself, lost. The Pride will not have an opportunity to lift another N.I.T. banner to the rafters of the Mack Sports Complex on opening day next year; they won’t find themselves among the other 63 best teams in Division I; heck, they may not even find themselves participating in the conference tournament.
Let’s not forget where this team started, though. Last year, when team records were shattered and Cigi McCollin, Lana Harshaw, Vanessa Gidden and Lizanne Murphy almost found themselves in the NCAA Tournament, Kilburn-Steveskey’s starting lineup consisted of four seniors that had played with one another for four years.
Shortly after being eliminated late in the National Invitation Tournament, though, McCollin, Harshaw, Gidden and Murphy were on their way out the door. In place of them were junior college transfers, freshmen, and only a handful of players who had seen action in Division I basketball before.
An opening-night three-point win over Iona showed that the Pride had heart, but that it would take some serious time to learn the ropes with one another. A 13-point loss to Rider the next game brought on quite a bit of pessimism, and began to open people’s eyes to the possibility that Hofstra was in for a long season. Then, after a win against Quinnipiac, the long slide would commence, putting Hofstra well outside of the realm of possibility to find themselves in postseason play again.
Take a look at the trends this team has embarked on, though, over the past months and into conference play.
While inconsistency has obviously marked a majority of the games-after all, the injury to Jess Fuller gave the team little to no inside presence, and a majority of the women have not played with one another for more than a few months-there have been marked bright spots.
The premier breakout for the squad has been the emergence of Britne Rogers. At the beginning of the year, the true freshman found herself on the bench until late in games. Moreover, when Rogers would get an opportunity to get into the game, she would often be forced to play out of position, set up at the power forward position against players that were five to six inches taller than her.
The past few weeks, though, Kilburn-Steveskey has moved Rogers into the starting lineup, and playing the freshman has started to pay some serious dividends. Rogers has taken home three Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Week awards, has had weeks in which she has averaged close to 20 points per game, and has emerged as the team’s most consistent player.
Outside of Rogers, there have been some growing pains, but the flashes in the pan have proved to be quite promising. Sam Brigham has continued to show that, over the next few seasons, she will be the team’s leading scorer. Niki Williams’ play at the point has led her to become the only stalwart in Hofstra’s lineup, starting all 20 of the team’s games. Natty Fripp, although at times inconsistent, has shown the ability to play stingy defense and, at times, help out on the glass, while Candice Bellocchio could become the team’s sixth woman next year as a sparkplug that can pass and score off the bench.
It isn’t ever good to look forward to “next year” when this year is not even over, but think about the ceiling for Kilburn-Steveskey’s team. Fuller will be back from injury, able to play at center, Rogers may move back to power forward, and a three-guard set with Brigham, Bellocchio and Williams would make the team short, but lethal.
Therefore, there are still reasons to show up to the Mack Sports Complex when the women have home games. While a run at a conference title is not in the cards, the opportunity to see a growing team start to emerge and prove that they will be CAA contenders down the road is possible.
Do not be surprised to see the Pride scare a few teams, erasing their penchant for falling off a bit in the second half and showing maturity late in the game as the season winds down.
Hey, sometimes playing spoiler can be a whole lot of fun.