The North Central Missouri College women’s basketball team is finishing preparations for the 2006-07 season, which gets underway on Wednesday, Nov. 1.
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The North Central Missouri College women’s basketball team is finishing preparations for the 2006-07 season, which gets underway on Wednesday, Nov. 1.
The Lady Pirates are coming off a 23-9 season and have seven sophomores on this year’s squad, including a pair of all-region guards.
“I am excited about this season,” Head Coach James Arnold said. “Our strength is the experience of our returning sophomores. We have a pair of all-region performers in guards Amber Vandevender and Tiarra Johnson.”
North Central returns three full-time starters and one part-time starter. Kristen Buhrmeister joins Johnson and Vandevender and part-time starter Amber Jordan.
Johnson is a 5-9 guard who will open the season as the point guard. Johnson’s athletic ability allows her to play both the guard positions and, at times, under the basket. Vandevender, a 5-8 guard, will spend most of the season at the shooting guard position, but can also move over and play the point when needed.
Jordan, 5-11 forward, is slated to open the season as NCMC’s starting forward. Buhrmeister, a 5-8 forward, will split time at the small forward position. Brittany Parker, a 5-6 guard, will also see some time as a starter when the Lady Pirates use a three-guard set.
Fans should also look for sophomore Megan Doty, a 5-4 guard, to bring some energy off the bench on both offense and defense.
“We have a good mix of quality returners and talented newcomers,” Arnold said.
Topping the list of freshmen is forward Jillian Palan of Lathrop. The 6-0 forward gives the Lady Pirates added height and scoring presence inside for North Central.
Other freshmen joining the team this season are Mandy Monkman of Clinton and a pair of Trenton High School graduates, Taurren Ireland and Whitney Hanes.
Sophomore Candace Schatz, a 5-8 forward, is new to the team this season and will help shore up the Lady Pirates’ front court.
“Our sophomore leadership is the key to this team,” Arnold said. “We have several players who got invaluable experience last season. We stumbled a little at the end of the year last season and I think that had a lot to do with our girls adjusting to the college experience – the games are longer, the road trips are longer, the season is longer and that can really take a toll.”
Rankings
NCMC will start four sophomores and people around the region and country have taken notice of the Lady Pirates. Entering the season, North Central is ranked first in its region and 10th overall in the nation in preseason polls.
“Naturally we know that rankings, especially preseason rankings, don’t mean much unless you back them up on the court,” Arnold said. “But it is still nice to be recognized by your peers as being a good team and a good program. It also puts a target on our backs. Everyone is going to give us their best shot and I think that is great and will help us get ready for the end of the season and, hopefully, the post-season.”
The road to the national tournament will not be easy for the Lady Pirates because of the strength of their region. Meramec received some votes for the NJCAA Top 20 poll and Cottey College is coming off its best season and welcome back first-time All-American Lacey Leonard.
“Our region is one of the best in the nation, in my opinion,” Arnold said. “Cottey is as good as they have ever been, Meramec received votes in the preseason poll and Flo Valley will be better.”
Schedule
This year’s schedule includes defending national champion Illinois Central Community College on Jan. 12 in the Ketcham Community Center.
The Lady Pirates also host a pair of classics back-to-back in January. The Mark Whiteaker Classic, Jan. 1- 2, will feature Brown-Mackie College, Ellsworth Community College, Moberly Area Community College, Hutchinson Community College and North Arkansas College.
The NCMC Classic will include Florissant Valley, Anne Arundel Community College, and Cottey College on Jan. 5-6.
“I think our schedule gives us a good balance of teams,” Arnold said. “We have some good teams on our schedule that will be challenges. It might hurt our record, but I believe those tough games will pay off late in the season.”
The Lady Pirates will open the season on Nov. 1 against William Penn University’s junior varsity. The women’s game is slated to begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by a men’s matchup.