The women's basketball team had a rough season last year. Head coach Liz Feeley left the program in the late summer, leaving the Tigers to dangle vulnerably under interim coach Kevin Morris. They finished with an abominable record of 2 wins and 25 losses.
It's rebuilding time
With a vibrant new head coach, two experienced assistant coaches, and two promising freshmen, the Tigers are more than ready for the challenge.
Already, head coach Richard Barron, stepping in after a successful nine-year tenure at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., has cleared away the debris of last year's unsuccessful offensive strategy in favor of a "run-and gun" offense.
Out with the old
The old Princeton offense, which the men's team runs very effectively, simply did not work for the women's team last year. It is a very mobile style that involves a lot of cutting and passing on the offensive half of the court.
Barron's style, on the other hand, is a much faster full-court strategy that is intended to capitalize on fast breaks and shot opportunities gained in the transition between defense and offense.
"We want to get a lot of fast break opportunities before the defense sets up. That also lets us play more and more people, because we have to bring in fresh players who are able to wear down the opponents who are maybe trying to play us with a fiveor six-person rotation," Barron said.
Returning to the lineup are 10 players from last year, including leading scorer and second team All-Ivy League recipient junior Maureen Lane. With only one senior — captain Lauren Rigney — the three other juniors, Allison Cahill, Lee Culp, and Lauren Goldbeck, will have to assist in providing solid leadership to the underclassmen.
With a full year of experience behind them, sophomores Jessica Aitken, Maureen McCracken, Mary Cate Opila, and Kelly Shaeffer will make up the heart of the lineup.
The two new freshman faces on the squad are Karen Bolster, a 5-foot, 8-inch guard from Kendall Park, N.J., and Ashley Rook, a 6-1 post player from Naperville, Ill. In last week's exhibition game against Slovenia, both averaged a point per minute on the court, tallying thirty points between them in thirty minutes of playing time. Their early success is a very encouraging sign, as they helped seal the Tigers' sound 91-48 victory over the Slovenia team.
The roster
Playing wing will be senior Lauren Rigney, who led the Tigers her junior year in assists (55), steals (23), and blocks (10). Lee Culp, now a junior, topped Princeton with 6.9 rebounds per game and was the team's third-highest scorer (8.9 ppg) and passer (33). Sophomore Kelly Schaeffer, with a .864 free throw average, will be another threat from the perimeter.
Filling in down low for Princeton Maureen Lane (6-0), sophomores Eileen Powers (5-11), McCracken (6-2), and Aitken (6-1), and Rook (6-1).
In the 2000-01 season, Lane was Princeton's top scorer, averaging 14.3 points per game. With 72 buckets made from behind the arc, she led the Ivies in shooting from three-point land as well.
Coming back after impressive rookie seasons, Powers, McCracken, and Aitken will be essential components of the team's inside game.
Rook was a four-year letter winner in basketball during her high school career at Naperville North, Ill., and earned first-team all-conference recognition as a senior. She was also a member of the AAU Illinois regional and state championship team.
This year's guards are juniors Allison Cahill and Lauren Goldbeck, sophomore Mary Cate Opila, and freshman Karen Bolster.
The second-leading scorer, with an average of 9.5 points per game for the 2000-01 season, Cahill has the fourth-highest assist average, with 32 per game. She was a force off the boards as well, grabbing 3.5 rebounds per game.
Goldbeck, who plays field hockey as well as basketball, was a two-time all-tournament recipient at Mt. St. Joseph's Academy in Flourtown, PA. She played AAU basketball for the Philadelphia Belles beginning at age 13.
Opila immediately broke through the lineup her rookie season last year, playing in 22 out of 27 games. She tallied 14 steals and 28 rebounds for the Tigers.
A top recruit out of Notre Dame High School in Kendall Park, N.J., Bolster will be a vital offensive force this season. Named MVP during both her junior and senior seasons, she received first-team all-state honors and was the league's leading three-point scorer all four years of her high school career.
Long and winding road
The Tigers have a rigorous 27-game schedule ahead of them. Preseason will include non-league games against competitive teams such as Lehigh (Nov. 16), Delaware (Dec. 1), and Army (Dec. 8). On November 23, they will travel to Seattle for a two-day tournament against Santa Clara and Washington/Northeastern. League play will commence Jan. 4 at Penn.
This Friday, in the opener against Lehigh, most of last year's Tigers will be back in Jadwin for another winter of Princeton basketball. But with three new coaches, a new offense, a new defense, and new American flags sewn onto their jerseys, 2001-2002 promises to be a different season.
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