Big East Women's Basketball Preview
October 24, 2002 02:42 PM | General
By John Antonik for MSNsportsNET.com
October 24, 2002
NEWARK, N.J. – The Big East women’s basketball coaches couldn’t agree on a preseason favorite to win the conference this year, so they picked both Connecticut and Notre Dame.
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| Connecticut guard Diana Taurasi was the choice for the 2002-03 Big East preseason player of the year. |
Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma comes into this year with perhaps his biggest rebuilding job in a decade with just one starter returning in junior guard Diana Taurasi. However, Auriemma will tap into his top-rated recruiting class to plug in the holes.
The best of the group is 6-foot-2 guard Ann Strother of Castle Rock, Colo., who was the consensus national high school player of the year last season. Strother averaged 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists per game, and was the co-MVP of the inaugural McDonald’s High School All-America game.
Last year Notre Dame slipped to 20-10 after winning its first NCAA championship in 2001, but returns three starters and 10 letterwinners this season. Coach Muffet McGraw will look for points and leadership from senior guard Alicia Ratay (15.4 ppg.) and sophomore forward Jacqueline Batteast (13.8 ppg.). McGraw also has the benefit of blending in top-rated recruit Courtney LaVere, a 6-foot-3 forward from Ventura, Calif., who earned second team USA Today All-America honors.
Boston College advanced to the Big East championship game last year for the first time since 1987 and finished third in this year’s preseason poll. Coach Cathy Inglese has three fifth-year players and a junior starter returning. BC’s backcourt is among the strongest in the Big East with senior guard Brianne Stepherson leading the way.
Villanova is coming off an impressive 20-win season last year and has a strong nucleus of players returning. Veteran coach Harry Perretta’s offense will revolve around senior guard Trish Juhline, a preseason first team all-conference pick who averaged 12.3 points per game last year.
Virginia Tech is coming off an NIT Final Four appearance last year and has two starters returning. One of them is perhaps the best post player in the conference in 6-foot-4 Ieva Kublina of Riga, Latvia.
Rutgers was predicted to finish sixth based on the strength of a talented recruiting class assembled by veteran coach C. Vivian Stringer. The Knights brought in a five-player class that includes the Philadelphia player of the year in 6-foot forward Aquisha Cahoe. Last year Rutgers produced a disappointing 9-20 record.
Coach Ferne Labati has Miami thinking postseason once again this year after its 19-12 record last season. Miami has nine returning starters, including 6-foot junior forward Chanivia Broussard, a preseason first team all-conference pick.
West Virginia has advanced all the way to the middle of the pact after being the league’s worst team just two years ago. The credit goes to Mountaineer coach Mike Carey, who has rebuilt WVU around a talented backcourt that includes preseason second team all-conference pick Kate Bulger. This year Carey hopes a talented recruiting class will give his team the depth needed to challenge for a top-five finish in the league standings this season.
Seton Hall has pieced together back-to-back winning seasons after slipping to 11-16 in 2000. Veteran coach Phyllis Mangina has eight letterwinners returning, including 6-foot-2 forward Leslie Ardon, who averaged 13 points and 7.3 rebounds per game last season.
Syracuse matched Seton Hall’s point total in the preseason poll after producing its best season since 1988. The Orangewomen stopped their trend of five-straight losing seasons by winning 19 games and advancing to NCAA tournament play last year. However, this season Coach Mairanna Freeman must replace three key starters.
Georgetown usually has the athletes to give teams problems in the Big East and was picked to finish 11th. The Hoyas have one of the conference’s top players returning in 6-foot-3 forward Rebekkah Brunson, a second team preseason pick this year.
Providence starts over with new coach Susan Yow, who won just 22 games in four seasons at UNC Wilmington. Yow also has head coaching experience at Kansas State, Drake and East Tennessee State and she takes over a team that has three starters returning led by 6-2 forward Jessica Simmonds of South Orange, N.J.
Pittsburgh hopes a new playing venue will help turn around the sagging fortunes of its women’s basketball program. Last year Coach Traci Waites saw her team slip to 8-19 overall and finish next to last in the league standings. Waites does have three double-digit scorers returning, led by senior guard Laine Selwyn.
And St. John’s was picked to finish last once again this season. Like Providence, The Red Storm are starting over with a new coaching staff led by Kim Barnes-Arico, who produced a three-year record of 65-24 at Adelphi College.
Barnes-Arico will have seven returning letterwinners to work with led by 5-foot-9 guard Danielle Rainey of Las Angeles, Calif.
Big East Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Connecticut
1. Notre Dame
3. Boston College
4. Villanova
5. Virginia Tech
6. Rutgers
7. Miami
8. West Virginia
9. Seton Hall
9. Syracuse
11. Georgetown
12. Providence
13. Pittsburgh
14. St. John's
