WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Things will feel a little more cozy in 2006-07 for the University of Northern Colorado women's basketball team, as the Bears finally have a home in the Big Sky Conference and a fresh look at their arena, the Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion. New head coach Jaime White, who came to the Bears after assistant coaching stints at Wyoming and Utah and a head coaching stop at Snow College (Utah), brings her tradition of success and great work ethic to a program that finished 13-15 last season with upsets over the Big Ten's Illinois, the Big East's Marquette and the WAC's Nevada.

First year head coach Jaime White

Northern Colorado will have an exciting schedule in 2006-07, highlighted with a trip to preseason No. 3 Oklahoma, who made it to the Sweet 16 last season before being knocked off by Stanford. The Sooners are led by prolific sophomore center Courtney Paris, who last season became the first players in NCAA history to record 700 points, 500 rebounds and 100 blocks in a season. The Bears will also take a trip to Champaign, Ill., to take on the Fighting Illini of Illinois, who will be looking for revenge after Northern Colorado upset them 65-55 last season in Greeley.

"Our non-conference schedule will make us better for our Big Sky matchups," White said. "We're excited to go to Oklahoma and go up against Courtney Paris. It will also be nice to play Illinois again. They'll be out for revenge after last year."

Perhaps the most impressive thing is the Bears' home slate, which includes 2006 NCAA Tournament participant Louisville and four of Northern Colorado's area rivals (Air Force, Colorado State, Denver and Wyoming). Fans will also get to see a full Big Sky Conference schedule at home this season. The Bears' only Big Sky opponent last season was Weber State, who Northern Colorado beat 65-51 in Greeley. The Wildcats made it to the finals of the Big Sky Tournament before losing to champion Northern Arizona.

"We're looking forward to having such a great schedule in our renovated home facility," White said. "The renovation shows the support for our program. It will make the game experience more enjoyable."

Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion, which opened in 1976, got a major overhaul during the summer, including chair back seating, a new scoreboard and sound system and a cosmetic facelift among other things. The project was part of an overall $16 million dollar student fee referendum that will eventually see the addition of a practice gym that will also benefit the Bears basketball program.

"A facility of this caliber helps with recruiting on official visits," White said. "It will help us with the process of building this program."

With a new coaching staff comes a whole new philosophy - from the way the team prepares for the game to the way a tradition is built. White mentioned building discipline is key to the team's success. She said they also have to be proud of their accomplishments because it carries over to the court.

Senior forward Heather Barbour

Another important part of Northern Colorado's success will be game preparation.

"Extensive scouting of our opponents will be a major part of preparing for games," White said. "We're going to learn the game at the highest level, and we want to make sure they're prepared."

Another important component to White's program is building tradition. She hopes to accomplish that by developing a strong connection with the community. Not only will White hold pregame talks with fans, but the team will also be available after every game for autographs.

Although the Bears are not eligible for the NCAA Tournament until next season, that doesn't mean they still can't compete in the WNIT, which is the team's No. 1 goal. In order to do that, Northern Colorado must have a strong showing in the Big Sky. White is confident the Bears can compete well in conference play.

"We're hoping that our preseason will help us learn and grow as a team," White said. "The conference race is wide-open, and home court advantage is important because of the tough travel within the conference. But our experience as independent will help us more than we know. These kids know how to win, which is hard to coach."

Big Sky Conference teams are not foreign to White, whose experience as an assistant coach in the Mountain West exposed her to the conference's competitiveness.

"I am familiar with these teams and how tough they are from my days in the Mountain West," White said. "I have a great amount of respect for the coaches in this conference."

With 11 players and five returning with starting experience, the Bears will have a sense of continuity. But Northern Colorado will have much to learn with a new coaching staff and with its first season in the Big Sky. If the Bears can somehow piece the puzzle together and stay consistent, it is possible their ultimate goal of making the WNIT can be met.

Guards
White emphasizes that if the opportunity to push the tempo is there, they will. But the most important thing is to take care of the ball. That responsibility is first given to the guards, who are instrumental in getting the flow of the offense going.

Senior Bailey Dillon will be relied upon to step into the role as starting point guard, something she hasn't done since her freshman year. Dillon 3.4 points per game and shot 30 percent from 3-point range in 11.6 minutes per game off the bench last season. But White is confident Dillon's experience and leadership will shine through.

"Bailey will be a mainstay for us at the point," White said. "She's worked on her ball handling and shooting. Our players will look to her for leadership."

Sophomore Whitley Cox showed a lot of promise last season with her standout athleticism. In her 14 starts last season, the Bears were 8-6. She averaged 4.8 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. She's most known for playing larger than her 5-8 stature.

"Athletically, Whitley is up there with some of the seasoned players in this league," White said. "She can jump high and rebound consistently even as a two guard."

Senior Jena Fosdick will return to the Bears after having an offseason to recover from a head injury that bothered her at times last season. She averaged 7.9 points and pulled down 3.2 rebounds per game while shooting 31.5 percent from the floor last season. She dropped 26 points on Cal State Fullerton last season in the second game, but her scoring tailed off as the season wore on. Her experience and leadership is something the team will rely on.

Senior guard Bailey Dillon

Redshirt junior Kendra Lambrecht will finally return to the court after missing last season with a knee injury. She only played in six minutes against Air Force in last year's season opener before calling it quits. Her sharpshooting skills will be an important component to White's motion offense. In 2004-05, Lambrecht averaged 6.8 points per game and drained 43 3-pointers in 13 starts.

Senior Melanie Drangmeister, who could also see time at small forward, will look to shake off her tough 2005-06 season in which she went just 6-of-43 from the floor. It wasn't until the second-to-last game of the season where she showed signs of breaking out, when she drained two 3-pointers against Fairleigh Dickinson. In 2004-05, she averaged 3.6 points per game off the bench.

Junior Amy Martinson will return to the Bears after playing in 12 games last season and seeing limited action off the bench. She went 3-for-10 from the floor last year and showed defensive savvy.

Northern Colorado also adds freshmen Sara Hemmings and Achlee Edwards to the backcourt. Hemmings was a local star at Greeley West High School, leading her team to a state final appearance as a junior and a spot in the semifinals as a senior. She was a three-time all-state selection. Edwards, who hails from Aurora, Colo., comes to Northern Colorado from Cherokee Trail High School.

Posts
When talking about Northern Colorado post players, the first name that has to come to mind is Heather Barbour. White expects Barbour to be monumental to the Bears having a productive offense. Last season, Barbour averaged 11.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game, while notching 19 games with points in double-figures. She also led the team in 3-pointers with 48. Her performance garnered an All-Division I Independent honorable mention.

"Heather will be important to our success on offense," White said. "She can hurt the other team by spotting up outside, or by driving to the basket."

Sophomore Alisa Christopherson will most likely start at the small forward spot. Her standout game last season was against Marquette, when she scored 11 points and hit two 3-pointers against the Golden Eagles in a 57-54 upset win. Christopherson averaged 2.5 points per game as a starter and player off the bench.

"Alisa can shoot the lights out," White said. "She worked hard in offseason conditioning to get stronger."

Perhaps the biggest void on Northern Colorado this year will be the absence of senior Danielle Hagen, who will most likely miss the season due to a blood clot discovered in her lungs in the offseason. Hagen has been arguably the Bears most consistent player in her time at Northern Colorado, starting all 83 games of her career, which puts her just 15 games behind Jill Fadenrecht for consecutive starts and 23 behind Fadenrecht for most career starts. Hagen averaged 7.4 points and a team-leading 6.2 rebounds per game last season en route to an All-Division I Independent honorable mention.

Sophomore Alisa Christopherson

White is hoping junior Dani Veal can step in and fill the void left by Hagen's absence now that Veal has relinquished volleyball to focus on basketball. White is most excited about the physical element Veal brings to Northern Colorado's inside game. Veal played in 25 games last season and shot just under 49 percent from the floor.

"It will be tremendous to our team now that Dani is focusing on basketball only," White said. "She plays with her back to the basket and is very physical. She is a true competitor."

Another experienced player White is banking on to contribute is senior Nicole Ford. White is hoping Ford will create mismatches for defenders because of her quickness and range. Ford saw limited action last season in 12 games.

"I think Nicole can surprise us," White said. "I expect her to be a more step-out five and create mismatches."

Freshmen Tina Fox and Kaley Hoover will also be added to the mix in the post. Fox, a 6-2 forward from North Platte, Neb., could see time as a starter this season. She was a two-time honorable mention all-state performer and led her high school to two conference championships while compiling a career field goal percentage of 48.9 percent.

"Tina will give us substanstial minutes this year," White said. "She needs to get stronger, but her athleticism will help her."

Hoover, a 6-2 forward from Emory, Texas, also plays volleyball at Northern Colorado and is still working on transitioning to basketball. She sustained an injury during the volleyball season and is still recovering. When Hoover is healthy, White expects her to contribute at power forward. Hoover scored 2,500 career points at Rains High School and holds school records in blocked shots, rebounds and free throw percentage. She was a McDonald's All-American semifinalist as a senior.

The Final Thought
With 11 players and five returning with starting experience, the Bears will have a sense of continuity. But Northern Colorado will have much to learn with a new coaching staff and with its first season in the Big Sky. White emphasizes that the team must get better with every minute they have. She also plans on giving her younger players substantial minutes for the future. White said the game plan is to hold teams to 50 points or less on defense and play tough half court defense. On offense, she plans on running motion, which is not easy to scout. But most important, she says, is to build the game plan with the personnel she has. If the Bears can somehow piece the puzzle together and stay consistent, it is possible their ultimate goal of making the WNIT can be met.