HEAD COACH

Melanie Balcomb, 7th season

LAST YEAR

2000-2001 Preview
2000-2001 Schedule

A-10 TOURNAMENT

Defeated Massachusetts 86-64 in quarterfinal round
Defeated Dayton 80-71 in semifinal round
Defeated George Washington 81-56 to win the A-10 Championship

NCAA TOURNAMENT (MIDEAST REGIONAL)

Defeated #13 Louisville 80-52 in 1st round
Defeated #5 Clemson 77-62 in 2nd round
Defeated #1 Tennessee 80-65 in regional semifinal
Lost to #3 Purdue 88-78 in regional final

RETURNING PLAYERS

One thing is for certain: although Xavier said goodbye to a senior class that owned over 5,000 career points and 75% of last year’s scoring, the backcourt returns intact for the Musketeers this season. Amy Waugh will return as the full-time PG for this season. Waugh, who missed the first 19 games last season after tearing an Achilles tendon during pre-season drills, averaged 7.2 PPG, 3.9 APG, and 2.7 RPG last season while coming off the bench for the final 15 games of the season. When healthy, she brings a lot of court savvy to the floor, and showed signs of why she was the Freshman of the Year in the A-10 in 1999-2000. She was an excellent 3-point shooter last season (41.7%), and was fairly consistent from the free-throw line (74.4%). Just as importantly, she did not commit careless turnovers – she logged an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.6 (58 A/37 TO) last year. When necessary, she can also slide over to the shooting guard slot, but look for most of her time, as stated before, to come at the point. Which brings us to…

Reetta Piipari. Although Jennifer Phillips was the A-10 Player of the Year last season, Piipari, a 2nd-team All-Atlantic 10 selection, did an admirable job of running the point last season, averaging 10.9 PPG, 2.8 RPG, and a nation-high 8.3 APG. With Waugh back, Piipari will slide back to her more natural position at SG. She was also a deadly sharpshooter from behind the arc (44.8%), although her FT shooting was a fairly average 62.4% last season. Like Waugh, Piipari has great floor vision on offense – she can stretch opposing defenses with her own shooting and, when covered, make the extra pass to the wings and/or post players fighting for position inside. She leads all returning players with 37 steals from last season – her speed also helped spur numerous fast breaks – some of which she would finish on her own. Obviously, she will assume PG duties when Waugh either gets a rest on the bench or is hampered by foul trouble – in other words, Xavier has a very efficient 2-quarterback system that can be troublesome to prepare for.

Traditionally, Xavier will start 3 guards in the starting lineup – with their lack of size in the middle, this season will be no different. Shavon Bell will play the 3-guard this season after being one of the more valuable defensive stoppers last season. She played about 10 minutes a contest last season (in 32 of 34 games) and averaged 2.4 PPG and 1.4 RPG last season. Although not called on as an offensive source last season, her role on that side of the ball will step up considerably this season. She made only 3-of-12 3-point field goals last season, but she did not hesitate to slash to the basket to get her points. She shot 37.5% from the field and 70.0% from the free-throw line – showing flashes of her offensive ability. Defensively, she was a good perimeter defender last season – she would get her hands in the opposing players’ faces, and would make the occasional steal (she had 17 steals last season). She won’t be the sharpshooter that Nicole Levandusky was last season, but if she can hit somewhere between a 30-35% clip, she’ll do just fine.

In the frontcourt, C Kate Kreager will be the anchor down low for the Muskies this season. She was the only sub to play all 34 games last season (she also played about 10 minutes a contest), and averaged 3.1 PPG and 2.2 RPG last season. She did a great job in terms of finishing her shot last season (she shot 65.2% from the field), but needs to work on floor awareness. There were times that she would be wide open in the paint, but didn’t always take advantage. She’s quick on the court, so the opportunities to cash in will be there. Defensively, she’ll need to play smart off the boards – she is the one post player that cannot afford consistent foul trouble. Another thing she needs to work on is foul shooting - she shot a meager 42.2% behind the FT line last season. But, before is all said and done, she will show why she was put on last year’s preseason All-A-10 Newcomer team, although she was not on the list that counted at the end of the season.

Early on, the duties of PF will fall unto the hands of Aida Sarajilia. Her playing time was restricted to mop-up duty last season, and she will be asked to step up her role this season, much like when Jennifer Parr rose from a spot-duty bench player to a consistent starter. Sarajilia, like most Xavier recruits, is a potent outside shooter (she was 2-for-5 last season) and can crash the boards on both ends of the court. If she can avoid careless turnovers and work on her passing game down low, she will become another success story for Xavier this season.

C Colleen Yukes is the only other returning scholarship player – she also offers considerable size in the middle. At 6-4, she can hold her own against most A-10 posts and not be at a significant size disadvantage against other taller posts that Xavier will face during the course of the season. In preseason drills, much like Sarajilia, Yukes is vastly improving her defensive skills and her passing game on the offense. She will shoot mostly in the low-to-10 foot range, but finishing her shot will also be a priority for her this season.

NEWCOMERS

Listed at 5'6", Dani Statuto finished in 2nd place in scoring at Con-Val HS in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Recruited primarily as a point guard, Statuto earned 1st-team All-State honors in New Hampshire in her junior and senior seasons. And much like past Xavier recruits under Coach Balcomb, she has 3-point range. Her playing time will be limited this season, but can play SG when necessary.

Listed at 5'10", Ashleigh Cuncic averaged 20 PPG, 4 RPG, and 8 RPG as a junior at St. Mary's HS in Carlisle, Ontario (Canada). She was MVP on a team that had won OFSAA championships in 1998 and 1999. According to Coach Balcomb's assessment, she also has 3-point range and great defensive skills. She will be one of the main guard subs to the table, and just might be the fastest guard on the floor for Xavier this season. She’ll need active hands on the defensive end, especially with Xavier’s suspect perimeter defense.

Listed at 5'10", Nikki Wells averaged 12.7 PPG, 9.2 RPG, and 3 steals per game as a junior at Garfield HS in Woodbridge, Virginia. She was on her All-District, Area, and Region teams as a junior, as well as an honorable mention Street and Smith's All-American going into her senior year. She played mostly inside during her HS career. Like Statuto, Wells offers guard depth, but will probably not see significant minutes this season.

Listed at 6'0", Kim Neidermayer averaged 17.8 PPG and 10 RPG as a junior at Eastlake North HS in Cleveland, Ohio. She won 1st-team honors from the Premier Athletic Conference and The Plain Dealer (the Cleveland newspaper), as well as Honorable Mention All-Ohio honors. Balcomb lists her outside shooting and passing as Kim's top assets. She’ll play mostly in relief at the SF/3G slot this season, and also possesses quick hands that can disrupt opposing players on the defensive end.

Listed at 6'0", Alexis Henderson averaged 16.7 PPG and 10.6 RPG as a junior at Ursuline Academy in Wilmington, Delaware. She was 1st-team in her conference and 2nd-team All-Delaware that season as well. She was recruited for her post moves and, yes, 3-point shooting as well. She is a talented player that can play either forward position, and is aggressive player in terms of crashing the boards. Initially, her points of emphasis on the offensive end will be her passing and her FT shooting.

SEASON OUTLOOK

Even without Amy Waugh for most of last season, Xavier did a brilliant job in their first season in the Cintas Center, finishing a perfect 15-0 at home en route to a school-record 31 wins. Along the way, Xavier passed their early tests after surviving a tough 64-60 opener against Elite 8 participant Vanderbilt, a rugged 75-72 win against NCAA participant Florida State, and an overtime win against GW at home that all but clinched the top seed going into Philly for the A-10 Tournament.

After a mild 80-71 scare against Dayton, Xavier kicked into another gear, particularly on the defensive end. They jumped out to a 9-0 lead against GW in the A-10 title game, expanded that lead to a 27-8 advantage with 8 minutes left in the 1st half of that game, and for all intents and purposes the game was over.

After drawing a #4 seed at home, Xavier used a stingy defense to dismantle Louisville and Clemson to advance to the Sweet 16. They also dismantled Tennessee in the Sweet 16 with their overall team speed, and Pat Summitt was left disgusted at her team, and yet complimentary of Xavier’s ability to play a 40-minute game. But, at the 5-minute mark of a close game against Purdue, their defense bailed on them, and the dream season was over, a game shy of the Final Four.

By then, Xavier’s identity had been exposed to the nation: they were first in most of the major offensive categories in the A-10: scoring (79.4 PPG), field goal percentage (52.2%), 3-point FG percentage (41.1%), and assists (21.19/game). However, their two main flaws were turnovers committed (18.8/game, 7th in the conference) and their overall FT percentage (67.1%, 9th in the A-10). Even Reetta Piipari, with all her assists last season, committed about 3 to 4 turnovers per game, and showed that she could be hounded in some of the bigger games last season, including their losses (their only losses, no less) at Cincy, at GW, and against Purdue in the Elite 8. She will need to cut down on careless turnovers during crucial stretches this season.

Nobody doubts Xavier’s ability to shoot the ball – there are 4 potential starters this season that can shoot from either inside or outside – but their defense will be critical. The guards (Waugh, Piipari, Bell, and Cuncic) need to work on perimeter defense, and the inside posts (Sarajilia, Kreager, Yukes, Henderson, and Neidermayer) will need to box out and be aggressive on the boards. Team speed is about the same as last season, but experience-wise Xavier will start over.

Xavier will have an early test against a Top 5 team at Vanderbilt, and by then they will have figured out how far the team has progressed in the preseason. UC and Mississippi State provide stiff tests at home (as well as the inaugural Xavier Tournament in December), and will also play Colorado State and either Ohio State or Louisville in a tournament at OSU. Many people are expecting Xavier to take a drastic fall from the top of the A-10, but that won’t be the case at all this season.

When all is said and done, Xavier will come out of regular season play with a 22-6 record, including a 12-4 mark in A-10 play.

POSTSEASON

A 3rd consecutive Atlantic 10 Tournament title is certainly within reach, but this could be the year they finally lose to GW in the title game. The XU-GW matchup has been the most competitive league rivalry the past 4 seasons, and will be just as competitive this season. The Muskies aren’t yet a stone-cold lock for the NCAAs, but they should claw their way back to the Big Dance again come March, although a younger team may have problems getting beyond the 2nd round this season.