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By Kelli Moynahan, NKU Sports Information HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Was last season a precursor to a national championship run for the Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team? Could NKU be cutting down the nets this March, just like seven years ago, when the Norse won the NCAA Division II title? Before answering those questions, just consider that: •NKU returns all five starters from last year’s squad that posted a 27-5 overall record and a 16-3 Great Lakes Valley Conference mark. •NKU welcomes back 11 letterwinners who helped capture the GLVC Tournament championship with a win over Drury and later won an NCAA Division II Tournament game against Michigan Tech. •NKU features five seniors, including All-America forward Karmen Graham and GLVC Tournament most valuable player Brittany Winner. In other words, NKU enters the 2006-07 campaign with lots of expectations. “I think that this team has raised the bar by what they did last year,” NKU head coach Nancy Winstel said, “so I think we need to do all of the things we did last year, but we need to do them all better.” “I would say all five of the seniors (should make the biggest contributions) because of their abilities and their experience, but I think you have to mention all returning players are expected to contribute,” Winstel added. “I don’t really know that one will give more than another, but we’ll just have to see.” One player the Norse will be looking at to lead the team this season is Graham. Last season, the 6-foot-1 forward averaged 14.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while being named to both the All-GLVC and All-Great Lakes Region first teams. Graham shot 54.2 percent from the floor and 84.3 percent from the free throw line. She also added 44 assists.
Another player receiving All-GVLC honors last season is 5-11 senior guard Karyn Creager. She earned honorable mention accolades by averaging 9.1 points and 2.2 rebounds. Creager shot a team-leading 86.4 percent from the free-throw line and made 35.9 percent of her 3-point attempts. She was also the only player last season to start all 32 games. “Karmen is one of the hardest workers I have ever coached. She gives everything she’s got all of the time,” Winstel said. “Karyn is a young lady who leads by example. She can really shoot it and is one of our best defensive players.” Winner and senior Katie Butler will also see significant playing time at forward. The 5-10 Winner finished the season averaging 9.7 points per game and 5.1 rebounds while playing a team-leading 30.3 minutes of action per game. She also led the team in with 42 steals. In addition, Winner poured in a career-high 30 points against Drury to lead NKU in the GLVC Tournament championship game. One of the more versatile players in the GLVC, Winner can handle the ball against pressure, shoot from the perimeter and rebound. Butler, a 6-1 senior who can play both forward and center, averaged 5.4 points and 2.7 rebounds in her first season with the Norse after transferring from Dayton. “Brittany is an outstanding athlete who is not afraid to push herself to be the very best she can be. She loves a challenge. The bigger the challenge, the better she likes it.” Winstel said. “Katie is one of the best pure shooters I have ever coached. She never seems to get rattled in a game, and she believes she is the best shooter out there and wants to prove it.” The fifth senior is Betsey Clark, a 5-9 guard and a graduate of McNicholas High School in Cincinnati who saw action in all 32 games last season. She averaged 2.2 points and 1.1 rebounds while dishing out 42 assists. “Betsey is a multi-talented player who is very important to our team,” Winstel said. “She can play all five positions and brings her defense every day.” Nicole Chiodi, a 6-foot junior guard, will run the point for the second straight year. Last season, Chiodi started 31 times, dished out a team-leading 112 assists and collected 39 steals. She averaged 7.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. “Before it’s all said and done, Nicole could be the best point guard to have ever played at NKU,” Winstel said. “She sees the court and passes the ball extremely well. Her defense has improved, but she needs to keep challenging herself. She is a very important part of what we do.”
Junior center Angela Healy, a 6-1 graduate of Highlands High School, will start her third season in the middle. She averaged 8.8 points per game and 5.2 rebounds while collecting a team-leading 35 blocks and 39 steals in 31 games. “Physically, she is our strongest player. Angela does a lot of the unnoticed dirty work,” Winstel said. “She’s not afraid to get in there and compete. She is a young lady who just keeps getting better and better.” Helping Healy in the post will be Cassie Brannen, a 6-1 sophomore from Cincinnati. Last season, Brannen averaged 6.7 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. She led the team past Bellarmine in her first season by scoring 19 points last year in an 82-70 victory in Louisville. She also shot 57.5 percent from the field and added 26 blocks. “She is one of the most athletic post players I have ever coached,” Winstel said of Brannen. “She is a great defensive player who is coming into her own on the offensive end.” Three guards complete the sophomore class: Karen Brackman, Keri Finnell and Danyelle Echoles. Brackman, a graduate of Minster High School, saw action in 31 games last season and averaged 2.9 points per game and 1.0 rebounds, while Echoles, a graduate of Colerain High School, averaged 1.4 points and 0.3 rebounds. “Karen is a very athletic player who, as she gets more experience and confidence, will be very good,” Winstel said. “Danyelle is a key role player who can shoot it.” Finnell, who is in her third season with the team after sitting out as a redshirt in 2004-05, has battled injuries the previous two seasons. She played in 11 games last season and averaged 1.2 points and 0.4 rebounds. “Keri is a young lady who has worked extremely hard over the past two years. She deserves a break when it comes to staying healthy,” Winstel said. “She could help us a lot if she can stay injury-free.” The only new player added to the roster this season is 5-11 freshman guard Rachel Lantry, a graduate of Holy Cross High School. She was a five-year starter and scored more than 2,000 points during her career. As a senior, Lantry led the Indians to a 35th District tournament championship and 27-6 record. “She is our lone freshman who is learning our system. She is a very talented player who can really shoot it,” Winstel said.
All of the experience from the returning players and the addition of a freshman with great credentials should help NKU through a tough preseason and regular season, but Winstel believes the team needs to improve in one specific area throughout the season to be truly successful this season. “I wouldn’t say that it’s a weakness, but I sure know that we must get better defensively in all phases,” said Winstel, who needs one win to reach the 500-victory plateau as NKU’s head coach. “I think our strength is our talent, team chemistry, focus, senior leadership and work ethic.” On Nov. 1, NKU will face Kentucky in Lexington for its first preseason game. The Norse will also travel to Bloomington, Ind., for a preseason contest against Indiana on Nov. 6. Both games start at 7 p.m. The Norse will begin their regular season at home on Nov. 21 against Midway (Ky.). Ironically enough, Winstel began her coaching career at Midway, and she can earn her 500th victory on the NKU sideline against that very school in the opener. Nine days later, NKU will open GLVC play against Quincy at 5:30 p.m. in Regents Hall. Grand Valley State, the defending NCAA Division II national champion, will participate in the Travel America Classic in Regents Hall and will face NKU on Dec. 21 at 7:30 p.m. “Hopefully, our experience will help us, but teams will be gearing up for us more and we need to stay as healthy as possible,” Winstel said. |
