When the New York University women's basketball team tips off its 2009-10 season this Sunday, Nov. 15, at 1 p.m. against SUNY Oswego, the Violets will begin their quest to earn their fourth NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship invitation in five seasons.
NYU will provide live stats and an internet audio broadcast Sunday. To learn more about the 2009-10 Violets, continue reading our season preview below.
NYU RELOADING WITH VETERANS IN NEW ROLES
Replacing three-time University Athletic Association (UAA) Player of the Year Jessica McEntee will be no easy task for the New York University women's basketball team, but head coach Stefano Trompeo and his Violets are embracing that challenge.
Not that NYU won't miss McEntee's career 1,711 points and 1,133 rebounds, but the Violets are eager to prove that their success this year will not hinge upon just one player.
“NYU women's basketball has been Jess McEntee for the last three years,” Trompeo said. “Now, as athletes, it has sparked a competition on this team where everyone wants to make a name for themselves. There is a new identity with this group beyond the All-American — it's the team.”
This Violets' squad is coming off a season that saw a nine-game improvement to 23-5 overall (10-4 UAA) and an appearance in the NCAA Division III Championships, making it to the Sweet Sixteen for the 13th time in school history.
Trompeo, in his second year at the helm of the Violets, sees his team as going through a youth movement in that familiar faces on the roster will have to play new roles. Don't call it a rebuilding year, however, as the Violets are returning three starters and have three seniors and four juniors on their roster.
“It's not rebuilding, it's just a new opportunity for a lot of people ready to take that next step up,” Trompeo said.
Although the team is acclimating to one another, Trompeo has already seen solid communication and self-coaching by his players despite their new leadership roles.
Across the board, the Violets will boast a deep roster that will allow Trompeo to rotate players in and out of NYU's familiar fast-paced attack.
“What people normally think about NYU is athletic, fast on offense and all up-in-your face aggressive defense,” Trompeo said. “That will be the same with this team.”
Leading the up-tempo attack for the Violets will be the guards, and Trompeo has the luxury of having three point guards who can contribute. Senior Jen Hum-Traverso (6.0 ppg) started all 28 contests last season and is the team's leading returnee in assists with 59. Junior Chelsea Blake will join Hum-Traverso, as she saw action in 24 games as a sophomore and averaged 3.5 points per game. Trompeo also sees sophomore Cara Bonito getting the chance to lead the Violets on the floor as she has progressed since her rookie season.
On the wings, junior
Emily Foshag, an Honorable Mention All-UAA selection in 2009, has the most on-court experience after averaging 7.5 points and 3.1 rebounds in 28 games (all starts) last year. She will be supplemented by two players who are rebounding from injuries in senior
Hailey Kimball (5.3 ppg) and junior
Bianca Storts, who averaged 8.3 points in eight games. Also keep an eye on 5-10 sophomore
Tana Bertino.
In the post, the Violets have to replace three players after out-rebounding opponents by a plus-six margin last year. Grace Carmen, a 5-10 senior and an Honorable Mention All-UAA selection who was the second leading scorer behind McEntee with 8.6 points per contest, will need to be a presence down low for the Violets in 2009-10.
Junior Chrissy Kilmurray will likely be key at center for the Violets, as the 6-1 junior showed her prowess late last season. She averaged 4.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.
The froncourt will be bolstered by 6-0 sophomore Erica Franke and newcomers Makenzie Hirz and Shelby Coon, who attended Division I University of Albany where she appeared in 17 games. Both Coon and Hirz are 6-1.
Other newcomers to the squad include freshmen such as #5-10 Genny Arnold and 5-9 Maggie Ely#, whose preseason efforts have impressed their coach.
“They are all in a situation where we like to rotate a lot of bodies by playing an up-tempo style,” Trompeo said. “There is an opportunity for all of them, it is just a matter of who is going to emerge”
The Violets' schedule will test this young team early in the season as they play four games in the first week of the season, hosting SUNY Oswego to open the season Nov. 15 before non-conference rival and perennial NCAA performer Mount St. Mary College comes to the Jerome S. Coles Sports Center the following day. Two tournaments will be played at NYU during the regular season: the NYU Tip-Off Tournament will be held Nov. 20-21, while the NYU Women's Basketball New Year's Classic is Jan. 2- 3.
NYU went 10-4 last year in the UAA, and Association play will begin at home against Brandeis University, an Elite Eight squad last winter, on Jan. 9. Also in UAA play, they will play home-and-away against traditional national powers such as Brandeis, the University of Chicago, the University of Rochester, and Washington University. The Violets were ranked #19 in the D3Hoops.com Preseason Top 25, joining Washington (#1), Brandeis (#9) and Chicago (#14) among the top-20.
Trompeo feels his players will fight to remain near the top of the UAA standings and earn a second-straight spot in the NCAA Division III Championships despite what others might perceive as a drop-off from last year because of the loss of McEntee.
“A lot of the UAA teams lost players like we did except for Washington University,” Trompeo said. “They are the frontrunner, but we think there is going to be a lot of parity in the league this year because there are teams going through what we are going through.”
