Walking wounded, never crippled

Posted by admin on Nov 17, 2009 in Sports | 0 comments

It’s November, which can only mean one thing. Basketball. The Spartan’s women’s basketball team is back in action once again. The girls are returning this year after losing in the first round of the CIS playoffs to Simon Fraser.

The Spartans finished last season with a record of 11-12, good enough for fourth in the Pacific division. However, the Spartan’s lost their last five games of the season due to key injuries in their final stretch, which resulted in a disappointing finish for the squad. The less than memorable finish has left the team hungry for more this year.

Head coach Kerby Court is back for another season in which he has seen the program grow since being named the interim coach in 2001, taking a team who’s previous record for most wins in a season was six before his arrival. Court has grown the program strongly and has seen steady improvements since he began, but sees this year as a challenge.

“If you had asked this question at the beginning of the summer we would have been primed for a breakout season, but now it looks quite different.” The reason for this is due to the number of injuries that have occurred from last season that have key players still recovering. “Players who we had at 8 and 9 on the depth chart are now starting” notes Court, who is now hoping to use this year as a chance to maximize their freshmen and sophomores’ abilities to offset the injuries.

The reason injuries are responsible for the less enthusiastic mood into this season is likely because the Spartan’s had a chance to finally be competitive against the stronger teams within their division. “Simon Fraser, UBC, and Victoria are always strong, but add in that TRU is much stronger and you can understand why Canada West has won the last 18 women’s championships and within those 18, eight of those have come within the Pacific division” adds Court.

However, Court doesn’t see this year as a loss at all. There still are players that will be expected to have an impact night in and night out. Guard Stephanie Carkner is expected to play 20-25 minutes per game this season. Carkner, a 5”4 sophomore will be called upon to use her quick play to penetrate the lanes, distributing the ball often this season. Forward Holly Storm will also be a key player even though it is her first year in the CIS. Storm will be relied upon to use her 5’11 frame in the post to help TWU’s defensive struggles that gave up 66 points a game last year.

Overall, the Spartans will be looking to play a high-energy defensive game this year, with special attention to be focused on communication between players on the floor. The Spartans also want to use their strong post players on offense first, using an “inside-outside” concept on offense, which will help put pressure on opponents defense by stretching the floor using their quickness.

Court says that a winning culture needs to continue to grow at TWU to be able to compete with the powerhouses of the division. So far, the Spartans have struggled out of the gate, getting off to a 1-3 start. The girls will be playing their home opener this weekend at the LEC against Victoria on Nov. 20 at 6:00 p.m.