Oct. 11, 2010
Youth will be the name of the game for the Lady Lions this season with eight freshmen and sophomores on the roster. With the return of All-Big Ten selection Alex Bentley, senior guard/forward Julia Trogele and sophomore center Nikki Greene and the addition of a second-straight Top 25 recruiting class that includes a pair of high school All-Americans, the Lady Lions have their sights set on returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005-06.
"In a lot of ways, we are going to be a completely different team then we have been the first three years of our run here with the graduation of Tyra Grant," head coach Coquese Washington said. "She has always been the go-to player, the big gun and now we won't have that one standout player. I really think that we are going to be a team where we are going to have a lot of weapons. That will make us a more balanced team and a team that is harder to defend and harder to prepare for because we are going to be so much more balanced and deeper, if we can stay healthy."
Bentley is coming off of a rookie campaign that saw her earn All-Big Ten third team honors and a unanimous selection to the Big Ten All-Freshman team. The sophomore point guard, who was a Full Court Press Freshman All-American, finished in the Top 15 in the Big Ten in assists (4th; 4.03), field goal percentage (10th; .445), assist-to-turnover ratio (7th; 1.47) and steals (15th; 1.6). Bentley was also second on the team in scoring at an 11.8 per game clip, which placed her sixth on Penn State's freshman season scoring chart (365 pts.). She accounted for 21 double-digit scoring games, including three games with 20 or more tallies.
"This is going to be a big year for Alex," Washington said. "Alex is the engine that drives this team. She loves the fast-paced tempo that we like to play. She can do it all from the point guard position and her will to win and competitive fire are second to none, which is what makes her a truly special player. She is one of the best point guards in our conference and we are looking for her to lead us to the postseason."
Also returning to join Bentley on the perimeter are juniors Zhaque Gray and Renee Womack, as well as sophomore Gizelle Studevent.
Gray had a career year in her sophomore campaign with personal bests of 150 points, 50 rebounds, 25 assists and a .760 free throw percentage. The junior sharpshooter, who made nine starts a year ago, is Penn State's fourth-best returning scorer with a 5.0 scoring average from a year ago. Gray also drained 23 shots from beyond the arc, which was second on the team.
"Zha Zha returned from Chicago looking fit and in shape, probably the best conditioned that she has looked every summer that she has come back," Washington said. "Zha Zha can really put points on the board. She can knock down the outside shot, she's a slasher, and she's got good speed in the open court."
Womack was on pace for the best season of her young career before going down with an ACL injury in early January. The sophomore averaged 2.8 points and 3.1 rebounds per game before missing the final 17 contests. Womack's absence was felt on the defensive end where she had eight blocks, including a career-high three rejections against Iowa, and nine steals in 13 games.
"We missed Renee last year when she went down with the knee injury," Washington said. "She just brings so much athleticism to our guards and she is our defensive stopper. Her rehab has gone great; she will be back full-go for this season. I am looking forward to getting that athleticism and defensive prowess back in our backcourt."
Studevent improved steadily during the 2009-10 campaign and earned more playing time as the year went on. The sophomore guard capped the year with six points and two rebounds in the WNIT game against Hofstra. Studevent tallied 40 points, 15 rebounds and five steals in 25 appearances as a freshman.
"Gizelle is going to give us some depth at the guard spot," Washington said. "She can be a solid defender for us because of her quickness and athleticism. She is a natural scorer, meaning that she finds ways to get baskets when she is in the game, even for short periods of time."
Always a match-up problem for opponents, Trogele will once again split time between the wing and the post.
Trogele continued to be an influence on the boards, leading the team in rebounding for the second consecutive season with a 6.2 average, which was 11th in the Big Ten. The senior guard/forward was also solid at the free throw line where she finished fifth in the conference with an .827 mark. Trogele dished out a career-best 64 assists a year ago to go along with 32 steals and nine blocks. She also stretched the defense last season by knocking down 12 three-pointers.
"Julia is a tremendous leader for us, she is a senior captain and she has really taken her leadership to a very high level," Washington said. "When you talk about on the court, she is really a tough match-up because she has great size and can play inside or out. She can handle the ball, she can shoot the three and she is an absolutely tremendous rebounder. With the confidence that she has with being healthy and the leadership that she has displayed so far, I am just expecting her to go out and have a fantastic senior year."
In the post, Greene and fellow sophomore Marisa Wolfe return, while red-shirt sophomore Mia Nickson will see the court for the first time in a Penn State uniform after sitting out the 2009-10 season due to NCAA transfer rules.
With 55 blocks in her rookie season, Greene gives the Lady Lions a shot-blocking threat in the middle. The sophomore center finished second on Penn State's freshman rejections list and ninth on the Lady Lions' single-season blocks chart. Greene finished second on the team and 12th in the Big Ten in rebounding (6.2) and was third on the squad in scoring (7.0). She stands fourth on PSU's freshman rebounding list with 192 boards a year ago. Greene garnered Dec. 14 Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors after tallying 12 second-half points, including five free throws in the final 1:04, and seven rebounds to lead the Lady Lions over nationally-ranked Pitt.
"Nikki had a fantastic summer," Washington said. "Her confidence is at whole new level. She is starting to feel comfortable in the college environment and is getting used to the speed of the game and the physical play in the post. She is the only player that started every game last year as a freshman and that experience really helped her over the course of the season. She was one person that continued to get better and better as the season wore on. I am looking for her to continue that trajectory of improvement this year."
Wolfe came on strong in Big Ten play, scoring 52 of her 81 points against conference competition. She finished 15th on Penn State's freshmen field goal percentage chart with a .532 effort from the floor. Wolfe was the Feb. 22 Big Ten Freshman of the Week after scoring a career-high 13 points with six rebounds in an overtime win against Michigan.
"Marisa is a high-energy player," Washington said. "She is the kind of kid that is going to get in there and make things happen, just because she is working hard and getting in the mix. She is somebody who can stretch the defense with her outside shooting, but she can also play physical with her back to the basket down low. Her versatility is something that we are going to rely on."
After sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer rules, Nickson will take the floor for Penn State. She was awarded the team's Tom Caldwell "Unsung Hero" Award last season and will be a team co-captain with Julia Trogele this year. At Boston College, Nickson averaged 1.6 points and 2.0 rebounds per game.
"Mia is the junkyard dog," Washington said. "She is going to mix it up and will give us a presence under the backboard with her physical play. She is a tremendous rebounder, she has a knack for scoring and she is a great defender. She is going to give us a presence underneath and will be a great compliment to Nikki Greene."
Washington and her staff assembled a second consecutive Top 25 recruiting class that includes McDonald's High School All-American Maggie Lucas, WBCA High School All-American Ariel Edwards and All-State performer Talia East. All three are expected to make an immediate impact for the Lady Lions this season.
"I have high expectations for our freshmen," Washington said. "When you look at our numbers, with a roster of 11, we are expecting the freshmen to play and to contribute. I expect them to come in and be competitive and to push the upperclassmen. I expect them to bring their will to win and their desire to be champions. I expect them to bring that attitude everyday. If they do that, they will definitely help us get better and help the program continue to improve as we have done every year."
Lucas took home several high school All-America accolades last season, including becoming just the second McDonald's High School All-American in program history. She was also selected to the Parade Magazine All-America fourth team, the ESPN RISE All-America second team and the MaxPreps All-America fourth team. Lucas will be a deep threat for the Lions as she won the McDonald's three-point contest at the High School All-America Game. She led Germantown Academy to a second-straight Independent Schools State title. She finished her high school career with 2,197 points, which is the second highest total in school history (boys or girls).
"Maggie has made a huge impact in the short time that she has been on this campus," Washington said. "Number one has been her work ethic. She is in the gym and has a workout regimen that is off the charts. She is a tremendous shooter and will definitely stretch the defense, which will give our post players and our slashers more room to operate. She is another great competitor and has a strong will to win."
Edwards led Christ the King to a 26-5 record and the New York State Federation Class AA championship. The rookie forward averaged a double-double her senior season en route to WBCA High School All-America accolades. Edwards also garnered first team All-State honors her senior season.
"Ariel is a tremendous athlete," Washington said. "Again, another versatile player with her length, her quickness and her athleticism, she is going to have a big impact for us defensively. She will be able to get deflections, steals and will be able to get us going in transition. Her basketball intelligence, her work ethic and her versatility are going to help her have a big impact for us this year."
East averaged a double-double with 13.4 points and 10.0 rebounds per game for Friends Central School last season. She was vital to helping FCS to its first Friends Schools League championship in 24 years. The two-time All-State choice was just the seventh player in school history to reach 1,000 points.
"Talia is such a fun person to coach," Washington said. "Her energy and her attitude are so positive. You can't be down when you are around Talia, she is going to find a way to make you smile or laugh. Hopefully we will have her for conference play with her recovering from an ACL injury. Once she returns to the court, she will give us another big body in the post and will give us a presence down low on the defensive end and on the backboard."
The Lady Lions will once again face a challenging schedule with 14 schools that reached the postseason, including seven NCAA Tournament teams, on the slate this year. Penn State will face a strong non-conference schedule to prepare for the tough Big Ten season. The non-conference slate includes games against the ACC's Boston College, the Big 12's Texas Tech and the SEC's South Carolina, as well as a solid field that includes Hartford, Wisconsin-Green Bay and Utah at the Caribbean Challenge in the Riviera Maya, Mexico.
"Once again, the Big Ten is one of the most competitive, if not the most competitive, conferences from top to bottom in the country," Washington said. "Our non-conference schedule is pretty challenging and is definitely preparing us to be competitive in the Big Ten. We play some tough road games. We play some tough competition in the Caribbean Challenge in Mexico. We've got the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, the Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge and we play an SEC school. With us having such a young team with eight freshmen and sophomores, some of these tests that we are going to have on the road, in particular, in non-conference play will give us the experience we need to go on the road in the Big Ten."