Women’s basketball looks to improve upon last year

Last season, Rowan women’s basketball was on the verge of being a contender. They upset powerhouse teams like Kean University, but lost a close game to The College of New Jersey, as well as their biggest game of the season against William Paterson in the playoffs.

Then the Profs graduated two seniors in the spring, Brynn DeGroff and Ashley Cieplicki, and lost their leading scorer, Jess Nimbley, to academic commitments. In a tough division and an even tougher conference, their better days seemed to be behind them.

That is, until you look at their roster.

The 2009-10 roster is packed full of speed and athleticism. The odds may be against them, but don’t tell the Profs that.

“Competition is tight. There is always a chance for a win or an upset in the NJAC,” said head coach Gabby Lisella. “We just have to prepare for every game and come out to play.”

Rowan is returning four starters, including seniors Danielle Rohe and Amanda Jennings, last year’s freshman phenomenon Alissa Lamey and Rowan’s most well-rounded guard, Gina Catanzariti.

The main concern for the Profs is making up for the height and aggression they lost with Cieplicki and Nimbley, who led the team in rebounding. Cieplicki’s 32 blocks on the season were 15 more than anyone else on the team.

“We are going to have to work for every opportunity this year, and we know that,” Rohe said.

To cope with the losses, Rowan has changed their way of thinking. Jennings will be their power, while Catanzariti and Lamey will utilize their speed and accuracy. Lamey is also an assist machine, with 50 steals last season, while Catanzariti is a sniper from behind the arc, shooting 37 percent last season. These new offensive and defensive schemes are geared towards highlighting the remaining players’ strengths.

“We’re committed to the new concepts,” Lamey said. “We’ve put in a lot of new things, but also fine tuned the old ones.”

The Profs also added three new freshman and two new guards in sophomore Ashley Waring and junior Maggie Gies. Guard Ashley Russo was brought in for her speed and defense, while forwards Erin Farrell and Courtney Hulsart will be playing inside. Rowan also returned sophomore guards Lauren Creel, Chanelle Banta and Allie Bassetti, and will also enjoy the return of Michelle Lala, who missed last season with an ACL injury.

“We have to be on the same page and believe in each other to be successful,” Catanzariti said. “We have great chemistry; we’re not just a team, we are a family.”

“Every player, both new and old, fits into that family atmosphere we have created here,” Lisella said. “If we are like a family, then there is that feeling that the girls don’t want to let each other down.”

After last year’s 14-10 season, the Profs go into the 2009-10 season ranked third in the South Division of the NJAC coaches poll, behind Kean and TCNJ. They started their season on Tuesday against York College with a 75-62, and play again Thursday at home against Mount St. Vincent at 7:00 p.m.