Women’s basketball rebuilding season

By: Ian Van Anden
Sports Editor

The 2006 women’s basketball team finished a disappointing 10-13 overall and 7-9 in the Midwest Conference play. The sub .500 record came in a rebuilding year for the Scots. In 2006, the Scots were under first year coach Melissa Jones, who graduated from Monmouth in 2003. Jones replaced Monmouth’s all-time winning women’s basketball coach Dennis Mann. Mann accumulated 118 wins between 1992 and 2005.

The team returns all but two athletes, as guard Courtney Scherrer and center Lisa Curry both graduated. Monmouth will suit up a very young team this year with ten freshmen on the roster. There are only two seniors again this year for the Scots: Mallory Mulvihill and Laura Jahn.

Sophomore Melissa Gorski was the Monmouth’s leading scorer in 2006 and looks to avoid the sophomore slump in the 1007 campaign. Gorski had 284 points, scoring 12.3 points per game. She also was second on the team behind the departed Scherrer. Gorski had 74 assists last year. Junior Ashley Yeast grabbed 275 errant shots last year, averaging 12 a game; she led the team in both categories.

In 2006, the Scots were a solid defensive unit allowing only 63.7 points a game. However, the MC offense struggled scoring a pitiful 64 points a game. The Scots will need to improve their offensive scoring output if they want to improve their record in 2007.

The Scots have already taken the practice court and are preparing for their first game of the season on Friday, Nov. 17 against Cornell College. Over Thanksgiving break, the team will stay behind for the Pizza Hut/Econofoods Classic. On Saturday, Nov. 25, they will face Blackburn College and then the following day, Sunday, Nov. 26, Rockford College is on the schedule.