Fighting Scots look to rise in MWC hoops standings

Release Date: November 15, 2004

MONMOUTH, Ill. — The Monmouth College women’s basketball team placed ninth in the 10-team Midwest Conference last year, but the Fighting Scots are not as far away from postseason contention as one might assume.

After all, the Scots recorded wins over two teams that finished above them – Beloit and Illinois College – and they had down-to-the-wire losses against perennial power Carroll and new force Grinnell, which reached the league’s four-team playoffs last year.

In fact, Monmouth hopes to be this year’s version of Grinnell, which not so long ago brought up the rear of the MWC. A strong case can be made for improvement on last year’s 6-17 record, as the Scots lose just 20 percent of their scoring from last year and coach Dennis Mann has since added several talented recruits.

Leading the returners is second-team All-MWC selection Mallory Mulvihill, the only freshman in the league to receive all-conference accolades last year.

“We’re looking for her to give us the same things she did last year – lots of energy on both ends of the floor,” said Mann of the forward, who averaged a team-high 10.2 points to go with 5.5 rebounds. “Really, we want her to do the same things, just a little bit better with her extra year of experience.”

The program’s lone four-year senior, Elyse Lambert, will also start in the frontcourt after netting 9.5 points per game last year to go with 5.2 rebounds. She’ll be joined inside by junior Lisa Curry, who scored at an 8.3 clip last season and added a team-best 5.8 rebounds per game.

“We’re looking for both of them to improve their level of consistency,” said Mann, who noted both are capable of big production. Lambert had three games of 20 points or more, while Curry netted at least 15 points in three of the Scots’ final five contests. “We’re definitely looking for more production on the boards and scoring-wise from both of them.”

For one stretch last season, Mann got his most reliable inside play off the bench, as Laura Jahn had a fine rookie season, netting 7.2 points per game, an average that would likely have been higher had she stayed healthy.

“She was really a huge force for us in several of our wins last year,” said the 12-year head coach. “She makes us a lot better basketball team, and she has a really bright future for us.”

In the backcourt, Mann has made it clear that it’s junior Courtney Scherrer’s team.

“We have to have her on the floor most of the time,” said Mann of the point guard, who averaged 5.4 points to go with a team-best 68 assists last year. “She has an ability to make plays, and she’s very quick defensively. We look for her game to come along offensively, making open shots and creating more chances for her teammates.”

Senior Janella Johnson, who transferred into the program a year ago, is also in the backcourt mix after producing 4.3 points per game last season. She figures to land a starting spot at off guard and also spell Scherrer at the point.

“Janella’s a solid spot-up shooter, and she gives us a real strong three-point threat,” said Mann.

Of the seven new faces on the team, Mann thinks that forwards Whitney Shepherd (Galesburg) and Cassie Jensen (Monmouth) and post Ashley Yeast (West Prairie) are the most ready to contribute in the early stage of the season, which tips off Nov. 20 at Carthage College.

“Whitney has shown us that she has more to her game than I knew about coming in,” said Mann. “She can do a lot of things on both ends. Cassie has been solid out to 15 feet away from the hoop, and she’s coming along defensively with her aggressiveness. We just got Ashley on Monday from volleyball. She’s very athletic and tall, and she’ll go the boards hard and rebound for us. It might take a while for her offense to come around.”

Rounding out the 16-member squad are returners Rachel Jenks, Becky Dixon and Liz Martin and freshmen Mickenzie Jones, Brittany Koritz, Tiffany Gonigan and Jennifer Scott.

Besides the new players, Mann will also have two new assistant coaches this year, although neither is exactly a new face. Four-time All-MWC forward Melissa Jones, who starred for the Scots from 1999-2003, and Mann’s colleague from Warren High School, former Warrior coach Gary Martin, are already paying big dividends.

“It’s nice to have a three-person staff,” said Mann, who reported that Jones has been working with the post players and Martin has been coaching the guards.

Mann points to Ripon, Lake Forest and St. Norbert as his three conference favorites this year. Ripon’s Red Hawks won the regular season and league playoff titles last year and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament. With reigning MWC Player of the Year Janine Emmer and Amanda Guay, Ripon is one of four schools with two All-MWC players returning. The others are Lake Forest’s Shannon Clerkin and Kandyce Green, Lawrence’s Felice Porrata and Claire Getzoff and Beloit’s Becky Nilson and Michele Westerkamp. St. Norbert and Illinois College each lost a pair of all-conference performers.

“After the ‘big three’ in the conference, I think everybody’s in the mix,” concluded Mann. “We have to be improved defensively, and we can’t afford the five- or six-minute scoring droughts that we sometimes had last year. If our four junior and senior starters consistently get the job done on the floor, I think we’ll surprise some people.”

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