Fresno State Athletics
1998-99 Women's Basketball Season Outlook
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Theres a healthy mix of tradition and new blood associated with Fresno State womens basketball in 1998-99. The tradition comes in the form of the roster, as 10 letterwinners and three starters return from a year ago.
Among those 11 players, more than 60 percent of the teams scoring and rebounding return to anchor the Dogs lineup. After finishing the 1997-98 season 12-16 overall, and 6-8 in Western Athletic Conference play, the Bulldogs look to use the experience of a year ago to aim for greater heights this season.
As for the new blood, one need look no further than the person directing the program.
New head coach Britt King, now in her first season with the Dogs, looks to revive the Dogs program with an enthusiasm and vigor that is contagious. King, who comes to Fresno State after five years as head coach at the District of Columbia and one season as head coach at Coppin State College, brings and intensity and drive to succeed and win that should help propel the Dogs in the right direction.
To listen to King is to believe her. She has a sense of what she wants to do, and a direction of where she wants to go, and after only a few minutes you get the sense that she wont settle for less than the best. She lets her words do the talking.
"I honestly feel that we can get things done here," said King. "I believe that we have the potential here to compete not only on a conference level, but on a national level as well. We should have goals that are set that high, and believe me, they are attainable goals. We are going to get things going here in the very near future."
But as they clich says, the future is now. And this seasons team has to find a way to mesh all of last years returning players with a new coach and new system. How quickly that happens will determine a lot about the success of this years squad.
"We have some talented players in the program," King said. "Obviously, they are going to have to learn about me just like I need to learn about them, but that will come in time. I know we have quality people and quality players. But in order for us to be successful, our players must continue to improve. There are no shortcuts to success. We need to have all our players step up their level of play in order for us to have a good season."
Here is a breakdown of the 1998-99 Bulldogs, position by position.
Backcourt
The experience starts here, and the backcourt looks to be the strongest area among all Fresno State positions. Although the Dogs must replace point guard Tamika Louis - an invaluable playmaker who averaged 5.4 assists per game a year ago - they return two in the backcourt with a host of experience.
Leading the way is senior shooting guard Connie Krueger. One of the top long-distance shooting threats in the WAC, Krueger was virtually unstoppable at times from the three-point line during the 1997-98 season. She finished as the teams leading scorer, at 12.3 points-per-game, and set records for three-point field goals attempted (174) and three-point field goals made (68) in a season. She finished the nation in the top 20 nationally in three point goals, and enters this year second on the all-time three-point shooting list.
Krueger was paired in the backcourt a year ago much of the season with scrappy point guard Jessie Farias, who started all 28 games and finished among the top 15 in the WAC in steals and assists. Farias finished second on the team in both assists and steals a year ago, including a career-high 12 assists against Wyoming Feb. 21. She scored in double figures six times a year ago and finished second on the team in three pointers.
Junior Laura Paukert played in 20 games a year ago, starting six, and looks to provide leadership and needed depth this season. Paukert, who redshirted two seasons ago, scored in double figures twice last season, including a 14-point, eight-rebound effort against Southern Utah in the Fresno State Classic
Other key backcourt people for the Dogs this season look to be Shana Buchanan and Porsha Boyd. Buchanan played in 25 games after transferring from DeAnza Junior College, and has two seasons of eligibility remaining. She was one of the teams top assist makers despite limited minutes, and scored a career-best eight points against Saint Marys. Boyd played in 12 games as a true freshman, and should provided needed depth in the backcourt.
"You need experienced guards to be successful, and I think we have that," King said. "Connie Krueger is one of the top long-distance shooters in the conference, and Jessie Farias started all 28 games for last years team. And we have people backing them up, all of whom have seen the floor. The key is developing enough depth so we can have a solid rotation and wont have to rely on just a few people."
Frontcourt
The Bulldogs must contend with the loss of All-WAC performer Janee Young, but have several talented players returning to the mix who saw a great deal of playing time a year ago.
A couple of younger players made their mark last season, and should lay the foundation for years of success to come for the Dogs. Sophomore forward Amanda Baker, a member of the WAC All-Newcomer Team a year ago as a true freshman, played in all 28 games, averaging 8.5 ppg (second on the team) and 4.5 rebounds-per-game. Baker had her best games when the Bulldogs were in a fight for a berth in the WAC tournament. She scored in double-figures in five of the last seven games, including three twenty-point performances.
Junior Tiffany Lewis provided solid scoring off the bench a season ago, averaging 7.8 points per game. In back-to-back games a year ago, Lewis provided instant offense. She started off with a career-high 18 point performance against Hawaii on January 29 and followed that up by scoring 11 points in 15 minutes to help Fresno State come from behind for an 82-72 victory over San Diego State on February 1. In all, Lewis scored in double-digits 10 times, making her the fifth leading scorer on the team.
Frontline reserve players a year ago include Danielle Graham, Pauline McGee, and Katie Tubbs.
Graham played in all 28 games for the Bulldogs a season ago - one of only four players to do that - and the only one of the four who did not see any starting time. The true freshman averaged 4.4 points and 3.1 rebounds per game, and also dished out 23 assists and grabbed 27 steals.
McGee and Tubbs each saw limited action off the bench, appearing in 14 and 12 games, respectively, and should provide depth up front for the Dogs. McGee scored a career-high four points twice, while Tubbs scored eight points against Santa Clara for a career best.
Newcomers
Fresno State welcomes three new players to the squad, although two of them were on campus last season. Sophomores Atari Parker and Angel Hines both sat out last season while fulfilling academic requirements. Parker is an athletic guard who averaged 25 points and 12 rebounds per game as a senior in high school, and was a four-time All-City selection at Arlington High School (Riverside, Calif.). Hines averaged 19.5 points and 21 rebounds per game as a senior at Pomona High School (Ganesha, Calif.) and was the Vista Valley League Most Valuable player as a senior. The other new member to the Bulldog squad is freshman Janie McCombs out of Carrollton (Ga.) High School. The 5-9 McCombs averaged 18 points, 17 rebounds and five steals as a senior and was also a standout high jumper in track.
