Bowling Green State University Athletics
2005-06 Season Outlook
October 20, 2005 | Women's Basketball
Oct. 20, 2005
CLICK HERE for the 2005-06 Media Guide
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSUFalcons.com) - The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team has begun practicing in preparation for the 2005-06 campaign, and the season opener is less than a month away. Here is the '05-06 women's basketball season outlook ...
The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team won the Mid-American Conference regular-season and tournament titles in 2004-05.
And, Curt Miller and his staff welcome back nine letterwinners, including all five starters, from that team, which went 23-8 overall, 13-3 in MAC play and advanced to the NCAA Championships for the first time in 11 years.
So, Miller has been spending his offseason watching television, right? Maybe antiquing, or surfing the web, or just sitting in his office reading the newspaper, with his feet propped up on his desk?
Ummm ... no.
"One of the major factors in last season's championship run was the fact that we never lost sight of who we are," said Miller, who enters his fifth season at the Falcon helm. "We are a blue-collar team, and we are aware that we need to work hard every day. We need to show up and prove ourselves night after night.
"Last season was a magical ride and a tremendous year, and it will always be in the record books. But, this is a new season, and we will need to be ready for the challenges it presents.
"Obviously, we are excited about where we have positioned this program after four years. One of the goals when we first got here was to build a championship program. But, we also want to sustain a championship program. It is a goal, year in and year out, to put ourselves in position to be able to play for championships.
"I remind our team all the time that I don't think, talent-wise, we are necessarily the best team in the MAC, on paper. In that first season (the 2001-02 campaign, in which BGSU finished 9-19), our main goal was to become the hardest-working team in the MAC. That has not changed. In fact, that goal is even more important now that we are defending a title.
"I am very pleased with how far we have come, but we have placed high expectations upon ourselves, and others now have higher expectations. We know we will have a bull's-eye on our back every night out, and we know that we will get every opponent's best effort. We need to bring our lunch pails to work every day, stay focused and get prepared to meet each challenge throughout the season."
If one is preparing to face challenges, having five returning starters from a conference championship team certainly is a good way to start. Senior Casey McDowell, juniors Liz Honegger, Carin Horne and Ali Mann and sophomore Kate Achter all started over 20 games a year ago. Honegger, Mann, Horne and Achter all averaged from 11 to 15 points per game last winter, with each earning some sort of MAC honor at the conclusion of the regular season. The `fifth starter,' McDowell, scored nearly seven points an outing and showed the ability to provide an offensive spark, as evidenced by her 31-point outburst in the league tournament's quarterfinal round.
 Casey McDowell (photo by Jeff Harwell)  |
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Senior Jill Lause, juniors Amber Flynn and Megan Thorburn and sophomore Whitney Taylor comprise those four returnees, and each of the four has displayed flashes of greatness from time to time. They are joined by four freshmen - Lindsey Goldsberry, Jasmine McCall, Jessica McKenzie and DePrice Taylor - who also will be vying for time in Miller's lineup.
Long-time followers of the Falcon program undoubtedly have noticed a resurgence in the team's confidence over the past few years. The players on this year's team all have been recruited by Miller and his staff, and nearly all of them have experienced many more wins than losses.
"When my staff arrived at BGSU four years ago, we took over a program full of great kids," said Miller. "And, that continues today, as the current team is full of great people. The one thing that is different with this group, though, is that they don't know anything but winning. Obviously, the players in the sophomore and junior classes have not had less than a 21-win season. Even Jill and Casey, in their three years here, have averaged almost 19 wins per year.
"This group expects to win, believes they can win, and sometimes the mental approach is half the battle. It isn't cockiness - like I said, we realize that we are not always necessarily the best team on paper - but there is a confidence there. We know that we have to prove ourselves every time we take the court, and I think that brings a lot of fight to us. We had a number of games last year where we trailed, or we were struggling, but I never saw our players hang their heads or give up. We are confident, and we know that the best way to achieve success is to keep working, keep plugging away and never forget who we are."
 Liz Honegger (photo by Jeff Harwell) |
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"I was very pleased that nine returnees chose to stay in town for at least one of the summer-school semesters," said Miller. "The returning players had a great offseason, and came back for the beginning of this year in better shape and hungrier than in years past. And, three of our four incoming freshman also attended the second session of summer school. So, in essence, nearly our entire team spent much of the summer together, and they were able to work with a top-notch strength and conditioning staff.
"We were ready to go from day one. We didn't need to worry about getting the players in shape, because they already were in shape. We could move right on to honing and developing their skills. Their energy and desire is very evident, and I think the championship year really gave us that energy."
A position-by-position look at the 2005-06 Falcons ...
POST TIME
People of Bowling Green, try to remain calm. Do not be alarmed, but a two-headed monster lurks in your town.
That two-headed monster, of course, is the junior post tandem of Mann and Honegger, and they have many similarities. They shared the team's Player-of-the-Year award last season. Each player is on a pace to finish high on many Falcon career lists, and each player earned All-MAC Second-Team honors as a sophomore a year ago. On many teams, either one would be the `go-to' player. But, they have shown the ability to thrive as an offensive duo over their first two years in Northwest Ohio, and their coach is first in line to give them a gold star for `working well with others.'
"Ali Mann and Liz Honegger have established themselves as two of the most dominant and consistent post players in this league," said Miller. "Liz and Ali feed off of each other. They are both so talented, but sometimes I don't think either of them get the recognition that they deserve. Individually, in my opinion, they are both first-team all-conference types of players. But, because they are both so unselfish and such team players, neither one of them feels like they have to have the ball every time down the floor.
"They have great teamwork. Some nights, it might be Ali's night, and some nights, it is Liz's night. And, we wouldn't be nearly as successful if they didn't work so well together."
Mann averaged 13.8 points and 7.4 rebounds last year, and kicked it up a notch in league play, with team-best averages of 15.0 points and 7.8 boards. She scored in double digits in 24 games, including 11 of the final 12 contests of the year. After spraining her ankle in the final home game, Mann was questionable for the following game. Not only did she play in that game, however, she excelled, scoring 20 points in just 24 minutes off the bench as the Falcons rallied for a road win over Northern Illinois, clinching the league title on the final night of the regular season.
 Ali Mann (photo by BGSU Photo Services) |
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"Ali Mann's strength is her versatility. Her ability to score at the arc, score off the dribble, and be strong and powerful enough to score inside creates a lot of matchup problems. She is a player that has the skills of a big forward or a 3-player, but plays in the post in our system. It seems, early on in the 2005-06 academic year, that she has raised her game to even a higher level, and a lot of the kids look up to her.
"After a MAC Freshman-of-the-Year season (in 2003-04) and an all-conference sophomore year, I think you can clearly look to Ali Mann as the leader of our team, both on and off the floor."
Versatility is a strength of Honegger's as well. Not many centers stepped outside the three-point line to make 59 shots last year, and not many players under six feet tall blocked 50 shots. Honegger did both, and managed to lead the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 14.5 points and 8.1 boards, as well as in three-point field goals and blocks. Woe to the opponent that underestimates the mild-mannered junior.
"Liz Honegger is a kid that is so, so underrated," said Miller. "She is so productive, and so talented. She was recognized as a second-team all-conference player last year, but could be an MVP-type player in this conference. She does a little bit of everything for us.
"Liz anchors our defense, in more ways than just blocking shots. She is already all over our record books in that category, but she also makes so many deflections and tips. And, at the other end of the court, she may be the best three-point shooting center in the entire country, let alone in the conference. That allows us to be very creative with our offense, bringing (opposing) post players away from the basket to defend her.
"She is an extra shooter on the floor, and that ability to step away from the basket opens up a lot of opportunities and driving lanes for other players. Her versatility at the offensive end allows our whole scheme to run more fluidly and to be as effective as it is."
Flynn, Lause and McKenzie round out the flock of Falcons in the post. Flynn, who missed the second half of her freshman year, played in 18 games as a sophomore, averaging just over a point a game. She has shown a great commitment to improving her game over the summer, according to her coach, and looks to have that commitment pay off in her junior campaign.
 Whitney Taylor (photo by BGSU Photo Services) |
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"Amber did not get a lot of playing time last year, behind Liz, Ali and a fifth-year senior in Kelly Kapferer. But, she is a talented offensive player, and her first step is as quick as any post player in our league. It looks like she has a new energy, and I think she will really provide a spark for us at both the 4 and 5 positions this year.
Lause, the lone player with three years of playing experience in Miller's program, returns for her final go-around. On the floor, she averaged a point and a rebound in 25 games off the bench last winter. Off the court, Lause has been a key veteran presence on a young Falcon team over the last few years, and Miller will rely on that veteran leadership more than ever in 2005-06.
"Jill will be called upon to provide more leadership than ever," said her coach. "She keeps our lockerroom loose, and is a great person to have around. On the court, Jill's strengths are at the offensive end. She has the ability to play with her back to the basket, and has tremendous touch facing the basket.
"Jill had a very good summer, and is in the best shape of her college career. I look for her to compete for quality minutes at the 5 position throughout the entire season."
McKenzie comes to BGSU after a highly-successful career at West Muskingum High School, where she was named the Ohio co-Player of the Year in Division III last season.
"Jessica gives us our truest backup 4 player in years," said Miller. "It gives us comfort to have her at the 4 position to develop behind Ali Mann. Jess is a left-hander who has the ability to attack the basket off the dribble as well as score with range. But, she is also very strong for her age, and can get in there and battle inside. We really like her strength and `physicalness' already."
CLICK HERE for Part Two of the BGSU women's basketball season outlook.
