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Bowling Green State University Athletics
BG Returns Five Blue-Collar Starters, Picked for Title
October 27, 2005 | Women's Basketball
Oct. 27, 2005
By MAUREEN FULTON, Blade Sports Writer -
CLEVELAND - As debatable as it might initially seem as defending Mid-American Conference champion, the Bowling Green State University women's basketball team can keep using its blue-collar, work-for-every-inch-of-respect motto this season.
That was settled when Curt Miller, BGSU's reigning MAC coach of the year, arrived at conference media day yesterday and found his first name spelled wrong on his nametag.
With five returning starters from a 23-8 team last year, "Kurt" Miller and the Falcons will continue their working-class ways with big expectations. The media chose BGSU as the favorite to win the MAC's East division and repeat as MAC tournament champion.
"We won last year's conference without a first-team all-conference player in this league," Miller said.
"That's what our team's all about, a bunch of blue-collar kids that are trying to overachieve and play the game in what we believe is the right way."
BGSU received 17 of 23 first-place votes. The University of Toledo was picked to finish fourth in the West division.
Eastern Michigan was picked to win the West with 20 first-place votes, followed in order by Western Michigan, Ball State, the Rockets, Northern Illinois and Central Michigan. The order in the East after the Falcons was Kent State, Miami, Ohio, Buffalo and Akron.
The Falcons have 89 percent of their scoring back and two preseason All-MAC East picks in junior posts Liz Honegger and Ali Mann. Along with Mann and Honegger, junior Carin Horne was an All-MAC honorable mention player last season.
"They're returning five starters, there's no reason to believe that they're not going to be as good as they were last year," Kent State coach Bob Lindsay said. "There's probably only a handful of teams right now that are even capable of playing at that level."
Miller disagreed.
"I think as many as eight teams legitimately have an opportunity to win this league," Miller said.
Evidence of already-heated practice for the Falcons was in Honegger's black eye, administered by Mann in one of the daily 5 a.m. sessions earlier this week.
The four freshmen are also challenging in the preseason. Miller mentioned one newcomer, speedster point guard Jasmine McCall, as making such an impact in practice that he might have to make room for two point guards in the lineup at times along with Clay alum sophomore Kate Achter.
Achter returned to practice this week after missing a month with mono.
"We're still a very youthful team, but it helps to know that all five starters return from a team that really played well down the stretch," Miller said.
The Falcons' first game is Nov. 18 at home against IPFW. Miller said BGSU's non-conference schedule is the toughest in his fifth year as coach, with matchups against Kentucky, Delaware and potentially Indiana in the Thanksgiving-week Hampton Inn Classic.
