Completed Event: Women's Basketball at Eastern Kentucky on March 19, 2026 , Loss , 58, to, 72
Final Score
Women's Basketball
58
at Eastern Kentucky
72
The University of Utah Athletics
2001-02 Season Outlook
10/25/2001 12:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The University of Utah Women's Basketball program has made unprecedented strides over the past few years. After breaking through to the NCAA "Sweet 16" last season and ranking among the nation's elite, the 2001-02 squad is confident they will continue the trend. Last season was a season of "firsts" for the Utes. Utah hosted its first-ever NCAA First & Second Round Tournament and participated in its first-ever NCAA "Sweet 16" Tournament. The Utes have made appearances in the NCAA tournament the last six out of seven years, and last season marked their 11th overall trip to the NCAAs, setting yet another level of standards within the program. With a seventh-straight and 19th overall 20-win season, Utah knows what it takes to be a consistent national contender. The Utes were recognized for team and individual achievements last season in both athletics and academics. This season, the Utah program is strong with experience and leadership, and it awaits the new challenges that will arise in 2001-02.
Last year, the Utes marked the most wins (28-4) in a season and the best winning percentage (.875) in a season in Utah women's basketball history. Utah went undefeated in conference play (14-0) for the second time in school history. The Utes were recognized nationally last season in both the USA Today and Associated Press Top 25 poll, and maintained their ranking throughout the season. Utah finished with a No. 16/17 final national ranking. This year, the Utes return three starters, nine letterwinners and add four newcomers to the roster.
Most teams talk about wanting to win a conference championship or making it to the NCAAs, but Utah's goals are much more defined. The Utes have high expectations of a conference championship and another NCAA experience, but have outlined their goals in a more specialized manner.
"We have general expectations about the level of play that we want to get to and create within our team," says Elliott. "Our goals start with performance and preparation. Focus in those two areas will lead us to conference championships and NCAA success. We want to be an extremely competitive team and we will work towards those goals. That will lead us to the things that happen at the end of the season like the conference championships and NCAA appearances. There is always a process and a journey, and you have got to learn how to get the most out of it. When the results of that journey are also wonderful and competitive, then it is a double bonus."
LEADING THE UTES
Utah will be seasoned and experienced in all positions this year. Four seniors will step up to the challenge in 2001-02, providing knowledge, leadership and depth. They know what it takes to consistently be successful and will be integral in helping the rest of the team maintain that level.
"Our senior class in general, is certainly going to be the group of players that we will look to this season," says Elliott. "Erin Gibbons, Katherine McColl, Lauren Beckman and Lindsey Herbert have played in this program, significantly from the time that they set foot at Utah as a freshman. It is great to have that kind of experience in a particular group of kids. They have gone through a lot and all four of them have had success in our program. They will be key factors this year in all areas. Whether individually they step up at any given time and act as leaders for us, or whether as a group they exhibit the leadership that we need to be successful, it will invariably come from that group of seniors."
Erin Gibbons played in 29 games last season, averaging 4.4 points per game and was fourth on the team with a .789 free-throw percentage. Gibbons led the Utes in scoring three times last year and received all-WAC honors in Utah's former conference in 1998-99. She is expected to lead the Utes in the back court this season at the shooting guard position.
"Gibbie has an incredibly natural offensive game and great three point range," says Elliott. "She worked hard this summer on her mid-range game and it really showed during our European tour. She is playing with a certain comfort level and confidence level much like what we saw earlier in her career. She has a great outlook at this point and is ready to go. She certainly is one of the most gifted offensive players that this conference has seen, and I think her renewed commitment to defense and understanding of the finer points of the game will serve her well. She is going to be someone to reckon with."
Katherine McColl is one of the strongest players on this year's team. She played in all 32 games last year and led the team in rebounding five times, assists one time, steals four times and blocked shots three times. Last Season, McColl averaged 3.3 points per game and 3.8 rebounds per game. She is a very physical player who can also run the floor. McColl will have the opportunity to start at the power forward position this season.
"I have always loved 'Kats' toughness, and the impact that she has on this team is immeasurable," says Elliott. "She continues to be somebody who has to be on the floor even though her numbers and stats are never going to back up that statement. She is a player who goes out and battles and finds ways to win. She never backs down. There is not a lesson that you can teach a younger player that would be more important than what Kats has to offer in that regard."
Lauren Beckman, a 2000-01 Kodak honorable-mention All-American and first-team all-MWC selection, started in all 32 games last season. She led the Utes in 2000-01, averaging 12.2 points per game, 1.6 blocked shots per game and 7.3 rebounds per game. Beckman tallied seven double-doubles last year and posted double-figure scoring in 23 games and double-figure rebounds in seven games. Beckman is expected to continue her dominant role as Utah's starting center this year.
"Lauren has developed in every way as a player in this program over her first three years and I am excited for her senior season," says Elliott. "She is tough in the paint and knows how to face up and be effective from 17 feet. I love her presence on defense. She has done a nice job protecting the basket. She is certainly a premier post player in our league and has proven that over the course of her career. We will look for 'Beck' to be a dominate force and continue to lead us as we enter our campaign this season."
Lindsay Herbert moved into a starting role in last year. She is a smooth player, who is effective both as a perimeter shooter and a penetrator. Herbert played in all 32 games, starting in 31 and averaged 8.1 points per game and 3.7 rebounds per game (fourth-best on team). She led Utah in points and assists five times, rebounding and blocked shots three times and posted double-figure scoring in 10 games last year. Herbert will also be a part of the starting lineup this season. Her versatility allows the Utes to use her at either the off-guard or small forward position.
"Herbie has improved dramatically each season she has played for us," says Elliott. "She came in as a freshman and lacked confidence, but has totally changed herself. She has redefined herself as a dominant wing player in this league and beyond. She battled her way into a starting position as a junior and will be one of our mainstays as far as the season goes. She is an all-around player with great skills from the three-point line all the way to the paint and the post. She creates a difficult match-up for many teams. Lindsay will make her last year her best year. I don't have any doubts about that."
Utah lost three key players in Kristina Andersen, Amy Ewert and Lori Red-Castagnetto to graduation, but Elliott is confident that this year's team will meet the new demands and challenges that await them on the court in 2001-02.
"We knew going into last season that we had great depth," says Elliott. "It was one of our strengths going into last season and this year it is an unknown. That is the major difference going into this season."
"The strength of our team lies in this senior class," says Elliott. "They have played significant roles for us from the time they were freshmen. They will be the heart and sole of our season without a doubt. Our confidence is something that we have to draw off of. We have seen success within this group throughout their entire careers and it has grown exponentially with each year. That is an invaluable tool when you have true confidence in your abilities, both individually and as a group."
THE BACKCOURT GAME
Utah is well seasoned in the backcourt and small forward positions. The roster shows eight out of the 13 players listed as a guard or off-guard this year, and five out of the eight have experience within Elliott's system.
Utah has a tradition for its perimeter shooting. Last season the Utes shot .310 from behind the arc and averaged 4.3 three-point field goals per game. Erin Gibbons, who ranked seventh in the nation in 1999-2000 in three-point field goal percentage will be just one of Utah's long ball shooters this season.
"Once again we have the ability to shoot the three," says Elliott. "Our wing play, power forwards, even Carley Marshall can step out and shoot the three. We have great flexibility with our three-point attack this season."
Joining Gibbons in the back court is Kelsy Stireman. Stireman moved into the starting role at the point after Sarah Wobbe went down with a knee injury early last year.
"What a great freshman campaign 'Sty' had and I am really happy for her," says Elliott. "She was thrown in with a group of veterans and asked to run a team and a system that is not easy to do. I thought she handled the stress and the emotion of that job incredibly well. She held up wonderfully throughout the course of the season. With that year of experience I think she has come back even stronger, with even more confidence and is certainly ready to move forward from her starting point."
Sarah Wobbe will vie for time at the point guard position with Stireman this year.
"I think the biggest factor Sarah will have to face will be the mental challenge of coming back from knee surgery," says Elliott. "Our trip this summer really helped answer that question early for Sarah. "She did a wonderful job, she was physically solid and has handled the come back emotionally from her injury exceptionally well. She's a little bit more of a slashing guard which is something that we need. I think with increased confidence in her shooting ability and leadership ability, those things will all serve her and our team well."
Also returning is sophomore Amy Bastman. Bastman saw limited time last season, but improved over the summer and has a bright future.
"With hard work and intelligent play, Amy has an opportunity to surpass her role of last year," says Elliott. "She has a nice mid-range game and a nice jump shot. She is actually one of the better players that we have with the ball on the floor. With that said, if we can continue to develop her understanding of the game and her decision making, we will look for her to have increased opportunities this season."
Rounding out the back court for Utah this season will be Sharee Hendrix, a 5-10 freshman from Salt Lake City and Lana Sitterud, a 5-10 freshman from Highland, Utah. Shona Thorburn, a 5-10 freshman from Ontario, Canada, will join the team in 2002-2003.
"Sharee is one of the more explosive players that we have on our roster," says Elliott. "She is very gifted athletically, with explosiveness that is not often seen. She will need to work to develop the finer points of the game, but is going to be extremely tough on the boards. She has a chance to impact us athletically, as she becomes adept in high-level division one play.
"We are so pleased in every way possible to have Lana associated with our program. She is such an incredible quality individual, as well as an extremely well rounded basketball player. Lana is another kid who can shoot the three, put it on the floor and finish strong to the basket. She is a solid, physical player and a competitor. The kinds of qualities that have always made Utah basketball strong are all things that Lana is going to continue to bring to us and foster in others.
"It is great to have young players with the kind of experience that Shona has already had by playing in the Canadian National system," says Elliott. "She has a lot of experience and a lot of international games under her belt. Those things help incoming freshman make the adjustment to division one play. Shona is going to be that same Utah type of player that we are used to seeing as far as her offensive skills go. She's a great three-point shooter, loves and knows the game, and I think she will have an exciting career here at Utah."
THE FRONTCOURT GAME
Five out of the six players listed at the forward or center position are returners this season. The Utes will be loaded with veteran experience and quite a bit of talent too.
"Our front court game will be led by our upperclassmen," says Elliott. "Lauren Beckman returns in the post and Lindsay Herbert is back at the wing position. I will have to replace Kristina Andersen at the four spot, but we'll also have Katherine McColl, Caroline Matthews and Carley Marshall back to add to the lineup. They are going to be playing with, and behind each other alternately, depending on what kind of look we want to have. With 'Herbie' (Herbert) playing at the three spot, she will be primed for her best year yet. As far as backing her up at the three spot, again, we are going to have to look at some of the new kids. Some of our wing kids play both positions so we might use Amy Bastman a little more at the three so we can move Caroline Matthews over. Both Lana and Sharee may also slide over and play some time at the small forward position. We may be less explosive from the three point line at our four position than we were last year, but we will be that much deeper and solid in the post position. With Lauren Beckman in the post, that position is a dominant one this season. Even the times we have to have 'Beck' on the bench, we have Carley Marshall coming back and she has the ability to play in the post. That greatly strengthens what can happen at our five spot."
Along with Beckman, Herbert and McColl in the frontcourt, Matthews and Marshall return, and newcomer Mandie Little will add the extra depth for the Utes this season.
"Caroline continues to develop as we hoped she would," says Elliott. "The extra size she gives us at six-foot-four isn't easy to find these days. She is playing more on the perimeter which is a more comfortable place for her to be. Hopefully that will help her success and also her overall development."
"As a redshirt last season I don't think too many people have an understanding of the impact we expect Carley to have," says Elliott. "We were hopeful that we wouldn't question our decision to redshirt her, and based on our success last year, and the added distance between her and Lauren Beckman, that decision has worked out well. We are also going to play Carley along side Lauren and that extra size and strength inside should help us considerably."
"Mandie gives us a little more experience coming into the 2001-02 season," says Elliott. "We will be trying to blend her in with our returning post kids. She has a little bigger body inside and the capacity to score in the paint and finish plays. We needed some depth and Mandie fits the bill."
THE SCHEDULE
Last year, the Utes recorded history with a perfect 14-0 Mountain West Conference record. The 2000-01 team reached 20 wins faster than any other team in Elliott's tenure. Utah notched its seventh-straight and 19th overall 20-win season and its final RPI, produced by the 2001 NCAA, was 12th out of 316 teams. This year, the Utes' schedule will be just as strong if not stronger than last season.
"Our schedule is kind of a mirror of last year, with a flip-flop of home and away games," says Elliott. "We have a strong schedule and a great opportunity to build our RPI. That should help us maintain our RPI given successful results against those teams. We are on the road a lot this year, while we were home a lot last year. That is the way scheduling happens sometimes. Our toughness and ability to play away from home will go a long way towards whether or not we will be successful. I have a lot of confidence in our road mentality and feel comfortable with this schedule. Our non-conference schedule will be very challenging and I think our experience will help us be successful with that challenge. Our conference schedule is always getting tougher because the Mountain West Conference itself is growing in a wonderful direction. There are going to be a lot of teams that can compete and it will be a battle I'm sure."
The Utes will face nine teams in 2001-02 that made it to post-season play last season, and will play just 10 of its 26 games this season at home. Utah will be tested early in its non-conference schedule, facing schools from the Big 10, Big Sky, Big West, Pac-10, WAC and West Coast conferences. The Utes will match up with Santa Clara, Minnesota, Butler, Albertson College, Southern Methodist, Oregon State, UCLA, Oregon, Weber State, Nevada, Montana, Pacific and San Francisco in non-conference play. The conference schedule starts after the first of the year and it should be extremely competitive. The Mountain West Conference saw five out of the eight schools compete in either the NCAAs or the WNIT last season.
The Utes open their season on the road at the Gopher Basketball Classic in Minneapolis, Minn. On Sat.-Sun., Nov. 17-18. Utah's first home game in 2001-02 will be on Tues., Nov. 20, vs. Albertson College, the 2000-01 NAIA DII Runner-up at 5:00 p.m. in the Jon M. Huntsman Center. The Utes open their conference schedule on Thurs., Jan. 10, at home vs. Wyoming at 7:00 p.m.
THE SYNOPSIS
Each year teams develop and get better. Each year the competition is played at a higher level than the previous year. Each year the game of basketball seems to evolve. Each year the Utah women's basketball team also seems to evolve. Tradition, commitment to hard work, leadership and responsibility are all synonymous with Utah's basketball program. Those qualities are why the Utes have evolved into a national contender. The 2001-02 team awaits their chance to evolve..
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballUtah: 66, Cincinnati: 73 | Big 12 Tournament | Utah Basketball Postgame Press Conference
Wednesday, March 11
Utah: 75, Baylor: 101 | Utah Basketball Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, March 08
Utah: 78, Colorado: 92 | Utah Basketball Postgame Press Conference
Wednesday, March 04
Utah: 81, Colorado: 67 | Women's Basketball Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, March 01