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The University of Utah Athletics
Utah Women's Basketball Season Outlook
11/3/2010 12:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 3, 2010
The Utah women's basketball team enters a new era in 2010, with a new coach guiding a young team. Although three starters return from the 2009-10 season - 2010 MWC Freshman of the Year Taryn Wicijowski, junior Janita Badon and sophomore Rachel Messer - the Utes will have one of the youngest teams in the nation with just one junior and two seniors on the roster. In addition, Anthony Levrets enters his first season as interim head coach for Utah, taking over for longtime head coach Elaine Elliott while she is on a leave of absence and considering retirement.
Wicijowski, who was a preseason All-Mountain West Conference pick, and Badon return the most experience and lead six newcomers (including five freshman) into the new season. Utah was picked to finish fourth in the preseason MWC poll.
"We are a very talented, young team," Levrets said. "Eleven of our fourteen players are freshmen and sophomores. Janita and Taryn will have to lead us early in the season. We have not named them captains or voted on captains, but they lead because they are born leaders. Our kids follow them and they have worked incredibly hard at everything they do."
Players who gained valuable experience as freshmen last year include Messer, Iwalani Rodrigues and Diana Rolniak.
"We are looking for them to develop and be major contributors this year," Levrets said.
Newcomers who have been early standouts during the preseason are senior Michelle Harrison and freshman Michelle Plouffe. Harrison is a transfer from Stanford who received an NCAA wavier to be able to compete immediately, while Plouffe gained significant experience playing with the Canadian Junior National Team.
"They give us size and athleticism," Levrets said of Harrison and Plouffe. "They can both shoot the ball from the perimeter and could make an immediate impact."
The schedule includes Pac-10 foes Stanford (the 2010 NCAA runner-up) and Washington along with SEC opponents in Mississippi State and Arkansas. The Utes will make a trip to Cancun, Mexico, for the Caribbean Classic. Utah will play NCAA participants Hartford and Green Bay in the Thanksgiving tournament, as well as Penn State, which was in the WNIT.
The conference schedule is highlighted by games against 2010 NCAA Tournament participants San Diego State and TCU. Fans can also look forward to games with rivals Brigham Young, New Mexico and Wyoming.
"Our difficult non conference schedule will challenge us and prepare us for the rigors of the Mountain West Conference," Levrets said. "Road games at SMU and Mississippi State, home games vs. Stanford, Washington and Arkansas along with tournament games vs. Penn State, Green Bay and Hartford will provide our team with valuable big game experience early in the year. Our hope is that as we approach tournament time we will be playing our best basketball of the year and well prepared for the postseason as we head into March."
Wings
Messer started 27 games at shooting guard last season after working her way into the starting lineup in December. She shot .360 from three-point range and was second on the team with 31 three-pointers.
"Rachel can really stretch the defense as a long-range threat," Levrets said. "She has improved her foot speed and we are expecting her to be an excellent defender."
Returning for her second season is Rodrigues, who came off the bench last year. She averaged 3.5 points per game and 1.3 rebounds per game.
"We are expecting her to be a major contributor this year," Levrets said of Rodrigues.
Returning players who saw time sparingly last year are sophomores Rita Sitivi and Chelsea Bridgewater. Both will be looking to earn more playing time this season.
Freshman Amy Krommenhoek, sister of former Utah All-American Julie Krommenhoek (1994-98), will also look to contribute her outside shot to the picture. She hit 47 three-pointers as a senior at American Fork High School and was a three-time all-state player.
Point Guard
Badon enters her third season as the starter at point guard. She has shown continued improvement throughout her career. Last season she finished third in the MWC in both assists (4.5) and steals (2.3). Badon was third on the team with 9.2 points per game while pulling down 5.5 rebounds per game. She scored in double figures in 18 games and her 79 assists ranked second all-time in a season at Utah.
"Janita's ability to pressure the ball defensively will set the tone for our team," Levrets said.
Returning for her senior season is Hennasea Tokumura, who is hoping to have a strong final campaign after struggling with knee injuries the past two years. Also in the mix is freshman Ciera Dunbar, who played at Elko High School in Elko, Nev. Although she had knee injuries during high school, she was averaging 15.4 points per game as a senior before injury.
Bigs
En route to earning MWC Freshman of the Year honors along with being named second-team All-MWC, Wicijowski led the MWC and ranked 10th in the nation in field-goal percentage (57.8). Her 14.8 scoring average ranked fifth in the MWC and led all freshmen. She pulled down 6.3 rebounds per game and her 105 offensive rebounds ranked third in a season at Utah.
"She is a beast around the basket and has worked hard at improving her perimeter skills," Levrets said. Rolniak came off the bench last year and will look to move into a starting slot this season. She was second on the team with 25 blocks and had a .429 shooting percentage from the floor.
"Diana is an excellent defender who can block and alter shots on the defensive end," Levrets said.
Harrison is the leading candidate to start at small forward after playing three years as a reserve at Stanford. The 2006 McDonald's High School All-American out of Orem, Utah, averaged 2.7 points and 1.6 rebounds per game with the Cardinal.
"Michelle can play inside and out," Levrets said. "Her combination of size and perimeter skills should create matchup problems for our opponents."
Plouffe was among the tournament leaders at the 2010 FIBA Americas U18 Championship with 14.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game with the Canadian Junior National Team this past summer, helping lead Canada to bronze. The Canadian pipeline has been good to Utah over the years with players that include Wicijowski, Kim Smith and Shona Thorburn.
"Her ability to shoot the ball makes her a very tough cover for opposing post players," Levrets said.
Newcomers expected to play in reserve roles early on are freshmen Allison Gida and Brittany Knighton. Gida earned conference player of the year honors twice out of Ashland High School. Knighton led Oregon City High School to three top-three state finishes, including a championship in 2009.
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