2000 IVCC BASKETBALL: Women improve with new depth
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By Dave Msseemmaa
Associate Editor
One word sums up the difference between last year’s women’s basketball squad and this year’s: depth.
The six returning sophomores became accustomed to playing long games, often tallying more than 40 minutes of play.
"We would use our time-outs for resting instead of planning, sometimes," said 5-foot-5 sophomore Jamie Kromm of Mendota.
Head coach Steve Crick said he hopes to improve on last year’s 20-13 mark by improving defense and limiting turnovers.
Crick’s team began the year with a place in the top 40 Division II teams in the country. Lady Apache standout Jaci Bice was a pre-season pick to the NJCAA D-II All-American First Team.
Despite Bice leading the nation’s D-II junior colleges in scoring last season at 25 points-per-game, "Jaci doesn’t need to worry about scoring so much," said Crick in a press release. "That doesn’t bother her because she’s a team player, and our offensive potential is really exciting."
Bice and Kromm (averaging 10 points-per-game) are joined by sophomores Stacy Niedzwecki from Ottawa High School (12 ppg), Nicole Oberle from Ohio (12 ppg), Shari Gast from Earlville (6 ppg), And Monica Terando from Putnam County (6ppg).
The returnees are accompanied by a strong class of five freshmen. 6-foot-2 Tiffany Perry of Seneca brings some needed height and rebounding skills to the Lady Apaches.
Katie Kohr from LaSalle-Peru, Ashley Kneebone from Putnam County, Katie Zemann from St. Bede, and Kristen Oberle from Ohio High School round off the freshmen recruits.
Athletic director Mike Riley recruited the entire team from within IVCC’s district. This encourages good attendance at the home games (women’s basketball is among the best attended sports on campus).
IVCC defeated St. Francis of Joliet JV in the season opener at home 80-60. Perry led the Lady Apaches with 20 points, and four IVCC athletes scored in double-digits.
The team looks to be a threat in the region. However Region IV rivals South Suburban and Kankakee have placed higher than the Lady Apaches in the top 40 of the pre-season national rankings. Crick said his team should be able to play it’s best by improving it’s defensive efforts. This task will be easier for the second-year coach with a full cast athletes, of which "all 11 can play," said Crick.
Even though the team has powerful potential, Kromm sets her goals game-by-game rather than having a goal for the season. "It seems like I’m more successful without thinking about all that crap," said Kromm.