Women's Basketball 11/10/2008 5:00:00 AM Canisius College Athletics

2008-09 Canisius College Women's Basketball Season Preview

It's rare for momentum to come in losses, because in the end, the desired result of a win wasn't accomplished. For the Canisius College women's basketball team, it happened twice in the final portion of the 2007-08 season ?twice in the span of three weeks.

The first time came in the Feb. 17 loss at Iona, when the Golden Griffins competed with one of the top teams in the league for the entire 40 minutes. The defensive effort and all-around intensity the team showed on the road that afternoon are what the program prides itself on.

The second time came in the quarterfinals of the MAAC Tournament, a 54-44 loss to eventual league champion No. 24 Marist. The Golden Griffins held a 30-28 lead with just over 16 minutes remaining, and were down by five with six minutes remaining, but went 1-for-15 on 3-pointers in the half as the Red Foxes escaped.

Now the challenge is for that learning process from the 2007-08 season to carry itself over to the start of the 2008-09 season ? a season that has a lot of promise for the Golden Griffins.

“We learned last year that if you don't compete every day in practice, there's no chance at having success in our league,” Canisius College coach Terry Zeh said. “Our challenge throughout the preseason has been for that message to carry over to every person in our program.”

The Golden Griffins return four starters and seven letterwinners, and welcome five newcomers, from the 2007-08 team that went 13-18 overall and tied for sixth in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference with a 7-11 league record. Canisius, along with Marist, is one of two teams in the MAAC to return their top two scorers from last season. That led the league's coaches predicting the Griffs to finish third in the 10-team conference in the annual Media Day held Oct. 27.

GUARDS

Zeh will have a number of options to fill out the backcourt with five returning players at the guard position, including three who averaged more than 30 minutes a game last season.

Since her freshman season, Amanda Cavo has had to take more of an aggressive role in the offense during each of the past two seasons. While she was a deadly 3-point shooter as a freshman, ranking third in the country at 47.3 percent, and is one of two players in school history to make 60 in each of her first three seasons, Cavo was looked at to get more looks from inside the arc. This season, the personnel of the Canisius roster will let the coaching staff play Cavo, who earned preseason all-MAAC Second-Team for the third time in her career, more often in her natural role.

“The combination of players we can put on the court this season allows us to play to Amanda's strengths,” Zeh said. “Now, as a senior, Amanda isn't one-dimensional as she's developed other parts of her game. She's a better player now.”

Alongside Cavo in the backcourt the past two seasons has been Brittan? Russell, who earned preseason all-MAAC Second-Team honors. The 5-foot-5 guard has filled out the stat sheet during her first two seasons. Russell enters her junior season with 665 points, 335 rebounds, 186 assists and 159 steals and last season set a program record by playing 1,145 minutes in 31 games.

“Brittan? is now a veteran for us, having two years of major playing time, and with that comes the understanding of the entire game,” Zeh said. “If she continues to produce at the level of her first two seasons, Brittan? has the chance to become one of the best all-around players in program history.”

A player who won't stick out on paper is junior Brianna Lucas. The 5-foot-8 guard does the little things for a Terry Zeh-coached team that go unappreciated at a quick glance. She'll get open looks in the natural flow of the offense, but Zeh counts on Lucas to buckle down defensively against the opposition's top threats.

“Brianna now understands the most important thing that she brings to this team and that's her attitude,” Zeh said. “In big games that come down to a few possessions, Bri is a player who gets a team defensive stops.

The other junior in the backcourt for the Griffs is Tasia Lee, who redshirted her freshman season and battled back from a summer knee injury to play as a sophomore. Lee suffered the knee injury during the 2007 Empire State Games, but was cleared to play in December. Her athleticism has started to reappear in preseason workouts and practices.

“Tasia is just starting to get the athleticism back that she showed before her ACL injury. She had no explosiveness last season.” Zeh said. “Tasia provides us with a unique look defensively and she can get rebounds for us as well.”

One sophomore who impressed as a freshman was Micayla Drysdale, who earned MAAC All-Rookie Team honors to make Canisius one of two teams in the league to have an All-Rookie selection each of the last seasons. Drysdale proved to make good decisions with the basketball, especially late in the season when the 5-foot-9 guard had a 1.94 assist-to-turnover ratio during the last nine games.

The Binbrook, Ont. native finished fourth in the MAAC in 3-point field goal percentage (40.5). Among Canisius freshmen all-time, Drysdale ranked second in minutes played, fourth in 3-point field goals made and second in 3-point field goal percentage. She also proved to be reliable at the free-throw line, making 23-of-24 in conference play.

“The experience Micayla gained last year was invaluable. She is a completely different player from the start of last season with more strength and confidence,” Zeh said. “Mic is one of the smartest on-the-court players we've ever had.”

The Canisius backcourt has two newcomers who will both compete for playing time from the start of the season. Tauralee Tenn redshirted the 2007-08 season after suffering an injury during preseason workouts. Tenn brings a different level of energy from the other players on the Canisius roster. The other newcomer at guard is Stephanie MacDonald. The Ottawa, Ontario native played with the U18 Team Canada squad that won a silver medal at the 2008 FIBA Americas U18 Championship in Buenos Aires, Argentina in July.

“We will benefit as a team from the intensity and attitude Tauralee brings us each day in practice. She elevates us as a team,” Zeh said. “Steph gives us a different dimension as a taller guard. The experience she gained internationally will help her tremendously.”

POSTS

The biggest loss for the Griffs on the court is Laura Buetow, who had her best season for Canisius as a senior, ranking third on the team at 9.1 points per game and was first on the squad in rebounds per game (6.8). Buetow was the best player on the court in the Griffs' loss to Marist in the MAAC quarterfinals, posting a double-double (13 points, 15 rebounds) against MAAC Player of the Year Rachele Fitz.

The Griffs will look to fill the inside positions with a couple of traditional posts as well as some players who can step out and score from outside of the paint. Redshirt senior JJ Williams has battled injuries throughout her career and has shown flashes in spurts. Williams had a four-game stretch in December where she averaged 13.3 points and 5.8 rebounds, including a 18-point, nine-rebounds performance at Rider.

“JJ wants to be on the court and be a consistent contributor for us,” Zeh said. “Unfortunately her injuries have prevented that. Our goal this season is to minimize the injuries to make her production as consistent as possible.”

The other returning post player for the Griffs is junior Ellie Radke. The Monroe, Wisc. native returned from an offseason injury and worked herself into game shape throughout the season, reaching double figures in 10 of the final 23 games. Radke enters 2008-09 with a full offseason of workouts and with the opportunity to be a major contributor.

“Ellie missed three months of workouts last season, which made it difficult for her in the first part of the season,” Zeh said. “I expect us to see the true Ellie Radke this season with her production matching her abilities.”

Canisius has three newcomers in the frontcourt with the most anticipated player being transfer Marie Warner. With only one year of eligibility remaining after spending her first three seasons at the University of Utah, Warner averaged 8.2 points and 3.5 rebounds in 19 minutes during her junior season. Warner's versatility of posting up, creating a mid-range jumper or knocking down a 3-pointer presents a matchup problem.

“We know Marie is good because we've seen it in practice. Now we get to see it in game,” Zeh said. “Having Marie for a year gave us a chance to develop some chemistry and understand how to play with a player of Marie's style. She changes the way our team plays.”

Along with Warner are two freshmen ? Katie Hart and Monica Kosior. Hart left Central Square High School as the program's all-time leading scorer and averaged 17.5 points and 14.0 rebounds during her senior season. Kosior, a 6-foot-5 center from Grimsby, Ontario, brings the program much-needed height at the center position.

“For a freshman, Katie is strong and will push for playing time with her ability to rebound. She's very competitive,” Zeh said. “I'm excited to watch the progress Monica makes on a daily basis because she comes to practice working to improve.”

SCHEDULE AND OUTLOOK

The Griffs' schedule features a variety of teams to provide different challenges to prepare this team for the MAAC slate. Canisius opens at home against Buffalo on Nov. 14, a team the Griffs have defeated five consecutive times. The Griffs play their other local rival Nov. 19, traveling to St. Bonaventure.

Canisius will then play three road games ? Wisconsin, Illinois-Chicago and Binghamton ? before starting its MAAC schedule against Siena and Marist the first weekend of December. Canisius hosts Saint Louis and Youngstown State before returning to the road for games at New Hampshire and Rhode Island. The Griffs close out their non-conference schedule by hosting Detroit and Mount St. Mary's.

“Our schedule is set up in a way to get us ready for the MAAC, both in opponents and the setup of playing two games in three days,” Zeh said. “It's always good to have non-conference home games and we're excited to start against Buffalo on opening night.”

The Griffs have a three-game road stretch at the start of January and also have a four-game road trip in February that includes a MAAC-TV game at Saint Peter's on Feb. 16. The flip side of that is closing the season with three consecutive home games, ending with a Senior Day contest against Niagara (Feb. 28). Canisius will then travel to Albany for the MAAC Tournament at the Times Union Center March 5-8.

“The game experience our younger core of players gained last season should make them better as they're a year older this season,” Zeh said. “It's not unrealistic to expect us to finish in the top half of the conference, which will put us in a position at the MAAC Tournament.”

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Players Mentioned

#53 Laura Buetow: C; 6' 3"; Redshirt

#12 Amanda Cavo: G; 5' 9"; Senior

#23 Micayla Drysdale: G; 5' 9"; Sophomore

#53 Monica Kosior: C; 6' 5"; Freshman

#3 Tasia Lee: G; 5' 8"; Junior

#13 Brianna Lucas: G; 5' 8"; Junior

#35 Ellie Radke: F; 6' 0"; Junior

#1 Brittan? Russell: G; 5' 5"; Junior

#11 Tauralee Tenn: G; 5' 9"; Sophomore

#24 Marie Warner: F; 5' 11"; Senior

#31 JJ Williams: C; 6' 1"; Redshirt Senior

Players Mentioned

#53 Laura Buetow
: 6' 3"; Redshirt
: C

#12 Amanda Cavo
: 5' 9"; Senior
: G

#23 Micayla Drysdale
: 5' 9"; Sophomore
: G

#53 Monica Kosior
: 6' 5"; Freshman
: C

#3 Tasia Lee
: 5' 8"; Junior
: G

#13 Brianna Lucas
: 5' 8"; Junior
: G

#35 Ellie Radke
: 6' 0"; Junior
: F

#1 Brittan? Russell
: 5' 5"; Junior
: G

#11 Tauralee Tenn
: 5' 9"; Sophomore
: G

#24 Marie Warner
: 5' 11"; Senior
: F

#31 JJ Williams
: 6' 1"; Redshirt Senior
: C