Women’s Basketball Closes Exhibition Season Monday Hosting the Ohio Basketball Legends – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/8/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 8, 2001
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The Tip
The Ohio State Buckeyes will close their exhibition campaign Monday, Nov. 12, hosting the Ohio Girls Basketball Magazine Legends at Value City Arena at 7 p.m. The contest is the second and final exhibition for the Buckeyes’ who downed the Den Helder Basketball Club Team of Holland, 62-49, Nov. 4.
Head Coach Beth Burns
Head coach Beth Burns enters her 13th career season, her fifth at Ohio State, after captaining one of the most amazing comebacks in women’s basketball last year. Rebuilding a squad decimated by injuries with vision, encouragement and perseverance, Burns led the program to its second postseason title – the 2001 WNIT Championship and the squad’s best finish in eight seasons at 22-11.
The Buckeyes excelled academically as well with four Buckeyes earning Academic All-Big Ten honors and six tabbed as OSU Scholar-Athletes.
Burns took over the program in April 1997, leaving a successful, well-respected career at San Diego State where she was three times selected the WAC Coach of the Year (1994, ’95, ’97). She has earned a record of 67-50 (.573) as a Buckeye and is 218-134 (.619) for her career.
About Monday’s Opponent
John Feazel, editor of the Ohio Girl’s Basketball Magazine, has compiled an All-Star roster of Ohioans and former Buckeyes to challenge Ohio State. The Legends, 3-4, will be approaching the close of their 15-game schedule once arriving in Columbus.
Nov. 1 Cincinnati L, 56-83 Nov. 2 Marshall W, 87-80 Nov. 3 Evansville L, 91-97 Nov. 4 Ohio W, 79-71 Nov. 5 Illinois L, 90-105 Nov. 6 Notre Dame L, 62-76 Nov. 7 Kent W, 84-62 Nov. 8 Dayton Nov. 9 Toledo Nov. 10 Miami Nov. 11 Louisville Nov. 12 Ohio State Nov. 13 Oakland Nov. 14 Youngstown State Nov. 15 Purdue
Returning To The Fold
Former Buckeyes and WNBA professionals Larecha Jones (1995-99) and Marcie Alberts (1994-97) are returning to Ohio State as members of the Legends roster. Jones, a Second Team All-Big Ten pick in 1998 ranks 11th on the Ohio State scoring ledger (1,275). Alberts is the No. 2 career leader in 3-pt. FG Made (203).
Both enjoyed a stint in the WNBA. Jones as a member of the Charlotte Sting 2000 roster and Alberts as a member of the Cleveland Rockers in 1997.
All In The Family
The Buckeyes will take on another family member of sort in Monday’s contest. Carol Ann Shudlick-Smith, the sister-in-law of Ohio State All-American Katie Smith will mark a return to the area.
Shudlick-Smith, the all-time scoring leader at Minnesota (1991-94), was a team member of Katie’s on the Columbus Quest of the former ABL. After the league folded in 1998, both players headed to the WNBA Minnesota Lynx franchise. Carol Ann as a staff member and Katie as a three-year starter.
Carol Ann married Katie’s brother, Tom, in April.
Schweitzer Returns Home
Bishop Hartley High School graduate Georgia Schweitzer returns to Columbus as a member of the Ohio Legends roster. Schweitzer just completed her first season in the WNBA as a member of the Minnesota Lynx and teammate to Ohio State’s own Katie Smith. She is a recent graduate of Duke which finished as the 1999 NCAA runner-up to Purdue.
Familiar Opponents
The Ohio Legends will play four opponents on the Buckeyes’ 2001-02 schedule. Ohio State will open its season Nov. 18 vs. instate rival Ohio and host Louisville Dec. 14 in the first round of the Women’s Sports Foundation Tournament. Conference opponents Illinois and Purdue also dot the schedule.
Last Time Out For Ohio State
The Buckeyes opened exhibition play Nov. 4, battling their way to a 62-49 win vs. the Den Helder Basketball Club of Holland at Value City Arena.
Forward DiDi Reynolds (Jr., Portage, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon) paced Ohio State with 10 points in just 14 minutes of play. Forwards D’wan Shackleford (Jr., Newark, Ohio/Newark) and Courtney Coleman (Jr., Cincinnati, Ohio/Hughes), and guard Tomeka Brown (Sr., Columbus, Ohio/Marion Franklin) each added nine points. Coleman and Shackleford each collected a game-high seven rebounds.
The Buckeyes had a tough time pulling away from Holland in the first half. The game was tied for the sixth time (21-all) with 4:30 to play but erased seconds later with a Reynolds trey that fueled a 26-21 halftime lead.
A 9-2 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Lauren Shenk (Sr., Minster, Ohio/Minster) with 12:26 remaining, allowed for an eight-point cushion (39-31) however it was the hot perimeter shooting by freshmen Beth Howe (Jackson, Ohio/Jackson) and Ashley Allen (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis) that secured the win. The backcourt tandem nailed back-to-back triples to produce a 10-point lead (55-45) with 3:33 to play.
Tish Wescott and Jennifer Surlas led Holland (1-2) with 14 points.
Early Trackings
Senior Tomeka Brown (Columbus, Ohio/Marion Franklin) looks to enter the top tier of the OSU career steals ladder as she currently ranks 17th with 116 entering her final season.
A solid year also could elevate junior center LaToya Turner (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington) as one of the Top 3 shot-blockers in program history. Competing in just 40 career games, Turner ranks fourth all-time with 66, trailing All-American Tracey Hall (1984-88) who ranks third with 109.
Additionally, senior guard Lauren Shenk (Minster, Ohio/Minster) could close her campaign as one of the Buckeyes’ top long-distance scorers. Shenk has 138 treys in the record book and needs 44 to move ahead of Jamie Lewis who exited the 2001 season ranked third with 181.
What We Gain, What We Lose
Ohio State loses just one starter from its 2001 WNIT Championship team, guard Jamie Lewis, who also happens to be the Buckeyes’ career assist leader. Nine letterwinners, including four starters, represent a return of 80 percent of the squad’s offense and 75 percent of its rebounding muscle. Junior forward Courtney Coleman (Cincinnati, Ohio/Hughes) paced the effort last season, averaging 14.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
Turner’s Back … Again
Center LaToya Turner returns to the hardwood, again after bowing out at the halfway point of the 2000-01 season.
The 2000 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Turner tore her left ACL at the close of her inaugural season and the ACL-graft in January 2001, exiting the season averaging17.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.
McClure On The Mend
Redshirt sophomore guard Tanya McClure will miss the non-conference portion of the 2001-02 schedule following left lateral ankle reconstruction performed Oct. 17 at OSU Hospitals East. Chief Orthopedic Consultant Dr. Chris Kaeding performed the surgery.
The injury is a recurring one for McClure who redshirted last season nursing a fracture in the same foot.
McClure will remain in a cast over the next few weeks and continue with rehabilitation for the next three months.
Brown Lends Hand In Undefeated Run
Senior Tomeka Brown enjoyed an undefeated run this past summer as a member of the Big Ten Foreign Tour Team. The squad, playing in Switzerland and France, marched through five games posting a scoring margin of 38.4 points. Brown averaged 8.8 points and 4.8 rebounds in the run.
Academic Accolades
The 2001 season proved to be just as successful academically for the Buckeyes. For the second year in a row, senior guard Lauren Shenk was named to the Verizon District IV Academic All-America team. Majoring in molecular genetics, Shenk maintains a 3.9 GPA as a three-year starter.
Shenk along with teammates Courtney Bale, Mandy Stanhope and Dana Stearns earned Academic All-Big Ten laurels and joined sophomores Caity Matter (Bluffton, Ohio/Bluffton) and Emily Haynam (Westerville, Ohio/South) in earning OSU Scholar-Athlete honors.
On Tap For The Buckeyes
The competition won’t get any easier for the Buckeyes in 2001-02 with 10 squads, in postseason action last season, gracing the schedule.
NCAA Final Four participants Purdue and Xavier top the schedule. The slate also features 2001 NCAA participants UC-Santa Barbara, Colorado State, Louisville, Virginia, Iowa, Michigan, Penn State and Wisconsin. Arizona, Indiana and Illinois were members of the 2001 WNIT field.
Here We Go Again
The 2002 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament returns to Indianapolis, Ind., and Conseco Fieldhouse in February after a one-year absence. The 2001 tourney was hosted by the city of Grand Rapids, Mich. Indianapolis had served as host for the previous six seasons.
2001 Newcomers
Freshman guard Ashley Allen (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis) headlines the four-member class of newcomers. Allen, advertised as one of the Top 21 Newcomers of Impact by womenscollegehoops.com, averaged 15.3 ppg. last year for two-time state champion Ben Davis. Allen joins All-Ohio standouts forward Charisse Crews (Urbancrest, Ohio/Grove City) and guard Beth Howe (Jackson, Ohio/Jackson), and First Team All-Minnesota honoree center Brandee Gibbs (Hanover, Minn./Orono).
Season Recap
No skeptic and few fans would have ever thought it possible with injuries permeating the 2000-01 roster. But with teamwork and perseverance, the Buckeyes regrouped to stage one of the most courageous comebacks to a season that ended with the 2001 Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) Championship being returned to Columbus.
The Buckeyes rolled through the non-conference season without a hitch. Their 10-0 march was the best start to a season since 1973 and included the 2000 Great Alaska Shootout Championship title and Coach Beth Burns claiming her 200th career victory Nov. 29 vs. Seton Hall.
By Jan. 5, two starters were already lost for the Big Ten season in sophomore center LaToya Turner, the 2000 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and freshman guard Caity Matter. Injuries eliminated another four reserves, streamlining the roster to six players for a Jan. 17 matchup with Iowa.
In the interim, Coach Burns went into a midseason recruiting mode, this time looking for current student-athletes to at least lend a hand in practices. Two fellow Buckeyes – soccer goalkeeper Amber Barnes and volleyball middle blocker Dana Stearns – answered the call, suiting up for the second half of their senior campaigns.
The Buckeyes went on to post a 6-10 record in the league, losing four games by three points or less for a 16-10 regular-season finish.
OSU, fortunate to get the return of three players for the postseason, bowed out in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament to No. 1 seed Purdue, keeping its hopes alive for the program’s first WNIT invite.
Ohio State, indeed, was one of eight teams in the league invited to a postseason dance.
Hosting in-state rival Cincinnati in the opening round, the Buckeyes advanced to the second round with one of the most memorable finishes in recent years. Down by as many as eight points with two minutes to play, the team fought its way back, gaining a 94-foot opportunity for the go-ahead basket with 3.1 seconds on the clock.
Forward Emily Haynam, from the visitor’s baseline, propelled the basketball beyond half-court where guard Caity Matter launched an unsuccessful 3-point shot that rimmed left. Guard Tomeka Brown, with a never say die, mid-air effort, kept the ball in play with a behind-the-back shot that dropped just before the game-ending buzzer, allowing the Buckeyes a 61-60 victory.
Posting wins vs. DePaul, Western Kentucky and James Madison, the Buckeyes advanced to the championship game with a meeting in Albuquerque vs. New Mexico. The matchup was the third-fastest sellout in The Pit, and before a capacity crowd of 18,018 on hand, the Buckeyes ended the run in the same spectacular fashion in which it began.
Guard Jamie Lewis brought the Buckeyes into title contention, drilling back-to-back triples with 1:42 to play, hanging on for a 62-61 victory and 22-11 season finish.
Value City Arena Is Top 10
Ohio State was one of three programs in the Big Ten Conference to entertain more than 100,000 fans at home last season. The Buckeyes finished ninth nationally in average home attendance, hosting 7,277 fans per game in Value City Arena.
Tickets … Get Your Tickets
There’s still time to purchase season tickets before the Buckeyes’ home opener Nov. 18 vs. Ohio. Both full and mini season ticket packages are available by contacting The Ohio State University Athletics Tickets Office at 614-292-2624 or 1-800-GO-BUCKS, and online at hangonsloopy.com.
What The Experts Say
NCAA runner-up Purdue has been tabbed the media preseason favorite to repeat as the Big Ten champion. League coaches however, selected both Purdue and Michigan to land atop. The top three teams and preseason All-Big Ten player picks follow.
2001 Preseason All-Big Ten
Team Finish
As selected by the media
1. Purdue
2. Penn State
3. Iowa
2001 Preseason All-Big Ten Team
As selected by the media
Kelly Mazzante (PSU), Lindsey Meder (Iowa), Tamara Moore (WIS), Jessie Stomski (WIS), Shereka Wright (Purdue).
2001 Preseason All-Big Ten
Team Finish
As selected by the Coaches
1. Michigan
1. Purdue
3. Wiscosin
2001 Preseason All-Big Ten Team
As selected by the Coaches
LeeAnn Bies (MICH), Kelly Mazzante (PSU)*, Lindsey Meder (Iowa), Tamara Moore (WIS), Jessie Stomski (WIS), Shereka Wright (Purdue).
*=unanimous selection
2001 Preseason Player of the Year
Kelly Mazzante, Penn State – Media
2001 Co-Preseason Players of the Year
Kelly Mazzante, Penn State – Coaches
Jessie Stomske, Wisconsin – Coaches
Next Time Out
The Buckeyes will lift the lid on their 2001-02 schedule Sunday, Nov. 18, hosting the Ohio Bobcats at 1 p.m. in Value City Arena.
