No. 22 Ohio State Women’s Basketball Travels to Champaign to Play Illinois – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/6/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 6, 2004
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THE TIP
The No. 22 Ohio State women’s basketball team (9-3, 1-0 Big Ten) continues conference competition vs. Illinois (6-6; 0-1 Big Ten) at 8 p.m. EST at Assembly Hall in Urbana-Champaign, Ill. This is the first meeting of the season for Illinois and Ohio State. The two will meet again at 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22, at Value City Arena in Columbus. The Buckeyes lead the overall series 30-14 and split last season against the Fighting Illini with each school defending its home court. The Illinois contest is the first Big Ten road trip for the Buckeyes.
SCOUTING ILLINOIS
Illinois is 6-6 overall and dropped its first Big Ten game at Iowa, 91-73. Like Ohio State, the Fighting Illini have struggled on the road, going 4-1 at home in Assembly Hall, and only 1-5 away. Key losses have come vs. No. 8/10 Louisiana Tech (67-61), at UC Santa Barbara (70-59), at UCLA (68-56) and at Oklahoma (70-53). Illinois is coming off a 75-72 victory at Mississippi State. Despite being down 70-69 with 2:23 to play and missing five free throws in the final 41 seconds of the contest, Illinois outscored the Bulldogs 6-0 to end the game off two back-to-back Erin Wigley jumpers and a free throw each from Wigley and Tiffanie Guthrie.
Four players are scoring in double-digits for Theresa Grentz’ squad. Angelina Williams is the leader with 16.2 points per game, followed by Aminata Yanni, Guthrie, and Cindy Dallas, who score 15.8, 15.1 and 11.4 points an outing, respectively. Dallas brings down 8.5 boards per game and Guthrie adds 7.4 caroms an outing. Wigley, a freshman, has started in all 12 games for Illinois and is notching 7.8 points and 5.3 boards per game. Illinois is the league leader with 41.9 rebounds per game and collects the most offensive boards with 15.5 per outing. Dallas is the squad’s sharpshooter with a .608 mark from the field and ranks third in the league with 8.5 rebounds per game, including an 18-carom effort vs. Mississippi State Jan. 4.
ILLINOIS’ THERESA GRENTZ
Theresa Grentz is in her 30th year in the coaching profession and her ninth at the helm of the Illinois program. Entering this season, Grentz had earned a 609-248 record and a 148-98 mark at Illinois. The Glenolden, Pa., native was a two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year (1997 and 1998), a four-time Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year and 1987 Converse National Coach of the Year award and 1997 IBCA Coach of the Year award, among numerous additional coach of the year honors.
Inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001 and the NIKE Hall of Fame in 1992, Grentz has a plethora of honors ranging from a Loyal Daughter of Rutgers inductee (1991) to the Woman of Distinction by the Delaware-Raritan Girl Scout Council (1993). Referred to as a “pioneer” of women’s basketball, Grentz led the Mighty Macs of Immaculata College in the early 1970s to three AIAW National Championships and played in the first-ever televised women’s basketball game when Immaculata won its third title on March 23, 1974. Grentz and her husband, Karl, have two sons, Karl, Jr. (23) and Kevin (15).
COACHING CONNECTIONS
Ohio State head coach Jim Foster and Illinois’ Theresa Grentz go way back. Both hail from Pennsylvania and began their collegiate coaching careers at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. Grentz was the head coach for two seasons (1974-75 and 1975-76) and two years later after Penn State’s Rene Portland left St. Joe’s, Foster began a 13-year tenure for the Hawks from 1978-1991. Grentz’ second head coaching position was at Rutgers, where she stayed for 19 seasons. Rutgers and St. Joseph’s both were in the Atlantic 10 conference and Foster and Grentz faced each other many times during conference contests. However, the two have not always been on opposite sides of the court. Foster served as an assistant coach for Illinois’ Grentz twice at the international level. The two worked together at the 1990 World Championship/Goodwill Games for the United States’ gold-medal team and in 1992 for the United States Olympic Team, which captured a bronze medal.
LAST TIME OUT AT RUTGERS
The No. 17/18 Ohio State women’s basketball team (9-3, 1-0 Big Ten) fell to the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers (7-4, 0-0 Big East), 56-53, Jan. 4 in the Big Ten/Big East Challenge in Piscataway, N.J. Senior LaToya Turner led the Buckeyes with 15 points while teammates Stephanie Blanton and Caity Matter recorded 10 and nine points, respectively.
The Scarlet Knights outscored the Buckeyes 7-0 in the last 1:49 of the game. A Turner basket put Ohio State up 53-49 at 1:49, but Rutgers’ Cappie Pondexter nailed a 3-pointer at 1:09 to bring the Scarlet Knights within one. A Buckeye turnover and an OSU foul put Pondexter at the free-throw line and her first free throw tied the game at 53. A miss on the second attempt was followed by a Rutgers’ offensive rebound by Chelsea Newton to keep the ball in its possession. Pondexter hit a 3-point basket with 5.4 seconds left to put the Scarlet Knights up 56-53. The Buckeyes inbounded to sophomore Kim Wilburn but were unsuccessful in a last-second field goal attempt during the final five seconds.
In the first half, Rutgers went on a 7-0 run at the 10-minute mark but the Buckeyes followed with a 6-0 run of their own, sparked by a Matter jumper off a pass from teammate Michelle Muoz. The Scarlet Knight offense responded with another 8-2 run in the last five minutes of the half and took a 27-24 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Ohio State and Rutgers traded leads nine times and also tied the game nine times. In addition, the Buckeyes were plagued with a season-high 22 turnovers to Rutgers’ 15.
Chelsea Newton led the Scarlet Knights with 16 points while Shalicia Hurns and Pondexter added 13 apiece.
Turner and Wilburn each pulled down seven rebounds to lead the Buckeyes on the boards. Wilburn also added eight assists and five points while Candace Dark and Jessica Davenport added five points each. Turner also recorded two blocks in a season-high 39 minutes of action.
LAST YEAR VS. ILLINOIS
Ohio State and Illinois split games last year. The Buckeyes beat Illinois, 82-74, Jan. 23 at Value City Arena. Ohio State relied on the even scoring force of five Buckeyes notching double-figures for the first time last season. Courtney Coleman, Caity Matter, Kim Wilburn, Ashley Allen and LaToya Turner scored 18, 16, 15, 10 and 10 points, respectively. The Buckeyes outscored the Fighting Illini, 50-28, in the paint due largely to Coleman’s perfect 7-for-7 night. It was Coleman’s second consecutive flawless performance from the floor after she shot 5-for-5 at Northwestern Jan. 19.
In game two, Ohio State lost to Illinois, 58-54, Feb. 19 in Assembly Hall. Despite having a chance to tie the game in the final 21 seconds, Ohio State could not connect and Illinois’ Aminata Yanni went 1-for-2 from the free-throw line to capture the victory. The Buckeyes were paced by Coleman, who recorded her 14th career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, classmate D’wan Shackleford, who scored 11 points, seven rebounds and earned three steals and no turnovers, and Matter, who netted 10 points.
HIGH SCHOOL TEAMMATES
Ohio State’s Michelle Muoz and Illinois’ Jer Issenmann were high school teammates at Mason High School in Mason, Ohio. Both student-athletes played under Gerry Lackey and were members of the 2000 State Champion Mason squad that recorded a perfect 27-0 mark and ended the season ranked No. 2 nationally.
COLUMBUS SECOND TO NONE
Ohio State is currently ranked second in the country with 24 games for the longest home winning streak in the country behind Texas’ 26 wins in Austin. The current Buckeye win streak of 24 consecutive games dates back to the final two games of the 2001-02 season. The Buckeyes’ streak ranks second in Ohio State women’s basketball history. The longest home winning streak is 26 games, which began in the January of the 1987 season and lasted until December of 1988. Under Jim Foster, Ohio State is 22-0 in Columbus dating back to the beginning of the 2002-03 season.
RELYING ON DEPTH
Ohio State is relying on the bench this season in a big way. Three non-starters are averaging over 14 minutes per game for head coach Jim Foster and the squad’s second-leading scorer, Jessica Davenport with 11.9 points per game, comes off the bench. Key contributors from the sideline include Davenport, Michelle Muoz and Candace Dark. The Buckeyes have outscored opponents 290-147 with bench points.
SCORING BIG BETTERS BUCKEYES
Scoring and scoring big has helped the Buckeyes this season. When Ohio State scores 60 or more points, Jim Foster’s team is 9-0, however when they are held to 59 points or fewer, they are 0-3. In all three of the team’s losses, OSU has scored between 53 and 56 points (53 vs. Rutgers; 55 vs. Nebraska and 56 vs. UCLA). The Buckeyes have scored 80 or more points four times this season – 96 vs. IUPUI, 95 points vs. Penn, 88 vs. Wright State and 83 vs. Ohio.
SHARING SCORING DUTIES THE BEST FORMULA
It is no secret Ohio State has been relying on myriad of players to score and score big this season. And for the Buckeyes, that seems to be the best formula. In games when four or more players score in double digits, Ohio State is 4-0, but when three players score in double digits, OSU is 3-1 and if only two Buckeyes score 10 or more points, Jim Foster’s group is 2-2.
During the championship game of the Buckeye Classic vs. Penn Dec. 21, five Ohio State players scored in double digits for the first time this season. Brandie Hoskins netted 22, Jessica Davenport swished 20, Caity Matter scored 12 and LaToya Turner and Kim Wilburn each sank 10.
Additionally, against UCSB, Ohio and IUPUI, four Buckeye players scored in double digits. Against the Gauchos, Matter, Turner, Candace Dark and Wilburn scored 19, 16, 12 and 10 points, respectively. In the Bobcat contest, Davenport, Hoskins, Matter and Wilburn tallied 15, 13, 17 and 15 points, respectively. Against IUPUI, Matter scored 26, Hoskins scored a career-high 17, Turner tallied 13 and Davenport scored 10 points.
Three Buckeye players scored in double digits vs. Florida A&M, at Nebraska, vs. Wright State and against Wisconsin. Matter, Davenport and Hoskins tallied 21, 23, and 10 points, respectively, vs. the Lady Rattlers and against the Cornhuskers, Turner (16), Matter (14) and Davenport (10) scored in double digits. Davenport notched a career-best 25 points, Stephanie Blanton earned a personal-best 12 points and Turner scored 10 vs. Wright State. Turner scored 14 and Davenport and Hoskins scored 13 each in the conference opener vs. Wisconsin Jan. 2.
Four times this season two or fewer players scored in double digits for the Buckeyes – against Rutgers (L), UNC Wilmington (W), St. John’s (W) and UCLA (L).
REBOUNDING A TEAM EFFORT
Ohio State is not relying solely on the forwards and centers to clear the boards. Seven Buckeye players are contributing to the effort. Senior LaToya Turner is notching a team-best 6.3 caroms per contest and freshmen Jessica Davenport and Stephanie Blanton are averaging 4.3 and 4.1 rebounds per game, respectively. Sophomore point guard Kim Wilburn is pulling down 3.7 rebounds an outing. Rookie Brandie Hoskins and sophomore Michelle Muoz are tallying 3.5 boards each and junior Caity Matter is bringing down 3.0 boards per game, respectively.
5-6 WILBURN PULLING HER OWN
The Buckeyes are asking everyone to crash the boards hard this season. Sophomore point guard Kim Wilburn, who stand at 5-feet-6-inches and is the second shortest Buckeye in front of 5-feet-4-inch Tanya McClure, has been pulling her weight the last few games when it comes to the boards. Wilburn notched season-best marks of seven rebounds against both Wisconsin Jan. 2 and at Rutgers Jan. 4 and is averaging 3.7 rebounds on the season.
SCORING SPREAD THROUGHOUT
A senior, a junior and two freshmen are averaging double digits for Ohio State. Junior Caity Matter is leading all scorers with 15.0 points per game. Freshman Jessica Davenport is notching 11.9 points, senior LaToya Turner is averaging 11.7 points an outing and rookie Brandie Hoskins is netting 10.3 points per game.
TOUGH BIG TEN
The Big Ten conference is no joke – competition will be tight and every win counts. The conference is ranked No. 1 in the latest RPI poll followed by the Big XII, which holds the second spot. Five Big Ten teams are ranked in the Top 25 and three are ranked in the Top 10.
BIG TEN OPENER
Since 1982-83, the first official season of Big Ten competition, Ohio State is 15-7 overall in Big Ten openers. The Buckeyes opened 2003-04 league play Jan. 2 with a 65-46 win over the Badgers of Wisconsin. It was the first time Ohio State had ever opened conference play against Wisconsin. Second-year head coach Jim Foster is 2-0 in Big Ten openers. Last season, the Buckeyes beat Northwestern 82-49 Dec. 31 in Columbus to open conference competition.
SEASON-HIGH MARK VS. UW
The Ohio State vs. Wisconsin attendance from the Jan. 2 game was a season-high mark of 3,401. The Buckeyes are averaging 2,097 people at all games and 2,178 in Columbus.
WILBURN COMES ALIVE VS. BADGERS
Sophomore Kim Wilburn came alive vs. Wisconsin Jan. 2. She tied her season-high assist mark with nine assists, which accounted for half of Ohio State’s 18 total assists. The point guard from Southfield, Mich., also pulled down a season-best seven rebounds and tallied three steals, four points and only one turnover in 33 minutes of action.
KEEPING THE TO’S LOW
Against Wisconsin, Ohio State had a season-low 10 turnovers, including only four in the second half. The Buckeyes entered the game averaging 16.8 turnovers per outing.
ALLEN OUT AGAIN
Ohio State women’s basketball player Ashley Allen suffered a knee injury in the Dec. 20 St. John’s game and will not return for the remainder of the season. Allen, who missed the opening game vs. Ohio and returned to the court vs. Florida A&M after suffering a similar injury last January at Illinois, was averaging 5.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and was shooting .417 from the field and .500 from 3-point land.
BUCKEYES 1-0 VS. TOP 25
Ohio State is 1-0 vs. the Top 25 this season. The Buckeyes faced the first ranked squad this year at UC Santa Barbara Dec. 28 and won, 73-59.
BETTER THAN HALF
The Buckeyes have shot better than .500 in 8-of-12 games this year. Ohio State is 7-1 this season when they shoot .500 or more and 2-2 when they shoot less than .500.
MATTER POINTS LEADER
Caity Matter has been the leading scorer for Ohio State in five games this year and is averaging a team-best 15.0 points per outing. Matter has also been the scoring leader for both squads in four games, including the two contests in California vs. UCSB Dec. 28 (19 points) and at UCLA Dec. 30 (21 points).
MINUTES FOR WILBURN
Sophomore Kim Wilburn is averaging a Buckeye-best 31.4 minutes an outing. Wilburn led the team last season as a freshman with 34.8 minutes per game, including five 40-minute contests, three of which came in the final four games of the year.
DARK SEEING THE LIGHT
Sophomore guard Candace Dark has made quite an impact recently for Ohio State. As a freshman, Dark only played in 16 games and averaged 0.5 points per game. She is currently notching 14.4 minutes and scoring 4.9 points an outing. She scored a career-best 12 points in 14 minutes during the Buckeyes’ win over UCSB Dec. 28. Dark was 4-for-7 from the field, 2-for-5 from downtown and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line.
UCSB WINNING STREAK COMES TO A HALT
Ohio State’s 73-59 victory at UCSB Dec. 28 snapped the Gauchos’ 27 consecutive game winning streak at home, a mark that ranked second in the country behind Connecticut’s 63 wins in Storrs, Conn. as of Dec. 28.
Additionally, the Buckeyes shot .529 for the game, including a .654 stroke in the second half. Prior to the contest, UCSB had held the last 111 opponents to less than .500 shooting dating back to the final game of the 1999-00 season.
MVP’S ALL AROUND
While freshman Brandie Hoskins was named the MVP of The 2003 Wonder/Hostess Buckeye Classic, look no further than the current Ohio State bench for the last MVP of the event. Student assistant and two-time Ohio State All-American Katie Smith was named the most valuable player of the 1994 Buckeye Classic.
FEELING IT IN THE FIRST
Freshman Brandie Hoskins has wasted no time feeling comfortable in a scarlet and gray uniform this year. Actually, she has seemed most comfortable in the first 20 minutes of each game this season. For the year, Hoskins has put up impressive numbers in the first 20 minutes. She is 33-of-53 from the field and 4-of-9 from downtown overall in first halves this season.
In the game vs. the Quakers of Penn Dec. 21, Hoskins broke her career-best mark with 18 points off an 8-of-10 stroke and ended the game with 22 points. She recorded a .833 field goal percentage (10-of-12) to tie for 10th place in Ohio State history for the highest field-goal percentage in a game. Hoskins’ mark tied those of former Buckeyes Courtney Coleman and Katie Smith.
Speaking of strong first-half performances, fellow rookie Jessica Davenport scored 16 points in the first half vs. Penn. Her previous high in a first half was nine points vs. Florida A&M Nov. 23. She was 7-of-8 from the field in the first half and ended the afternoon vs. the Quakers with 20 total points off a 9-of-10 mark from the field – a stroke which ties Davenport for third place on the all-time individual single-game percentage list with former Buckeyes D’wan Shackleford and Stacie Bruce.
LUCKY SIX
Junior guard Beth Howe has scored six points – her season-best mark – three times in three consecutive games vs. Wright State, St. John’s and Penn.
BLANTON STARTS; SETS CAREER-HIGH
Freshman Stephanie Blanton returned to the starting lineup for the Ohio State vs. Wright State contest. Blanton, who previously started vs. UNC Wilmington and IUPUI and started in both Buckeye Classic contests, scored a personal-best 12 points off a 4-for-4 night with four boards and three assists in 21 minutes Dec. 18 vs. the Raiders.
TURNER’S DOUBLE-MANIA
Senior LaToya Turner returned to the lineup against IUPUI Dec. 1 after missing the first three games of the year due to an injury suffered in preseason. Turner, the 2000 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, is averaging 11.7 points per game and has scored in double-digits every game except two this season – 13 vs. IUPUI, 16 vs. Nebraska, 10 vs. Wright State, 10 vs. Penn, 16 vs. UCSB, 14 vs. Wisconsin and 15 vs. Rutgers.
Turner earned her ninth career and second season double-double vs. UCSB with 16 points and 11 boards. Her first double-double of the season was against Penn Dec. 21 with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
RAINING THREE’S IN 36
Junior shooting guard Caity Matter, who wears No. 25, has made a 3-pointer in 36 consecutive games. Her streak dates back to Dec. 20, 2002 vs. Youngstown State.
SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE
Ohio State is leading the Big Ten with a 20.1 assists-per-game average while holding opponents to only 13.0 assists per game. Leading the way is sophomore point guard Kim Wilburn and freshman Brandie Hoskins. Wilburn is tied for second in the Big Ten with 6.5 and Hoskins holds the eighth spot with 3.8 assists per game.
Additionally, the Buckeyes are the top team in the league with a 1.21 assist-to-turnover ratio. Wilburn is No. 2 and Hoskins is No. 6 on the assist-to-turnover ratio list with 1.86 and 1.55 marks, respectively.
KEEPING OPPONENTS DOWN
The Buckeyes are holding opponents to 53.3 points per game – a mark that is ranked second in the league right behind Michigan State, who hold teams to 53.2 points per contest. Ohio State also comes in second among league leaders with a +19.3 scoring margin.
HOT SHOTS
Ohio State is the best shooting squad in the Big Ten with a .543 mark from the field and a .420 average from downtown. Freshman Jessica Davenport, senior LaToya Turner and rookie Brandie Hoskins are shooting lights out with .651, .614 and .571 marks, respectively. Davenport is ranked second, Turner is fourth and Hoskins is seventh for their percentages in the Big Ten and score 11.9, 11.7 and 10.3 points per outing, respectively.
Sharp shooter and OSU’s leading scorer with 15.0 points per game, Caity Matter is averaging a conference-best 3.25 treys per game with a No. 15 league ranking of .492 from the field and a No. 6 ranking with a .433 stroke from downtown. As a team, the Buckeyes are ranked second with 6.17 3-pointers per game.
GETTING RIGHT TO WORK
Ohio State head coach Jim Foster has used a variety of combinations for his starting lineups this year and he is wasting no time with the freshman class. Jessica Davenport has started in five, Brandie Hoskins has started in all 12 and Stephanie Blanton has started in nine games (including the last seven) this season.
DAVENPORT SCORES CAREER HIGH
Against Wright State Dec. 18, freshman Jessica Davenport scored a quiet six points in the first half and came alive the second half with a 19-point effort to total 25 points on the night – a career-high mark. Davenport was 11-for-13 from the field and her .846 percentage (11-of-13) from the field is ranked 10th all-time for a single-game mark from the field for a Buckeye.
BULLS EYE FOR DAVENPORT
Freshman Jessica Davenport has already placed herself among the Top 10 twice for single-game shooting accuracy (minimum 10 attempts). She was 11-for-13 from the field vs. Wright State and her .846 percentage (11-of-13) from the field is tied for 10th all-time for a single-game mark from the field for a Buckeye. Two games later, Davenport scored 20 points off a 9-of-10 night from the field. Her 9-of-10 accuracy is tied for third place among Buckeye single-game leaders.
BUCKEYES RIGHT ON TARGET
The Buckeyes’ .720 effort (36-of-50) from the field vs. Wright State is an all-time high percentage for an Ohio State team in a single game. The next closest mark was a .689 stroke (42-of-61) vs. Central Michigan Dec. 21, 1985. For the season, Ohio State’s next closest shooting prior to the record-setting performance vs. the Raiders was a .632 stroke vs. Penn Dec. 21.
MATTER SETS OSU SINGLE-GAME TREY RECORD VS. IUPUI
Junior shooting guard Caity Matter earned a single-game record with eight 3-pointers made vs. IUPUI Dec. 1. The previous record of seven was set by former two-time All-American and current student assistant Katie Smith vs. Northwestern Jan. 15, 1995. Matter tied the mark with seven makes from downtown Jan. 16, 2003 at Wisconsin.
RECORDS VANISHING AT THE VCA
Ohio State’s 14 3-pointers drained as a team against IUPUI Dec. 1 is a Buckeye Value City Arena record for makes from 3-point land. Foster’s squad rewrote the previous record of 10 during the game vs. UNC Wilmington Nov. 25 with 12 3-pointers nailed as a team.
After opening with .385 and .375 mark from behind the arc vs. Ohio and Florida A&M, respectively, Ohio State shot a season-best .667 (12-of-18) from 3-point land vs. UNCW Nov. 25. That mark gave Ohio State a Buckeye record for 3-point percentage in Value City Arena. The previous record was earned when the Buckeyes shot .615 from behind the arc vs. Pittsburgh Dec. 2, 1998. That 3-point percentage mark has stood since the first year the VCA was used as the home of Ohio State women’s basketball. Ohio State continued the hot shooting from downtown with a .609 (14-for-23) stroke against IUPUI Dec. 1. As a team the Buckeyes are shooting a league-best .529 from the 3-point line.
Freshman Jessica Davenport tied a Value City Arena record (set by Courtney Coleman Jan. 31, 2002) with 14 trips to the free-throw line vs. Florida A&M (Nov. 23).
SWATTING STUFF
Ohio State is averaging 3.2 blocks per game compared to opponents’ 1.2 blocks per game. The team is led by rookie Jessica Davenport, who stands at 6-feet-5-inches tall, has blocked a shot in 9-of-12 contests and is averaging 1.7 blocked shots per outing, and veteran LaToya Turner, who is blocking 1.8 shots per outing and is ranked second among OSU career block leaders. Ohio State has held four teams to zero blocks this season. Turner is ranked third and Davenport’s is ranked fourth in the Big Ten for blocked shots per game..
DAVENPORT EARNS FIRST CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Freshman Jessica Davenport earned her first double-double as a Buckeye vs. Florida A&M. Davenport tallied 23 points and 12 rebounds and four blocked shots off a 7-of-11 day from the field and an 9-of-14 stroke from the charity stripe. Notably, Davenport’s 14 free throw attempts vs. Florida A&M tied an Ohio State VCA record set by Courtney Coleman vs. Indiana Jan. 31, 2002.
MATTER AND WILBURN INVITED TO U.S. TRIALS
Junior Caity Matter and sophomore Kim Wilburn were invited to the 2003 USA Basketball Women’s National Team Trials last spring at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. The Buckeye pair was two of 60 athletes from around the country asked to try-out. Matter was selected to join the Young Women Team, which was coached by Jim Foster. The squad went on to tally a 7-1 record and capture the gold medal at the inaugural FIBA World Championships for Young Women in Sibenik, Croatia last summer.
FOSTER AND MATTER HONORED BY USA BASKETBALL
Jim Foster, head coach of the 2003 USA Basketball World Championship For Young Women Team last summer, was named the 2003 USA Basketball Developmental Coach of the Year by the USA Basketball Executive Committee. Junior shooting guard Caity Matter, who was selected to the Young Women Team from the USA Basketball Women’s National Team Trials last spring, earned a spot as part of the 2003 USA Basketball Team of the Year, which also was selected by the USA Basketball Executive Committee. Both Foster and Matter (as part of the team) have been nominated by USA Basketball for the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Developmental Coach of the Year and Team of the Year awards, respectively, which will be announced by the USOC at a later date.
Foster’s squad finished with a 7-1 record and collected the inaugural FIBA World Championship For Young Women gold medal in Sibenik, Croatia, last summer.
NEW FACES ON STAFF
WNBA Minnesota Lynx forward Tamika Williams and Erin Wright were named assistant coach and director of basketball operations, respectively, for the Ohio State women’s basketball program over the summer. A student assistant for the Buckeyes last season, Williams’ primary duties will include on-the-floor coaching and recruiting responsibilities and Wright, who served as the director of basketball operations for two seasons at Vanderbilt under Foster, will be managing the day-to-day operations of Buckeye basketball, including travel, camp and schedule coordination.
SMITH NAMED TO 2004 USA BASKETBALL SENIOR NATIONAL TEAM
Katie Smith, a student assistant in the Ohio State women’s basketball office and a former two-time All-American at OSU, is one of the first seven members named to the 2004 USA Basketball Women’s Senior National Team. Smith will be part of the team that is expected to represent the U.S. at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. A Logan, Ohio, native, Smith is also a member of the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx. She is a four-time All-WNBA player and a four-time WNBA All-Star.
THE VOICES OF THE BUCKEYES
Tune to WOSU 820 AM for complete coverage of all Buckeye basketball games this season. Marty Bannister will replace Herb Howenstine, who moved to Texas last summer, as the play-by-play announcer. Color commentary duties will be shared by a trio of former Ohio State players in Alysiah Bond (1992-95), Toni Roesch (1983-86) and Kristin Watt (1982-85).
MEET THE FRESHMEN
Freshmen Stephanie Blanton, Jessica Davenport and Brandie Hoskins will be sporting Scarlet and Gray this year. Stephanie Blanton, the 2003 Dispatch/Agonis Club Co-Player of the Year, averaged 23.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.5 blocks at Lancaster (Ohio) High School. Davenport, a 2003 McDonald’s All-American, averaged 17.1 points, 11.0 rebounds, 5.1 blocks, 2.3 assists and shot 64 percent from the field last year at Independence (Columbus) High School. Hoskins, the 2003 Division II All-Ohio Player of the Year, tallied an average of 15.9 points and 6.0 rebounds at Chaminade-Julienne.
WAITING IN THE WINGS
Tia Battle, a junior transfer from Vanderbilt University, also will join the Ohio State women’s basketball team this season. A six-foot guard/forward from Plymouth, Minn., she spent two seasons with the Commodores and started in 16-of-30 games, averaging 5.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 18.5 minutes per game last year. A 2001 Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year and 2000 NIKE All-American, Battle also was a three-time Street & Smith Honorable Mention All-America selection. Battle will sit out the 2003-04 campaign per NCAA transfer requirements, but will have two years of eligibility remaining when she begins competing with the Buckeyes next season.
HISTORIC ST. JOHN ARENA
Two times during the 2002-03 regular season the Buckeyes hosted games in historic St. John Arena and the tradition will continue this season. The Dec. 18 contest against Wright State, which the Buckeyes won 88-45, and the Feb. 19 Northwestern game will both be held in the former long-time home of Buckeye hoops. Additionally, Ohio State and St. John Arena will play host to the 2004 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship First- and Second-Round Games March 20 and 22. Tickets for all women’s basketball games and for all other Ohio State athletics events can be purchased at www.hangonsloopy.com or by calling 1-800-GOBUCKS.
Last season, Ohio State faced then-No. 17/18 Texas Jan. 5 and Big Ten foe Michigan Feb. 27 in St. John. Ohio State beat the Longhorns, 70-66, and wrapped up the regular-season portion of their schedule with a 70-55 victory over the Wolverines.
