Bucknell University Athletics
Women's Basketball Set to Open Season at Pitt on Friday
11/7/2013 10:45:00 AM | Women's Basketball
After experiencing the biggest one-season turnaround in program history, the Bucknell women's basketball team looks to build on the foundation of the 2012-13 campaign in an effort to rise to the upper echelon of the Patriot League. The Bison begin their yearlong quest on November 8th, and their squad will showcase a pair of talented returners as well as a strong supporting cast featuring many new faces. A tall task awaits however, as the conference is stocked with perennial powers and rising challengers alike.
“The Patriot League is better than it has ever been,” commented head coach Aaron Roussell. “There are coaches who have been in the league for 20 years who say that it's the best they have seen. There is a lot of parity, but it's also hard to make strides and move up in this conference because there are no bad teams.”
Roussell will enter his second season on the sidelines after guiding the Bison to a 10-game improvement in the win column and a return appearance in the Patriot League Tournament semifinals in his debut campaign. Under Roussell's guidance, Bucknell made huge strides in its defensive play, ranking first in the league and 15th nationally in field goal percentage defense (.345) and second in the conference and 35th in the country in three-point field goal percentage defense (.271). The Bison also led the Patriot League with 42.0 rebounds per game and a +5.9 rebounding margin, a number that placed them 35th in the NCAA rankings.
“We relied last year on being a good defensive team and being good on the glass,” reflected Roussell. “The way that we play defense allows us to be in a good position for rebounding, and it is essential to everything that we do. We measure success in our defense by defensive field goal percentage and rebounding margin and, as we saw last season, those two things have to be good for us to be good. We aren't going to force a ton of turnovers, so we have to hold people to low percentage shots and rebound the basketball.”
By the end of the season, the Bison had set a program record in total rebounds (1,302), and their offense was not without its shining moments as well. The team worked its way to a 15-16 overall record and a 5-9 mark in Patriot League action, earning a sixth seed in the 2013 Patriot League Tournament, where they upset No. 3 American in the quarterfinals. While they fell to eventual conference champion Navy in the semifinals, it was a fitting end to a momentum-building season.
Roussell and his staff intend to use the lessons they learned from last year to help their promising, young team reach new heights in a revamped Patriot League, but this season will also present new hurdles for both the players and the coaching staff. One such obstacle is the graduation of five seasoned players last May and the incorporation of six enthusiastic new freshmen this fall.
“I think in year two it's a little bit easier to put your fingerprints on the program,” allowed Roussell. “You can't come in and just completely change everything, because that is just not an approach that works in the long term. As a staff, we know the league a little bit better this year. We know what our program needs to be successful, and we know what type of player excels in the Patriot League. From a basketball standpoint, knowing our opponents and the things that we need to be good at in order to excel is a huge help. There is also a comfort level that has developed with our team, however this is new again for over half of our squad. Some of our older players know what to expect and are there to help us when we are instituting drills and putting in things with our offense. That part has been good, but you take a step back and realize that so much of this is new in year two, just as much as it was new in year one.”
While the Bison graduated a talented crew highlighted by Lindsay Horbatuck, who led the league and ranked 30th in the nation with 10.5 rebounds per game, they return their two leading scorers in Shelby Romine and Audrey Dotson, who both averaged double figures in scoring. The two veteran players were recently selected as captains for the 2013-14 campaign.
“Both of our captains are really exceptional leaders,” praised Roussell. “They are great role models for how hard to work, how to be a good basketball player, how to be a good teammate and how to be a good citizen on this campus. I couldn't be happier with the leadership that we have. I think that sometimes you have to get out of your comfort zone to lead, so that is something those two are working on, but as far as showing the underclassmen what things are supposed to be like, they have been great. It's really nice when your two best players are your two hardest workers, and your two best leaders as well.”
Romine, a two-time All-Patriot League selection, has captained the Bison since her sophomore year and continues to inspire her teammates on and off the court. She led Bucknell in scoring for the third consecutive season in 2012-13 by averaging 13.3 points per game, a number that ranked her third in the Patriot League, and her 116 assists were also a team-high. A Patriot League Player of the Week in December, she ranked amongst the top 10 in the conference in six different categories last season. On Feb. 9 she became the 20th Bison in program history to score 1,000 points, and by the end of the season her 1,090 career points ranked her 16th all-time at Bucknell.
“Shelby is a talented player, a really good leader and a great role model,” added Roussell. “Our six freshmen want to be like Shelby Romine. They really look up to her, and I feel blessed and privileged as a coach, because they get to see how they are supposed to act and how hard they are supposed to work. The blueprint for how to be a good college basketball player is there for them.”
Dotson, who will assume the role of captain for the first time this season, exploded onto the scene during her sophomore campaign, becoming the team's second-leading scorer (11.8 points per game) and rebounder (7.5 points per game), and leading the Bison in both blocks (42) and steals (36). She ranked second in the Patriot League with a .451 field goal percentage, and found herself amongst the conference's top ten in six additional categories. A Patriot League Player of the Week in December, she led Bucknell in scoring in 10 contests and in rebounding in nine games.
“I think that there is going to be more of a burden on Audrey this year,” Roussell said of his new captain. “I think that last year she kind of came onto the scene without anybody knowing her. She also benefitted from having an experienced Lindsay Horbatuck doing a lot of the dirty work and getting rebounds, and I think that made it easier for Audrey. However, on the positive side, she has gotten to be a much better basketball player over the past few months. She was good last year, but she has improved her skills across the board. She is a better basketball player right now and she is better equipped to step up. She is mature enough to handle the added expectations and the added responsibilities that come with her new role.”
One of those added responsibilities, for both Dotson and Romine, is to help guide the team's eight players who have never seen action in a collegiate basketball game. In addition to the six newcomers, junior Tara Wilk has been sidelined by injury for the past two seasons and sophomore Claire Maree O'Bryan was forced to sit out her rookie campaign due to an NCAA technicality based on her international student-athlete status.
“All of our newcomers are coming in ready to play,” said Roussell. “They are skilled, they have played at a high level in high school and they've played in really good AAU programs. It's amazing when you look at the accolades of all six of our freshmen, not just the personal accolades, but the team accolades that they have helped achieve as well. Every single one of them has played in a state tournament as a member of a high-achieving team. That matters to us. I think we went about recruiting over the last two years with the mindset that we have to build a culture and an attitude in this program. Part of that is working hard, but the other part of that is getting competitive kids. Losing is a big deal to us, and our freshmen will help develop that culture. They aren't experienced at the college level, but they are used to winning.”
The hungry Bison newcomers join a group of veterans, including juniors Katherine Harris, who started in 15 games in 2012-13 and averaged 3.9 points per contest, and Micki Impellizeri, who led Bucknell's freshman class in scoring, blocks and assists in 2011-12. Sophomores Tyler Craig and Sheaira Jones also contributed valuable points and minutes in their rookie campaigns, and the competition for playing time has only lifted Bucknell's level of play to new heights.
“We drive home the idea that competition is a good thing,” said Roussell of his team's new dynamic. “Nobody is guaranteed anything and nobody is given anything, you have to work for it. They are all competitive kids, but just trying to get that consistency is something we have talked about.”
While it is clear that Bucknell has a strong core of gifted players returning, as well as an influx of young talent and enthusiasm, it is also no secret that the Bison squad that takes to the hardwood this season will look very different from the one that played last year.
“I think we are a completely different team this year. We are made up differently, and while we might not be as physically imposing as we were last year, I think we have some really skilled players,” commented Roussell. “Defense and rebounding are still a big part of how we are going to achieve success, but it has to be done in a different way. We just don't have the same personnel that we had last year. However, I think we're a little bit more dynamic offensively right now.”
With change comes opportunity, and the Bucknell women's basketball team gets just that as they ring in the new year of college hoops at 11 a.m. on Friday Nov. 8. The Bison will tip off the 2013-14 college basketball season and play the 1,000th game in program history as they take on the ACC's Panthers in Pittsburgh's Petersen Events Center.
