Nov. 15, 2009

Florida Southern Game Notes in PDF Format

After a season in which the Flyers started three sophomores and a freshman, the Lewis 2009-10 women's basketball team now posses a key element you can only earn on the court: experience.

The young Flyers lineup continued to mature as last season progressed, highlighted by an 8-1 stretch in Great Lakes Valley Conference play and a berth in the GLVC Tournament. In the postseason the Flyers more than made a name for themselves by upsetting defending conference-champion Drury and taking defending national champion Northern Kentucky to overtime.

"I think the experience last year is definitely a motivation factor to get back to that point and not be satisfied," head coach Lisa Carlsen said. "However all of last season was a great learning experience. We faced some challenges and some adversity and we bounced back. I think the team will tell you they learned a lot from last year."

The Flyers now enter the season looking to take the next step and qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

"I think it makes sense for us to be optimistic," Carlsen said. "We'd love to win a conference championship but we really want to make the regional tournament and get back on the national scene. I think we have a realistic shot at that."

A big reason for Carlsen's sunny outlook is junior forward Jenny Turpel. The Johnsburg, Ill. native exploded during her sophomore season, ranking third in the conference with 18.5 per game. For her efforts she earned Daktronics All-Midwest Region Second Team and All-GLVC Second Team accolades. She was also named to the All-GLVC Tournament Team thanks to a pair of impressive games in the postseason.

"I think our increased depth in the post this year will open things up for her," Carlsen said. "It will be hard for teams to consistently double her. She will still be the focal point of our offense and she needs to have her touches for us to be successful."

Look for newcomer sophomore Lory Shaw to help Turpel down low. Shaw, a transfer for UW-Green Bay, helped the Phoenix to a Horizon League championship last season.

"Lory is a great asset for us," Carlsen said. "She is a true back to the basket player with great size and good strength. She'll help take pressure off JT (Turpel) down low and keep defenses honest."

The Flyers have also added depth at the forward position with freshmen Lauren Mead and Sam Rinehart.

Mead adds additional size. The former all-area player was a standout at Wauconda High School.

"Lauren is a very athletic post player," Carlsen said. "She moves well and has great range for a post player. It may take some time to adjust to the speed and physicality of the game but she has the talent to be a tremendous player."

Rinehart comes to Lewis by way of Marion, Iowa. As a senior she was named third team-all state, averaging 14 points and eight rebounds per game.

"Sam will help us right away," Carlsen said. "She is very strong for a freshman and has great versatililty with her three point range and ability to shoot the ball off the dribble."

When discussing the Flyers frontcourt redshirt sophomore Devon Carbaugh needs to come up in the conversation.

Following an injury during her freshman season, Carbaugh came back last year to start every contest and finish second on the team in scoring and rebounding with 10.8 and 6.4 per game respectively. Her 29 points against St. Francis last season was a high for all Flyers last year. The 6-foot Sterling, Ill. native rarely left the floor, finishing 10th in the conference in minutes played.

"She got a ton of minutes last year and really benefited from them," Carlsen said. "She's a smart player, a very good offensive rebounder and finishes really well. I think she can repeat some of the things she did last year and not have to play 38 minutes per game to do it. Devon is very steady and will be a key player for us this season."

Senior Amy Smith and redshirt sophomore Carol Kruckman round out the Flyers' depth at the forward spot.

"I think Amy is really looking forward to having a great senior year," Carlsen said. "She's really improved the last couple years and can be a tough matchup as an undersized post player with nice range who can do things facing the basket."

Kruckman missed last season due to injury.

"Carol is strong and makes our post players a lot better," Carlsen said. "She works hard inside and loves to shoot the ball."

Redshirt senior Kelly Dianis broke her wrist on her shooting hand last season and missed the majority of the season. Now she is back for one final season. Dianis is known around the league as one of the best shooters from the outside.

"Kelly is our captain and it's great to have her back," Carlsen said. "The injury made her do a lot of things with her left hand and she's improved especially off the dribble. Kelly is a great leader and takes care of everybody. She never takes a play off. She is our rock."

Redshirt junior Kelly Monaco stepped into a starting role last season following Dianis' injury. Monaco made her own name from long range last season, draining 71 3-pointers, tying for the second most in a single season in Lewis history.

"Nobody can shoot the ball like Kelly can and I think she's actually improved from last year," Carlsen said. "She works hard and spends lots of time in the gym shooting. She will make teams have to extend their defense and really open things up for us offensively."

Monaco and Dianis hope to be receiving many passes from junior point guard Kady Currin. The Cincinnati, Ohio native ranked sixth in the conference in assists last season with an average of 3.9 per game. She also took care of the ball, ranking eighth in the conference with a 1.43 assist/turnover ratio.

"She's done a good job of helping a young team know what's going on early this season," Carlsen said. "I don't have to tell Kady something more than once. She can adjust on the fly and get the ball to people where they can be successful. Her toughness and leadership are essential elements to our success this season."

Look for Currin to hold down the starting role however the Flyers enter the season very deep at the guard position, specifically at point guard. Senior Lauresha Hawkins enters her third season in Carlsen's offense and is very capable at the position.

"Lauresha knows how to run our offense and what my expectations are," Carlsen said. "She is a good full court defender and adds a spark for us with her play."

Look for freshman Ty Ali to learn under Currin and Hawkins this season.

"Ty is a true point guard," Carlsen said. "She sees the floor well and is a good passer. It will be good for her to have a year to learn under a couple veterans."

Sophomore Sierra West saw time at both point guard and shooting guard last season. This year look for West to see more time at both positions.

"Sierra had a great offseason," Carlsen said. "She's another player who is good in the open court and with good three point range. I think with a year under her belt she is set up to have a great year."

West and freshman Labrenthia Murdock will add great depth in the back court. Murdock graduated from Round Lake as the school's third all-time leading scorer.

"Labrenthia is a player who can create her own shot because of her athletisism and loves the open court. She has good range and is long and active on the defensive end."

Murdock rounds out a group of five newcomers to the Lewis club. The hope is the new additions will mesh with the returners to help the Flyers reach their goal of a trip to the regional tournament.

"This group is poised to take the next step," Carlsen said. "We have a core group returning who understands where this program needs to get back to. It should be a fun year."

The Flyers start the 2009-10 regular season at home on Monday against Florida Southern at 7 p.m. It's the first time Lewis has begun their season in Romeoville since 2005.