Concordia's Danielle Clauson won the CCC's Freshman of the year honor last season.
Senior Imports Provide Instant Impact for Cavaliers in 2008-09
The Concordia women’s basketball became a veteran team nearly overnight last summer. Initially faced with the possibility of fielding a team with just two returning upperclassmen, head coach Aaron Christian brought in senior sisters Angela and Rebecca Gimeno as well as a pair of junior transfers with Kippy Powers and Kourtney Craft joining the program to triple the representation of the elder two classes in the offseason. Combined with a group of players that received significant minutes as freshman last season, the Cavs are looking to continue their ascension up the Cascade Collegiate Conference standings.
Leading the way for the returners will be senior Maryam Razavi, junior Ann Snodderly and sophomore Danielle Clauson.
Razavi, now in her third season with the Cavs, was a consistent force on both ends of the court last year. After leading the team in points as a sophomore, Razavi’s scoring average dipped to 9.6 points per game, a number still good for second on the club, but Christian credits Razavi’s improvement on defense as a key two-way player for the Cavs.
“By the end of the season she was often guarding the opponent’s best player,” Christian said. “But she still is an excellent shooter for us that can run the court well and score in bunches.”
Also in her third season, Snodderly was once again among the conference leaders in blocks with 1.23 rejections per game. The 6-foot-4 Snodderly also contributed with 6.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.
“Ann has the potential to be as good as any post in the CCC. She has tremendous touch around the basket and on defense she has the size and skills to make people alter their shot,” Christian said.
The CCC Freshman of the Year, Clauson led the team in points, rebounds, assists and steals in her debut in the Navy and White en route to being named honorable mention All-CCC.
“Danielle keeps working on the little things and continues to get better. We will be surprised if she repeats the same statistical performance as we will have more supporting members on this team. But she’s accepted that if it means better team success,” Christian said.
The four other returners to the team, all sophomores, combined for 14.2 points and 10.4 rebounds per game, but more importantly appeared in a cumulative 113 games as a quartet, providing the team with a youthful group that has already seen the week-in and week-out tests the conference has to offer.
Making 10 starts in her freshman campaign, Haley Roth gained the most experience of the bunch with 648 minutes on the floor. Christian said that Roth isn’t the flashy player that fills out the stat sheet every night but provides a consistent presence in the lineup, rarely turning the ball over and finding a way to get to loose balls and rebounds with her hustle.
On the inside, the coaching staff found out early that Sarah Eischen can play bigger than she is. A 5-foot-11 post, Eischen routinely showed her efficiency by securing 3.8 rebounds per game while averaging under 13 minutes per contest and shooting at a 50.9 success rate from the floor.
Rounding out the sophomore class are Rachel Bristow and Madison Steinmetz. Bristow made her way into all 31 games for the Cavs last season and tied for the team lead by converting 31.7 percent of her attempts from long range. Steinmetz entered 22 contests and contributed with an all-around game that fetches assists and steals.
“Madison understands our offense. She knows the roles of everyone on the floor and not just her position. She showed flashes of great performances in some games last season,” Christian said.
After each garnered postseason experience and accolades while playing at Montana Tech the Gimeno sisters headline this year’s recruiting class.
While Angela is listed at 5-foot-5 compared to 5-foot-4 for Rebecca, the siblings bring a comparable game to the floor. Both can be tabbed as great ball handlers, scorers and leaders on the court.
“They are difficult to slow down,” Christian said. “But perhaps their best attribute is that they are extremely positive and are relentless workers. They go out and seek ways to make the team better.”
Fellow transfers, Kippy Powers will reteam with Christian after previously playing for the coach while at Clark College and Kourtney Craft arrives to Concordia after two seasons at Lower Columbia.
“Kippy always gives you everything she has got to offer,” Christian said. “She makes up for her weaknesses by battling on every play. She has no limits on who she will try and block out. Kourtney is another scrappy player who will dive after balls. She is good with the ball and can also hit the open jumper.”
Finalizing the roster is the two-member freshman class consisting of Kenna Borgmeier and Rachel Scarpelli. Borgmeier will don the Navy and White after a strong career with the powerhouse Oregon City High School basketball team while Scarpelli was a three-time all-conference and second-team all-state pick last season while at Reynolds High School.
“Kenna is already the strongest overall player in the program. She is a true point guard that gets us into our offense,” Christian said. “Rachel is a scoring threat off the drive and with the jumper. She will give us an immediate scoring impact off our bench.”
Overall, Christian feels as though this year’s team has good balance with the inside and outside players available, but the key will be to see how quickly the group bonds and finds their roles.
“I honestly believe that every team in the CCC got better this year. We have definitely improved our depth with a lot of newcomers, but getting everyone to gel is going to be an immediate need,” Christian said. “And throughout the season, like any other team, staying focused and staying positive will help drive our success.”