QUICK 2011-12 SYNOPSIS: After making three consecutive trips to the NAIA Division II National Tournament, the Lady Yotes will have to replace their all-time leading scorer and five other seniors from last season’s 18-14 team. With a small, but talented returning group, along with a solid recruiting class, The C of I is poised to continue their run among the top teams in the Cascade Conference.
LIVE STATS / LIVE VIDEO: All C of I home games will feature Live Stats and Live Video during the 2011-12 season. Live Stats can be viewed online at http://www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/livestats/xlive.htm, while Live Video can be viewed online at http://www.uppersports.com/broadcast_iframe/4415. Currently, the Coyotes do not have plans to have games aired on radio in 2011-12, but will have play-by-play from SID Mike Safford on all home video broadcasts.
ABOUT THE COACH: Reagan Rossi begins her 11th season as head coach of the Lady Yotes. During her first 10 seasons at The C of I, the native of Mukwonago, Wisc. has compiled a 184-123 overall record, with 10 consecutive appearances in the Cascade Conference Tournament, two CCC regular-season titles, and three-consecutive NAIA Division II National Tournament appearances. In 2008-09, she led the Coyotes to a school record 29-5 season, sharing their first CCC title since 2001 - earning a berth to the NAIA Division II National Tournament. The team set a new school record with 21 consecutive wins, highest scoring average, and defeated Weber State for their first-ever NCAA Division I victory, climbing as high as No. 8 in the NAIA Top-25 poll. In 2009-10, her squad went 21-8, winning the CCC title outright, along with claiming their first-ever CCC Tournament championship, while last season, the Yotes advanced to the CCC Tournament title game and earned an automatic berth to the National Tournament. She has coached a pair of second-team All-Americans and two third-team All-Americans, while 16 of her recruits have earned NAIA All-America Scholar-Athlete honors. Rossi was no stranger to The C of I, as she was a member of Todd Corman's inaugural coaching staff for two seasons, and was on the bench when the Lady Yotes took to the floor for the first time on Nov. 4, 1995 against Carroll College, ending an 18-year hiatus of women's basketball at the school. Rossi has an extensive background in coaching - having been an assistant coach at Georgetown (Ky.), a fellow NAIA institution, along with Morehead State (Ky.), an NCAA Division I program. Before coming to The C of I in 1995, Rossi was an assistant coach with the Skagway High School boys' varsity team in Skagway, Alaska. A 1994 graduate of Saint Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, Rossi played four years of basketball for the Queen Bees. Two of her teams qualified for the NAIA National Tournament, including the 1993-94 squad which advanced into the "Sweet Sixteen." She was the starting point-guard for two seasons, averaging ten points and six assists per game during her senior season. In 2006, she was inducted into the Mukwonago High School Hall of Fame.
PRESEASON POLLS: The CCC will release its preseason Coaches’ Poll on Thursday and the 15-player CCC Preseason All-Conference Team next week, while the NAIA will release the preseason Division II Coaches’ Poll on Oct. 24. The C of I has been ranked or receiving votes in the NAIA poll each of the last five years.
LAST SEASON / PLAYERS LOST: A senior laden class led the Lady Yotes during the 2010-11 season, as the squad sputtered out of the gates, going 5-5 in non-conference play, including an 0-3 record against Division III teams. The C of I picked up the pace in CCC play, starting 4-1, finishing the season with an 11-7 mark, placing fourth overall. After a home win over Warner Pacific in the CCC Tournament quarterfinals, the Yotes upended Corban in the semifinals on the road to reach the league championship game, losing to Concordia on a buzzer-beater. The squad earned one of two automatic berths allotted to the CCC to the national tournament, where the Coyotes lost 96-78 to eventual national champion, Northwestern (Iowa). The team was led by three-time All-America guard, Nicole Gall, who averaged 19 points a game, finishing as the most prolific scorer in program history, connecting on more field goals, three pointers, and recording more steals than any other Lady Yote. The team will also have to replace All-CCC post Nicole Bruce, along with reserve forwards Tyra Rickman, Rachel Rasmussen, Kathryn Beus, and Brianna Hansen.
POSITION BY POSITION – POINT GUARDS: The lone returning All-CCC player will man the point for the Lady Yotes, as Katelin Shannon is one of the premier playmakers in the league. The junior averaged 11 points and five rebounds last season, ranking second in the league with 90 steals. “Katelin is as tough as it gets,” said Rossi. She will be joined by sophomore Diamond Mitchell, who saw action in 23 games in her first season – averaging nearly a steal per game. Joining the returners is freshman Aleah Lowber, who earned All-State honors at Boise High. “With a year under her belt, Diamond will play with much more confidence this season, while Aleah comes from a great prep program and is a proven winner.”
POSITION BY POSITION – WINGS: Having to replace a three-time All-American will be a difficult chore for the Lady Yotes, but a quartet of players look to be up to the task to fill the void left by Nicole Gall. Transfer Felicity Jones will be a go-to player for the Yotes this season, coming off an All-Region 18 selection at the College of Southern Idaho. Jones, a 5-7 slasher, can attack the basket and has a solid perimeter jumper. Returning players Meghan Hughes and Dayna Drager will also be a factor for the Lady Yotes. Hughes, a senior, averaged nine points and five rebounds a game last season, while Drager, a sophomore, averaged seven points a night and ranked second on the team in three-pointers made. The wild card will be senior Marquina Gilliam-Hicks, who missed the majority of the 2010-11 season with a knee injury. “Felicity is the whole package,” said Rossi. “She has the ability to be a game-changer. Both Meghan and Dayna spent a lot of time in the gym during the offseason, as Meghan has improved her jump shot, while has worked on her ability to get to the basket. I hope that Marquina will be back to full speed in December, as she is such a gamer.”
POSITION BY POSITION – FORWARDS/POSTS: Graduating all five low-post players from last season, the Lady Yotes will have a different feel on the block in 2011-12. Two junior college transfers and a freshman will battle for time at the forward position – as College of Southern Idaho transfers Kylie Hardison and Tina Fakahafua, and Nevada native Stacey Kerr will give the Coyotes varying intangibles. Both Hardison and Kerr have the ability to drive to the basket or hit the outside jumper, while Fakahafua is comfortable playing on the perimeter or posting up. “I like what our forwards can do,” said Rossi. “They are not one-dimensional and all are able to finish around the basket.” The Yotes also have a pair of true posts in transfer Laura Geis and freshman Jessica Aguilar. Geis, who played two seasons at Montana Western, stands at 6-2 – an outstanding interior defender with the ability to block shots, while Aguilar, a six-footer from Caldwell High, has raw athleticism that and an extremely high work ethic. “With Laura and Jessica, we will definitely have a presence on the block on both ends of the floor,” said the head coach.
NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE: The Lady Yotes will play an ambitious non-conference schedule this season, including a trio of road trips – each going a different direction. The C of I will open the season with their first trip to California since trips to Santa Cruz and Irvine in 2001-02, traveling to Oakland to meet California Pacific Conference foes Menlo and NAIA Tournament participant, Holy Names. The Yotes will then make their annual trip to Salt Lake City for the Westminster Classic, meeting NAIA Division I teams Carroll, Westminster, and Montana Western, before closing out the road portion of the preseason with a date at Montana Tech. The C of I will play a trio of non-league home games, facing a Walla Walla and a quality Fresno Pacific team in the Best Western Caldwell Inn and Suites Lady Yote Classic, along with a rematch with Montana Western in December. The team will also play two exhibition games against NCAA competition, games at Northwest Nazarene and Montana State.
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE: Each year, the parity in the CCC continues to improve, and the 2011-12 season will be no different. Look for Corban to be the team to beat, as the Warriors return All-America guard Katie Steigleman along with size on the block. Defending champion, Concordia, must replace CCC Player of the Year Danielle Clauson, but return starting guards Courtney May and Rachel Scarpelli. Warner Pacific had an outstanding recruiting class that will be built around All-CCC pick Kelsey Mattsen, while Northwest, which placed third last year, returns All-CCC post Jessalyn Jackson. Eastern Oregon will also be in the hunt, as the Mountaineers return All-CCC guard Kyle Miller and added a talented recruiting class, with Southern Oregon bolstering their line-up around guard Josi McDermott. Oregon Tech returns four starters and will be improved this season, Northwest Christian must replace a pair of All-CCC pick, while Evergreen State has a new cast of characters this season to compliment sophomore post Danielle Swain.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information on The C of I women’s basketball program, head to the official homepage of the Coyotes, http://www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wmensbasketball.htm.