Women's hoops starts intense season...

Building on experience leads to greatness. The women's basketball team is counting on their experienced veterans and a fresh crop of rookies to carry them this year. An encouraging record of 10-16 last season and a strong recruiting class will help the team pick up where they left off last year as they strive for the Ivy League championship.

On Mon., Nov. 10, the team faced a tough and experienced Slovakian select squad in an exhibition game and lost 90-72. Although early season defeats can be tough mentally, the team did not go into the game looking only to win.

"We always play an exhibition game against the Slovakian team," head coach Cecilia DeMarco said. "They play a style of basketball which reveals shortcomings in our play." DeMarco, Yale's all-time winningest coach, returns for her eighth season on the sidelines. With the core of her team returning, DeMarco looks to institute a more fast-paced style of play, especially on defense, where she hopes that a furious press will lead to easy points.

Julia Tiernan/YH Sarah Perkins, MC '01

As the Bulldogs kick off the season against Hartford on Tues., Nov. 18, they will be looking for steady improvement in their team dynamics as well as their individual skills. Adding an increased intensity to the Bulldogs style of the play this winter will also be essential. In past years, the team has had neither the physical ability nor the depth to properly implement a pressure defense.

With so many returning letter winners and talented freshmen, DeMarco feels that this year will be a good one to use the more physically demanding defense. "We're pressing this year because that way we can play more players off the bench," forward Autumn Braddock, BK '99, said. "Learning to press correctly takes time though." The game against the Slovakian squad helped players see why transitions become so essential to the high-tempo style that accompanies the press. "Everybody prefers the up-tempo style of play," Katie O'Leary, BK '98, said. "It's more fun to play, and it's a lot more exciting to watch." O'Leary, one of the team's starting guards, started every game last season.

The Slovakian team stretched the Bulldogs' press and demonstrated their superior shooting skills. Their European style of basketball, which includes extensive passing, outside shooting, and an overall delicate, finesse style of play, forced the Bulldogs to regroup often and rebound harder.

In the first half Slovakia shot above 70 percent from the field, only to see that number drop in the second half as Yale came out with improved defense. The Bulldogs picked up the pace, on offense and defense, and finished the game strong despite the 18-point deficit.

Last year's team was a talented group that won five of their final seven games, and a successful European tour this past spring has given the team momentum coming into the fall. The team improved throughout last season, and they hope to continue their improvement through the course of this season. Their extensive experience and intensity should translate into more wins.

All five of last year's starters are returning, including center Katy Grubbs, SM '99, a second team All-Ivy selection who led the team in both scoring and rebounding last year. Braddock returns after topping the Ivy League in three-point shooting, and O'Leary returns to join Kelly Denit, DC '00, in the backcourt. Denit was an Ivy League All-Rookie selection last season. The experienced lineup knows what it takes to win games. Their leadership will help to mold the strong recruiting class. "We have good upperclassmen that will show the enthusiastic freshmen how to win games," DeMarco said.

The season opens on the road against Hartford. Although they do not begin conference play until Wed., Jan. 7, the team is already focusing on improving and showing the rest of the league that they can compete at the highest level. Two-time defending league champion Harvard is expected to be a strong presence at the top of the Ancient Eight again this year.

"The Harvard-Dartmouth weekend is always a difficult series, and Brown always gives us a good game," O'Leary said. The Bulldogs will use their early non-conference games to refine and hone their skills preparing for Ivy League action. Although most of the teams they will face in the preseason are better on paper, the team will use the games as measuring sticks so they can see themselves developing as a team.

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