Is increased athleticism the needed spark?

By Jay Goldklang

"With no season-ending tournament, we need to play like every game is a championship game," Yale women's basketball Head Coach Amy Backus said about the upcoming season. Although the Elis face the difficult task of rebounding from a 9-18 season in which they finished seventh in the Ivy League, Backus asserts that they have improved at every position and are ready for a breakout year. "We have one of the most athletic teams I've ever coached, and [we] are already doing better than we did last year," she said. "We should be right up there with the stronger Ivy teams."

The strength of this year's squad may be its balance, as a large contingent of returning Elis fill the starting spots. Brynn Gingras, TC '04, logged valuable minutes at point guard last season and will take the helm again this year. Gingras contributes excellent shooting, important leadership and, according to Backus, has become physically and mentally stronger.

Three-point threat and All-Ivy selection Maria Smear, BR '03, leads the returning Elis in scoring and will be the starting two-guard. Though she relied on finesse in her first two seasons, Smear used the off-season to improve the physical aspects of her game. Caitlin Bair, TD '02, a player whom Backus calls a "cagey slasher," will also contribute vital minutes with her tough defense and backcourt versatility.

The Bulldog front court is led by its starting center, Captain Meg Simpson, SY '02, whom Backus called "the glue keeping everything together." "Meg is an excellent rebounder on both ends, a calming influence when things get out of control, and a highly skilled, unselfish passer," Backus said. Aubrey Smith, DC '04, has improved her shooting touch and aggressiveness, both of which will bolster her play as a backup center.

The Elis' increased athleticism will allow starting small forward Helene Schutrumpf, BK '03, to showcase her offensive talents. Schut-rumpf, who finished second on the team in scoring last season, should benefit from more open shots as the Bulldogs employ a faster pace. Christina Phillips, JE '04, will fill the void at power forward created by the loss of last year's captain, Alyson Miller, JE '01, to graduation. Despite her size, Phillips has a dangerous outside shot that often fools defenders. But she spent the off-season refining her defensive skills and should supply aggressive defense to accompany her scoring touch.

Backus touted the team's five freshman recruits as "tremendous." Simpson added that the athleticism of the freshmen "transforms us into a running team." While 11 of the team's 17 players are underclassmen, seniors Bair and Kate Merker, ES '02, lead by example with remarkable work ethics on the court and dedication to their studies off it. Tough defeats plagued the 2000-01 Bulldogs, but the experience of Yale's upperclassmen in close games should prepare the team for the coming season. "We must come out early and set the pace, rather than allowing those games to get close in the first place," Simpson said.

Fans should expect the agile Bulldogs to be exciting on both ends of the hardwood. Motion offense gives players the freedom to make appropriate reads and will allow them to push the ball more than they have in recent seasons. Yale was second in the league in three-point percentage last year, and this year's wealth of three-point talent foretells similar success. The Bulldogs will also keep crowds energized with full-court defensive pressure.

After a two-year adjustment to Backus' complicated system, which she introduced upon her arrival at Yale in 1999, the team should be able to take full advantage of its intricacies. The motion offense is difficult to master, but once learned, it is even more difficult to stop. "We are more familiar with the new offense than we have ever been, and that should help our play," Schutrumpf said.

Backus believes her team can now focus on practicing game situations rather than addressing the fundamentals, allowing her players to develop a more conceptual approach to the game. She also thinks the team's maturity has led to greater chemistry and unselfishness among the Elis. "Our progress will allow us to find the basket much better than last year," Backus said.

The defending Ivy League champion Pennsylvania Quakers are rebuilding after the graduation of three-time Ivy League Player of the Year Diana Caramanico '01, leaving several teams to vie for this year's Ivy title. Harvard returns an experienced and well-rounded team, and Backus noted that Dartmouth is always a contender, consistently finishing in the league's top three. Should Yale survive its early league games, the Ivy race could come down to the wire, as the Bulldogs will face Penn, Harvard, and Dartmouth in their final three games.

"Our performance will depend on whether we are confident that we can hang onto our leads and play to win, rather than play not to lose," Backus said. In order to carry this confidence into their Ivy League games, the Bulldogs must win the early non-conference games they lost last year against teams like Central Connecticut and Hartford. They will play an exhibition game against a team from Turkey on Tues., Nov. 13 before opening their season at Quinnipiac on Sun., Nov. 18.

"If we stay healthy and maintain our confidence and competitive spirit," Backus said, "there's no reason for us not to be right up there with the other talented Ivies."

Photo by Rebecca Rosenthal.

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