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How do you define your legacy?
The Lady T’s basketball program has known tremendous success for
the past thirty years.
Fourteen conference championships, five national tournament appearances
with “Elite Eight” and “Sweet Sixteen” finishes, and numerous
All-Conference, All-American and Academic All-Americans have created an
expectation of excellence for the Dakota State Lady T’s basketball
program.
The 2008 senior class is establishing themselves as one of the
elite recruiting classes in DSU basketball history.
Their resume includes back-to-back conference championships, a
conference tournament championship and two national tournament
appearances with an “Elite Eight” finish in 2006.
So, in a program with a long history of success, what can this
group do to add to the storied legacy of Lady T basketball?
The Lady T’s of 2007-08 have a number of challenges ahead of
them. Not only will they be
defending their two consecutive conference championships and conference
tournament championship but they will be facing one of the toughest
schedules in Dakota State history.
Two of their first three games will be against teams ranked in
the national polls (Hastings - #3 and Morningside - #8).
Additionally, the Lady T’s will play another ten games against
ranked opponents or teams receiving national recognition.
To top that, DSU will challenge five NCAA DII schools including
#1 ranked U. of North Dakota, #22 Augustana College, Mankato State,
Northern State, and SW Minnesota State.
And, to make all this even more difficult, eleven of their
fourteen non-conference games will be on the road.
And that’s just the pre-season.
The Lady T’s will begin play in the Dakota Athletic conference
against nationally ranked S.D. Tech, Mayville State and nationally
recognized Jamestown College and Black Hills State.
Add to that trips to Minot, Dickinson and Valley City State and
you have a schedule that will test the heart and mental toughness of any
team. Leading the charge in 2007-08 will be six talented and experienced seniors. In the frontcourt, 6-1 Laura Tewes is one of the most athletic forwards in the league. She was named to the DAC All-Conference team last year and has been an All-American high jumper the past two seasons. 6-2 center Maria Gengler is the anchor for the Lady T’s defense, becoming the all-time shot-blocker last season. Maria will need to be a dominant performer at both ends of the court this year in order for Dakota State to establish their low post game. Jessica VanLoy is a two-time Honorable Mention All-American who has shown remarkable offensive and defensive skills. However, Jess will need to establish herself as a consistent scorer this season for Lady T's. Jess’ ability to score from the perimeter, off the dribble and in the low post will be a big part of the DSU offensive attack. In the backcourt, Dakota State has a trio of experienced, talented guards. 5-9 shooting guard Jill Hansen and 5-6 point guard Nicole Geraets are both excellent shooters who can put the ball on the floor and create scoring opportunities for themselves and their teammates. Angela Carr is a combination guard who can play either position. Angela is an All-Conference performer with outstanding range and is a great finisher on her drives to the basket. These three will be expected to handle the pressure brought by the talented guard corps they will face throughout the season. Additionally, they must create pressure on the defensive end and force turnovers which will allow DSU to get their explosive running game going. Rebounding and defensive pressure will be two key components if the Lady T’s are to have the offensive output necessary to compete with this year’s opponents. The Lady T’s have two juniors who will be counted on to add depth to the DSU attack. Tricia Boldt is an excellent rebounder who will need to use her quickness and strength to give DSU another low post performer. Lindsey Wingen is a 5-8 small forward adding speed and quickness to the DSU perimeter game.
The sophomore class will provide
the Dakota State backcourt with quickness and
shooting. Alyssa Kirk is a
talented combo guard with a deadly perimeter shot while Megan Swecker is
a physical athlete who can play both the point guard and small forward
positions. Shooting guards
Becky Smith and Whitney Wagner are capable of scoring quickly and give
the Lady T’s additional offensive firepower.
6-0 forward Dayna Tschakert can shoot the 16’ jump shot as well
as play a power game in the low post.
These five sophomores will need to step up their games this
season if the Lady T’s are to have the depth needed to handle the
back-to-back weekend series in DAC conference play.
Eight freshmen will join the Dakota State roster, making this the
largest Lady T’s squad in history.
In the backcourt, Abby Mehlbrech and Chelsea Ringo add quickness
to the point guard position.
Carmyn Streitz, Brittany Kokesch, and Brittney Rabbitt are excellent
shooters and scorers. In the
frontcourt, Becky Rhody and Ashley Broughton are outstanding athletes
who will help the Lady T’s running game and rebounding needs while
Brittany Pearson and Allison Winkle will add power to the Lady T's
inside game. Forward Ashley
Mailey will redshirt this season but will return to the DSU front line
next season.
Can this group of Lady T’s win a third consecutive Dakota
Athletic Conference title?
Is this the team capable of qualifying for a third consecutive trip to
the NAIA National Tournament?
If they qualify, can they do something no other Lady T’s squad
has ever done and advance beyond the Elite Eight round?
What will the legacy of this team be when the 2007-08 season is
over? In a storied
basketball program with a history of outstanding teams and players, the
2007-08 team has an opportunity to reach levels exceeding anything in
the past. Lady T fans will
want to watch this team each night – history might be made this season.
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