BY SCOTT
HADDOW
The Laurentian University women's basketball team has plenty to
prove this season, and they will put their money where their
mouths are starting this weekend.
The Lady Vees host the York Lions on Saturday at the Ben Avery
Gymnasium at 6 pm. York is ranked sixth in Canada.
Last season, the women, despite finishing second in the OUA
East Division, struggled with a 12-10 record. Depth and
injuries were their nemesis.
Ottawa bounced the squad in the first round of the playoffs
51-47.
This time around, the Lady Vees have changed their style,
lineup and thinking.
"We're playing a new style...playing really fast and trying to
score," said head coach Mike Clarke. "Some of our rookies will
be key for us. Our second year players are getting more time.
We have a lot more depth than we did last year. It was tough
last year. The beatings were hard to take, but it has really
paid off and prepared us to be a lot more competitive this year
and we will be better...we're already better."
Once again, the team will rely heavily on OUA and CIS All-Star
Cassandra Carpenter, who lead the team in scoring last year
with 499 points.
She has been moved from the post to the guard position.
"Cassandra is our most important player," said the bench boss.
"Her role has changed. I don't expect her to score as much, but
her assists, steals and play making will all go up. Cassandra
is such a fine athlete that having the ball in her hands more
makes us better overall. It's also the only way I can really
challenge her at this point of her career. She can keep kicking
everybody's ass, but that will not keep her motivated or
improve her game."
The club will also put plenty of faith into veterans Lisa
Roberts and Darrah Bumstead.
"They're rock-solid," said Clarke. "Lisa is hitting her shots
and concentrating on scoring. Darrah has been playing
well...good defence and her offensive game has picked up."
The squad added two high profile local recruits this past
summer - Lasalle's Lisa Furchner and Lockerby's Katie Goggins.
Both have already displayed a lot of potential.
"Katie has shown us she can have an impact," said Clarke. "Last
weekend, she scored 22 points versus Bishop's University - the
number seven-ranked team in the country. Lisa has shown she can
handle the physical nature of the play. She's already made
moves and stuff...that at times, made her look like an
All-Canadian. They have both been phenomenal at times."
Laurentian isn't looking to take a step back again this
year.
"We definitely want to be no less than second in the East,"
said Clarke. "It's a realistic goal. Our first game is against
York. They're the number six-ranked team in Canada, so we will
know were we stand after we play them. We will be tough."
The Lady Vees could have more swagger on the court.
"Our depth and spirit will define this team," said Clarke. "We
have great chemistry. It will allow us to compete with the good
teams."
