St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Women's Basketball 2006-07 Season Outlook
11/1/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Arguably the best season in program history, 2005-06 was a year of impressive achievements for the St. John???s women???s basketball team - a 22-8 overall record, a national ranking for the first time in more than 20 years, an appearance in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and a long list of postseason accolades.
A year ago, it was juniors Angela Clark and Kia Wright setting the pace with three senior starters in Greeba Barlow, Danielle Chambers and Tara Walker to put St. John???s women???s basketball back on the map. Now, as the only two returning starters from last year???s championship run, Wright and Clark return for their senior seasons as one of the nation???s most exciting one-two combinations.
They will be called upon to lead a group of underclassmen back to the NCAA Tournament and continue the amazing turnaround that St. John???s has experienced, but they will not do it alone. Junior Tiina Sten, who gave the Red Storm key minutes throughout the season returns after another summer of playing international basketball, while sophomore Monique McLean will be asked to boost her impact from a reserve to a key contributor.
Head coach Kim Barnes Arico enters her fifth year on the Red Storm sidelines after being voted the BIG EAST Conference???s Coach of the Year in 2006. One of the dynamic young coaches in the game, she has orchestrated a comeback of epic proportions at St. John???s and Year Five of the Barnes Arico Era should be no exception.
???I know those things don???t happen every year,??? Barnes Arico said of last year???s success. ???I know you can???t just show up and expect them to happen. You have to work hard and know that this is a new team and a new season. We graduated five tremendous kids who brought a lot of positive things to the program, so I???m excited to see what our younger kids have to offer.???
It starts with Clark and Wright, who will spend their eighth season playing basketball together on the same team. Graduates of Long Island???s Copiague High School, both were voted to the BIG EAST all-conference team as well as the Metropolitan Basketball Writer???s Association All-Met first team. Wright led the team in scoring last season, while Clark ranked second and led the squad in rebounding.
???With the loss of three starters, we need Angela and Kia to step up and be even better than they were last year,??? Barnes Arico said. ???They are both great players, but what was great about our team last year was that on any given night any person could be the leading scorer or the best defender, or do something that made our team win. The chemistry is going to change, but I???m excited to get started.???
BACKCOURT
Wright, McLean and sophomore Lisa Claxton are the returning guards for the Red Storm. Wright saw action at both the wing and point guard positions last year and had an extremely successful second year in the league. She led the team in scoring with 14.8 points per game, 75 steals and 135 assists. She was second in the BIG EAST in steals per game (2.50) and free throw percentage (85.2 percent).
Particularly effective on the big stage, Wright exploded offensively at the NCAA Tournament for St. John???s. Over two games, she averaged 24.5 points, 7.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds. She will be relied on for her scoring, but also for her reputation as one of the league???s most tenacious defenders. Following last year???s postseason run, Wright was selected to try out for USA Basketball???s Under-20 team.
???Kia proved she is one of the best players in the country at the NCAA Tournament last year,??? Barnes Arico said. ???I???m hoping she takes off from there. She???s got to continue to work and challenge herself every day, but she does a tremendous job for us getting everyone involved.???
McLean saw action in all of the Red Storm???s 30 games last year, including two starts, and in her ???sixth man??? role, averaged 7.0 points and 2.5 rebounds. She will be called upon to provide consistent scoring and a physical defensive presence.
???Monique???s strength is that she???s an excellent scorer,??? Barnes Arico said. ???Last year she was tremendous at times, and she was a freshman at times, which was to be expected. She gained valuable experience playing in the NCAA Tournament and playing in some big games.???
Claxton struggled with injuries during her rookie season, but showcased her talent in her 26 appearances. Barnes Arico calls her the only true point guard on the Red Storm roster, and also one of the most naturally talented players on the squad.
She averaged 14.7 minutes per game last year, in addition to 2.54 assists per game.
???Lisa is so talented. She could really help the team and be a big contributor,??? Barnes Arico said.
Allie Patterson, a Red Storm freshman out of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., and Nikki Jo Rotolo, a rookie from Rome, N.Y., will look to compete for time at the guard positions as well.
???Allie is 6-1, has great speed and can defend,??? Barnes Arico said. ???She is quick, great off the dribble and gets to the basket well. She is the type of player that can play inside or outside.???
Kelly McManmon, a transfer from Indiana, will have to sit out during the 2006-07 year to fulfill NCAA transfer requirements. She played in seven games for the Hoosiers and came out of Lee High School in Lee, Mass.
???We???re hoping that Kelly will be a very positive addition to our program,??? Barnes Arico said. ???She???s one of the best shooters out there and we hope she can be a 3-point specialist for us.???
FRONTCOURT
Clark headlines the Red Storm post players, having ranked second on the team in scoring (13.8 points per game) and rebounding (8.4 per game). Perhaps more impressively, she shot 54.0 percent from the field, good for third in the BIG EAST, and was also sixth in the league for rebounds per game.
She scored her 1,000th point last season to become the only player to accomplish the feat in the Kim Barnes Arico Era at St. John???s, and consistently performed well in big games for the Red Storm.
???Last year, Angela had a goal to go out and show everyone she was one of the best players in the league and she did that,??? Barnes Arico said. ???She deserves it. She does a great job of holding her own and being strong and knowing how to score.???
Joining Clark down low is Sten, who spent another summer playing for her native Finland. Sten played in all 30 games last year, averaging 14.3 minutes, 4.1 points and 2.1 rebounds per game, and seemed to peak at the end of last season.
???Tiina showed us what kind of player she could be at the NCAA Tournament last year. She was strong, physical and made shots. I want to see more of that from Tiina this year.???
Angel Tate is the third returning post player. She saw action in 14 games, and is an athletic, 6-2 forward. ???If Angel does the things we need her to do, she will have a huge impact on the team,??? Barnes Arico said. ???Those things are: rebound and defend.???
Newcomers Joy McCorvey, Victoria Hodges and Recee Mitchell will factor into the post positions as well.
Hodges averaged a double-double for Farmington High School in Connecticut, while McCorvey was a top three finalist for the The Birmingham News??? Miss Basketball Award in Alabama. Mitchell, meanwhile, was an all-district and all-East Texas honoree out of Tyler, Texas.
THE SCHEDULE
Highlighting the St. John???s University women???s basketball team???s 2006-07 schedule will be a home contest against Connecticut at Madison Square Garden, a first round game at Carnesecca Arena in the Preseason Women???s National Invitation Tournament and match-ups with 14 opponents that advanced to last year???s postseason.
???Our schedule is again very tough,??? Barnes Arico said. ???I feel that we play in the top conference in the country, the BIG EAST, and it???s challenging when you add to that the Preseason WNIT with some of the greatest programs in the country along with a regular season that includes teams like North Carolina and Hartford.???
The 2006-07 campaign gets underway on Nov. 9, when the Red Storm hosts Iona in the first round of the prestigious Preseason WNIT following a Nov. 2 exhibition game against Team adidas Elite. The field for the Preseason WNIT includes 11 teams that played in the postseason last year, and three former NCAA national champions.
Baylor, BYU, Dartmouth, Hartford, NC State, Purdue, St. John???s and Stanford played in the 2006 NCAA Tournament, while Belmont, Hofstra and Idaho State participated in the Postseason WNIT. High Point, Iona, Loyola-Marymount, North Texas and Wichita State round out the Preseason WNIT field.
On Jan. 21, St. John???s will continue what has become an exciting tradition for the women???s basketball program and play a BIG EAST game against Connecticut in The World???s Most Famous Arena, Madison Square Garden.
???One of the greatest experiences for the players in our program is to be able to play at Madison Square Garden,??? Barnes Arico said. ???It is the home of some of the greatest basketball players of all time, both men and women. For us to have the opportunity to walk on that floor and represent St. John???s University and have it as our home floor is an honor. When our kids step on that court, they enjoy the experience and they look forward to it from the moment they decide to come to St. John???s.???
The 2006 BIG EAST Tournament will be held March 3-6 at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Conn.
