2007/2008 Women's Basketball Schedule
Head Coach: Linda Nash (12th year)
Assistant Coach: Ray Fron (12th year ), Mary Nienhuis (4th year)
2007-08 Record: 25-8 overall 9-5 WHAC

* (((W))) = stats broadcasted live on web

2007-2008 Roster

The Aquinas College women’s basketball team is looking to rebound from last year’s season that could have been subtitled, “so close, but yet so far away.”  The Saints ended the 2006-07season with a disappointing second place finish in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC).  The Saints also came up on the short end when the at-large teams were announced for the NAIA National tournament.  The Saints, ranked 23rd in the nation were left out of the pool, as the last at-large bid was awarded to the team ranked 22nd. 

The Saints, hit the 20-win mark for the third consecutive year posting a 20-10 record, but the 11-3 conference record wasn’t enough to secure back-to-back WHAC championships.  The Saints lone senior on the roster, Jackie Braspenninx, had a solid campaign scoring 17.4 ppg and leading the team in blocked shots.  She finished her stellar career as the number two scorer in school history and a two-time NAIA All-American.  She was a first team All-Conference performer the last three years.

Head Coach Linda Nash, enters her 12th season directing the program. “I hope our shortfalls last season serve as motivation for this year’s team.  In so many ways it was a great season, but we didn’t achieve our goals of winning the WHAC and going to the national tournament.  Those two goals are the staple of our program and we work very hard daily to put ourselves in the position to achieve them.  When we don’t, we are disappointed, but we keep on working.  We are a blue-collar team, and we want to earn our victories by outworking our opponents,” comments Nash.

The Saints return ten players from last year’s roster led by returning All-American sophomore Joslyn Narber.  Narber was sidelined two games into her freshman season with a torn ACL.  Fortunately for Narber and the Saints, she was granted a medical red-shirt for the year.  She didn’t miss a stride last season as she led the team in scoring (17.6 ppg), rebounding (7.4 rpg) and assists (89).  Nash comments, “Joslyn can do so many things for our team.  She has excellent vision on the court and she has a knack for being in the right spot at the right time.  Her shooting touch is like velvet and she is very crafty around the basket.  We really need her to step up her defense to be a defensive stopper at all times.  I think she will meet the challenge.”  Narber will have plenty of help from this year’s trio of seniors, Whitney Marsh, Claire Hogan and Alicia McCarthy.  Hogan, a member of the All-Conference team the past two seasons has the ability to do a variety of things on the basketball court.  Nash adds, “Claire is a deadly 3-point threat from anywhere on the court.  She has really become aggressive going to the basket and she gives us great versatility on defense.  She has trained really hard this summer and is looking to end her career on a positive note.”  Marsh, a 5’5” speedster, is used to having the ball in her hands and leading the team’s offense.  Nash says, “Whitney is in the best shape of her life.  She trained all summer with Coach Steve Morgan and is moving better than I’ve ever seen her move.  I know she will be ready for her senior year…she is on a mission.”  McCarthy, has played a back-up role the past three years and is ready to step up to the challenge this year.  “Alicia is the strongest player in the WHAC period.  We need her to really pick up her defensive game and become a terror on the boards.  When she gets the ball down low she is virtually impossible to stop,” smiles Nash.

The Saints are looking to diversify their defensive game plan this season.  The last couple of year’s the Saints have been primarily a man to man defensive team.  This year, the Saints are looking to add a few more dimensions to their defensive game plan to keep opponents off their guard. Nash says, “We have an athletic group of players who all trained very hard this summer in the off season.  We have always tried to cover 94 feet better than our opponents and I think this year won’t be any different.  We won’t sit back and let folks come at us…we will be the aggressors and if they can handle our pressure so be it.”

The Saints will continue to rely on the options that their triangle offense gives them.  The system is based on making “reads” and moving accordingly.  “All five players on the court need to be in sync with one another.  When you get a group that works well together, it’s very difficult to defend.  Fortunately, our new freshman were able to play with us in a summer league and they did a decent job picking up on some of the nuisances of the system.  It takes some seasoning to really get good at it and we return a strong nucleus of players with pretty good court sense,” comments Nash.

The junior class of Carrie Abdo, Marie Carbee, Courtney Miles and Kelsey Benson all understand the system and are steady players.  Carbee and Miles are guards that can get out on the break and push the ball up the floor.  Both are gritty defenders and will factor into the Saint’s defensive game plan.  Abdo is a 6’forward who had a solid season last year after being sidelined midway during her freshman year with a knee injury.  Nash says, “We need Carrie to keep progressing the way she has.  I had to take a double-take when I saw her for our first team meeting this fall.  It is obvious that she committed to her off-season training program.”  Benson, a reserve player the last couple of years, has also elevated her game and should provide depth to the roster.

Rounding out the roster is sophomore Courtney Banks.  Banks is an excellent athlete and worked really hard this summer.  Nash is relying on Banks to make an impact on the boards.  She comments, “We need Banksie to be a monster on the boards.  She’s not the tallest player on the court, but she jumps and knows how to get in there to battle.  She’s not a freshman anymore.”

Two freshman, Vicky VanDyke and April Feldpausch are coming off strong senior high school seasons are ready for action with the Saints.  Nash says, “Vicky and April will do really well in our system.  They are both fundamentally sound players and come from good high school programs.  The biggest challenge for them is to compete at a more intense level day in and day out.  I like what I am seeing so far.”

Coach Nash is assisted by long-time assistant Coach Ray Fron entering his 12th season on the sidelines and Coach Mary Nienhuis (4th season).  The Saints open up the season with an exhibition game at Nash’s alma mater Central Michigan University.