Full bench is good thing for Cal women’s basketball
CALIFORNIA – The bench has been a lonely and roomy place for the California University women’s basketball team. The Vulcans, because of injuries, had as few as eight players in uniform for some games the past two seasons. Substitutions? They were things that other teams were able to make. Cal’s starters rarely left the court – point guard Miki Glenn played all but 25 minutes of last season’s 31 games.
However, with four starters back from a 25-6 team and two players returning from season-long injuries, the Vulcans’ roster has swelled to 14 ahead of their season-opener tonight against Notre Dame (Ohio) in the Mercyhurst Conference Challenge in Erie. The bench promises to be jam-packed.
“We can go to the bench this year,” California fifth-year head coach Jess Strom said. “We do have a deep bench. Sometimes it takes the freshmen a longer time to adjust to the college game but even our freshmen don’t seem like freshmen. We have 10 people we can play if somebody gets in foul trouble or somebody is having an off night. We finally have that depth.”
The Vulcans, who are two seasons removed from winning the NCAA Division II national championship, are indeed deep and talented. They return Glenn, a two-time All-American and two-time MVP of the PSAC tournament, along with three other starters: junior forwards Seairra Barrett (13.9 points per game, 10.0 rebounds) and Shatara Parsons (13.0 ppg, 8.7 rpg) and senior wing Precious Martin (10.0 ppg).
Also back are seniors Lana Doran and Brittany Nelson, both of whom missed last season because of knee injuries suffered in the preseason. Doran was a starter and Cal’s defensive stopper on their national championship team and Nelson played in 20 games that season.
Sophomores Morgan Jennings, Emily Suckling and Abbey Sporio, each a key reserve last year, also are back.
Glenn, however, is the hub of the team. She led the PSAC in scoring last season at 19.3 points per game and shot 91 percent from the free-throw line. She also was second in the conference in assists at 6.1 per game.
“She’s been on the biggest stage, she’s been an All-American, she has an understanding of what I want from a point guard,” Strom said. “I don’t think we have to play her 40 minutes a game, but we need her presence out there.”
With all the returning talent and experience come lofty expectations. The Vulcans have been picked to win the PSAC’s West Division and will start the season ranked No. 8 in Division II.
“There is a target on our back,” Parsons said. “That’s because we’ve accomplished a lot, but we want to accomplish more. We can’t take days off.”
Barrett, who also plays on Cal’s volleyball team, was the PSAC’s West Division Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore. She enjoys Cal being the measuring stick in the PSAC and knows this could be a very special season for the Vulcans.
“We know we’re looked at as the team to beat. I love it,” Barrett said. “Everybody plays harder against us than any other team in the PSAC but that’s what makes the games fun.”
California had 25 wins worth of fun last year before losing to West Liberty in the second round of the NCAA tournament in Richmond, Va.
California will play two games at Mercyhurst this weekend and three more road games before their home opener Nov. 22 against Ohio Dominican. That is the lone nonconference home game. The Vulcans have learned that when you’re highly ranked, it’s hard to find opponents willing to play in your gymnasium. And when you play on the road, you know you’ll get the opponent’s best effort.
“It’s good that everybody wants to beat you. It means you’ve been successful,” Strom said. “We take that as a compliment.”