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2007-08 Pittsburg State University
Women’s Basketball Season Outlook

Gorilla logoBy Dan Wilkes
PSU Sports Information Director
    The Pittsburg State University women’s basketball program stands at the dawn of a new era as the Gorillas embark upon the 2007-08 season.
    The Gorillas welcome in new head coach Lane Lord, who was hired on April 5 to rejuvenate a proud but recently toiling Pitt State program. Lord, who averaged 22 wins a season in three years at Barton County Community College, will look to guide the Gorillas back to the NCAA-II National Tournament for the sixth time in school history, but the first time in a decade.
    The new Pitt State mentor welcomes back five veteran Gorillas players -- led by sophomore forward Marissa Poppe who started eight games and averaged 9.0 points per game as a freshman a year ago.
    Lord and his coaching staff also tirelessly hit the recruiting trails in the spring and summer months and have welcomed 14 newcomers -- seven transfers and seven incoming freshmen -- to give the Pitt State program its largest cumulative roster size to date.
    “When I was hired as head coach at Pitt State, our No. 1 priority became to get as many players as we could into our program,” said Lord, who compiled a 77-21 (.786) record at BCCC as well as a 141-62 (.695) record and two Kansas Class 6A state titles in nine prior seasons at Wichita Heights High School.
    “It was important for our staff to create an atmosphere of intense competition for all positions on the floor. That is the foundation for our first season.”
    Lord, who imparts an aggressive uptempo style of play with his squads, relies on having quality and quantity of depth with his team.
    “The style of play we’re trying to bring to Pitt State -- a 94-feet uptempo game -- requires us to have 10 to 12 players contribute every night. Only time will tell how well we will do that, but our staff feels like we brought in the type of players we need to integrate our system.”

Returnees
    Sophomore forward Marissa Poppe headlines Pitt State’s cast of veteran players. The Girard, Kan., native started eight of 25 games during her freshman campaign, averaging 9.0 points per game on the season and 10.6 points in MIAA play.
    Poppe (5-9) enjoyed a breakout game in a home loss to No. 4 Emporia State on Jan. 6, scoring 18 points. She averaged 15.0 points during a seven-game span starting with the ESU contest.
    “Marissa Poppe is the only returning player in the program who started a significant number of games a year ago,” Lord said. “She had a solid freshman season. We’re asking her to change her position a bit this year, but she’s responded well and we expect big things from her.”
Sophomore forward Emily Sloan (6-1) also returns for her third season in the Pitt State program. The Colby, Kan., native averaged 2.5 points and 2.6 rebounds in just under 16 minutes of action per game as a redshirt freshman last year.
    “Emily is probably the most improved player among our returners,” Lord said. “She worked hard in the summer and in the preseason and has a chance to help us.”
Senior guard Katelyn Hinkin (5-9) returns for her second season with the Gorillas. The Manhattan, Kan., native averaged 3.3 points per game in 25 outings, chipping in 14 3-pointers on the year.
Senior guard Caitlin Demarest (5-7) returns from an injury-shortened junior season. The Albuquerque, N.M., native saw action in just six games before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury, but she appears fully healed and ready to contribute more significantly this winter.
Sophomore guard Chayla Hale rounds out the cast of veteran players. Hale (5-8), a native of Buffalo, Mo., appeared in 17 games, including a pair of starts, as a true freshman.

Newcomers
    Lord will count upon a substantial list of Pitt State newcomers to make immediate impacts to the Gorillas squad.
    Sophomore guard DePrice Taylor, junior guard Brianna Buchanan and senior guard Liz Witte all figure to directly impact Pitt State’s backcourt cast.
    Taylor (5-9) figures to start at point guard for the Gorillas, after rejoining Lord from Barton County Community College. The Detroit, Mich., native started 29 games for the Cougars a year ago, averaging 11.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.0 steals per game.
    “DePrice can play all three guard positions, but we expect her to handle the point,” Lord said. “She was a dominant junior college player. She is our most athletic player and we think she’ll do great things for us.”
    Buchanan (5-8) also rejoins Lord from the junior college ranks. The Manhattan, Kan., native returns to the court after a year away from the sport. She started 30 games as a sophomore at Barton County in 2005-06, averaging 9.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists and hitting 37 3-pointers on the year.
    “Brianna took a year off from basketball, but we expect her to make an immediate impact,” Lord said. “She can shoot the 3, and she can penetrate with the ball. She knows our system and she’s a solid all-around player.”
    Witte (5-7) transfers to Pitt State from NCAA Division I University of Idaho. She played her freshman and sophomore seasons at Butler County Community College. The Fort Wayne, Ind., native was the second-leading 3-point field goal shooter in the Western Athletic Conference as a junior in 2006-07. She averaged 10.4 points per game for the Vandals and hit 59 treys.
    “Liz has made more than 250 3-pointers in her college career,” Lord said. “She’s a pure scorer and we’ll look for her to greatly enhance our perimeter attack.”
Junior forward Victoria Martin comes to Pitt State from Western Nebraska Community College. Martin (5-11), a native of Farmington, N.M., averaged 8.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while helping the Cougars to a 25-2 overall record last year.
    “Victoria is an athletic player who has a long wing span,” Lord said. “She can run the floor well, score inside and outside and rebound well. She has a great deal of upside.”
    Three more transfers -- junior guards Tahitian Moore and Alyson Snell and sophomore forward Samantha Troutman -- have joined the Pitt State squad.
    Moore (5-3) joins the Gorillas after two seasons at Weatherford Junior College, where she averaged seven points and seven assists a game and earned honorable mention all-conference honors last year.
    Snell (5-5) comes to Pitt State from Seward County Community College. She averaged 6.5 points and 2.6 assists per game in 20 games for the Saints during her sophomore season, helping SCCC to a 36-2 record and a third-place finish at the NJCAA National Tournament.
    Troutman (6-4) joins the Gorillas from Fort Scott Community College where she competed during the 2005-06 season. The Osawatomie, Kan., native averaged 7.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and recorded 26 blocked shots that year.
    Larissa Richards and Jenna Brantley lead a contingent of seven incoming freshman.
    Richards (6-3), a Great Bend, Kan., native, earned second-team Kansas Class 5A All-State honors during her senior season, averaging 14.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 5.0 blocked shots per game.
   “Larissa has a chance to step in and start as a freshman for us,” Lord said. “She can score inside and block shots, and she’ll only get better as the year progresses.”
    Brantley (5-10) comes to Pitt State from Lawrence’s Free State High School where she averaged 10.5 points and 2.9 assists per game and finished her prep career as a three-time All-League performer.
    “Jenna is adjusting very well to the collegiate game,” Lord said. “She’ll have a chance to come in and play right away for us at the point guard position.”
    Rounding out Pitt State’s 2008 freshman class are guards Laura Glenn (5-11) from Marshfield (Mo.) High School, Kayla Hruby (5-6) from Bolivar (Mo.) High School, Courtney Tate (5-9) from Grandview (Mo.) High School and Bailey Waugh (5-9) from Labette County High School and forward Alixandra O’Dell (6-0) from Joplin’s McAuley Catholic High School.

Pitt State Schedule
    The Gorillas will face an aggressive preseason schedule which includes exhibition games against the University of Kansas and the University of Missouri on back-to-back days (Nov. 4-5) and a third tune-up against the University of Texas-Arlington on Nov. 12.
    Pitt State opens the regular season by hosting a pair of tournaments -- the Chatters/Open MRI Classic (Nov. 16-17) and the Pizza Hut/Comfort Inn Classic (Nov. 23-24). The 18-game MIAA slate begins Jan. 2 with a home contest against the University of Central Missouri.
    “We wanted to challenge ourselves early in our schedule with the DI exhibition games to help prepare us for the road ahead in the MIAA,” Lord said. “I’ve been a huge fan of the MIAA from my high school coaching days in Wichita and from coaching at Barton County. The MIAA has been, and remains, one of the premier basketball conferences in the country. One thing you can take for granted is that every one of the 18 games will be a battle. It’s a challenge to play at the highest level, and I think the MIAA represents the highest level of Division II competition.”