Women look to get back to postseason
Daily Illni File Photo
November 16, 2004
The Illini women’s basketball team is hoping to make a return this season as one of the premiere programs in the Big Ten.
Last season, the Illini finished in 10th place in the conference with a record of 4-12 and 10-17 overall. It was the first time since 1995-96, which was head coach Theresa Grentz’s first season, the Illini did not make it to the postseason.
The Illini believe they have what it takes to return to the top.
“This is a different group,” Grentz said. “They are a year older. We have a sense of desire and will. We’ve set out a plan and we have the vision of where to go, we’ve agreed on it, now we need to execute it. I think if we work hard and stick to our plan, we’ll be very happy with our results.”
Senior co-captains Angelina Williams and Tiffany Guthrie will be asked to step up and lead the way for the Illini.
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Last season, Williams led the team in scoring with 15.7 points per game and was named third team All-Big Ten at the forward position. This season, she is expected to be the go-to player for the Illini. She showed what she is capable of doing when Illinois played BK Poprad on Nov. 7, when she scored 30 points in just 23 minutes.
“This year is up to Angelina,” Grentz said. “She has all the tools, all the possibilities, all the green lights to do whatever needs to get things done.”
Guthrie is expected to help carry that load. Guthrie is versatile enough to play point guard and play in the post. She was second on the team in points with 14.1 per game and rebounds with 7.3 per game. She also led the team in assists.
Along with Williams and Guthrie, sophomore Erin Wigley rounds out a very strong forward core for the Illini. Wigley made a big impact in her freshman season, averaging 7.3 points per game and starting all but two games for the Illini. She played with the Big Ten International team over the summer. She came up big in the Orange and Blue Scrimmage, scoring 14 points against the all-male scout team.
Despite having depth at the forward position, the Illini have little experience in the post.
Forward Cindy Dallas graduated last year. Dallas led the Big Ten in rebounding three seasons in a row and earned All-Big Ten honors.
With Dallas gone, it leaves the Illini with a huge hole. Junior forward Brittney Daugherty, who averaged just 2.1 points per game and 1.9 rebounds, is expected to be the leading candidate in filling the void. So far, Daugherty has scored 10.5 points in the two exhibition games for the Illini.
Sophomore Audrey Tabon bulked up over the offseason and is expected to see plenty of minutes. Tabon pulled down eight rebounds against BK Poprad.
Other than Daugherty and Tabon, the Illini are depending on two members from their top 25 recruiting class, forwards, Stephanie Chelleen and Danyel Crutcher, to come in and contribute.
“When Cindy was here, she took a great responsibility, particularly for rebounding,” Grentz said. “It is someone else’s turn and that someone else is either Brittney Daugherty, Audrey Tabon, Stephanie Chelleen or Erin Wigley. It is a task by committee.”
Another question for the Illini will be their shooting. Last season, the Illini had difficulty putting the ball through the hoop and this year they will be looking for more consistency.
“For whatever reason last year, shooting caused us a lot of heartache,” Grentz said. “We’ve got to get that done this year.”
That responsibility will rest on senior guard Jer‚ Issenmann, junior guard Janelle Hughes and Acuna.
“Our shooting last year was not very good,” Acuna said. “We talked about improving that. We’ve been working hard in practice on coming in and shooting the ball better.”
With the Illini’s weakness in the paint and their speed and versatility on the outside, the Illini are looking to run the floor more this season.
“We’re an athletic team,” Grentz said. “We want to get up and down the floor.”
The Illini want to improve on their team chemistry from last season.
“We want to play more as one unit,” Guthrie said. “We want to be more team oriented and let go of our individual goals and focus more as playing as a team.”
The Illini are set to play 12 games against nine teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season. The Illini’s non-conference opponents include Wisconsin-Green Bay, UCLA and No. 22 Louisiana Tech. The Illini are also set to travel to Philadelphia to take on St. Joseph’s and St. Peter’s.
The Illini open their schedule on Sunday at the Assembly Hall against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
