Notables

A large rookie class helped propel George Fox to the Division III women's basketball national championship this past fall. But the centerpiece of that class won't be around to help the Bruins defend their title.

Sage Indendi, the D3hoops.com Rookie of the Year, did not return to school at George Fox this fall.

Indendi scored a team-high 12.8 points per game last season and led the team with 3.3 assists, while shooting 36 percent from three-point range. She and Kristen Shielee, a first-team D3hoops.com All-American (12.2 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.8 blocked shots) are the only two significant losses from last year's team. But they're big ones, having combined for nearly 40 percent of the team's scoring.

Arianna Mohsenian, who averaged 5.7 points per game and played 21 minutes a game off the bench for the Bruins last season, is expected to step in at Indendi's wing spot. She shot 32 percent from beyond the arc, making 45 three-pointers, just five behind Indendi's team high. Hannah Munger, a 6-4 freshman post player from Newberg (Ore.) High School, is expected to challenge for Shielee's starting center position.

Indendi had the chance to play Division I basketball out of high school in Montana, and spoke with D3sports.com's Gordon Mann about it after the national championship game this past March.

The Immaculata women’s basketball team will make the program’s second appearance at Madison Square Garden when the Mighty Macs meet Cabrini in Manhattan on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010 at 5 p.m.

The game at Madison Square Garden marks a historic return for the Mighty Macs, who were a part of the first women’s basketball game ever played there. Immaculata and Queen’s College met on February 22, 1975 with the Mighty Macs defeating the Knights, 65-61, in front of a crowd of 11, 969 fans.

"We are excited and grateful for the opportunity to play at Madison Square Garden, not only because of its rich basketball history, but because of the significance of Immaculata's return there and the impact school made on women's basketball,” said Immaculata coach Patty Canterino.

Being part of the first women’s basketball game ever played at Madison Square Garden was one of many firsts for Immaculata during the school’s “hey day” in the early 1970s. Just a month prior to its appearance on the sports and entertainment world’s grandest stage, Immaculata defeated Maryland, 80-48, in what was the first women’s basketball game ever to appear before a national television audience as the independent Mizlou Television Network sold broadcast rights to more than 100 stations.

These two events were just a few of the many strides that Immaculata made as pioneers for college women’s basketball after winning the first three national championships consecutively in 1972, 1973 and 1974.

The contest will mark the third consecutive season Cabrini’s women’s basketball team has played a regular season game at the Garden. The Cavaliers are 2-0 in those contests. Cabrini claimed a 71-37 victory against Notre Dame (Md.) on Jan. 23, 2008 and defeating Neumann 47-40 on January 24, 2009.

Immaculata’s game against Cabrini will be the final game of a triple-header scheduled for January 23 at Madison Square Garden. The day will begin with the Villanova men’s basketball team taking on St. John’s at 12 p.m., followed by the Red Storm women’s basketball team against South Florida at 2:30 p.m.

Immaculata enters the season looking to make a return to the Colonial States Athletic Conference postseason tournament after finishing with an 8-8 league mark during 2008-09. Immaculata returns three starters in Chelsea McTigue, Bridget Welz and Kelly Brown. McTigue averaged 12.4 points per game, second-highest on the team, and 4.5 rebounds per contest. The junior forward shot a club-best 60 percent from the field (69-of-115).

Practice for the 2009-10 season is several weeks away but that isn’t stopping us from preparing for tipoff.

We are entering and posting schedules for men’s and women’s teams so you can check out when your big rivals come to town. On the men’s side we have the dates for Hope-Calvin, Wooster-Wittenberg and Amherst-Williams. On the women’s side geographically isolated champion George Fox only has two Division III opponents on its non-conference slate.

Tufts spent the offseason rotating the court at Cousens Gymnasium so it can be lengthened to the required 94 feet. That would allow the Jumbos to host games in the NCAA tournaments, which they have reached the last two sesaons. According to NCAA.com and Tufts, the unusual location of the visitors' locker rooms high above the court (see photo) will remain. Check out the full and partial schedules by clicking a region on the right-hand menu rail.

If you’re a sports information director, be sure to check out Pat Coleman’s note on the Daily Dose to learn how you can post your schedule now and game stories and notes during the upcoming season.

Geneva women's basketball head coach Ronald Galbreath, who formerly won 448 games as the head coach of Westminster (Pa.) men's basketball, announced his retirement. Galbreath coached the Golden Tornadoes for six seasons before taking last season off to recover from a stroke.

“I simply love the game of basketball,” said Galbreath in a school release. “It has always been about helping people improve and helping the teams that I have coached get better throughout the year. I just don’t feel comfortable enough that I can physically handle the demands that a basketball season will bring.”

Galbreath spent 25 seasons at Westminster (Pa.) coaching its men's team to six regular season district titles and three trips to the NAIA Division I National Tournament. He wracked up 448 wins with the Titans along with another 75 in five seasons as the head men’s coach at Clarion (Pa.). In 2002 Galbreath took over the women's program at Geneva and went 111-48 for a total career record of 634-192.

“This has been a very difficult decision for Ron in that he has been coaching at the college level for nearly 45 years,” said Geneva College athletic director Kim Gall. “We are so thankful and appreciative for his faithful service to Geneva College and especially the women’s basketball program. We are looking forward to seeing Coach Galbreath remaining active on campus as he will still be teaching classes in the Physical Education department.”

Geneva began its transition from NAIA to NCAA Division III in 2007-2008. The program, which enters its third of provisional NCAA membership this season, will conduct a search to fill the head coaching job with an interim tag for the first year.

Following a nationwide search, Angie Zeuch has been named to the position of head women's basketball coach at Thiel, it was announced Wednesday.

She replaces Artina Trader, who left to take the coaching position at North Carolina Wesleyan, her alma mater.

“We are very excited to announce Angie Zeuch as our women's basketball coach,” said Thiel athletic director Jack Leipheimer. “Angie is very detailed oriented, has a solid knowledge of the game, and possesses a very strong commitment to the Division III philosophy. I am confident she will serve as a very positive role model for our student-athletes, and be a valuable contributor to our athletic department.”

Zeuch takes over the women's basketball program at Thiel after spending two seasons as an assistant at Wesleyan (Conn.). During her time with the Cardinals, Zeuch was responsible for recruiting and scouting while assisting with administrative and on-court duties.

“I am so thrilled to be a part of Thiel College,” said Zeuch. “It is an exciting time at Thiel with great leadership in place and a shared vision of tradition and success. I am looking forward to building relationships on and off the court and throughout the community.”

Prior to her stint at Wesleyan, Zeuch spent three years (2004-07) as an assistant at Division I Colgate. In addition to assisting with player development, practice and game planning, she coordinated the team’s conditioning program and handled aspects of recruiting and scouting activities.

A 2004 graduate of Case Western Reserve, Zeuch was a four-year starter and two-year captain for the Spartans and was named All-UAA as well as Academic All-UAA on three occasions. A 1,000-point scorer during her career, she was named the college's female athlete of the year as a senior and served as chairperson of the Athletic Captains' Council.

Emory and Henry is mourning the death of Bob Johnson, whose 27 years of coaching men’s basketball at the school left a deep, positive imprint on hundreds of athletes and on a college community.

Johnson died Saturday morning after a long battle with kidney cancer. His family is planning a memorial service to be held in the King Athletic Center on Saturday, Aug. 29.

“This is a profoundly sad day for this tight-knit college community,” said college president Rosalind Reichard. “The people of Emory and Henry loved Bob dearly, and we will miss greatly his strength, his passion and the love he had for all of us.”

In 27 years of coaching, Johnson built a national reputation, helped by five teams in the NCAA playoffs, including two in the Sweet 16. He was honored three times as Old Dominion Athletic Coach of the Year and three times as NCAA South Region Coach of the Year.

His athletes have included numerous All-American selections, ODAC players of the year, All-Conference players and one Jostens Trophy winner.

Before retiring from coaching in 2007, Johnson gained national attention for his use of a fast-paced run-and-gun offense that helped his team to winning seasons and some big upsets over nationally ranked teams. In 2007, he was awarded the Division III Service Award by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

After his retirement from coaching, Johnson continued to work full-time as Emory and Henry's athletic director. In that capacity, he provided valuable guidance to the E&H coaching staff and worked to raise money for the construction of a stadium that honors the late Fred Selfe, Johnson’s best friend and another former E&H athletic director.

A veteran of the Vietnam War, Johnson has been praised by his athletes for his leadership and his commitment. “Those of us who played for Coach will agree that he helped to shape us as people first,” said Paul Russo, Emory and Henry’s current head men’s basketball coach, who played for Johnson as a student. “I believe he has made me a better coach because he has made me a better person.”

Kevin Jaskiewicz has been named the interim head coach of the Coast Guard Academy men’s basketball team replacing Pete Barry, who retired after 19 seasons.

“It is an honor to teach and coach at such an outstanding institution,” said Jaskiewicz. “The NEWMAC is a terrific league with great teams and coaches. I am looking forward to putting my years of experience to the test.”

Jaskiewicz, who was an assistant coach with Coast Guard for the past three seasons, has had success coaching at every level of college basketball. He has been part of the Coast Guard coaching staff that won back-to-back New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference Tournament championships in 2006-07 and 2007-08 and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Bears won a school-record 24 games and advanced all the way to the Elite 8 in 2007-2008.

“We are delighted that Kevin Jaskiewicz has been selected to provide leadership for our men’s basketball team,” said athletic director Ray Cieplik. “He has had significant experience at quality institutions that share our philosophy of developing student athletes, and his knowledge of the sport is respected throughout the region.”

Jaskiewicz was an assistant under coach Glen Miller at Connecticut College from 1993-1999, building the team that made back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances in 1997-1998 and 1998-99 and advanced to the Final Four in 1999 after compiling a perfect 24-0 record in the regular season. The Camels posted a record of 85-20 during Jaskiewicz’s final four years at Connecticut College.

He then coached with Miller at Brown for seven seasons, 1999-2006, where the duo led the Bears to four straight winning seasons for the first time in the over 100 year history of Brown basketball.

The Bears finished in second place in the Ivy League twice in that four year period. The 2002-2003 team made the school’s first ever trip to the NIT and finished 17-12.

The 1988 graduate of Eastern Connecticut State began his coaching career as head coach at at UConn-Avery Point from 1988-1991 before becoming an assistant coach at Keene State from 1991-1993.

Division III teams are allowed to take a trip overseas once every three seasons, which gives them a great opportunity to travel, have an educational experience. Oh, and have offseason practices and exhibition games.

Two teams recently wrapped up exhibition series in foreign countries, as the Catholic University women's team won two games in Ireland and the Puget Sound men won three in the Bahamas.

Catholic players blogged about the trip, conducting a youth clinic (in Northern Ireland, no "Catholic" gear recommended), touring one of the oldest monasteries in Ireland and playing their first hurling match. "Overall it was a great experience to take part in an authentic Irish game that not one of us had the opportunity to play before," Lauren McPeak wrote. The clinic was conducted with Peace for Hope.

Puget Sound's Colin Koach wrote on the Loggers' blog about sharing the spotlight with the Miss Universe pageant next door, the locals' reaction to a team of basketball players walking through the grocery store and a tough game against College of the Bahamas.

A potential merger proposed to join the men's sports from the Great South Athletic Conference and the USA South Athletic Conference has been discontinued according to Ray Cleere, president of Piedmont. USA South Commissioner Rita Wiggs informed Cleere that the USA South presidents were concerned with the current and future financial conditions that confront their institutions and encouraged the leagues to continue their relationships on the playing venues. "This in no way should be seen as a reflection on the excellent relationships that exist among our institutions," stated Wiggs.

Kandis Schram, athletic director at Maryville (Tenn.), said that the Great South will move forward and will look for ways to make our league even stronger. "As we enter into our 10th season as a charter member within the Great South, we feel we have an excellent nucleus of institutions that share a common vision that will allow us to grow and expand our vision of NCAA Division III athletics."

Two schools, Berry and Covenant, each in Georgia, were accepted into this year's provisional membership class for Division III, and will begin a four-year transition into Division III. The GSAC already has two men's schools in Georgia.

After a national search, Bard has announced that former Raptors player Adam Turner has been hired as assistant athletics director and head men's basketball coach.

He replaces longtime coach Chris Wood. Bard was 1-24 this past season.

Athletic director Kristen Hall said, "Coach Turner brings great enthusiasm and passion to the position. He has gained valuable experience with the Hoop Group, and has extensive knowledge in the most contemporary basketball theories. We have great confidence that coach Turner will attract basketball scholar athletes to our institution who will build our program to enhance our successes in the near future."

Turner, a 2006 graduate, was a four-year starter and three-year captain for the Raptors. During his career, Turner set Bard marks in many statistical categories, including career points (1,785), a mark which has yet to be beaten.

Upon graduation, Turner took his first step into the collegiate coaching ranks as an assistant for the Raptors during the 2006-07 season. Turner was involved in many aspects of the program both on and off the court, and was heavily involved in the recruitment of prospective student-athletes.

For the past several years, Turner has been the director of the Hoop Group Skills Camp. He was responsible for managing all aspects of the camp which involves more than 1,700 campers. Additionally, Turner directed two youth tournaments annually involving up to 100 teams, organized over 25 clinics for youths of all ages, as well as assisted in the administration of a variety of high school showcase events and AAU tournaments.

Turner inherits a program that returns senior and team co-captain Justin White, who was first-team All-Skyline Conference this past season.