Brooklyn 2011-12 women's basketball preview

Brooklyn, NY --- The Brooklyn College Women's Basketball team, coming off of their third straight ECAC Division III Metro Tournament appearance, and second consecutive City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) South Division title, will look to repeat as division champions and compete for the conference crown in 2011-2012.

"We have had tremendous success over the past three seasons," said Head Coach Alex Lang.  "Last year we were not expected to do much, but we went out and won 11 conference games. I expect us to come right back this season with the mind set that we can compete at the top of the league again."

Coach Lang, who is entering his 10th season at the helm of the BC Women's Basketball team, returns two of his top three scorers from last season in senior forward Justine O'Callahan and senior guard Lauren Plagainos.

O'Callahan, a 2011 CUNYAC All-Star Second team member, is coming off of her best season in Brooklyn, as she was second on the team in scoring averaging 12.1 points per game, to go along with a team-leading 8.4 rebounds per game. She ranked 10th in the conference in rebounding and 14th in scoring. O'Callahan also ranked fourth in the league in field goal percentage shooting (.449/145-for-323).

Plagainos made an immediate impact in her first season with the Bulldogs last year, averaging 11.6 points per game, good for third on the team. Plagainos was deadly from beyond the arc, converting 40.4% (65-for-161) from three, good for second in the conference. Her 65 three-pointers made also ranked her third in the league. Nationally, Plagainos ranked 28th in all of Division III in three-point field goal percentage and 23rd in three-point field goals per game.

Other returners that will look to add depth and experience are senior Kathleen Haggerty, juniors Kelly Jamison and Karolina Gorna and sophomores Allison Donovan and Zoe Randolph.

Jamison and Donovan saw the most minutes out of the group last season, however each will look to compete for minutes on a well-rounded roster that has depth at each position.

Despite returning a solid core of players, Coach Lang will have to replace key figures from last season, primarily starting point guard Ariel Smith, who is gone due to graduation. Smith led the team last year in scoring (16.3 ppg), assists (5.7 apg) and steals (3.4 spg), to go along with 6.8 rebounds per game, good for third on the team. She would go on to earn a CUNYAC First Team All-Star selection, as well as an ECAC Division III Metro All-Star Second Team honor.

Other notable departures due to graduation include Elisha Raiford, Amber Gordon and Ashley Allen.

To recoup his losses, Coach Lang is counting on eight newcomers to the BC Women's Basketball program that will look to help continue the recent success of the Bulldogs.

Transfers Jamee Leichtle, Tiffany Thompson, Charnelle Saint Laurent and Melissa St. Louis, as well as freshmen Ashley McCaughan, Sarah Shanderson, Nicole Francomano and Asia Foster will all look to make contributions this season.

The quartet of Leichtle, Thompson, Saint Laurent and St. Louis all bring immediate collegiate playing experience.

Leichtle, a fast point guard, played one season at NAIA Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kansas.  As a high school senior, Leichtle led her team into the second round of the Colorado State Tournament for the first time in school history, while ranking 7th in the state in scoring with a 22 point per game average.

Thompson, a 6-1 post, began her collegiate career at Division II Southern Connecticut State University before playing one season at CUNYAC and borough rival Medgar Evers College.  While with the Cougars she led the CUNYAC in points, rebounds and blocks per game. 

St. Louis is a versatile player who comes to BC after playing one season at CUNYAC rival Lehman College and two years at Mohawk Valley Community College.  In her short stint with the Lightning she was the team's second leading scorer.  During her high school career at Sheepshead Bay, she was one of the top scorers in New York City, averaging just under 25 points per game as a senior.  

Saint Laurent, a quick guard who can play both perimeter positions, joins the Bulldogs following a two-year stint at Mount Saint Mary College where she helped her team reach win the Skyline Athletic Conference Championship and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament a year ago.  A native of Dix Hills, Saint Laurent was an all-league player at Half Hollows West High School..

The four freshmen enter the season with high expectations as well.  Francomano, McCaughan and Shanderson will bolster the backcourt while Foster will add depth and size to the frontcourt.

Francomano comes to Brooklyn by way of St. John Villa High School in Staten Island.  As a Bear, Francomano was team MVP, leading her team with a 14.6 point per game average, and was named 3rd Team All-Star on Staten Island.

McCaughan played her high school ball at Niskayuna High School in Niskayuna, New York.  McCaughan was also her team's leading scorer, helping her team reach the Suburban Council Semifinals.

Shanderson comes from the high-profile Christ the King program in Queens. A role-player in high school, Shanderson was a member of a State Championship team. 

Foster, a local product, played for Brooklyn Collegiate High School.  A year ago she helped her team to a Division Title and undefeated record in the Brooklyn "A" League. 

Coach Lang has taken on a loaded non-conference schedule, as the Bulldogs will take on seven opponents that participated in the postseason last year. Farmingdale State College (November 16th – Home), The College at Old Wesbury (November 22nd – Home), Polytechnic Institute of New York University (December 3rd – Away), Ramapo College (December 10th – Home) and Rutgers-Newark (January 9th – Away) all played in the ECAC DIII Metro Tournament, while Lebanon Valley College (December 8th – Home) and Richard Stockton College (February 4th – Home) both played in the NCAA DIII Tournament.

Lebanon Valley will likely pose the toughest competition for BC, as LVC enters the season ranked ninth in the nation according to the D3Hoops.com Preseason Top-25. Lebanon Valley is also coming off of an Elite 8 appearance in their NCAA tournament run a year ago.

In the CUNYAC, Baruch and Lehman have been the Bulldogs top two competitors with Baruch taking last year's title.  Brooklyn will host Baruch on January 21st and travel to Lehman on January 18th.

BC will tip-off the 2011-2012 season on Tuesday, November 15th, as Brooklyn will play host to The King's College at the West Quad Center. Start time is slated for 6:30 pm.