Carthage Eyeing a Return to the NCAAs

While last year's 17-9 season was hardly a down year for Carthage women's basketball, the expectation level was higher after the 2009-10 squad went 24-5 and reached the "sweet 16" of the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship.  Head coach Tim Bernero (130-80, 8 years) loses just four-of-15 letterwinners, including two starters, from last year's team.  Lost to graduation are first-team All-CCIW guard Heather Gilmore and starting guard and starting guard Taylor Tondelli (Downers Grove, Ill./South, started all 26 games, 3.7 points per game)  "We'll miss Heather Gilmore's athleticism," admits Bernero, "because it was unique to this level.  We can't replace Heather with Heather, so we'll replace her position with a slightly-different style of play.

The three returning starters are second-team all-conference center Diana Jacklin, forward Cailee Corcoran (Jr., Oak Lawn, Ill./Chicago-Marist started all 26 games, 10.2 points per game, 5.0 rebounds, .514 field-goal percentage) and guard Dani Ripkey (Sr., Deerfield, Ill., started all 26 games, 8.1 points per game with a .391 three-point field-goal percentage).

Other returnees include forward Kristi Schmidt (So., Bloomington, Ill./Normal-Community, played in all 26 games, 8.4 points per game, 3.3 rebounds, .510 field-goal percentage), guard Allison Groessl (Sr., Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South, played in all 26 games, 4.5 points per game), guard Haley Stercic (So., Chicago, Ill./Marist, played in 13-of-26 games, 2.5 points per game), guard Stephanie Kuzmanic (Fr., Mount Prospect, Ill./Wheeling, played in all 26 games, 2.5 points per game), guard Drewann Pancratz (Sr., Schaumburg, Ill., played in 18-of-26 games, 2.3 points per game), center Michelle Wenzel (So., Darien, Wis./Delevan-Darien, played in 15-of-26 games, 2.1 points per game), guard Gabby Chapa (So., Barrington, Ill..Lake Zurich, played in 17-of-26 games, 1.4 points per game), guard Kiki Phillips (Sr. Spencer, Wis., played in 10 games, 1.2 points per game), forward Cory Bazany (Sr., Elgin, Ill./Burlington Central, played in 20-of-26 games, 1.1 points per game) and guard Caris Alan (Jr., Elgin, Ill.).

Newcomers include guard Bridget Adams (Fr., Palos Heights, Ill./Palos Hills-Stagg, 2010 and 2011 All-Southwest Suburban Conference and Daily Southtown all-area), forward Morgan Garrett (Fr., Gurnee, Ill./Zion-Benton Township, a four-time All-North Suburban League honoree and part of 2011 Illinois High School Association Class 4A state-championship team), guard Amanda Genge (Fr., Chicago, Ill./St. Benedict, 2010 Illinois Basketball Coaches Association fourth-team all-state and Girls Catholic Athletic Conference "player of the year"), guard Kasey Kleiner (Fr., South Milwaukee, Wis./Somers-Shoreland Lutheran, first-team All-Midwest Classic Conference and Kenosha News first-team All-Kenosha County), guard Erin Quinn (Fr., Island Lake, Ill./Mundelein-Carmel Catholic, Daily Herald honorable mention all-area), guard Allison Riley (Fr., Cudahy, Wis., 2010 second-team All-Woodland Conference) and guard Hilary Watts (Fr., New Haven, Ind./Fort Wayne-Bishop Luers, second-team All-Summit Athletic Conference on an Indiana High School Athletic Association Class 2A state-championship team).

Carthage plays a typically-tough non-conference schedule in 2011-12, taking on four defending-conference-champions (St. Norbert College from the Midwest Conference, Wisconsin Lutheran College in the Northern Athletics Conference, the University of Chicago in the University Athletic Association and Coe College from the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference).  Two of those teams, Chicago and Coe, reached last year's NCAA "Sweet 16."

Carthage opens the season with a Nov. 5 exhibition game at Marquette University prior to the regular-season opener on Nov. 15 against St. Norbert College at Tarble Arena.  The Lady Reds play in the Nov. 18-19 Wisconsin Lutheran Tournament before taking on Benedictine University (Ill.), Chicago, Clarke College, Loras College, Coe and Beloit College.  Carthage concludes its non-league schedule by playing in the Dec. 28-29 D3hoops.com Classic in Las Vegas