by Joe Geni
When the Grinnell women’s basketball team unveils its new uptempo attack tonight at the Elmhurst College Tournament in Elmhurst, Ill., it will also unveil a team uniquely suited to the style of play. For starters, there’s the whole height thing.
“The reason [behind the new system] is, we’re not very tall,” said head coach Andy Hamilton of his team, on which the average height is about 5-7. “So the idea behind the uptempo style of play is to try to take the opposition’s post players and make them work hard for a full 94 feet on every possession, and hopefully we’ll be able to tire them out by doing that.”
For each of the last two seasons, the Pioneers had a power post player to ride down low, and last season they rode all the way to their first trip to the playoffs in a decade. But after bidding farewell to Marie Opsahl-Lister ‘03 and Tai Duncan ‘04 in successive years, Hamilton was left with a team that had zero players over six feet and was instead blessed with a slew of guards and small forwards who can all shoot the three-ball. The resulting full-court, uptempo attack is a natural fit for this team’s lineup.
“Personnel-wise, we lost two starters; one dominant post player [Duncan] and a solid point guard [Acrivi Coromelas ‘04],” said Hamilton. “We did not replace the post player, but we filled our point guard position.”
The Pioneers will return slashing scorers Lindsay Peter ‘05 and Katy Bowen ‘06 and long-range specialist Anna Veit ‘05 from last year’s starting lineup, along with a capable second unit. The class of 2008 gave Grinnell a pair of point guards to go with three shooters and a small forward. “So we have six short first-years,” said Hamilton, “but they can score.”
“It’s kind of the same as last year, but different because the floor’s more open,” said Caitlin Shannon ’07, who at 5-11 is the team’s tallest player and the closest thing the Pioneers have to a center. “There’s the option to play out as well as in, [and to] shoot three-pointers. But my position’s not too different from other peoples. I run the floor, play D, set screens, rebound.”
The women’s team under Hamilton was a high-scoring bunch to begin with, consistently putting up scores in the 60s or 70s and even into the 80s and finishing seventh in the nation in three-pointers for Division III women’s hoops with seven a game last year. But this year they’ll be trying to double that figure, and with a handful of penetrators, versatile post players, and gunning shooting guards, they hope they can ride a full-court press and myriad four-guard sets to their second consecutive trip to the playoffs.
“From a personnel standpoint, we can put one group of five that is similar to last year’s [in size], but the second group of five wouldn’t be,” Hamilton said. “So we’re getting comfortable playing with four guards all the time.”
And yes—cue inevitable and perhaps unwarranted comparisons to the men’s team—Grinnell will employ a full-court press this season. More than one, actually.
“We’ll push the ball up the floor with speed, but on a made or missed shot, we want to transition to a high-intensity defense,” Hamilton said.
How is the team adjusting to the new style of play?
“It’s gone well,” said forward Bailey Burt ‘08, who has some background playing the post in an uptempo game. “None of us have played the system together before this year and it’s new altogether to the women’s team. The fact that we can all shoot threes is really helpful in making practices solid. Hopefully games, too.”
Regardless of the style they played previously, the team’s first-years are making the adjustment.
“In high school I played on a team with three players over six feet, so we played slow,” said shooting guard Hannah Wolf ’08. “But the transition’s not that hard. I like to play faster.”
Meanwhile, Burt’s most recent basketball campaign was very similar to what her role will be this season.
“My last year [in high school] I played post, but we played fast because my team was small,” she said. “It hasn’t been hard [to adjust].” That’s good for the Pioneers, because Burt is one only four post players on the roster.
Overall, the team feels comfortable with the new system, but the players admit it will be hard to tell how much progress they’ve made until the season starts.
“It’s difficult to tell when we haven’t played games,” said Shannon. “We’re still learning. There are new things we pick up every time we get on the floor. It’ll tell when we start playing games. Ask me on Sunday and I can give a better answer.”
“All the players have readily accepted the up-tempo style,” said Hamilton. “They’ve shown a good understanding of using it. In my estimation, what will bring success is how well we’re able to transition from offense to defense.”
So far, Hamilton said, the team has adjusted well to the new style of play, but, he added, that’s to be expected.
“After all, I do have the smartest women’s team in America,” he said.
Head coach: Andy Hamilton (third season)
Assistant coaches: Jenn Mavin, Steve Seye
Manager: Monique Stone ‘05
10 Emily Kolbe ‘07
11 Haddie Dowson ‘08
12 Lauren Meredith ‘06
14 Bailey Burt ‘08
15 Katy Bowen ‘06
20 Lindsay Peter ‘05
22 Hannah Wolf ‘08
23 Amber Watson ‘05
24 Anna Veit ‘06
32 Rachel Marek ‘06
33 Jamie Tremel ‘06
34 Laura Burton ‘08
41 Katie Schumacher ‘08
44 Caitlin Shannon ‘07
54 Maddy Raimondo ‘08
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