ANDY KING
|
With three first-years as starters, the Scots chalk up the most victories since 1998-99
by Heather Stahl '08
Elise Pagel '09 summed it up: "We've definitely shown the conference that we're a real team again, that we're not just an easy win anymore. That's a big jump to make in one year."
Under second-year Coach Ellen Thompson, the Macalester women's basketball team indeed made a huge jump this season. With a starting lineup usually composed of three first-years, one sophomore and one senior, the Scots won four out of five games at one stretch. They impressed everyone by upsetting Wisconsin-River Falls--a good team which came into the game 3-0 against other MIAC opponents--and then proved that victory was no fluke by defeating Concordia for the first time since 1994. After a victory over St. Olaf on Jan. 10, the Scots were 5-6 overall and 3-5 in the MIAC.
|
|
|
But then one of the first-year starters, center Ann Baltzer '10 (Bismarck, N.D.), the Scots' leading scorer and rebounder to that point, suffered a stress fracture in her foot that ended her season. Without Baltzer and a deep bench, the women struggled, though they were still competitive. They won two more MIAC games, led or were tied at halftime in three others and were usually close in the remaining games before running out of steam against teams with more experienced reserves.
Overall, the women won 7 games--the most since the 1998-99 season--and lost 18. They finished 5-17 in the MIAC, tied for 10th place in the 12-team conference. Thompson was named MIAC Co-Coach of the Year.
Point guard Danielle Johnson '10 (DeForest, Wis.) led the Scots in scoring, averaging 12.7 points per game, and was fifth in the MIAC in steals. She was named to the MIAC All-First-Year Team and got an Honorable Mention for the All-Conference Team. Trina PaStarr '10 (Minneapolis), who averaged 11.4 points, was fifth in the MIAC in rebounding and third in blocked shots and was also an Honorable Mention. Pagel (Appleton, Wis.) contributed 8.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game and was seventh in the league in blocked shots. Callie PaStarr '07, Trina's older sister, and Lara Avery '10 (Topeka, Kan.) rounded out the solid starting lineup.
When Thompson was hired to be coach, she knew she was in for a long haul. The 2004-2005 women's basketball season had been suspended after six games the previous December because of low roster numbers. Thompson stepped into the job in mid-September 2005, unable to recruit for the upcoming season as the academic year had already started. "I took whoever I could find on campus," she said. "And what I found was a phenomenal group of people, who worked their tails off."
While the women struggled through a 2-21 season in 2005-06, without a single player who had significant collegiate basketball experience, athletes from other sports as well as students who had played basketball in high school stepped up. "I'm not really a basketball player," said Annie Borton '07 (Berkeley, Calif.), a three-time All-America soccer player. "But they needed people, and I was interested."
| 'We've pulled through some tough times, had fun and won some.' |
Pagel was uncertain whether she would play basketball when she started at Macalester, about the same time as Thompson. "Last minute, I decided I would just play, mostly because I didn't want to regret not playing. Once I started, I just got stuck," Pagel said with a smile. "In a good way."
Pagel and Callie PaStarr were co-captains both last year and this season. Callie, a cross country runner, played basketball in high school but chose not to play when she came to college. In her junior year at Mac, however, she heard that Thompson was looking for players. Trina was then a high school senior. "I wanted her to come and told her that if she did, we could play together," Callie said. "And then I realized I'd better get on top of my game in case she really did come."
Thompson, captain of St. Thomas' 1991 NCAA Division III championship team, was a highly successful head girls basketball coach at Hopkins (Minn.) High School from 1992 to '98, then worked as an assistant coach at St. Thomas for seven years before accepting the position at Mac. "I loved the atmosphere on campus, especially the camaraderie in the Athletic Department and the new athletic director's vision for the department. I knew I would have to put the time in, but that we could do great things," she said.
For Trina PaStarr, the team's progress is something to brag about. "We've pulled through some tough times, had fun and won some."
"It's important to note how big of a change there's been between last year and this year," Pagel said. "This year is a totally different experience; it's much more fun. The players coming in and making commitments to the team have also made a huge impact."
Pagel also credits Thompson for the team's growth. "She's strong, and she's motivating," Pagel said.
"She's got a vision and she's convincing," Trina PaStarr said.
Thompson said the team is right where it needs to be, according to her vision for their progress. It was her goal to get the team in a position to compete again, which she believes they've accomplished this season. For next year? "Conference playoffs," Thompson said. |
