UMKC Women?s Hoops Set To Take On Centenary In Saturday Doubleheader
1/25/2008 6:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
UMKC returns home on Saturday night in search of its second win in The Summit League. The Kangaroos host Centenary in the first half of a doubleheader with the UMKC men's team at Kemper Arena. The game, set for a 4:05 p.m. tip, will be broadcast on Metro Sports in the Kansas City area and will also be available on SummitTV. Neil Harwell and Doug Elstun have the call for the Metro Sports broadcast, with T.J. Jackson on the play-by-play for viewers at www.thesummitleague.org.
About The Ladies
Steve Curtis is in his second season at the helm for Centenary, guiding the Ladies to an overall record of 8-36 during his tenure. Centenary has not had much luck away from Shreveport, sitting with a 0-8 record thus far on the season and having failed to pick up a single league win (0-32) as a visitor.
The Ladies are still looking for a replacement for Cierra Bush's team-leading 16.0 pts/gm average, but Anne Farrell and Ashley Jackson have each made a case, averaging 10.9 and 10.2 pts/gm respectively. Both freshmen are also chipping in on the defensive end of the floor, as Farrell leads the team with 112 rebounds (6.6/gm). Jackson has recorded 13 of the Ladies' 48 blocks on the year to lead the squad. Junior Karolina Zaloga has been a find for Centenary, dishing a team-best 76 assists on the year, good for fourth in The Summit League.
By The Numbers
Percentage-wise, UMKC and Centenary are shooting virtually
identical marks on the campaign, although the Kangaroos have made
nearly 70 more baskets than the Ladies thus far. Centenary has a
better accuracy mark from distance and from the charity stripe as well,
but scored nearly six points per game fewer than has UMKC. Likewise,
the two teams allow roughly the same percentage shooting for their
respective opponents, but the Centenary defense has allowed just over
72 points per contest while UMKC has given up just over 64 points per
outing. The Kangaroos also hold an edge in average margin, with a 0.7
point average cushion to a 12.7 point deficit for the Ladies.
Last Time Out For The Kangaroos
Even with a perfect (6-of-6) shooting night pushing Alysa Klein past the 1,000 point plateau and a 24-point outing from Chazny Morris, UMKC wasn't able to pick up its first road Summit League Win on Monday, dropping a 76-63 result to South Dakota State.
Both teams squandered early opportunities inside the first minute of the contest, but South Dakota State was able to eke out an early 4-3 lead.
UMKC kept close throughout the first 10 minutes of the half, knotting the game at 17-17 with 10:03 left. Morris hit a three-pointer, one of four early first-half triples for the Kangaroos. South Dakota State responded, hitting on one of two free throws, but Klein gave the Kangaroos a 19-18 lead with a layup.
The Kangaroos pushed their lead out as far as four, leading 26-22 with 6:03 left in the half, but six turnovers over the next four minutes allowed South Dakota State to close out the half with a 13-2 run. Krystal VanHook scored the lone points for UMKC down the stretch.
Coming out of the locker room, UMKC found itself on the end of a 13-3 run by South Dakota State over the first 5:06, trailing 46-31.
With just over 13 minutes left, Picconi and VanHook hit jumpers on consecutive UMKC possessions to stanch the bleeding at 47-35. However, the Jackrabbits rattled off eight unanswered points to lead 55-35 with 10:14 left in the game.
A jumper by VanHook with 10:01 left sparked a hot-shooting run for UMKC, as the Kangaroos missed just two of nine attempts from the floor and over a span of nearly five minutes. Along with three free throws by Morris over the span, UMKC closed to within eight, trailing 63-55 with 5:18 left.
As quickly as UMKC had narrowed down the lead, three consecutive three-point misses allowed the Jackrabbits to stretch their cushion back to 15.
UMKC was forced to foul down the stretch, but was unable to make up any ground, falling 76-63 on the night.
Morris led all scorers with 24 points on the night, shooting 10-of-11 from the free throw line. Klein and Brittny Picconi were also in double figures, adding 12 and 11 respectively. Klein added eight rebounds and four blocks as well.
Jen Warkenthien led the Jackrabbits with 22 points, with Maria Boever adding 18 and Ketty Cornemann contributing 12. Boever and Warkenthien each grabbed eight rebounds for South Dakota State, who enjoyed a 40-27 edge on the night.
UMKC outshot the Jackrabbits from the floor, hitting 44.9 percent (22-49) of its shots to just 38.6 percent (22-57) for SDSU, but the Kangaroos sent the Jackrabbits to the free-throw line 44 times on the evening, where SDSU made 30, to just 12-of-14 for UMKC.
Three-Point Play
UMKC has struggled to find its pace from beyond the arc this season, hitting at just a 28.6 percent (89-311) rate through 18 games on the 2007-08 schedule. The mark is short of the Kangaroos pace at the same point last season (30.7 percent on 88-of-287 shooting) and even further afield of the 2005-06 squad (31.1 percent/112-360). In both previous seasons, however, UMKC's performance from deep fell off as the squad entered conference play. Unfortunately for this year's Kangaroos, their performance has remained level throughout, well below of the mark.
By the raw numbers, UMKC is just one make short of last year's mark, although they've attempted 311 treys this season to just 287 from last year's squad.
Ironically, success from distance has not been a significant factor on a game-by-game basis for the Kangaroos, as UMKC hits at a 29.2 percent clip in wins this season and just a 28.0 percent rate in losses. The Kangaroos have also won five of the 11 games in which they were outshot from distance and lost four of the seven games that saw them finish with a better rate.
Klein With 1,000
Alysa Klein became the eighth UMKC women's basketball player to score 1,000 points in her career at South Dakota State, dropping in a layup with 8:16 left in the first half to crest the plateau at 1,001. Klein currently sits just 31 points behind Lauren Powers for seventh spot on the list. Her career pace projects to an overall mark of 1,123 on the remaining schedule, although 1,200 points is not out of reach should she continue at her pace from this season..
1. Penny Waggener 123 g 1475 pts 12.0
2. Katie Houlehan 115 g 1445 pts 12.6
3. Laurie Smith 123 g 1282 pts 10.4
4. Stephanie Worthy 67 g 1268 pts 18.9
5. Julie Nill 85 g 1166 pts 13.7
6. Darci Haas 106 g 1146 pts 10.8
7. Lauren Powers 103 g 1038 pts 10.1
8. Alysa Klein 105 g 1007 pts 9.6
Home Sweet Home
Kansas City was a welcome home for UMKC during 2007, as the Kangaroos held a perfect 4-0 record at home through December. January, however, has not been so kind, as UMKC dropped consecutive games at home to Western Illinois and IUPUI after a win over Newman to open the year, although the Kangaroos returned to the win column against Southern Utah.
The Kangaroos' record as the visitor is a mirror image, with only two wins to UMKC's credit to go against seven losses. UMKC is also 0-1 in neutral site contests on the year, although UMKC was listed as the away team against South Alabama at the USF/odwalla Classic.
UMKC hits at a sizzling 43.5 percent (214-492) clip in home contests, dipping to a 38.7 percent (203-525) mark on the road. Alysa Klein bucks the trend, however, improving to nearly 60 percent (57.3 / 55-96) away from Kansas City and hitting just over 50 percent (51.1 / 48-94) at home.
In The Down Low
Marta Waalen has earned a spot in the starting lineup this season after posting a solid 52.6 percent (30-57) mark from the floor. Until Alysa Klein's recent torrid shooting run, the St. Paul, Minn., native led the team on the year.
Who's Got The Hot Hand?
Over the last three games, UMKC has had a pair of torrid shooting performances. Alysa Klein has averaged 82.9 percent from the floor, missing just six of her 35 shots. Against Southern Utah, Klein became the second player in The Summit League to hit a 10-of-10 night on the season and one of just six players nationwide to have a perfect game with at least 10 makes. She also recorded a perfect game at South Dakota State, hitting all six efforts from the floor. On the campaign, Klein has finished four games with a .700 mark or better.
Chazny Morris has also been lighting it up from the free throw line over that same stretch, recording a 94.7 pace on 18-of-19 shooting. Her lone miss over the stretch came at South Dakota State, as she led the team with 24 points on the night.
Smile For The Camera
In its previous two games on Metro Sports this season, UMKC is a perfect 2-0. The Kangaroos downed Texas State 80-68 to open the television slate and handed Southern Utah an 80-48 defeat. On the flip side, UMKC is 0-2 in games televised by its opponents.
Half's Fine, Thanks...
UMKC's loss against Western Illinois marked just the second time all season that the halftime result didn't stand up, as the Kangaroos fell after leading by two going into the break. UMKC has been the halftime leader in seven of its eight wins this season and has trailed in eight of its 10 losses. In games that have seen a tie going into the locker room at half, the Kangaroos have split the spoils, winning against Texas State and dropping a contest against IUPUI.
Reaching For The Summit Of The Summit
After leading the league in blocks last season, UMKC has fallen off the pace slightly but is still second-best in the league with a 4.17 blk/gm average. Newcomers North Dakota State have done quite well, swatting 110 on the campaign. UMKC has rejected 12 more shots than third-place Oakland. The Kangaroos have also been the second-most stingy defensive squad from three point range, holding opponents to 30.1 percent beyond the arc to trail Centenary's 29.5 percent rate.
Individually, several Kangaroos are in the top 10 of the ranks, led by Alysa Klein (#2 fg% - 54.6 percent, #3 blocks - 2.06/gm, #5 scoring - 14.5/gm) and Sierra Radke (#3 ft% - 83.0 percent, #3 ast - 4.89/gm). Chazny Morris is also among the top 10 in scoring, with her 17.4 pts/gm mark good for third in the league.
In Summit League action, Klein moves up the scoring ranks to #3, averaging 17.0 points per game, but falls to third on the field-goal percentage lists despite hitting at an improved mark of 60.7 percent. Radke also improves her average and position on the assists chart, moving to #2 with a 5.14/gm mark. The scouting reports of her league foes puts the kibosh on Radke's free-throw aspirations, however, as she has made just eight trips to the line in seven league contests, well below the 2.0 ft/gm threshold for ranking.
Best In The Association
In games through January 20, Alysa Klein finds herself back in the top 50 in the NCAA in blocks, having turned away 2.1 per game, good for 43rd in the nation. Her 10-of-10 shooting performance against Southern Utah is also a rarity, one of just six perfect games with 10 or more makes this season. Crystal Kelly of Western Kentucky is the top of that elite group, having made all 11 shots in a game against Missouri State on December 29, 2007. Klein also has the 33rd-best shooting percentage in the country this year, at 54.6 percent.
Sierra Radke also ranks 43rd in the nation in assists, handing out 4.9 helpers per contest.
All For The Best
Sierra Radke has gone the distance in four games for UMKC this season. She played all 40 minutes against Saint Louis, following it up with back-to-back full games - 45 minutes at Missouri and 40 at Northern Colorado. She also played the full 40 against IUPUI. She set new career bests in all but two categories against Saint Louis, following that up with new career-best shooting, scoring and rebounding marks at Missouri.
Winning Unselfishly
UMKC has also made a habit of being unselfish on offense this season, holding a 284-240 edge in assists thus far. The Kangaroos have finished 10 games with more assists than their opponents, winning eight. The only Kangaroos finished with more assists in a losing effort against South Alabama and at South Dakota State
In its eight wins on the season, UMKC has averaged 19.5 assists per contest, dishing just 12.8 per loss.
Dime Time... Again... And Again... And Again...
UMKC posted a 20-assist night for the fourth time this season against Southern Utah with a season-best 28 helpers on the night. The mark was just four assists shy of the all-time best mark for the Kangaroos, a 32-assist effort against Emporia State on January 12, 1989. UMKC dished for 25 assists on 34 makes against Newman, 20 assists on 23 makes against Northern Colorado and 21 assists on 25 makes against Saint Louis.
Seeing Double
Alysa Klein and Chazny Morris are each averaging in double figures for UMKC this season, with Klein banking 14.5 points per game and Morris a team-best 17.4 per contest. Klein has scored 10 points or better in 15 of her 18 appearances this season and recorded three consecutive 20-point outings against IUPUI, Southern Utah and North Dakota State. Morris has missed the 10-point plateau just once in her 15 appearances on the campaign, as she was held to just seven points at Oakland.
Seeing Double-double
Double-doubles have been tantalizingly close in several contests for the Kangaroos this season, so it wasn't surprising that UMKC's first game to see a double-double saw two. Sierra Radke (14 pts, 11 a) and Kalei Nance (10 pts, 10 reb.) both hit the milestone for UMKC, although Nance gets credit for the first. Nance pulled in her 10th board with 2:31 left in the game, while Radke's 10th assist came at the 1:32 mark.
Although it's not a regularly-tracked statistical category, Alysa Klein leads the Kangaroos in near misses of the double-double mark this year, with seven. Klein has recorded double-digit marks in either scoring or rebounding in all but two games this season, but hasn't found the mark in both categories yet. The senior finished just shy of the mark in three consecutive games, coming away with eight rebounds for the third time this season against Newman, followed by nine boards against Western Illinois and IUPUI. At North Dakota State, she also finished the night with nine rebounds, following it up with an eight-rebound effort at South Dakota State. Chazny Morris has three near misses (24 p, 8 r at Cent. Ark.; 11 p, 9 r vs. Air Force; 30 p, 8 r vs. Texas State) with Radke and Marta Waalen each with one.
Season Double-doubles
Kalei Nance (10 pts, 10 reb) - vs. Saint Louis, 11/29/07
Sierra Radke (14 pts, 11 a) - vs. Saint Louis, 11/29/07
Helping Out Your Friends
Sierra Radke's 11-assist outing against Saint Louis was not just a career best for the senior, it marked the first time since the 2005-06 season that a Kangaroo dished out 10 assists or more in a single game. The previous double-digit dish night came against Oakland, as Jowan Ortega handed out 10 dimes in a 75-61 win on January 16, 2006. Ortega fell just shy of the double-double mark on the evening, however, finishing the night with eight points. The mark is also good for the second-best single-game outing in the league this season, behind Amanda Girodat's 12-point outing for North Dakota State against Wright State. Both marks fall just outside the 10 best single-game marks on the year NCAA-wide, however, as the cutoff is 13.
Block Party
Just three games into the 2007-08 season, Alysa Klein followed up on her record-setting performance from last year by capturing the top spot on the career blocks list at UMKC. Klein passed Lauren Powers, recording her 145th career swat with 7:09 left in the second half at Kansas. The Okoboji, Iowa, native's career average of 1.6 blks/gm is the third best in program history and 10th-best all time in The Summit League.
She hit a slight hiccup against San Francisco and South Alabama, as she failed to record a block in back-to-back games for the first time in better than a year. The last time Klein was without a rejection in consecutive games was on January 21 and 23, 2006, as she failed to register a block at either IUPUI or Oral Roberts. Against IUPUI, she recovered her pace, swatting five rejections and followed up that performance with a three-block night against Southern Utah. Through the remaining games on the schedule, Klein is projected to finish with 196 blocks, good for fifth best all-time in the league.
1. Alysa Klein 173 b 105 g 1.6
2. Lauren Powers 144 b 103 g 1.4
3. Joy Ommen 75 b 21 g 3.6
4. LaRonna Lassiter 63 b 103 g 0.6
5. Georgia Bivens 61 b 53 g 1.2
Inside Out?
Although she is a key inside threat for the Kangaroos, senior Alysa Klein can also hit the three ball when the opportunity presents itself. Klein is 3-5 from outside the arc in her career after swishing a pair of treys this season. She hit against South Alabama and at IPFW but her effort against Western Illinois was just slightly off the mark. The Okoboji, Iowa, native also drained her lone effort from distance during the 2006-07 season, hitting at Oakland on January 6. At North Dakota State, Marta Waalen threw her name into the hat, hitting one of two three-point efforts on the afternoon. Waalen added her second trey of the season at South Dakota State.
Glamourous 30's
Holding Newman to 32 points was an amazing achievement for UMKC, marking the first time since the 2004-05 season that a Kangaroo opponent was held below 40 points and the 18th time during the Kangaroos tenure in Division I. The mark was the third-lowest in the Division I era and sixth best all-time. The most recent result came as UMKC downed IUPUI 76-36 on February 12, 2005.
The 49-point win also marked the fourth-best margin of victory in the Division I era. In each of the three big wins, UMKC victimized Chicago State (109-52 - Feb. 20, 1988; 100-48 - Feb. 20, 1995; 93-43 - Jan. 2, 1999) on three occasions. Chicago State also provided the most feeble offensive output by an opponent in the Division I era in a 56-25 loss on Jan. 6, 2000.
Going back to the NAIA era, the defensive showing is the sixth-lowest score for an opponent, but only the 18th-best margin of victory. In-town foe Park put up remarkably little opposition in a 101-19 win for UMKC on Dec. 11, 1981.
That 70's Show
UMKC is 6-1 when cresting the 70-point plateau, including three times hitting better than 80 points. Against Missouri, UMKC dropped a result in which they scored 70 points or more for the only time this season, finishing on 73 points for the third time this year. The Kangaroos downed Central Arkansas by a 73-63 count and bested Saint Louis by a 73-70 margin.
On the flip side, UMKC has lost five of the six contests that have seen its opponents score 70 points or more. The aforementioned win over Saint Louis marks the only time UMKC has allowed 70 points in a win. The loss at North Dakota State was the first time on the campaign that the Kangaroos allowed an opponent to hit 80 points.
50 Ain't Nifty
On the lower side of the ledger, UMKC isn't so much a fan of the 50's, having dropped all six contests where they ended the evening with fewer than 59 points. It has been kind on the defensive end, however, as UMKC has only lost one contest in which its opponent failed to score at least 59 points - vs. IUPUI.
Rushing Out
Taushelle Rushing will miss the remainder of the 2007-08 season after being declared academically ineligible.
Reining In The Charitable Giving
UMKC has been very generous on the charity stripe this year, allowing its opponents 383 free throw opportunities on the year. In their 10 losses on the year, UMKC has attempted fewer free throws - 153 - than its opponents have made - 175 - and have given up 24.4 free throw opportunites per loss. In its eight wins, however, UMKC has the upper hand in attempts although the gap is much narrower at 161 to 139.
On The Glass
Against IUPUI, Alysa Klein passed Lauren Powers for the third time on a UMKC top-10 list, grabbing nine rebounds to move into fourth place all time on the rebounding list. Klein has 626 grabs on the year, sitting within 70 rebounds of nabbing second-best all time - surpassing Stephanie Worthy's monstrous two-season mark of 696. Pulling down a second top spot would require an equally monstrous effort by Klein, as she sits 238 boards behind Laurie Smith's 864 career grabs.
1. Laurie Smith 864 r 123 g 7.0
2. Stephanie Worthy 696 r 67 g 10.4
3. Darci Haas 654 r 106 g 6.2
4. Alysa Klein 626 r 105 g 6.0
5. Lauren Powers 600 r 103 g 5.9
6. Mary Michalski 524 r 55 g 9.5
Making It Count
With her 27-point explosion against South Alabama, Alysa Klein moved into her third top-10 list at UMKC - career field-goal makes. She continues to climb the charts, passing Darci Haas with 10 buckets against Southern Utah. At her current clip, Klein should finish her career in third place with 502 buckets.
1. Penny Waggener 123 g 613 fg 5.0
2. Stephanie Worthy 67 g 540 fg 8.0
3. Julie Nill 85 g 497 fg 5.8
4. Katie Houlehan 115 g 490 fg 4.3
5. Laurie Smith 123 g 474 fg 3.9
6. Alysa Klein 105 g 439 fg 4.2
7. Darci Haas 106 g 418 fg 3.9
8. Meredith Wilcox 104 g 401 fg 3.9
Reaching The Century Mark
After recording her 100th career game against Newman University, Alysa Klein continues to climb the appearances list for UMKC, sitting with 105 on the year. Barring injury, she should become the Division I era leader for the Kangaroos at 117 games. Katie Houlehan currently holds that mark with 115 games, good for fourth overall. Four players from UMKC's NAIA tenure have each recorded 120 games or more, with Laurie Smith and Penny Waggener recording an amazing 123 games over a four-year span.
Morris From Three
Chazny Morris set a freshman record last season, nailing 37 of 84 attempts from three-point range, a 44.0 percent mark, also good for the third-best all-time single-season mark, just three tenths of a percent behind Veda McNeal.
Morris has struggled from distance this season, slipping from the top five, but has increased her scoring average despite a falling shooting clip.
1. Eve Barry 28-61 .459
2. Broda Dickerson 31-73 .425
3. Julie Jenson 98-232 .422
4. Kelly Walden 95-243 .391
5. Veda McNeal 174-452 .385
Chazny Morris 62-176 .352
UMKC In League Openers
With the loss at IPFW, UMKC fell to 6-8 overall in league openers. The Kangaroos are 2-3 when opening the league slate on the road and 4-5 in home openers. Candace White-Whitaker captured a win to open league play last season, downing Southern Utah 64-48. Overall, UMKC is 6-7 in league openers, with a 2-2 record when opening the league slate away from home. The last time the Kangaroos opened the conference slate with a road win came in the 2002-03 season, when UMKC downed Southern Utah by a 61-54 margin.
Short But Sweet
After missing the entirety of her first season at UMKC with a knee injury, Tarah Cullen has been struggling to get fully healthy and make a mark in the lineup. The redshirt sophomore picked a spectacular time to do just that at Missouri, as she checked into the game with just seven seconds left on the clock, as UMKC filled its lineup with three-point specialists. With 1.1 ticks left on the clock, she was fouled, sinking all three efforts from the line coolly to send the game to overtime.
Seward County Connections
With her success as a player at Seward County (Kan.) Community College, it is only reasonable that head coach Candace White-Whitaker would look close to home on the recruiting trail. Senior Sierra Radke and junior Taushelle Rushing both come to the Kangaroos following successful careers with the Lady Saints.
Kangaroo Recruiting Class Ranked 38th In The Nation
UMKC's 2007 recruiting class was ranked the 38th-best in the nation by the Dan Olson Collegiate Girls Basketball Report. This is the first time that a UMKC women's basketball recruiting class has been recognized by a national publication.
Youth Is Served
Currently the youngest head coach at the Division I level, Candace White-Whitaker is also one of the youngest head coaches in recent women's basketball history. At the time of her appointment as the interim head coach last year, White-Whitaker was just 26 years, 239 days old.
She comes from a strong background of young coaches, as her mentor at Valparaiso, Keith Freeman, made his entry into the profession at the tender age of 19. Freeman helmed the women's basketball team at Huntington (Ind.) College during the 1983-84 season.
Although impressive, White-Whitaker isn't even the youngest head coach at her own institution. That honor belongs to Meredith Smith, head softball coach, who was a mere 25 years, 166 days old at the time of her appointment.
UMKC has a history of taking a chance on young coaches, as no fewer than nine coaches have been appointed before their 30th birthday. Angela Garbe was the youngest, taking the reins of the women's tennis team in September 1991 at the age of 22 years, 264 days.
Going The (Extra) Distance...
UMKC certainly had to like its chances going into the extra frame at Missouri, as the Kangaroos have had considerable success in overtime in recent history. They were victorious in extra time on two consecutive season-ending trips to Western Illinois, also picking up an overtime win over IUPUI in 2007. Prior to this season, the last time the Kangaroos were defeated in overtime came during the 2003-04 season, as Dana Eikenberg's squad dropped a result at West Virginia. UMKC is 9-14 all time in overtime contests, with Western Illinois and Oral Roberts the most frequent foes. The Kangaroos hold a 3-0 record in extra frames against the Westerwinds and just a 1-3 record against the Golden Eagles.
Starting Fast
In her first full season at the helm for UMKC, head coach Candace White-Whitaker jumped in with both feet, as her squad opened the regular season with four games over a span of eight days. The Kangaroos opened the 2007-08 campaign with a road contest at Central Arkansas on November 9 before returning home to face the Lady Falcons of Air Force on Sunday. After a mid-week jaunt to Lawrence to take on Kansas, UMKC wrapped up the busy stretch with a home game against Northern Colorado on November 17.
The last time UMKC was not scheduled to play a game during the holiday break was on the 2004-05 campaign, Bo Overton's first season in charge. The Kangaroos finished that season with a Championship run, becoming the first UMKC squad to play for a conference title in basketball.
Back To Back AAaack...
The first weekend of league play was a bit harsh, as the Kangaroos set season lows in back-to-back contests for the first time this season. UMKC hit a season-low 51 points at IPFW before landing at a new low of 50 at Oakland on Monday. The Kangaroos also set new low marks in free throws and attempts in both contests (8-9 followed by 3-8) and tied a season low in steals at seven in both games.
Summer Camp Dates Set
The UMKC women's basketball team has set the first series of dates for its 2008 summer camp schedule. The Kangaroos will host a three-day camp for individuals from June 9-11, 2008. The Lil' Joey and Kangaroo camps are designed for players in grades 1-5 and 6-8 respectively, and run from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The Elite camp, structured for high-school age players, runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
From June 12-14, the Kangaroos will host a team camp, open to teams at all levels. Contact associate head coach Brett Schneider at 816-235-1033 or via e-mail at schneiderbr@umkc.edu for more information or to register.
Texas Home Cooking
In addition to his local ties - he served as an assistant coach at the University of Missouri from 1998 to 2000 - associate head coach Brett Schneider claims the same hometown as head coach Candace White-Whitaker. A strong recruiter, Schneider has a strong family background in basketball, as his father Bob claimed over 1,000 victories over a 43-year career. His brother, Brandon, currently serves as head women's basketball coach for Emporia State University, while his sister, Brooke, was a letterwinner at West Texas A&M.
Klein, Morris Tabbed As Preseason All-Summit Stars
UMKC landed two players on all-conference teams during the preseason polling of coaches, media and sports information directors in The Summit League. Alysa Klein was tabbed as a first team honoree, while Chazny Morris was named to the second team.
The Kangaroos fell two spots in this year's preseason rankings, as they were predicted to finish seventh out of the league's 10 teams. Oral Roberts was again selected as the preseason favorite despite garnering only 10 first-place votes to 14 for debutantes South Dakota State University.
Kangaroos Add Two During Early Signing Period
UMKC head coach Candace White-Whitaker announced two additions to the Kangaroo roster for the 2008-09 season during the early signing period. Heather Davis and Mariah Davis (no relation) will both continue their playing careers and education at UMKC.
Heather Davis, a 5-7 guard from Muskogee, Okla., earned preseason second-team all-state honors from Oklahoma Tipoff magazine this year, following up on a second-team all-conference season as a junior.
Mariah Davis, a 6-0 forward from Hercules, Calif., averaged a double-double (13.5 pts, 10.4 reb) last season for Hercules High School, adding 94 blocks, 31 assists and 29 steals to pace her team to a second-place finish in the North Coast Section Division III tournament. Davis was tabbed as a first team all-league selection as well as earning all-tournament team honors at the River City Classic.
Kangaroos On The Web
New for the 2007-08 season, fans can now watch all of the action of UMKC women's basketball via Summit TV. All of UMKC's non-conference home games as well as every game of the inaugural season in The Summit League will stream live through the World Wide Web as part of the Summit TV package. For more information or to subscribe, visit www.thesummitleague.org and click on the “Summit TV” icon. A full-season package is just $49.95, with individual game purchases also available. As part of the full-season package, fans will also have access to “On-Demand” games, allowing fans to watch any game from the 2007-08 season. Listen to T.J. Jackson - the voice of the Kangaroos - as he brings you all of the action from courtside.
And Live Stats Too...
After some technical difficulties to start the season, UMKC is now able to offer live stat streaming for all home games. Check the schedule page at www. umkckangaroos.com for links to each game.
Reaching For New Heights
The 2007-08 season marks the first for The Summit League, formerly known as the Mid-Continent Conference. The name change is part of a larger initiative, called The Summit Plan, launched by the league's President's Council in June 2007. The initiative looks to improve the overall athletic image of the conference and bring a more intense focus to the overall welfare of the student-athletes at the member institutions.
In addition to the name change, the league welcomes three new schools to the mix for the 2007-08 season. IPFW, North Dakota State University and South Dakota State University join the conference to push its ranks to 10. Valparaiso, a founding member of the conference, departed for the Horizon League at the conclusion of the 2006-07 academic year.
