Kangaroos Host Oral Roberts Monday Night To Wrap Up Two-Game Home Stand
1/27/2008 6:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Hosting Oral Roberts at Swinney Recreation Center for the first time since the 2004-05 season, UMKC looks to close out January with its third consecutive win at home. The game, which will be available through SummitTV at www.thesummitleague.org, is set for a 7 p.m. tipoff.
By The Numbers
For the second straight game, UMKC finds itself matched up against an opponent with nearly identical statistics, as Oral Roberts has hit at the same 40.3 percent clip as the Kangaroos on the season. UMKC has tallied six more buckets on 18 more attempts, however, to hold the slightest of edges in average scoring. Oral Roberts has been a bit more accurate from beyond the arc, but UMKC is the better free throw-shooting team on the year. The Kangaroos also hold edges in assists (15.9-12.9) and rebounds (38.1-36.9), but Oral Roberts is slightly better in steals (10.1-9.2) and has given up just shy of 16 turnovers per contest on the year while UMKC has coughed up just over 19.
About The Golden Eagles
The longest-tenured coach in The Summit League prior to this season, Jerry Finkbeiner is in his 12th season as bench boss for Oral Roberts. He has compiled a 187-155 record at Oral Roberts, and a 386-189 overall record as a head coach. After being tabbed as the preseason favorite to win The Summit League regular season title, ORU finds itself tied for fifth in the league at 4-4.
Oral Roberts has four players averaging in double figures on the year, paced by Jenny Hardin's contribution of 14.1 pts/gm. Rachel Watman and Mariana Camargo average 12.6 and 12.2 points per contest respectively, and team rebounding leader Janae Voelker rounds out the list with 11.2 pts/gm to go with her 8.0 boards per contest. Camargo also leads the team in assists (104), blocks (13) and steals (51) on the year. As a team, the Golden Eagles have forced 382 turnovers from their opponents while giving up the ball just 301 times themselves.
Last Time Out For The Kangaroos
Despite shooting just 16.7 percent from the floor in the second half, the UMKC women's basketball team picked up its second consecutive home win, downing Centenary by a 57-46 count on Saturday afternoon. The Kangaroos recorded 12 blocks in the game - eight in the first half - to set new single-game records.
UMKC opened the game quickly, with Chazny Morris finding the bucket off a Sierra Radke feed with less than 10 seconds gone, but it would be nearly three minutes before either team scored again. The Kangaroos missed their next six efforts from the floor, with Centenary clanging five.
With buckets just over a minute apart, Centenary managed to take a 4-3 lead with 16:02 left, but UMKC fired off six unanswered points to grab a 9-4 edge with 14:33 left in the half.
Four points from Karolina Zaloga allowed Centenary to pull within 11-8 with 13:06 to go, but it would be the closest the Ladies could come on the afternoon.
A Heather Wimberly layup with 11:26 on the clock sparked a 21-7 run for the Kangaroos, giving UMKC a 32-15 edge with just over five minutes in the half. Over the run, UMKC shot 9-of-13 from the floor, closing out the spurt with five consecutive baskets.
The Kangaroos cooled off down the stretch but coasted into the locker room with a 39-18 lead. Alysa Klein recorded four of UMKC's eight blocks in the first half, besting the previous best mark of six - last seen against Austin Peay during the 2001-02 season.
Coming out of the break, however, UMKC's shooting turned ice cold, with the Kangaroos able to muster just two field goals in 21 attempts over the first 11 minutes of the half. Centenary was able to pull to within 10, trailing 44-34, but a trey for Morris with 8:59 to go kept the lead in double digits.
The Kangaroos were able to keep Centenary at arm's length down the stretch, with Klein pulling down nine rebounds in the second half to record her first double-double of the season.
Morris led all scorers with 22 points on the night, with Klein adding 19 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Radke handed out eight assists for UMKC, her eighth consecutive game with five assists or more.
Freshman Ashley Jackson led the Ladies with 17 points, with Zaloga adding 11. Jackson came up just shy of the double-double, grabbing nine rebounds, with Leslie Forest and Anne Farrell each grabbing eight.
After a 50 percent first half performance, UMKC finished with a 32.9 percent (23-70) field goal mark, with Centenary hitting 16 of 59 attempts for a 27.1 percent clip. The Kangaroos won the battle of the glass, pulling down 55 to just 46 for the Ladies.
Three-Point Play
UMKC has struggled to find its pace from beyond the arc this season, hitting at just a 28.3 percent (94-332) rate through 19 games on the 2007-08 schedule. The mark is short of the Kangaroos pace at the same point last season (30.5 percent on 94-of-308 shooting) and even further afield of the 2005-06 squad (32.4 percent/123-380). 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, though well below where they would like to be.
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 losses this season and just a 27.4 percent rate in losses. The Kangaroos have also won six of the 12 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 12 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 106 g 1026 pts 9.7
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 and hung on to best Centenary.
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 42.2 percent (237-562) clip in home contests, dipping to a 38.5 percent (222-576) mark on the road. Alysa Klein bucks the trend, however, improving to nearly 60 percent (57.5 / 65-113) away from Kansas City and hitting just shy of 50 percent (49.6 / 56-113) at home.
After averaging a torrid 82.9 percent shooting average from the floor over three games (vs. SUU, at NDSU, at SDSU), Alysa Klein dipped slightly against Centenary, making just eight of her 19 attempts on the night.
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 also lit 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. Centenary likely took notice of the effort, as Morris took just two attempts from the line in Saturday's win, sinking one.
Smile For The Camera
The Kangaroos are now a perfect 3-0 in home appearances on Metro Sports this season. In two of the three outings, UMKC has hit the 80-point plateau - and was on pace to do so against Centenary - and held its opponents to fewer than 50 points in two of the three outings as well.
UMKC is not quite as fond when the game is on an opponent's television slate, falling in both appearances this season.
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 eight of its nine 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.
Block Party
Against Centenary, UMKC set new single-game school records, recording eight blocks in the first half and 12 for the game. The previous best single-half mark was six, recorded twice previously (vs. UW-Milwaukee, Feb. 17, 1990; vs. Austin Peay, Dec. 6, 2002) with all three marks being recorded in the first half. Amazingly, the game against Austin Peay saw the Kangaroos fall by a 70-62 margin. The previous best single-game mark also came in 1990, as UMKC rejected 11 shots against Oklahoma State en route to a 71-60 overtime win.
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 4.58 blk/gm average. NewcomersNorth Dakota State has done quite well, swatting 117 on the campaign. With its 12-block outing against Centenary, UMKC put a bit of breathing room between itself and the rest of the pack, as the nest closest competition is IUPUI with 72 rejections in 20 games.
The Kangaroos have also been the second-most stingy defensive squad from three point range, holding opponents to 29.9 percent beyond the arc, nipping at the heels of Centenary's 29.2 percent rate.
Individually, several Kangaroos are in the top 10 of the ranks, led by Alysa Klein (#2 fg% - 53.5 percent, #3 blocks - 2.32/gm, #5 scoring - 14.7/gm) and Sierra Radke (#5 ft% - 80.4 percent, #3 ast - 5.05/gm). Chazny Morris is also among the top 10 in scoring, with her 17.7 pts/gm mark good for second in the league.
In Summit League action, Klein moves up the scoring ranks to second, averaging 17.3 points per game, but falls to fourth on the field-goal percentage list despite hitting at an improved mark of 57.4 percent. Radke also improves her average and position on the assists chart, moving to the top spot on the list with a 5.50/gm mark. The scouting reports of her league foes puts the kibosh on Radke's free-throw aspirations, however, as she has made just 11 trips to the line in eight league contests, well below the 2.0 ft/gm threshold for ranking. Morris picks up her teammates' back, however, with her 92.0 percent (23-25) mark tied for best in The Summit League.
Best In The Association
In games through January 24, Alysa Klein finds herself back in the top 50 in the NCAA in blocks, having turned away 2.1 per game, good for 40th 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 had the 32nd-best shooting percentage in the country this year, at 54.6 percent.
Sierra Radke also ranks 41st in the nation in assists, handing out 4.9 helpers per contest.
As a team, UMKC is 36th in the nation on the assists chart, recording an average of 15.8 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.
Eight Is Great
On-court vision is important for a good point guard, and SIerra Radke has shown that she has those qualities in spades recently as she has handed out five or more assists in eight consecutive games for UMKC. Since earning a spot in the starting lineup against Saint Louis, Radke has only had three games in which she handed out fewer than five assists on the night. Against Centenary, she came up just one dime shy of a new UMKC school record for assists in a half.
Winning Unselfishly
UMKC has also made a habit of being unselfish on offense this season, holding a 302-245 edge in assists thus far. The Kangaroos have finished 11 games with more assists than their opponents, winning nine. The only two games to see the Kangaroos finish with more assists in a losing effort were against South Alabama and at South Dakota State.
In its nine wins on the season, UMKC has averaged 19.3 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 14.7 points per game and Morris a team-best 17.7 per contest. Klein has scored 10 points or better in 16 of her 19 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 16 appearances on the campaign, as she was held to just seven points at Oakland, and has recorded seven games with 20 or more points, including back-to-back 20-plus nights at South Dakota State and against Centenary.
Seeing Double-double
Alysa Klein finally found her way into the double-double column against Centenary, scoring 19 points and grabbing 14 rebounds to record the third double-double of the season for UMKC and her first this season. She found herself just shy of a triple-double on the afternoon, turning away seven blocks in the game as well.
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, 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. 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
Alysa Klein (19 pts, 14 r) - vs. Centenary, 1/26/08
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 Too...
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 1.7 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 this season, 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 198 blocks, good for fifth best all-time in the league.
1. Alysa Klein 180 b 106 g 1.7
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 3-6 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
Against Centenary, the Kangaroos picked up their first win of the season in a contest that saw them score 59 points or fewer. UMKC isn't so much a fan of the 50's, having dropped six of the seven 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 nine wins, however, UMKC has the upper hand in attempts although the gap is much narrower at 177 to 159.
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 640 grabs on the year, sitting within 56 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 224 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 640 r 106 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 106 g 447 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 106 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 65-182 .357
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...
In recent history, UMKC has enjoyed considerable success in overtime contests, picking up wins in the extra frame on two consecutive season-ending trips to Western Illinois, adding an overtime win against IUPUI in on the 2006-07 campaign. The most likely opponents are the aforementioned Westerwinds and Oral Roberts, with UMKC holding a 3-0 record over Western Illinois and a 1-3 record against the Golden Eagles. UMKC is 9-14 all time in overtime.
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.
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.
