UMKC Opens Three-Game Road Stand In The Jungle; Faces IUPUI Saturday
2/1/2008 5:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The UMKC women's basketball team begins its second round of action in The Summit League with a three-game road swing. The Kangaroos head to “The Jungle” as they take the Jaguars in a Saturday contest at the IUPUI Gymnasium. The showdown is set for a 3:30 p.m. CT tipoff.
By The Numbers
UMKC has had the better end of the bargain in the statistical comparison than IUPUI this season, although the records seem to belie that. UMKC holds a better shooting pace overall and from beyond the arc and pulls down nearly 38 rebounds per game to just over 34 for IUPUI. The Kangaroos also hand out nearly three more assists per game than the Jaguars and outscores their opponent by one point per game. IUPUI doesn't manage the offensive output of UMKC, scoring just 55.0 points per game to 64.7 for the visiting Kangaroos, but the Jaguars hold their opponents shy of 60 points per contest as well.
About The Jaguars
The last time these teams met, both squads were looking for their first league win on the campaign. IUPUI came away victorious, and Shann Hart's squad sits just above the .500 mark in action in The Summit League on the year. Hart, who has compiled a 47-66 at IUPUI, is in her fourth year as bench boss for IUPUI.
Jernisha Cann and Julia Whitted are still the top offensive players for the Jaguars. Cann puts in 12.2 points per game, averaging just short of a double-double with 9.8 rebounds per contest on the year. Whitted adds 11.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per game for the Jaguars as she leads the team with 62 blocks. Brykeesha Tate is also a key contributer on the offensive end, handing out 64 assists.
Last Time Out For The Kangaroos
For the second game in a row, UMKC shot better than 50 percent from the floor in the first half before trailing off in the second stanza, but offensive rebounds would spell the difference in Monday night's contest as the Kangaroos fell by a 67-63 margin to Oral Roberts.
UMKC was able to frustrate Oral Roberts on the first possession of the game, with Alysa Klein coming up with the block and finding Marta Waalen on the other end of the court. The teams battled over the first four minutes, with the Kangaroos holding an 8-7 lead with 16:14 left.
Back-to-back jumpers by Rachel Watman wrapped around the first media timeout gave Oral Roberts an 11-8 lead. The Golden Eagles continued the push, stretching out to a nine-point lead with a 17-5 run.
Klein stopped the run with a pair of old-fashioned three-point plays - the first coming with 9:26 in the half - to bring UMKC to within a 19-22 margin. And despite a Watman trey and a jumper from Mariana Camargo, UMKC re-took the lead with 5:42 left as Brittny Picconi closed out a 15-5 run for the Kangaroos, draining a triple off an assist from Sierra Radke.
The teams traded the lead twice more down the stretch, with UMKC taking a 37-33 cushion into the intermission.
UMKC pushed out to a seven-point lead, but during a 48-second stretch, Oral Roberts pulled down offensive rebounds on four consecutive missed attempts - three from the floor and one from the free throw line - but couldn't find the mark. The Kangaroos finally got the ball back as Lindsay Fields came up with a steal with 17:51 left.
Neither team was able to score for a span of better than two minutes, before a pair of free throws by Leanne Robinson pulled Oral Roberts to within 43-38 with 14:35 to go. The Golden Eagles finished out the 8-0 spurt at the 12:28 mark, reclaiming a 44-43 lead.
Morris took the lead back for UMKC at the 11:08 mark, hitting a trey from the left wing as she was falling away to give UMKC a 46-44 edge, but she couldn't connect on the Kangaroos' next possession.
The teams traded the lead back and forth down the stretch, with Oral Roberts eventually able to stretch out a five-point cushion. Morris banged home a three with 52 ticks left to pull UMKC to within 65-63, but a turnover on UMKC's next possession would turn the contest.
With a two-point lead, Oral Roberts tried to run as much time off the clock as possible before firing up a trey that missed the mark. Klein came away with the rebound and handed the ball off to Morris, who broke for the basket. As she was nearing the time line, Morris and an Oral Roberts player got tangled up and the ball dribbled out of bounds.
UMKC still had a chance to win the game, however, as Watman missed both of her free throws with 12 seconds left, but Krystal VanHook couldn't come down with the rebound on the second miss. Although the Kangaroos fouled Janae Voelker as quickly as possible, she rattled home both tosses for a 67-63 final margin.
Both teams finished above 40 percent from the field on the night, with Oral Roberts holding a slight edge - 40.9 percent (27-66) to 40.4 percent (23-57). UMKC also dropped the battle of the boards by a 49-33 margin, with Oral Roberts claiming 22 offensive rebounds.
Leanne Robninson had 12 rebounds for Oral Roberts to lead the team, while Camargo topped the offense with 18 points on the night. Watman added 16 points and Voelker finished with 10.
Morris led all scorers in the game with 21 points, just missing a double-double with nine rebounds. Klein added 20 points and eight rebounds on the night, turning away five first-half blocks to equal a school record.
Three-Point Play
UMKC has struggled to find its pace from beyond the arc this season, hitting at just a 28.2 percent (100-354) rate through 20 games on the 2007-08 schedule. The mark is short of the Kangaroos pace at the same point last season (30.5 percent on 98-of-321 shooting) and even further afield of the 2005-06 squad (31.4 percent/124-395). In both previous seasons, however, UMKC's performance from deep fell off as the squad entered conference play. Although the mark is well short of where they would like to be, this year's squad hasn't suffered the same drop off in conference play as in previous years.
Ironically, success from distance has not been a significant factor on a game-by-game basis for the Kangaroos, as UMKC hits at a 28.9 percent clip in losses this season and just a 27.4 percent rate in victories. The Kangaroos have also won six of the 13 games in which they were outshot from distance and lost four of the seven games that saw them finish with a better rate.
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 42.0 percent (260-619) 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 (48.8 / 63-129) at home.
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 100 points behind Darci Haas for sixth spot on the list. Her career pace projects to an overall mark of 1,143 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. Alysa Klein 107 g 1046 pts 9.8
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.
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.
Against Oral Roberts, Alysa Klein matched a school high with six blocks in the first half. The last time a UMKC player turned away six blocks on the night cane in the 1990 season, when Bernice Dorsey swatted six against UW-Milwaukee on Feb. 17, 1990.
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 4.70 blk/gm average. Newcomer North 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 next closest competition is IUPUI with 79 rejections in 21 games.
The Kangaroos have also been the second-most stingy defensive squad from three point range, tied with Centenary at 30.1 percent for the year. IPFW holds its opponents to a 29.7 percent mark on the year for top spot.
Individually, several Kangaroos are in the top 10 of the ranks, led by Alysa Klein (#3 fg% - 52.9 percent, #3 blocks - 2.50/gm, #5 scoring - 15.0/gm) and Sierra Radke (#6 ft% - 75.4 percent, #3 ast - 5.10/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 17.6 points per game, but falls to fourth on the field-goal percentage list despite hitting at an improved mark of 55.6 percent. Radke also improves her average and position on the assists chart, moving to the top spot on the list with a 5.56/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 92.3 percent (24-26) mark best in The Summit League.
Best In The Association
In games through January 27, Alysa Klein finds herself back in the top 50 in the NCAA in blocks, having turned away 2.2 per game, good for 28th 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 45th-best shooting percentage in the country this year, at 53.5 percent.
Sierra Radke also ranks 31st in the nation in assists, handing out 5.1 helpers per contest. Chazny Morris recently cracked the top 50 as well, with her scoring average of 17.7 per game good for 41st in the country.
As a team, UMKC is 34th in the nation on the assists chart, recording an average of 15.9 helpers per contest, and 40th on the block chart with 4.6 per game.
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.
Nine Times? Nine Times...
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 nine 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 317-262 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 13.0 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.
20-20-20 Vision
Chazny Morris is in the midst of a three-game streak in which she's scored 20 or more points. She tallied 24 points at South Dakota State before following up with 20 points against Centenary and 21 against Oral Roberts.
Seeing Double
Alysa Klein and Chazny Morris are each averaging in double figures for UMKC this season, with Klein banking 15.0 points per game and Morris a team-best 17.9 per contest. Klein has scored 10 points or better in 17 of her 20 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 17 appearances on the campaign, as she was held to just seven points at Oakland, and has recorded eight games with 20 or more points.
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 eight. 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 four near misses (24 p, 8 r at Cent. Ark.; 11 p, 9 r vs. Air Force; 30 p, 8 r vs. Texas State; 21 p, 9 r vs. Oral Roberts) 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 204 blocks, good for fifth best all-time in the league.
1. Alysa Klein 187 b 107 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 3-7 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 420 free throw opportunities on the year. In their 11 losses on the year, UMKC has attempted fewer free throws - 172 - than its opponents have made - 184 - and have given up 23.7 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 648 grabs on the year, sitting within 48 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 648 r 107 g 6.1
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 107g 454 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 107 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 69-192 .359
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.
