Showing posts with label Minnesota State women's basketball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Minnesota State women's basketball. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Friday, January 31, 2014
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Thursday, August 16, 2012
MSU women's BB coach search gets interesting
Over the last two days, the search for the next women's basketball coach at Minnesota State has come down to two candidates: South Dakota State assistant Emilee Thiesse and Southwest Minnesota State head coach Allison Kruger.
Having spoken with both, there seems to be one difference. Thiesse is looking for her first head-coaching job, while Kruger has already had a couple seasons on the hot seat.
Thiesse's resume is good, having worked at South Dakota State and Drake as both programs have competed in the NCAA tournament. She's been the recruiting coordinator for the Jackrabbits, with a concentration on Minnesota.
She seems somewhat soft-spoken, probably doesn't have an intimidating presence on the bench. She's been on winning teams and probably has high expectations for her athletes.
Kruger's resume isn't as impressive, with some experience as an assistant at South Dakota. She's been the head coach at Southwest and won only 13 games in two seasons.
Certainly, there are greater challenges to winning at Southwest than there are at Minnesota State, but she comes across as a more experienced, confident coach, eager to accept a challenge. She also is very familiar with the current roster and the Northern Sun.
It seems that neither candidate would run the program into the ground, yet this decision comes down to which personality the search committee is looking for. The resume seems to favor Thiesse, while the head-coach experience and presence should favor Kruger.
The decision could be made before the weekend, and an announcement could come early next week.
Having spoken with both, there seems to be one difference. Thiesse is looking for her first head-coaching job, while Kruger has already had a couple seasons on the hot seat.
Thiesse's resume is good, having worked at South Dakota State and Drake as both programs have competed in the NCAA tournament. She's been the recruiting coordinator for the Jackrabbits, with a concentration on Minnesota.
She seems somewhat soft-spoken, probably doesn't have an intimidating presence on the bench. She's been on winning teams and probably has high expectations for her athletes.
Kruger's resume isn't as impressive, with some experience as an assistant at South Dakota. She's been the head coach at Southwest and won only 13 games in two seasons.
Certainly, there are greater challenges to winning at Southwest than there are at Minnesota State, but she comes across as a more experienced, confident coach, eager to accept a challenge. She also is very familiar with the current roster and the Northern Sun.
It seems that neither candidate would run the program into the ground, yet this decision comes down to which personality the search committee is looking for. The resume seems to favor Thiesse, while the head-coach experience and presence should favor Kruger.
The decision could be made before the weekend, and an announcement could come early next week.
Monday, March 5, 2012
MSU women rewarded with tournament berth
The Minnesota State women's basketball team gathered in the Johnson Alumni late Sunday night to watch the NCAA selection show, and it didn't take long for the Mavericks to discover their fate.
Minnesota State was one of the first schools shown on the brackets, producing a small cheer from the players. Soon, it was obvious that the Mavericks would be facing powerful Wayne State for the fourth time, second time at Wayne.
The program's seniors Jennie Noreen and Laura Weber had to feel some satisfaction in helping the team get back into the national tournament. Both were reserves on the historic 2009 team that won the national championship, and both had survived the struggles of the last two seasons.
This season started with four nonconference wins against lesser competition, then losses at Wayne State and Augustana, correctly predicted to be the top two teams in the Northern Sun. Ali Wilkinson the team's best player, suffered a season-ending injury that seemed likely to torpedo another season.
But the Mavericks gained some momentum through eight straight wins, and it seemed probable that this team would be a threat in the conference and region. However, the Mavericks struggled over the last month, winning some key games just to get into the Northern Sun tournament.
The Mavericks will be decided underdogs at Wayne State on Friday, but last Saturday, the Mavericks had a good game plan in the loss to Wayne State, excpet for the 20-percent shooting.
Wayne State is the better team, but it wouldn't be as big of a shock here as it would be at Wayne State if the Mavericks pull the upset.
Minnesota State was one of the first schools shown on the brackets, producing a small cheer from the players. Soon, it was obvious that the Mavericks would be facing powerful Wayne State for the fourth time, second time at Wayne.
The program's seniors Jennie Noreen and Laura Weber had to feel some satisfaction in helping the team get back into the national tournament. Both were reserves on the historic 2009 team that won the national championship, and both had survived the struggles of the last two seasons.
This season started with four nonconference wins against lesser competition, then losses at Wayne State and Augustana, correctly predicted to be the top two teams in the Northern Sun. Ali Wilkinson the team's best player, suffered a season-ending injury that seemed likely to torpedo another season.
But the Mavericks gained some momentum through eight straight wins, and it seemed probable that this team would be a threat in the conference and region. However, the Mavericks struggled over the last month, winning some key games just to get into the Northern Sun tournament.
The Mavericks will be decided underdogs at Wayne State on Friday, but last Saturday, the Mavericks had a good game plan in the loss to Wayne State, excpet for the 20-percent shooting.
Wayne State is the better team, but it wouldn't be as big of a shock here as it would be at Wayne State if the Mavericks pull the upset.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Friday, December 16, 2011
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Sunday, October 16, 2011
A few observations from Midnight Madness
It's tough to drawn many conclusions from watching a 10-minute intrasquad scrimmage by the Minnesota State men's and women's basketball teams early Saturday morning at Bresnan Arena, but there's no reason to stay up past midnight if you're not going to try to gain a little insight.
The men's team has new nine names on the roster, four of which might be starters when the season begins Nov. 12. Connor O'Brien, who clearly has added some size and strength, will be back in the post, and he looked very aggressive and confident.
Point gurd Jimmy Whitehead will be the starting point guard, but he's out with a broken jaw and could miss games, leaving that position to redshirt freshman Travis Meinders or true freshman Kelly Madison.
Freshman forward T.J. Okafor is freakishly athletic, and if his effort matches his talent, fans are in for a treat.
Perimeter shooting looks like this team's weakness, though transfer D.J Hoskins has a good reputation as a shooter. Stephen Kirschbaum, the team's only senior, looks like the best shooter.
Speaking of shooting, the women's team showed good peimeter shooting. Newcomers Aubrey Davis, Kathleen Reynolds and Jameila Hudnell showed 3-point acumen, and with Laura Weber and Ali Wilkinson in the post, it looks like a better team.
But the last two seasons for the women's team have not been very good so it remains to be seen how the incumbents and new faces mix.
The men's team has new nine names on the roster, four of which might be starters when the season begins Nov. 12. Connor O'Brien, who clearly has added some size and strength, will be back in the post, and he looked very aggressive and confident.
Point gurd Jimmy Whitehead will be the starting point guard, but he's out with a broken jaw and could miss games, leaving that position to redshirt freshman Travis Meinders or true freshman Kelly Madison.
Freshman forward T.J. Okafor is freakishly athletic, and if his effort matches his talent, fans are in for a treat.
Perimeter shooting looks like this team's weakness, though transfer D.J Hoskins has a good reputation as a shooter. Stephen Kirschbaum, the team's only senior, looks like the best shooter.
Speaking of shooting, the women's team showed good peimeter shooting. Newcomers Aubrey Davis, Kathleen Reynolds and Jameila Hudnell showed 3-point acumen, and with Laura Weber and Ali Wilkinson in the post, it looks like a better team.
But the last two seasons for the women's team have not been very good so it remains to be seen how the incumbents and new faces mix.
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