Depth, experience, health has Women’s Basketball ready for 2011-12 season

MEQUON, Wis. - There is no doubt the Concordia University Wisconsin women's basketball team has had its share of success since head coach Stacey Brunner-Jones took over the program eight years ago. The goal of winning the conference title and advancing to the NCAA Tournament will never change, but the fire inside burns hotter after falling in the Northern Athletics Conference Tournament championship game last season.

Over the past five seasons the Falcons has advanced to at least the conference tournament title game on three occasions, but last year's defeat has left a lingering sour taste in their mouths. It was not only a devastating loss to Wisconsin Lutheran College, but also a difficult way to end another successful season because CUW had fallen twice to the Warriors and narrowly missed a fifth-straight regular season league title.

"Our goal is always going to become NAC champions," Brunner-Jones said. "We don't even really have to talk about it. Once you get the taste of that success, you always want more of it. With the two season-ending injuries we suffered last season I knew it was going to be a tough year for us to repeat as champions."

RETURNERS
When a team advances deep into the conference tournament the year prior, a question people are always going to ask the following season is 'Can you repeat on that success?' Yes, the Falcons have the chance of returning the NAC Tournament title game because they return seven players who saw action in that game; including starters Katie Luethe (sophomore, Oshkosh, Wis.), Kendall Kerns (senior, Stoughton, Wis.) and Tiffany Hendrickson (junior, Ingleside, Ill.).

With the addition of sophomore guard Camille Parsons (Urbana, Ill.) and junior guard Brittany Zietlow (Oak Creek, Wis.), whose seasons ended with injuries a year ago, Brunner-Jones now has depth at every position.

Another key aspect the coaching staff is excited about is their top three scores - Luethe, Hendrickson and Kerns - from a season ago all return after averaging double-figures. The trio combined to score over 50 percent of the points last year.

Luethe earned All-NAC Freshman honors after leading CUW in scoring (12.2 per game) and rebounding (6.1 per game). Hendrickson was named to the All-NAC Honorable mention team after finishing second on the team in scoring (11.6 per game) and first in 3-point makes (34). She was also first in the league among all individuals with a 90.7 free throw percentage (68-of-75).

The Falcons will however, have to replace just one senior off last year's team that finished 19-9 overall and 15-3 in conference play. Melanie Kulibert (Neenah, Wis.) was an All-NAC Second Team guard who finished fourth among all players with 109 assists (3.89 per game average).

Kulibert's leadership and respect on and off the floor is still held in high regard from Brunner-Jones.

"She was basically a starter for four years here and it was difficult to see her graduate. In my mind she will go down as one of the best players that has every played here. Her accolades may not show how good she was, but she always put her team first."

FRONT COURT
The Falcons enter the season with what might be the best forward combination in the conference. Sophomore Megan Bernardoni (Hanover Park, Ill.), Kerns, Luethe and senior Brittney Toles (South Beloit, Ill.) are going to be relied upon to anchor the painted area in the team's high-low offense.

Kerns was on the cusp of earning a spot on the All-NAC team according to Brunner-Jones and with consistent play this season she will most likely earn a spot among the league's best. The 6-foot forward averaged 10.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game last season. What might have arguably been her best game of the season was a 23-point performance against Erika Laete - the NAC Player of the Year - in the conference tournament championship game.

Luethe showed why she deserved All-NAC Freshman honors after scoring double-digits in 23 of the team's 28 games. She also poured in three 20-plus point games and finished with three double-doubles. The 5-foot-9 forward led the Falcons in points (341), rebounds (170), steals (46), field goals (140), and finished second in blocks (11).

BACK COURT
CUW's back court is getting a pair of new, but old, faces back into its rotation. Zietlow and Parsons return after sitting out last season with season-ending injuries. Both have been practicing at 100 percent and are working out the final pieces of rust from the unwanted time off.

Zietlow will step into the starting point guard role this season, according to Brunner-Jones. She is a player that leads by example, but also directs the offense with her vision and court presence.

Hendrickson is another player that has battled a few injuries during her career, but having started all 28 games last season shows her durability. Senior Emily Wesley (South Milwaukee, Wis.) and sophomore Anna Butler (Kewaskum, Wis.) averaged 13 minutes a game last season and are going to be relied upon for crucial minutes again this season.

SCHEDULE
The 2011-12 non-conference schedule is going to test Brunner-Jones' experienced team, as four of the first six games are on the road. It is never easy to begin a season on the road, but to start the year with home games against UW-River Falls and NAC rival Edgewood College can only make the Falcons excited to start the year.

"We are again going to have to be road warriors," Brunner-Jones said. "What the players are going to get from the coaching staff is consistency in our game planning for each game. We prepare for each game the same, no matter who the opponent is or if we are at home or on the road. We aren't going to take anybody lightly."

CUW opens this year's campaign at Beloit College on Tuesday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. The two teams have never squared off with Brunner-Jones' at the helm. The Buccaneers enter contest with a new head coach, which means the Falcons will have to be prepared for anything thrown their way on opening night.

A week later CUW returns to the court to square off against Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference member UW-River Falls on Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. in the Falcons home opener. UW-River Falls pulled away during the final five minutes of the last season's matchup to earn a 71-57 victory.

"We played well in spurts last year against UW-River Falls," Brunner-Jones said. "They are a strong and physical team, which is going to make for a challenging home opener."

It won't take long for a highly touted NAC matchup to take place during the 2011-12 season as Edgewood College enters the R. John Buuck Field House for a Saturday, Nov. 25 showdown at 2 p.m. While the two teams have competed against each other at the highest level, the Falcons hold a 9-3 advantage over the last five years.

The one defeat at the hands of the Eagles that still sticks in the back of Brunner-Jones' mind and many of her former players is a heartbreaking 72-70 overtime defeat in the semifinals of the 2007-08 conference tournament. The Falcons returned the favor the following season with a 72-66 victory in the conference tournament, again in the semifinals. CUW would go on to win its second of two league tournament titles and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament that season.

FINAL THOUGHT
"I am really anxious to see us play," Brunner-Jones said. "Scrimmages are scrimmages, but I am excited to see us compete and go through those ups and downs the season provides. I am very eager to see how all of this is going to play out. I think we can play with anybody and I think everyone is still going to give us their best game."