Rider Women's Basketball 2015-16 Outlook
With seven letterwinners and three starters returning for the Rider University women's basketball team, head coach Lynn Milligan is looking to that veteran leadership to help guide the way as the Broncs continue their upward assent in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
“This time of year, we are anxious to get back out on the court again,” said Milligan who begins her ninth season as head coach. “We had a solid summer where we put some new things in and formulated the roster that had quite a bit of turnover. I think we are a young team and an old team at the same time and we are eager to see the returning players step up into bigger roles this season.”
While Rider posted double-digit wins for the fourth season in a row, a first round exit from the MAAC playoffs was a disappointing end to the season.
“We are going back to basics: less is more,” Milligan said. “We want to get back to remembering what it means to wear the uniform and I think this team will thrive on our philosophy of Rider HEART and be driven to take that next step.”
While going back to basics, Milligan also expects that the makeup of the team will allow an increase in the pace of play.
“We expect to be a faster paced team,” said Milligan. “We want to be a running team but not run and gun. We want to open it up more this year but also do that with discipline. Our defense is going to have to remain a staple in the program, especially on the perimeter. Offensively, we have some players that can make plays and make shots.”
Leading the returnees will be seniors Manon Pellet and Janine Loutzenhiser, along with juniors Julia Duggan, Robin Perkins and Taylor Wentzel.
A 5-7 guard from Marseille, France, and two-time MAAC All-Academic honoree, Pellet enters her senior season as a 90-game veteran and is already 14th all-time on the Rider assist list with 238.
“Manon is our senior leader,” said Milligan. “She is Rider through and through. All she wants to do is win and all she wants to do is everything she can for her teammates. She does whatever it takes. I'm expecting a very big season from her at the point guard spot.”
As a junior, Pellet started all 31 games and led the team with 109 assists (3.5 per game) and was second on the team with 804 minutes played.
From Orinda, California, Loutzenhiser is a 6-1 forward and she enters the season having appeared in 18 games, all off the bench.
“We want Janine to have a good senior year,” said Milligan. “She can shoot the ball and stretch the defense.”
A 6-1 center from Marmora, New Jersey, Duggan appeared in 29 games as a sophomore, making 25 starts while making the most free throws on the team (56). Duggan was third on the team averaging 7.6 points per game and she was also third in field goal percentage (.425) and free throw percentage (.709).
“Jules had a solid sophomore season but maybe not the season she wanted,” Milligan said. “She is playing with a little bit of a chip on her shoulder which is a good thing. She worked hard over the summer and we expect more of a scoring role for her this season.”
From Willingboro, New Jersey, Perkins is a 5-10 guard who as a sophomore, played in all 31 games, making 30 starts in her first season at Rider after transferring from St. Francis (Pa.).
“Robin is a dynamic guard that can score the basketball,” Milligan said. “She is going to have a big role putting the ball in the basket and making plays for us. Her defense is going to be better this season and we think her ceiling is very high.”
Perkins led the team in scoring averaging 10.8 points per game, making a team-high 133 field goals.
A two-time MAAC All-Academic honoree, Wentzel is a 5-6 guard from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania who appeared in 29 games as a sophomore and led the team in three-point field goal percentage (.385).
“Taylor is one of our most improved players,” Milligan said. “She had a fantastic spring and summer. Coming off her knee injury in 2013-14, she was a step off last year and now we feel she is 100 percent. We are looking for her to play off the ball which will make her more of a scoring threat. She was almost a year and a half without seeing the speed of the game and now we feel she is completely back.”
Milligan is leaning on the upperclassmen, not only for their roles on the court but also in the locker room.
“We are excited to see the leadership and development of the upperclassmen,” Milligan said. “We felt we left some wins out on the court last season and we are anxious to see if we can step up and get some things going a little better.”
Finishing out the junior class is forward Yeliz Dogan who hails from Izmir, Turkey and comes to Rider after two seasons at Western Nebraska Community College.
“She is a lefty stretch four who can shoot the ball and attack the basket,” Milligan said about the 6-1 Dogan. “She has great energy and is already showing great leadership skills. She works hard every day and working with the post group of Julia (Duggan) and C'quoya (Haughton) every day, I think those combinations are going to be very good. She gets up and down the floor and plays hard.”
Rider's sophomore class includes C'quoya Haughton and Kamila Hoskova.
From Albany, New York, Haughton is a 6-1 forward who appeared in 20 games, all off the bench as a Rider rookie and was named Rider's Co-Most Improved Player award.
“We are looking for big things from C'quoya,” Milligan said. “She learned a lot as a freshman and went through a lot of scenarios that should lead to an extremely positive sophomore season for her. Things really clicked for her at the end of the season and she worked hard over the summer to continue her growth.”
Hoskova, from Czech Republic, is a 5-9 guard who appeared in 29 games, all off the bench as a Rider rookie and won the team Practice Player of the Year award for 2014-15 after leading the team with a .833 free throw percentage.
“I think Kam is going to be our 'X' factor,” Milligan said. “She is going to surprise some people. She is a good scoring guard who can hit that outside shot and also get to the rim. We are looking for a great season from her.”
Including juco transfer Dogan, Rider will have five newcomers for the 2015-16 season.
“We like this group,” Milligan said. “These are young ladies that fit out Rider HEART philosophy. They give their best every day and worked hard over the summer to be ready to go. Their development is going to be critical to what we want to do.”
The freshman class is led by red-shirt Johnnah Johnson who will be eligible after sitting out last season as a transfer from Robert Morris.
“Johnnah will be eligible in mid-December per the NCAA transfer rules,” Milligan said. “She will bring a very physical presence to the inside. She is very strong and will add good post depth for us.”
The balance of Rider's recruits include Kristina Olikhver, Lexi Posset and Lexi Stover.
Olikhver is a 5-9 guard who comes to Rider from Moscow, Russia via St. Andrew School in Florida.
“Kristina is going to be more of an undersized post player for us,” Milligan said. “She has the skill level to be a tricky player at the four position and we think she can cause some match-up problems. Her biggest challenge, like all newcomers, is getting used to the speed of the collegiate game.”
Posset is a 5-7 guard from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where she was a four-year letterwinner for basketball at Beaver Area High School, scoring 1,587 points and earning All-State honors as a two-time WPIAL First Team All-Conference performer.
“LP is a dynamic guard,” Milligan said. “She is the type of player that when you see her play, you have a greater appreciation for her abilities. Pound for pound, she is one of the toughest players and is not afraid to get in the paint. She can hit a jumper but also isn't afraid to run an offense. The combo of her and Manon (Pellet) is going to be good for us.”
From Malvern, Pennsylvania, Stover is a 5-10 guard who was a four-year letterwinner for basketball, earning First Team All-Catholic League honors as a senior at Archbishop Carroll.
“Lexi is a lefty 'dead-eye' shooter,” Milligan said. “She is really starting to expand her game to put the ball on the floor. She worked hard over the summer and established that she is not just a shooter.”
Milligan is excited about the Class of 2019.
“It's a challenge every year to find the players that you feel will be a good fit for what Rider University and our program are all about,” Milligan said. “My staff does a great job of identifying the players that can come in as 18 year old kids and graduate as 22 year old women. There is a lot of development both on and off the court in those four years. It's a challenge but you are also anxious to see the result. You work to prepare them so much for being on the court but also for life after Rider basketball. It's challenging but also the most rewarding aspect of the job.”
Milligan is excited for the start of the season and is very positive about the work ethic of her squad.
“You have to have players that want to get better,” Milligan said. “If we have to make them come in and work, that's not a good formula. When you have a group that comes in on their own and they do the work when no one is watching, those are the players that are going to get better.”
Three home games, including a matchup against national power and local rival Princeton University highlight the nine game, non-conference schedule which opens at home against Towson on November 14.
“The non-conference slate is challenging but it is also balanced,” said Milligan. “The goal is to see the different styles of play that we will face during the conference season. Seeing Pittsburgh and having Princeton back on the schedule, those are great challenges for us and those experiences will be beneficial for us.”
The conference home opener is December 6 against Canisius and Rider will appear at least three times on ESPN 3, against Fairfield on January 14, against Siena on January 17 and at Monmouth on February 25.
“The MAAC is just a great conference with terrific players and amazing coaches,” Milligan said. “Every year, there is change and a team that just puts it all together. Last season that was Siena and we want that team to be Rider this season. Quinnipiac has done an amazing job and you can never count Marist out. Iona, they are always near the top as well. It's a balanced and challenging conference and if you are not prepared, you lose. It's as simple as that. You have to be ready for a 20-game grind. The more prepared teams are and, if you stay injury free, those are the teams that have a chance at the end.”
One area that players, coaches and fans will have to adjust to are the new rule changes that were adopted over the summer, which will impact pace of play and end of game strategy.
Games will now consist of four 10-minute quarters instead of two 20-minute halves and a team will shoot two free throws on the fifth team foul each quarter instead of a one and one opportunity on the seventh foul and two shots on the 10th team foul.
“I'm excited about the rule changes,” said Milligan. “The changes put the game more in line with the WNBA and the FIBA rules. Our younger players will have the easiest transition because they are used to playing four quarters in high school.”
Overall there will be two fewer media timeouts and one fewer team timeout.
“The timeouts, playing for longer stretches without a stoppage, that is something that we really will have to prepare for,” said Milligan. “Game situations and the 10-second rule not resetting after a timeout or the ball being knocked away, we are going to have to work through those scenarios, especially end of game situations. There are a lot of little things that are going to be a challenge for the coaches.”
The panel also approved a rule that allows teams to advance the ball to the front court following a timeout immediately after a made basket in the last 59.9 seconds of the fourth quarter and any overtime periods.
“A strategy may be saving a timeout to advance the ball to half court in a tight game,” Milligan said. “We are also going to have to really watch when it isn't an end of game situation, do you burn the timeout or just eat a turnover. The worst case is burning a timeout and then still getting a 10-second violation because the count doesn't reset anymore coming across half court. Teams playing good, solid defense will be rewarded.”
Solid defense and Rider HEART. With the impending start of the season, Rider is going back to basics.
