Deacs Set To Open Regular Season Against Fairfield
11/18/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 18, 1999
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- The Wake Forest women's basketball team kicks off the 1999-2000 season this Friday, Nov. 19th, as the Demon Deacons host the Lady Stags of Fairfield University at 7:00 p.m. in Reynolds Gymnasium. Wake Forest returns two starters and 10 letterwinners from last year's 8-20 squad, while Fairfield welcomes back four starters and 10 letterwinners from a team that went 12-15 in 1998-99. The game marks the regular-season opener for both teams.
Wake Forest vs. Fairfield
Friday, November 19 * 7:00 pm * Reynolds Gymnasium * Winston-Salem, NC
A Quick Look at the 99-00 Deacs
At the start of the 1999-2000 campaign, the energy surrounding third-year head coach Charlene Curtis' team is at its highest level yet. Building on a strong finish to the 98-99 season, the Deacs are hungrier than ever to turn the corner toward a winning season. With a solid core of young, talented players returning and some significant additions to the lineup, that goal seems closer than ever before. Wake Forest lost three starters to graduation, including the team's leading scorer and rebounder and a four-year starter at point guard. The Deacs will field an extremely young team again, with nine of 14 players in just their freshman or sophomore years of eligibility. This youthful squad will not be lacking in game experience, however. Curtis has regularly used her entire bench over the past two seasons, giving the underclassmen a significant amount of playing time. The 11 returning Deacs have seen time in 98 percent of their career games, and four of five upperclassmen have played in every game of their careers (the fifth has missed just one). But while all the returnees have seen valuable minutes, none is a proven go-to player. Ten of the 11 recorded at least one double-figure outing last year, but no player averaged in double figures. On the positive side, the Deacs return an arsenal of outside shooters who proved deadly from behind the three-point arc last year. Four players return who hit at least 20 threes last year, and the freshman class brings some new three-point weapons. That outside shooting will be complemented by a strong inside game and a lot of height inside the paint. Half of this year's team tops the 6-foot mark, with four post players who stand 6-4 or taller.
Exhibition Recap
Wake Forest split its two exhibition contests, falling to a very strong FTC-Diego team of Hungary, 79-48, while defeating the Low Country All-Stars, 70-69. The game against FTC-Diego was a tough one for the Deacs, who had learned just that morning of the death of former assistant coach Stacy Cox. An emotionally-drained squad shot just 32 percent from the floor and committed 20 turnovers in the loss. Junior forward Olivia Dardy came off the bench to score a team-high 12 points, while junior forward Kristen Shaffer added 10. Senior guard Alisha Mosley grabbed a team-high five rebounds.
On Sun., Nov. 14, the Deacs turned in a much better performance in a 70-69 win over Low Country. Wake fell behind by as many as 13 points early in the first half, but rallied to within one at halftime, 38-37. After a tight second half, the Deacons pulled ahead for good as junior guard Janae Whiteside hit a key three-pointer with 1:11 to go. Redshirt junior forward Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick led the Deacs with 10 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and three blocks, while sophomore center LaChina Robinson added 15 points and six boards. Dardy chipped in 12 points, and Whiteside netted 10, hitting 3-of-5 three-pointers.
Scouting Fairfield
Fairfield posted a 12-15 season in 1998-99, finishing fifth in the MAAC with an 8-10 conference mark. The Stags return four starters and 87 percent of their scoring from last year, including 6-4 junior center Gail Strumpf. Strumpf earned First-Team All-MAAC honors last year, leading the Stags in scoring (18.7 ppg), rebounding (9.0 rpg), field goal percentage (.506) and blocks (2.4 bpg). Junior guard Holli Tapley returns to the backcourt after averaging 7.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game and hitting 31 threes last year. As a team, the Stags shot 42 percent from the floor and 30 percent from three-point range last year, scoring 72.1 points per contest and outrebounding opponents by a +3.5 margin.
Series History
Friday' marks the first-ever meeting between Wake Forest and Fairfield.
1998-99 Season in Review
In its second year under head coach Charlene Curtis, Wake Forest showed dramatic improvements on the court despite winning only eight games. The Demon Deacons fielded an extremely young team, featuring 10 freshmen and sophomores, but were anchored by a trio of seniors. The Deacs relied on tremendous depth, solid rebounding, and an arsenal of three-point shooters, but ultimately struggled with poor overall shooting and the lack of a true go-to scorer. No player finished the regular season averaging in double figures for the second straight year, and the Deacs averaged just 64 points per game (59.6 in ACC contests), hitting only 39 percent of their shots from the floor.
However, Wake did emerge as a dangerous three-point shooting team, leading the ACC and ranking 19th in the nation in threes per game (6.1). WFU also outrebounded a majority of its opponents and posted a positve rebounding margin for the season (+1.9). The Deacs trimmed their turnover average (19.4) and increased their assist average (15.0) from the previous year, and the backcourt as a whole recorded a positive assist-to-turnover ratio on the season (+1.07). WFU also boasted an extremely deep lineup, with the bench contributing almost half of the team's points on the season. Wake improved on its 97-98 record by four wins, all against ACC foes, and climbed two spots in the ACC standings to seventh place.
Preseason Prognostications
Despite their strong finish to the 1998-99 campaign, the Demon Deacons were selected to finish ninth in the ACC Preseason Media Poll. North Carolina earned the first-place nod in the poll, followed closely by NC State.
ACC PRESEASON MEDIA POLL
1. North Carolina (22) 3202. NC State (14) 3023. Virginia (2) 2604. Duke 2085. Georgia Tech 1926. Clemson 1667. Florida State 1108. Maryland 889. Wake Forest 64
Deacs Dazzling in ACC Tournament
Wake Forest put on a dazzling show at the 1999 ACC Tournament, turning in its two best games of the year and setting 12 new tournament records. The Deacs, seeded eighth, opened the tourney against No. 7 seed Maryland and put on a shooting clinic in an 83-66 victory. Wake dominated the Terps from start to finish, shooting a tournament-record 67 percent from the floor (31-of-46) and from three-point range (10-of-15). The Deacs faced No. 2 seed (and 19th-ranked) Virginia in the quarterfinals - a team Wake had not beaten since 1978. The Deacs fell behind early but rallied to make it one of the most exciting games in recent tournament history. The torrid three-point shooting continued, as Wake hit a tournament-record 11 treys. WFU led 67-66 with 1:37 to play, but Virginia scored the game's last five points to prevent the upset.
Whiteside, Dardy, Robinson Earn ACC Honors
For her performance, Janae Whiteside was named to the 1999 ACC All-Tournament First Team, becoming WFU's first all-tourney pick since '94 and the first first-teamer since '88. Whiteside was the only player on the all-tourney teams that did not play in a semifinal game. In two games, Whiteside shot 15-of-22 from the floor (68%) and 12-of-15 from three-point range (80%), tallying 44 points, seven rebounds and four assists. She tied the event record and set a new school mark with seven threes vs. UVa, and her 12 treys in two games was a new tourney record.
LaChina Robinson and Olivia Dardy also earned postseason honors from the ACC. Robinson was selected to the 1999 ACC All-Freshman Team, becoming the sixth Deacon to earn All-Freshman honors and the first since Alisha Mosley (1996). Dardy was an honorable mention All-ACC pick - Wake's first All-ACC honoree since Tracy Connor in 1996.
In Remembrance
The Demon Deacons wear black bands on their uniforms this season in remembrance of former assistant coach Stacy Cox, who died tragically in an automobile accident on Nov. 8th. Cox, 35, was a 1986 graduate of Radford, where she played under current Deacon head coach Charlene Curtis. She served as an assistant coach on Curtis' staffs at Radford and Temple before rejoining her mentor at Wake Forest in 1997. After two years with the Deacs, Cox departed in August of '99 to accept a teaching and coaching position at an elementary school in New Jersey.
Raining Threes
Wake Forest ranked as the top three-point shooting team in the ACC (and No. 19 in the nation) last year, hitting 6.1 threes per game and shattering the school records for threes made (172) and attempted (502) in a season. This year, all of Wake's long-range gunners return but one, and eight players on the roster can legitimately hit the three.
Junior guard Janae Whiteside (36-95, 38%) emerged as a white-hot three-point shooter late last year, connecting on 50 percent of her threes (38-76) and averaging 5.4 treys per game in the last seven contests.
Sophomore guard Val Klopfer (23-60, 38%) also emerged as a long-distance danger last season, while senior guard Alisha Mosley (26-88, 30%) ranks among the top five all-time at WFU in threes made and attempted. Junior forward Olivia Dardy (25-83, 30%) is an inside-outside threat who can step out of the paint and hit a long-range three. Although they didn't shoot threes often last year, sophomore guard Adell Harris (6-23, 26%) and junior forwards Kristen Shaffer (3-8, 38%) and Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick (4-17, 24%) all have three-point range and have improved their outside shooting in the offseason. In addition, freshman swing player Heather Miller was the national AAU three-point shooting champion last year, and 6-5 rookie center Johanna Bj?rklund boasts international three-point range.
1998-99 3-POINT SHOOTING TOTALS
172 3-Pt FG Made*502 3-Pt FG Attempted*34.3 3-Pt FG Percentage6.1 3-Pt FG Per Game (16th NCAA)
* school record
TOP RETURNING 3-POINT SHOOTERS
G Janae Whiteside 36-95 (.379)G Alisha Mosley 26-88 (.295)F Olivia Dardy 25-83 (.301)G Val Klopfer 23-60 (.383)
Reaching New Heights
Upon her arrival, head coach Charlene Curtis made a commitment to improving the Deacons' inside game. Wake Forest has steadily improved in that area, boasting more height, better rebounding and greater defensive presence in the paint. This season, the Deacs have seven players on the roster who stand 6-0 or taller and four youngsters who top the 6-4 mark. An ACC All-Freshman pick last year, 6-4 sophomore center LaChina Robinson (5.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 0.8 bpg) should be more of an offensive force this year. Sophomore Elizabeth Biedrycki (2.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 0.3 bpg) and redshirt freshman LaTisha Pearson, both 6-4, will see time at center and possibly power forward, giving Curtis the option of a "twin towers" lineup. And 6-5 freshman center Johanna Bj?rklund, the tallest player ever to don a Deacon uniform, will provide added strength and defensive presence in the paint.
Oh Captain, My Captain
Redshirt junior forward Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick and junior guard Janae Whiteside were selected as the Demon Deacons' team captains for the 1999-2000 season by vote of their teammates and coaches.
Tip-Ins
Wake outrebounded 17 of its 28 opponents last year...the Deacs grabbed over 20 offensive rebounds six times, including three of the last six games...Adell Harris' 10-assist performance vs. Georgia Tech last January marked the first double-figure assist game for a Deacon since Gretchen Hollifield dished 11 vs. Maryland on Jan. 31, 1996...the Deacs shot 50 percent or better from the floor twice last year, both times vs. Maryland (51% on Feb. 6th and 67% on Feb 26th in the ACCs)...sophomore point guard Val Klopfer has yet to miss a free throw in her collegiate career - she was 7-of-7 from the charity stripe last season.
Head Coach Charlene Curtis
Head coach Charlene Curtis is in her third season at Wake Forest, bringing a wealth of experience, a commitment to excellence, and a drive to bring the program to new heights. Curtis came to WFU from UConn, where she was an assistant for two seasons and helped the Huskies to a 67-5 record, two Big East titles, and a Final Four appearance. Curtis was also head coach at Temple (1991-95), where she compiled a 41-97 record and coached four Atlantic 10 All-Rookie players, and Radford (1985-90), where she was Big South Coach of the Year twice and had a 121-53 record. Curtis has served as an assistant at Georgetown (1984), Virginia (1982-83), and with USA Basketball, and was a floor coach for the Olympic Trials. A 1976 Radford graduate, Curtis was the school's first 1,000-point scorer and was inducted as a charter member of the Radford Sports Hall of Fame in 1995. She earned her master's degree from Virginia in 1982. Curtis is currently 12-43 at Wake Forest (.218) and 174-193 overall (.474) as a head coach.
A QUICK LOOK AT BOTH TEAMS
WAKE FOREST vs. FAIRFIELDWinston-Salem, NC Location Fairfield, CT3,836 Enrollment 3,000Demon Deacons Nickname StagsOld Gold & Black Colors Red & WhiteAtlantic Coast Conference Metro Atlantic AthleticCharlene Curtis Head Coach Dianne NolanRadford '76 Alma Mater, Year Glassboro State '7312-43 (3rd yr) Record at School 333-243 (21st yr)174-193 (14th yr) Career Record 394-300 (26th yr)2/3 Starters Returning/Lost 4/210/3 Letterwinners Returning/Lost 10/5
PROBABLE STARTERS (WITH 98-99 STATS)
P No Name Ht. Yr. GP/GS PPG RPG OtherF 20 Kristen Shaffer 5-10 Jr. 28/0 2.9 1.5 0.6 apgF 50 Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick 6-0 r-Jr. 28/1 6.5 4.0 1.0 apgC 34 LaChina Robinson 6-4 So. 28/28 5.5 4.0 0.8 bpgG 10 Val Klopfer 5-4 So. 26/0 3.5 0.8 1.1 apgG 21 Janae Whiteside 5-6 Jr. 28/7 5.7 1.4 1.5 apg