By: SOU Sports Information
Friday, 5:30 p.m. - U.C. Merced at SOU - Live Stats - Live Stream
Saturday, 5:30 p.m. - New Hope Christian at SOU - Live Stats - Live Stream
ASHLAND – Anyone in attendance at a Southern Oregon University women's basketball game in recent years has probably heard head coach Lynn Kennedy reciting a familiar credo from the sideline:
Go, go, go.
Picked to win the Cascade Conference with eight of the top-nine players from last year's 25-8 squad back, these Raiders are hoping to go a little faster. And a little further.
Kennedy, in his 10th season, lost just one starter but will replace her with one that's re-joining the team after a year away. He has an all-star post in 6-foot-2 junior Carly Meister (Elma, Wash./Elma), an all-star wing in junior Kristen Schoenherr (Rainier, Wash./Rainier), and a preseason all-conference point guard in junior Ashley Claussen (Scotts Valley, Calif./Santa Cruz), who led the CCC in assists last year.
SOU went 12-6 in the CCC and made most of its noise toward the end of the season, most notably with an 80-62 romp of an upset at top-seeded Eastern Oregon in CCC semifinals to earn a spot in the tournament title game. At 84.2 points per game in conference play, the Raiders were the highest-scoring team in CCC history.
"If you compare our practice plans from last year to now, we've been able to about double our input just because we have so many players familiar with the system," Kennedy said. "The expectation is to be at a higher level now. I'm not sure if you're ever ready for your first games, but at the same time it's always good to be able to assess where you are."
The Raiders received the No. 21 ranking when the preseason NAIA coaches' poll was released Tuesday. They'll begin trying to prove they're worthy of it this weekend in the Flagship Inn Classic, which pits them against U.C. Merced on Friday and New Hope Christian on Saturday. Both games start at 5:30 p.m. inside Riehm Arena.
Point guards: Ashley Claussen (Scotts Valley, Calif./Santa Cruz) fit right in as a freshman starter and became an impact player as a sophomore. Now a junior, the speedy sharpshooter is regarded as one of the best in the conference and will gladly set a torrid pace for the Raider offense. Last year she averaged 9.8 points, 5.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals, and for her career she's a 41-percent shooter from 3-point range.
"Looking at Ashley, she did a great job working out this summer and coming in focused, and she's more prepared for a preseason than she's ever been," Kennedy said. "Just based on her decision making, you can tell she's ready to take it to the next level."
Claussen has a capable backup in Demi Sahlinger (Napavine, Wash./Napavine), who appeared in all 33 games and averaged 16 minutes as a freshman while dishing out 65 assists. Taylor Nuttall (Reno, Nev./Damonte Ranch), a freshman from Reno, Nev., has impressed Kennedy in practice and could also find the ball in her hands.
Wings: Not only is SOU's stable of wings deep, it is unique in that its various skillsets give opponents problems in completely different ways. There is sophomore Autumn Durand (Onalaska, Wash./Onalaska), whose length at 5-10 is bothersome defensively and whose speed and shooting stroke make her a perfect fit for Kennedy's system. There is junior Kristen Schoenherr (Rainier, Wash./Rainier), whose slashing ability and relentlessness make her one of the most efficient players in the conference. There is senior Bree Park (Bellingham, Wash./Meridian), the junior 3-point specialist who shot 40 percent from deep even with a team-high 140 attempts. And there are Tiani Bradford (Oregon City, Ore./Oregon City), Majerle Reeves (Longview, Wash./Mark Morris) and Kristin Smeaton (Dillingham, Alaska/Dillingham), who should all be ready to contribute after previously playing bit roles.
Schoenherr, who transferred to SOU before last season, was fourth in the CCC in scoring (14.8), fourth in field-goal percentage (52.2), fourth in steals (2.0), 10th in assists (3.4) and 19th in rebounding (5.4). Durand settled into the other starting role, posting 10 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Her finest moment occurred in her first playoff game as she went 11-for-17 with a career-high 30 points and nine rebounds in a winning effort against Evergreen. Park made 71 shots last year, and 56 were from downtown, translating to 8.3 points per game.
"The thing about our wings is they're all different – shooters, slashers, finishers, some who can break you down in the full court and some who can do it in half court," Kennedy said. "That makes us hard to guard. We're going to get out fast but also be able to run half-court sets in different situations, and that variety of looks should help us be more successful."
Forwards: Carly Meister (Elma, Wash./Elma) didn't turn into an all-conference post overnight, but she did significantly improve on the numbers that made her the CCC's newcomer of the year as a freshman. Last year she ranked fifth in the CCC in scoring (14.6), raising her average almost seven points, and sixth in rebounds (7.7), raising that average by two with 10 double-doubles. She was also first in shooting percentage (56.3) and sixth in blocks (1.0).
"Now she's gotten stronger and added a 15- to 19-foot jumper," Kennedy said, "so we're excited to see her keep expanding her game."
This year she'll again play alongside Alexi Smith (Bakersfield, Calif./Stockdale), a 6-0 senior who averaged 15.1 points and 7.3 rebounds when Meister was a freshman. Brenna Anderson (Burlington, Wash./Burlington-Edison), a 6-2 senior, helped the Raiders as a stretch-forward last year with 24 3-point makes and 4.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per contest. Courtney West (Sydney, Australia/Port Hacking) – the 6-4 sister of men's basketball forward Jordan West – could make an immediate impact based on her ability to run the floor and make mid-range jumpers. Amber Hagar (Marysville, Wash./Everett), another freshman, provides even more size at 6-2.
"Our freshmen have been outstanding," Kennedy said. "We have quite a few skilled players with great size, which is pretty rare."
