Nov. 17, 2005
Smiles? Fun? Isn't this supposed to be a dour Stony Brook University women's basketball practice?
"It's definitely a new feeling," junior forward Jessica Smith said of the Seawolves' new-found optimism and grinning. "We got so used to losing here that with this new feeling everyone is so much happier. I think it causes people to work harder because we're more motivated to keep on winning."
The Seawolves haven't played a game this season, and already believe they're on a winning streak. This is a program that is 24-60 the last three seasons, 8-20 last season with half of the wins coming in an 11-day span in February before it closed on a six-game losing skid. But second-year coach Maura McHugh has infused the team with energy and confidence. She was called in to sweep up the early mess of last season, and now she's ready to begin molding a new program. The Seawolves are picked to finish fifth in the America East preseason poll.
"Last year was crazy from the get-go and there were a lot of things against us," McHugh said, referring to injuries, a crazy schedule that had the team on the road for nine of the first 13 games, and her own arrival after the fall semester began. "Plus we were trying to change the mentality of a team that had lost the last several seasons, trying to get their mind-set turned around."
A lot has changed at Stony Brook, but the two key players remain the same. Point guard Mykeema Ford and Smith were the leading scorers and they'll be called upon to lead this Renaissance. For Ford, that may mean settling for less production. Ford led the conference with 17.5 points per game, but had a 32.8 shooting percentage taking 457 shots, 160 from three-point range. Many players work on shooting during the offseason; Ford worked on not shooting.
"My points are going to come," said Ford, who also led the America East in assists (5.0 per game) but would like to double that number. "I've been forcing shots my last two years. Now I've got to push the ball, play the point guard and [run] the team."
Smith, who averaged 16.2 points and 8.1 rebounds, said the team works better when the ball is moving around the court looking for the open shot.
Rather than bring in freshmen to fill gaps in the roster, McHugh recruited four transfers from winning programs. Guard Leah Getz played at Southampton the last two years, winning an ECAC Championship in 2004. Guards Sidney Orndorff and Delicia Jernigan arrived from Southern Idaho, which went 34-2 last year and advanced to the NJCAA final. Forward Farah Vasquez Jacobo is from Arizona Western, which went 20-10 last year.
"We felt like we needed people with game experience and winning experience to blend in with what we had," McHugh said. "They all played at winning programs so they have that mentality." It's starting to rub off.
