Lady Spartans Season Outlook
The St. Thomas Aquinas women's basketball team has many new faces among them this year including Head Coach Kim Lusk. Lusk joined the Spartans in May following the retirement of long time coach Michael McManus. Lusk comes to STAC after spending six years at New Jersey Institute of Technology where she became the winningest coach in the programs history.
The Lady Spartan's return seven letter winners from last year's team that finished 9-19 and 8-12 in the East Coast Conference. Seven newcomers round out this year's squad, including two junior transfers and five freshmen. The team will rely on a balanced mix of experience and youth as they look to improve on last season's 7th place finish.
The Backcourt:
The Lady Spartan's will look to junior captain Kaitlin Page for her steady leadership and poise on the court. Page played in all 28 games last season, starting six of them. "Kaitlin brings a high level of intensity to the court and pushes her teammates on a daily basis," commented Lusk. "We will look for her to run our offense and be our leader on the court."
Sophomore Theresa Dowling will be a consistent threat from the perimeter this season for the Lady Spartans. Dowling played in all 28 games last season, knocking down 38 3's in her rookie campaign while averaging 7.2 ppg. "Theresa is a tough competitor and we expect her to be one of our scoring leaders this year."
Joining Dowling around the perimeter will be junior transfer Colleen Vogel. Vogel comes to STAC after playing two seasons at Division I NJIT. Vogel played for Lusk as a freshman at NJIT where she led the team in 3's with 27 while averaging 5.6 points per game. "I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to coach Colleen again," remarked Lusk; "she brings a great attitude to the court and continues to work on her game everyday."
Freshmen Natalie Catavero and Sally O'Donnell should make a quick impact seeing minutes early in the season. Catavero comes to STAC from 2007-2008 state champion Maria Regina High School. "Natalie knows winning and understands how to do the little things well. We expect her to play a big role off the bench this season. O'Donnell is a tall guard that will create match-up problems. She can shoot and has a good feel for the game."
Rounding out the guards are senior Orsola Bonilla, junior transfer Juanita Chappel, sophomore Anne Moylan and freshmen Sylvia Davis. Bonilla is a vocal leader who can shoot the ball well. Chappel has the ability to attack the basket and distribute the ball. Moylan can shoot as well as run the offense while Davis creates scoring opportunities for herself and her teammates and can knock down the outside shot.
The Frontcourt:
Seniors Raven Brinkley and Claire Wilson return to the frontcourt for the Spartans after solid junior campaigns. Brinkley started all 28 games averaging 9.4 points per game while Wilson was the teams second highest scorer averaging 10.4 points per game and knocked down a team high 39 three's. "Raven and Claire are both extremely athletic and will be expected to be threats around the basket."
Freshmen Briana Sloper and Kim Vareles bring an aggressive inside presence to the Spartans and will see valuable minutes early in their careers. "Briana has the ability to score and is very strong on the boards, while Kim plays big and is willing to do all the little stuff," said Lusk.
Adding depth to the post will be junior Whitney Dugan who sat out for half of the 2007-2008 season for medical reasons. "Whitney works hard and is improving on a daily basis. She will see time off the bench this year."
Senior Jess Buono will sit out the first half of the season due to medical reasons. "Jess has been a consistent motivator for her teammates and continues to play a positive role in the makeup of our team."
The Lady Spartans will open their season on the road against Northeast-10 opponent Southern New Hampshire State University on November 15th. Their home opener will be against Post University on November 22nd. The Lady Spartans will go on to have a four game home stretch including their conference opener against Dowling College on December 3rd. "With a new coaching staff the entire team is learning a new system. The players have been very receptive and are working extremely hard," remarked Lusk.
