When the Montana women's basketball team opens practice Friday night, four returning senior starters will lead the way. Even for a program as established as the Lady Griz, that's something that hasn't happened in decades.
Then when Montana embarks on its regular season a month from now, 31-year coach Robin Selvig will need just three wins to reach No. 700. He'll be only the ninth coach in NCAA Division I women's history to reach the milestone, and the only downfall for fans is it may occur in Mexico (Montana's third, fourth and fifth games are in the Caribbean Challenge).
“It does bring a bigger focus when you have four senior starters. We all experienced how bad it felt to be crushed in our (NCAA tourney) game against Vanderbilt, but hopefully we learned from it.”
Joining Lohman on the list of battle-tested seniors are guards Mandy Morales and Sonya Rogers and center Tam Guardipee. Morales, an honorable mention All-American, was MVP of the 2008 Big Sky tournament. Rogers was the nation's top 3-point shooter (72 for 148).
“They're all motivated,” Selvig said of his seniors. “They're hungry young ladies and very competitive. They've worked hard in the offseason and they're looking forward to it.”
Joining the four seniors are returning letterwinners Sarah Ena and Jessa Linford at forward, Shadra Robison at center and Lauren Beck and Stephanie Stender at guard/forward. The list of newcomers includes junior Shaunte Nance-Johnson, redshirt freshman Misty Atkinson and true freshmen Ashley Ferda, Ali Hurley and Tianna Ware.
Of the newcomers, Nance-Johnson is most likely to help the 2008-09 Lady Griz right away as a 5-foot-5 point guard. Montana needs someone to fill the vacancy left by Laura Cote, who spelled Morales at point guard last season.
“We haven't had a junior college (transfer) for about 27 years and she's a great addition to our program,” said Selvig, who has worked with his players for two hours weekly under new NCAA fall guidelines. “From being able to be around her in our limited practices she's got great leadership ability, really good point guard skills and I think she brings something to this team.”
According to Lohman, the newcomers bring a different dynamic on the defensive end. They help make the Lady Griz a quicker team.
“They're great athletes, and that helps keep the tempo up in our practices,” she said.
Montana will face its toughest home opener in more than a decade when Wyoming comes to Missoula on Nov. 16. The Cowgirls lost four starters but return nine letterwinners from a team that went to the NCAA tourney last March.
“Our schedule is brutal,” Selvig said. “Three of our (nonleague) home games - Wyoming, Gonzaga and Boise - are against teams that beat us last year.
“Then you've got Oregon and Maryland and Illinois and South Dakota State. Whether you win or lose, I have the kind of team that this should make us better.”
One point of emphasis in the offseason has been weight training. Vanderbilt's physicality gave the Lady Griz trouble in the NCAA tourney.
“I think we learned a lot in that game,” Beck said. “Our new weight training coach Scott (Kirchmann) has really emphasized getting stronger, faster and more agile so we can compete with those teams that are maybe a little more athletic than we are.”
Portland State should be Montana's toughest challenger in the Big Sky Conference race. Selvig has always been effective in keeping his players on the task at hand, but even he cannot resist talking about the ultimate goal for 2008-09: Returning to the NCAA tournament to improve on last year's showing.
“That was a motivator I believe for me,” said the coach, who ranks seventh on the list of winningest active DI coaches. “I was disappointed in how that game went. I don't think we played as well as we're capable, but (Vandy) was really good.
“You want to get back in that position. You want to get up and prove we're better than that. With the players we return I would think there would be motivation to try and do better. In terms of how that gets you going for (2008-09), it's probably a plus.”
Notes: Area fans will get their first look at the Lady Griz in the Maroon & Silver scrimmage on Tuesday, Oct. 28. ... The list of key role players Montana lost from last season includes starting forward Johanna Closson and reserves Cote, Dana Conway and Dvera Tolbert. ... The Lady Griz finished 25-7 last season. ... Selvig, 56, signed a new three-year contract this summer. The pact has a base salary of $135,000 and replaces his original three-year deal.
Sports writer Bill Speltz may be reached at 523-5255 or bill.speltz@lee.net.
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