Huskers Out to Make Noise in NCAA Tournament

Lincoln --During Coach Paul Sanderford's first three years at the University of Nebraska, the Huskers laid a foundation for a successful program by advancing to three consecutive NCAA Tournaments and averaging more than 20 wins per year.

The Huskers' success came largely at the hands of a collection of players that Sanderford inherited when he started building in 1997-98.

The group included three-year starters Nicole Kubik, Brooke Schwartz and Charlie Rogers, who became the first trio of players from the same recruiting class to each score more than 1,000 points in their careers.

While replacing three talented veteran starters is never easy, Sanderford has put together a pair of outstanding recruiting classes that will more accurately reflect the style of basketball he wants the Huskers to play.

"We lost some great players, there is no doubt about that, but the look of this team is more the look that I expect from one of my basketball teams," Sanderford said. "We're going to be more athletic. We've improved our quickness tremendously, and hopefully rebounding wise, we are going to do a little better because of our athleticism."

And the goals of running off 20 wins, advancing to the NCAA Tournament and contending for the Big 12 Conference title have not changed.

"Most teams would just be happy getting to the NCAA Tournament three years in a row, but I expect more from my basketball teams than just getting to the tournament," Sanderford said. "I plan on getting into the tournament and making some noise. Getting in the tournament is one thing, but winning games in March is our goal."

The Huskers return three seniors for Sanderford's fourth campaign at Nebraska. Senior Casey Leonhardt headlines the trio after averaging 9.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game in her first season on the court with the Huskers in 1999-2000.

Leonhardt, a 6-5 center from Downers Grove, Ill., is one of the tallest and strongest returning players in the Big 12 and continues to improve her quickness.

Leonhardt, who started 24 games and produced six double-doubles for the Huskers last season, will try to develop more consistency in her final year to give Nebraska a dominant presence inside.

"Casey has outstanding potential and can be a dominating player," Sanderford said. "The key for her will be to develop the consistency that you need to have to be a great player."

While Leonhardt will bring the most experience to Nebraska's front court, senior guard Amanda Went will lead a young Husker backcourt.

Went, a 5-9 senior from Columbus, Neb., joins junior forward/center Amanda Cleveland as the only two players on NU's roster not recruited by Sanderford to Nebraska.

Went, who has played 78 games in a Husker uniform, averaged 5.8 points and 1.6 rebounds in a reserve role as a junior. She is the only returning Husker with more than one year of experience on the court in a Nebraska uniform.

"We expect big things from Amanda Went this year," Sanderford said. "She has all the tools, and she is an outstanding three-point shooter. Her experience will also help us."

Monique Whitfield rounds out Nebraska's group of seniors. The 6-1 forward from Long Beach, Calif., missed the entire 1999-2000 season with a knee injury after producing 5.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game as a junior. Whitfield was one of Sanderford's first recruits at Nebraska, joining the Huskers after earning NJCAA All-America honors at Central Arizona in 1997-98.

"Monique is a great rebounder and her experience in the post will help us," Sanderford said. "Last year we really missed her athleticism and you could see that with our lack of rebounding."

In addition to three seniors, the Huskers return six other players with college game experience, including three who sat out all or most of 1999-2000.

Cleveland has missed almost three full seasons since being diagnosed with aplastic anemia in her first year at Nebraska in 1997-98. She has been cleared to practice, and the 6-2 forward/center could provide a major physical presence as a junior.

"She's a big-time athlete, but she's been away from the game for awhile," Sanderford said. "Hopefully if she stays healthy, she will bring some defense and rebounding to our basketball team."

Candace Blackbird, a sophomore guard/forward from South Sioux City, Neb., sat out the the 1999-2000 season as a redshirt after averaging 1.7 points and 0.8 rebounds in 19 games as a true freshman in 1998-99.

Stephanie Jones leads a tremendously talented group of true Husker sophomores in what is Coach Sanderford's first real recruiting class at Nebraska.

Jones, a 6-2 forward from Omaha, Neb., started two of Nebraska's first seven games as a true freshman last season after earning consensus high school All-America honors at Omaha Benson.

But Jones tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her knee on Dec. 12 against Creighton, ending her season after averaging 5.6 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.

"I think Stephanie Jones may have averaged about 10 points and 10 rebounds per game during the second half of the season last year had she not been hurt, so she would have made a big difference for us," Sanderford said. "But the thing I think we missed the most from her was her enthusiasm. She has been working extremely hard in coming back from her knee injury, and we are expecting a super sophomore year from her."

Three others had solid true freshman seasons for the Huskers in 1999-2000. Paige Sutton, a 6-2 forward/center from San Diego, Calif., averaged 4.2 points and 2.6 rebounds in 29 games. She also made three starts, including the first start of her career on the road at No. 12 Texas Tech.

"Paige Sutton is one of the best shooters on our basketball team, and she played well in some big games for us as a freshman," Sanderford said. "Hopefully she can develop more consistency during her sophomore year and really make an impact for us."

Shahidrah Roberts also played well as a true freshman for the Huskers. The 5-9 guard from Overland Park, Kan., averaged 3.3 points and 1.7 rebounds per game, while playing in 23 games. Roberts battled several nagging injuries during the season but showed flashes of brilliance, including a 14-point effort at Wyoming despite battling illness. Roberts is also one of the Huskers' top shooters, connecting on 32.4 percent of her three-point attempts (12-37).

"We expect big things from Shahidrah," Sanderford said. "She can guard. She can score, and she has really improved her ball-handling. With her athletic ability and her intelligence both on and off the floor, she should be a factor for us."

Sophomore Isha Kelley will also battle for increased playing time. The Lincoln native played a solid role as Nebraska's backup point guard last season, dishing out 27 assists, while committing just 28 turnovers in 30 games. She added 15 steals, while averaging 1.2 points and 1.0 rebounds per game in nearly nine minutes of action per contest.

"Isha has great quickness and athleticism. She makes very good decisions with the ball," Sanderford said. "She will definitely help us this year. She has improved since the end of last season, but she still needs to work on her shooting and scoring ability to become a big-time point guard."

Another true sophomore, Margaret Richards, will see her first action in a Husker uniform in 2000-01. The 5-9 guard from Louisville, Ky., sat out her freshman season as a partial academic qualifier, and is eager to make an instant impact in Nebraska's lineup.

Richards was the second-leading high school scorer in the state of Kentucky in 1998-99, averaging 35.5 points and 12.9 rebounds per game.

"Margaret is the best athlete on our basketball team," Sanderford said. "She can run, and she can definitely guard, so she is going to be a factor because she is such a great athlete. We haven't had anybody like her at Nebraska since I've been here. God has certainly given her the tools to be a great player."

Nebraska's returning players will try to help a talented incoming class of freshmen make the adjustment to college basketball.

A pair of California high school All-Americans, the best shooter in Nebraska high school history, one of the top players in Iowa and one of the best college volleyball players in the nation headline Nebraska's five-player freshman class.

Alexa Johnson, a 6-1 forward from Hacienda Heights, Calif., was listed among the top 50 recruits in the nation, earning Street & Smith's and Nike All-America honors at Los Altos High School. Johnson averaged 31.4 points and 15.2 rebounds per game as a senior at Los Altos. She was also an honor roll student.

"Lex is a great athlete who can run and jump, and we hope she can really come in and help us on the boards," Sanderford said. "We recruited her because she thinks every rebound belongs to her. She is very aggressive on the boards."

Shannon Howell joins Johnson as a high school All-American from California. Howell, a 5-9 point guard, averaged 27.5 points, 8.0 assists and 3.2 steals per game, while earning adidas All-America honors at St. Bernard High School in Playa Del Rey, Calif.

Howell was also listed as the second-best point guard in the state of California and the 15th-best point guard in the nation in 1999. If Howell is able to make a quick adjustment to college basketball, she could play a significant role for the Huskers.

"Shannon has tremendous athleticism, and she also makes good decisions with the basketball," Sanderford said. "She was listed among the top 100 players coming out of high school last year, and we think she's a pretty polished player. As her understanding of the game continues to grow, she will help us more and more."

While Sanderford and Nebraska's coaching staff lured two of the best players on the West Coast to Nebraska, they stayed much closer to home to land the Huskers' other three freshmen.

K.C. Cowgill made the short drive from Grand Island to Lincoln to bring her shooting exploits to the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Cowgill ended her career as the Nebraska high school girls' all-time leading scorer with 2,427 points, nearly 250 points ahead of former Husker All-American Nicole Kubik's 2,179 points as a high school player.

Cowgill also shattered the state record with 318 career three-pointers, which accounted for 954 of her points in high school. She averaged 27.8 points per game as a senior at Grand Island Central Catholic, and Sanderford said that Cowgill's shooting and scoring ability could help the Huskers.

"She can be a major contributor because we don't have anybody on our team that can shoot the ball like K.C.," Sanderford said. "She is going to see playing time as a freshman because her range is anywhere inside the gym."

Katie Morse also stayed close to home in choosing the Huskers. The 6-4 center from Minden, Iowa, averaged 22 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots per game as a senior at Tri-Center Community High School. The same high school that produced former Husker All-American and Nebraska's all-time leading scorer Karen Jennings.

Morse's size and physical presence on the court could allow her to contribute for the Huskers.

"Katie is strong, runs the floor very well, is smart and has a good work ethic."

The final member of Nebraska's class joins the Huskers from across campus. Greichaly Cepero, a 6-2 forward from Dorado, Puerto Rico, was the Big 12 Volleyball Freshman of the Year as an outside hitter in 1999, and is the starting setter for the No. 1 Huskers in 2000.

An amazing all-around athlete, Cepero could be an Olympian someday in both sports, and Sanderford said she has WNBA potential.

"Greichaly is going to start the season a little bit behind because she will finish the year with volleyball before she starts with us, but her talent-level is excellent," Sanderford said. "She has the athleticism to be a WNBA player, and I think her future is in professional basketball."

Cepero will complete the volleyball season before starting to play for the basketball team, which could put her first competition with the Huskers at the San Juan Shootout in her home country of Puerto Rico, Dec. 18-21.

The trip to Puerto Rico, which includes games with top-25 contenders Auburn and Arizona, highlights a treacherous Husker schedule.

Nebraska's non-conference schedule includes games against five 2000 NCAA Tournament teams (Auburn, Arizona, UC Santa Barbara, St. Peter's and Brigham Young) and WNIT champion Wisconsin. The Huskers, who were picked to finish seventh in an informal polling of conference coaches during the summer, should be well-prepared for a rigorous Big 12 schedule that includes seven more games against 2000 NCAA Tournament teams.

"Oklahoma has four starters back. Iowa State has three quality starters back. And I will never leave Texas Tech off my list of preseason favorites in the league," Sanderford said. "I think people are looking at us with the players we lost and think we are going to be down. The thing I like about young teams is their energy and enthusiasm. We are going to play extremely hard, and we are going to beat some people that no one expects us to beat.

"The expectations for our team from outside have changed this year, but our expectations will not change. Our goal is still to get to the NCAA Tournament and make some noise. That is always going to be our goal as long as I'm here. I like our chances this year."