Yori Leads Huskers in First Year Against Loaded Big 12 Conference Schedule

The Nebraska women's basketball program entered a new era in June of 2002, when Connie Yori was named the ninth head coach in the history of the program.

Yori did not have to come far to make her home in Lincoln. A native Midwesterner, Yori spent the past 10 seasons as the head coach of the Creighton Bluejays, a team she led to the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament titles in 2001-02.

For her team's 24-7 overall record, 16-2 conference mark, and automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, Yori was named the Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year in 2002.

Although Creighton returns all five starters from last year's club that could be the best in school history in 2002-03, Yori chose to make the 50-mile journey west down Interstate-80 to become the head coach of the Huskers.

"I am proud of my years at Creighton, but I am prouder of the relationships that I was able to build with my players," Yori said. "Creighton will always be very special to me because before I was a head coach, I was an assistant, and before I was an assistant I was a player there."

Despite Yori's strong ties to Creighton, she said the decision to become Nebraska's head coach was a tremendous opportunity.

"I believe that the University of Nebraska has the resources to become one of the top basketball programs in the nation," Yori said. "With the amazing support from the administration and the strength that comes from being part of the Big 12 Conference, I think Nebraska can become a factor in the Big 12 and nationally. It may take a little time, but I'm confident we can get there as a team."

Yori's team approach involves building strong, individual relationships with her players.

"I have always believed that one of my personal strengths was relating to my players not only as a basketball coach, but as a former student-athlete," Yori said. "I know the kind of commitment and sacrifices it takes to be a college basketball player, but I also understand what a great opportunity a college scholarship can provide to a young person.

"Through my experiences with players over 20 years of being around college basketball, I know I can provide players with the perspective to help them not only as players and students, but also as women preparing for life after college."

Yori's ability to bond with her players might be best demonstrated with one of the members of her first coaching staff at Nebraska. Assistant coach Angela Timmons was recruited out of high school in Des Moines, Iowa, to play guard for Yori at Creighton. Timmons, who played in more than 100 games in her Bluejay career and finished among the top 10 scorers in school history, said Yori's desire and dedication were inspirational to her as a player and an assistant coach.

"Coach Yori was always there for me and my teammates, and we had great respect for her because we knew that she genuinely cared about us not only as players, but as people," Timmons said. "After I graduated in 2001, she believed in me enough to offer me a full-time assistant coaching job right out of college.

"I followed her to Nebraska because I know that she can build this program into something that the entire state can be proud of, just like she did at Creighton."

Yori and the Huskers will begin the building process with a team short on depth in 2002-03.

But Nebraska does have a solid nucleus of hard-working players to build around, including sophomore Jina Johansen, juniors Katie Morse and Alexa Johnson, and seniors Margaret Richards and Amanda Cleveland.

Johansen, a sophomore point guard from Dannebrog, Neb., proved herself as a leader as a true freshman, starting Nebraska's final six regular-season games.

Johansen led the Huskers to their biggest win of the season, a 67-52 victory over No. 11 Kansas State, in her first career start. Against the Wildcats, Johansen played a career-high 39 minutes, scoring four points and dishing out a career-best nine assists.

Johansen's leadership and tenacity on defense also helped shut down one of the Big 12's most potent offenses, holding the Wildcats to just 52 points and 35.8 percent shooting.

"We are going to need Jina to step in and do some more scoring, while also distributing the ball like she did so well last season," Yori said. "Jina is a smart player, and I think she will find a way to make this basketball team better."

While Johansen leads the Huskers in the backcourt, Morse will be looked to for leadership inside for Nebraska. The 6-4 center from Minden, Iowa, started Nebraska's first 10 games last season, before watching her minutes decrease during conference play, while the Huskers experimented with a smaller lineup during league play.

For the season, Morse averaged nearly three points and three rebounds per game, while ranking second on the club in blocked shots.

A solid defender with a nice shooting touch, Morse also owns one of Nebraska's top work ethics. Her ability to improve her game could help keep the Huskers competitive throughout the season.

"Katie Morse is going to have a chance to prove herself this season," Yori said. "She is going to be someone we need to count on inside as the season goes on because we lack size inside."

Morse averaged fewer than 20 minutes per game as a sophomore, but may need to play more than 30 minutes per contest for the Huskers to be successful.

Like Morse, Johnson also averaged fewer than 20 minutes per game as a sophomore last season. The junior from Hacienda Heights, Calif., was voted Nebraska's most improved player last season, averaging nearly seven points and four rebounds per game as a part-time starter.

The 6-1 forward's ability to make the move from the bench to the starting lineup could go along way toward helping the Huskers succeed this season.

"Alexa Johnson has a chance to become a really solid basketball player in the Big 12 this season," Yori said. "Last year, she averaged only about 16 or 17 minutes per game, and we might need her to stay on the floor for 33 or 34 minutes per game. Fitness is definitely going to be a factor this year, not just for Alexa but for all of our players."

Morse and Johnson will be backed inside by Cleveland. The sixth-year senior from Lancaster, Texas, saw the most significant playing time of her career last season after battling back from a life-threatening illness.

Cleveland, who missed nearly three full seasons with aplastic anemia, a blood disorder that inhibits the body's ability to produce red blood cells, averaged better than two points and two rebounds per game last season in nearly eight minutes per game.

Cleveland's impressive natural physical skills are limited by the extreme fatigue caused by the illness. The Huskers hope the 6-2 center can supply 10 to 15 minutes per game.

Richards joins Cleveland in the senior class, and like Cleveland, owns impressive physical abilities. One of the fastest female athletes in Nebraska history, Richards has shown flashes of explosiveness throughout her two-year career. The 5-9 senior from Louisville, Ky., has appeared in 59 games with 13 starts over the last two seasons, averaging 5.2 points and 2.6 rebounds in her career. While being able to drive to the basket, Richards also has the ability to hit from outside, connecting on 35 career three-pointers.

"Margaret has really been a bright spot for us," Yori said. "As her fitness level improves, she is going to become a better basketball player, and she is going to get a chance to play a lot of minutes for us this season."

Another senior, Shahidrah Roberts, adds even more experience to the mix at the swing position. Roberts missed Nebraska's final 18 games last season with an ankle injury, but off-season surgery could allow Roberts to return this season.

When Roberts is healthy, she has been one of Nebraska's most explosive players. As a sophomore, Roberts averaged 6.0 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in 29 contests, including 12 starts, despite battling a pair of sprained ankles throughout the season. Roberts' effort as a sophomore, included a 21-point outburst at Texas A&M.

True freshman Jamie Wendelin may also factor into the mix for the Huskers.

Wendelin, a 5-11 forward from Gretna, Neb., is the only scholarship member of Nebraska's freshman class. The Class B all-stater at Gretna High School averaged 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists and five steals to help Gretna to the state semifinals in 2002.

"We need some players to step up and give us some scoring and rebounding at the three-guard position," Yori said. "We have some capable players, but we need to develop some consistency and confidence. It will be important for Shahidrah and Margaret to stay healthy."

While Wendelin may contend for playing time at small forward, Husker freshmen walk-ons Kala Sledge and Lacey Hanson will provide depth in the backcourt.

The Omaha natives will provide the Huskers with support in practice and in game action. Their presence could become even more important on a roster that lists just 11 players heading into the season.

One of those 11 is two-sport star Greichaly Cepero, who will try to help the NU volleyball team to its third consecutive appearance in the NCAA semifinals. Cepero's commitments with the volleyball program are expected to keep her away from most of the Huskers' non-conference basketball schedule.

Cepero played in Nebraska's final 16 games in 2001-02, averaging 3.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in a reserve role. Last season, Cepero saw her minutes per game cut nearly in half as the coaching staff tried to give her a season to work on her ball-handling and shooting skills.

As a basketball freshman, Cepero averaged 25.6 minutes per game, while scoring 6.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest. She also pitched in 20 blocked shots. As a sophomore, she played just 12.7 minutes per game. She could see her playing time increase again this season because of Nebraska's decreased depth inside.

The Huskers will use a non-conference schedule that features four games against 2002 NCAA Tournament teams and another contest against a WNIT qualifier, to prepare for the rugged Big 12 Conference schedule.

Nebraska will also get to stay close to the friendly confines of the Devaney Center for almost all of November and December, playing eight of its 11 non-conference games at home and a ninth game against Creighton down the road in Omaha on Dec. 1.

The Huskers' only journey outside the state of Nebraska during the non-conference season will be a two-game trip to San Diego for the Surf & Slam Hoop Classic, Dec. 28-30.

The Big 12 Conference should prove to be one of the nation's best again in 2002-03. Seven Big 12 schools hosted first- and second-round NCAA Tournament games last season, and five advanced to the Sweet 16, including national runner-up Oklahoma, Elite Eight qualifier Colorado, and Sweet 16 teams Texas Tech, Texas and Kansas State. Iowa State and Baylor also won their first-round home games, before losing in the second round.

Kansas State, Texas Tech and Texas should be the most-experienced clubs in the league, while Colorado, Iowa State, Oklahoma and Baylor are expected to battle for NCAA bids again. Oklahoma State, Missouri, Texas A&M and Missouri should also be improved squads from a year ago.

"The Big 12 is going to be a great challenge for us," Yori said. "It is definitely one of the best leagues in the nation."