Hoops On: Huskers Open Practice Saturday

Lincoln - The Nebraska women's basketball team opens its second season under Coach Connie Yori by tipping off fall practices on Saturday at 6:30 a.m. at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

The Huskers continue with a pair of practices on Sunday, before a single practice on Monday and two more practices on Tuesday while University students enjoy fall break. Nebraska opens exhibition play on Sunday, Nov. 9, against Nebraska-Omaha, before battling Nebraska-Kearney in the exhibition finale on Nov. 13. The Huskers open their regular season against Wofford on Friday, Nov. 21, at the Devaney Center.

The Huskers enter the 2003-04 season with a whole new atmosphere spinning around the entire Nebraska women's basketball program. The smiles have returned to the players' faces and the focus is clearly on the immediate future.

"I know we are moving in the right direction, and we have the program on a more stable base right now," Yori said. "I know that our players worked significantly harder this summer than last summer. Our players have a better understanding of what they need to do to complete."

After playing the 2002-03 season with just five or six active scholarship players throughout the season, the Huskers carry a nucleus of five players with extensive starting experience into the 2003-04 season.

Along with the returning starters, the Huskers will add a group of talented newcomers who will battle for immediate playing time while providing the luxury of depth Nebraska never had last season.

One of the leaders of Nebraska's charge toward competitiveness in the Big 12 Conference this season will be senior Alexa Johnson. The 6-1 forward from Hacienda Heights, Calif., captured honorable-mention All-Big 12 honors as a junior by ranking among conference leaders in scoring and rebounding with 14.8 points and 6.8 boards per game last season.

Nebraska's second-leading scorer, Margaret Richards, also returns. The 5-9 senior guard from Louisville, Ky., gained a fourth year of eligibility by earning her bachelor's degree in August, and should provide the Huskers with an explosive presence both offensively and defensively this season. Richards averaged 11.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and a team-leading 1.4 steals per game last season.

The Huskers are sure to benefit from the return of two other seniors who missed most of 2002-03. Senior center Katie Morse is near 100 percent after suffering a season-ending knee injury in a win over No. 25 Cincinnati in NU's seventh game last season. Morse was averaging 12.0 points and 7.9 rebounds per game and had reeled off back-to-back double-doubles before the injury.

The return of senior Keasha Cannon-Johnson has Coach Yori looking forward to the 2003-04 season.

Keasha Cannon-Johnson sat out the 2002-03 season as a redshirt after earning Big 12 Newcomer-of-the-Year honors as a junior in 2001-02. Cannon-Johnson led the Huskers in every category as a junior with 12.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.1 steals per game. Her return to the court at 100 percent could go a long way toward bolstering Nebraska's fortunes this season.

Jina Johansen is the only junior returning for the Huskers, but she was a workhorse in Nebraska's lineup last season. The 5-7 point guard set a school record by averaging 36.7 minutes per game in 2002-03, while tying for second in the Big 12 with 5.5 assists per game. Johansen spent the off-season working on her shooting touch and offensive skills and hopes to see increased point production in 2003-04.

Along with the nucleus of experienced players, the Huskers will be able to mix in a group of six talented freshmen, led by Canadian Chelsea Aubry. The 6-2 forward from Kitchener, Ontario, was one of the top players for the Canadian Under-20 National Team that competed at the World University Games in Korea in August. Aubry averaged 11.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game for the Canadians, including a 16-point, 16-rebound effort against Korea and a 14-point, 17-board outburst against Thailand.

Another freshman who could provide immediate help is Heather Kephart. The 5-8 guard from Canute, Okla., shattered the Oklahoma High School mark by finishing her career with 2,747 points. Her total is even more amazing considering she played most of her senior season with an injured shoulder that required off-season surgery. If Kephart can regain her shooting touch, she could add some long-range punch to an NU roster that hit just 28.4 percent from three-point range in 2002-03.

Freshmen Jessica Gerhart, Andrea Lightfoot, Kiera Hardy and Cortney Matthewis should also get plenty of chances to help the Huskers improve this season.

Nebraska's experience and depth could be major factors in helping the Huskers battle an 11-game non-conference schedule that features matchups with 2003 NCAA Tournament qualifier Ohio State (Dec. 12) and 2003 WNIT Final Four participant Creighton (Dec. 21) at the Devaney Center, before facing a 16-game conference schedule that features 12 games against teams that advanced to postseason tournaments in 2002-03.

"We believe we could make a significant jump in terms of our quality of play this year, but several other teams in the league are capable of making the same kind of jump," Yori said. "We might be a lot better, but it is going to be hard to make a major leap in the league standings. If we can, it would be a big accomplishment. Realistically, this could be a year in the Big 12, where if you are in the top 10 in the league, you might play in the postseason."