Huskers Hope to Continue Climb

A year after producing one of the top turnarounds in college basketball, the Nebraska women's basketball team will try to produce another surprising season in 2004-05.

The Huskers ran to an 18-12 overall record and a trip to the second round of the Women's National Invitation Tournament in Coach Connie Yori's second season at the helm.

Nebraska's 10-game improvement from its 8-20 record in Yori's first season ranked as the ninth-best swing in in NCAA Division I. It also came as a surprise to coaches and writers around the Big 12 Conference who picked the Huskers to finish last in the preseason polls.

Rather than finishing in the cellar, the Huskers closed the Big 12 season in a tie for seventh with a 7-9 league mark, just missing an NCAA Tournament bid by one win, as the league sent seven teams to the Big Dance.

"We really had a great season based on our perceived potential," Yori said. "As a coach, you want to measure your season based on your potential. We came pretty close to maximizing our potential. Had we won one more game, we would have been in the NCAA Tournament."

After rising to the challenge of proving the pundits wrong last season, the Huskers will face a similar task this season.

The Huskers must replace four seniors who joined Jina Johansen in the starting lineup for all 30 games a year ago. Honorable-mention All-Big 12 performers Alexa Johnson and Keasha Cannon-Johnson are gone, along with Margaret Richards and Katie Morse. As a group, those four combined for more than 3,000 points and 1,700 rebounds in their careers at Nebraska.

"We are going to miss our seniors from last season becaue you can't substitute the experience they gained from four or five years as student-athletes at this level," Yori said. "Our fresmen and junior college transfers will have to start building experiences and learning from them."

Johansen is the only player on Nebraska's roster with a career start for the Huskers. The senior from Dannebrog, Neb., has been a fixture in the NU lineup at point guard the past two seasons, starting 57 of the Huskers' last 58 games.

Yori said Johansen would be counted on for even more leadership this season to help a youthful Nebraska roster that includes two freshmen, four sophomores and five junior transfers.

"Jina is the only player on our roster that has been in our program for more than a year, which is unbelievable if you think about it," Yori said. "She is the most obvious candidate to be a leader. Her work habits are good and she is very dedicated. We will need her to be more assertive and more vocal."

Johansen showed her ability to thrive in a new role last season, when she made the transition from a pure passing point guard to one of Nebraska's most dangerous three-point shooters a year ago. Johansen hit just 9-of-36 three-point attempts in her first two seasons, but caught fire to knock down 22 three-pointers in Big 12 Conference play last season. Johansen shot better than 41 percent from long range for the season.

"Jina's improvement with her shooting was remarkable, but it's no secret how she did it," Yori said. "She made a commitment and put in lots of time shooting on her own. Her work was rewarded, and we hope she continues to improve as an offensive threat."

Along with providing an increased role as a scorer, the Huskers will continue to count on Johansen as a distributor. She enters the season ranked sixth in school history with 376 career assists.

"We know we are going to get good ball-handling and good passing with Jina," Yori said. "We are going to get consistency in those areas, which as a coach, you want to know you can count on certain things from players."

Along with Johansen's experience, the Huskers will gain a five-player junior class that will be counted on to contribute immediately.

LaToya Howell spent last season as a redshirt at Nebraska after transferring from Air Force. Howell was one of the top players in the Mountain West Conference as both a freshman and a sophomore.

She brings an explosive presence on offense and defense to Nebraska's backourt. Howell set Air Force single-game scoring, assist and steals records during her stay in Colorado Springs. She scored 38 points against Minnesota on Nov. 30, 2002, and dished out 15 assists against UNLV on Jan. 30, 2003. She added eight steals against UNLV on Feb. 23, 2002.

Howell also showed her consistency by setting Air Force single-season marks in both assists (2002-03) and steals (2001-02).

"We were last in the league in steals and opponent turnovers last year, so we hope LaToya can help us create better pressure on the ball," Yori said. "She has great quickness and brings a lot of energy to the court. Her teammates love playing with her, too, which is important when you are building chemistry with so many new players."

Another element that could add to Nebraska's chemistry is the addition of three transfers who not only played on the same junior college, but the same club program in Serbia & Montenegro.

Jelena Spiric, Bojana Samardziska and Ivana Drmanac helped Colby (Kan.) Community College rise to national prominence in the junior college ranks over the past two seasons. Spiric, a 6-0 forward, earned first-team NJCAA All-America honors as a sophomore for the Lady Trojans, averaging 15.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game a year ago.

The Huskers hope Spiric can provide a major presence as a scorer early in her NU career, but a knee injury in her final junior college game last season could slow her immediate impact.

"Jelena is a true wing player, and may be the only person we have in that role," Yori said. "We are going to need her to be healthy to help us."

Samardziska, a 6-4 center, provided a dominant inside presence, averaging 17.6 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.1 blocked shots per game to earn second-team NJCAA All-Region VI honors in 2003-04.

Samardziska captured first-team NJCAA Region VI All-Tournament honors by averaging 26.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and an amazing 5.5 blocks per game.

She finished her two-year career ranked fourth on Colby CC's all-time scoring list with 1,038 points. She added 601 rebounds to finish her career with averages of 16.0 points and 9.2 rebounds over 65 career games.

"Bojana is going to see bigger, strong and more athletic players in the Big 12 Conference than she saw the past two seasons in junior college," Yori said. "But she is a workhorse and she is a productive. Bojana is someone who just gets things done."

Along with Spiric and Samardziska, Drmanac could fill a role for the Huskers by adding depth at the forward position. Drmanac averaged 9.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest a year ago, and plays well off Spiric and Samardziska.

"For most programs and most situations, it might seem crazy to take three players off the same junior college team and put them in a major conference like the Big 12," Yori said. "But in our case, we have a group of players with little experience playing as a team. Jelena, Bojana and Ivana have played together for several years so they can build off each others' strengths, and we are hopeful our other players can build off them, too."

A fourth junior college transfer, Elena Diaz, joins the Huskers from Dodge City (Kan.) Community College. Diaz enjoyed a strong sophomore season at Dodge City. She led the Lady Conquistadors to the NJCAA Region VI Tournament title game by averaging 14.5 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in 2003-04.

The 6-1 junior forward from Medellin, Colombia, led all players in the Region VI Tournament with 11.3 rebounds per game. She averaged a double-double during the three tournament games by ranking fifth in the tournament with 17.3 points per contests.

"Elena is a good athlete who loves to play," Yori said. "All of the international kids we have brought in really love the game and are dedicated to improving themselves."

In addition to the five junior newcomers, a pair of freshmen could make an immediate impression on the Husker program.

Danielle Page, a 6-2 forward from Monument, Colo., and Sarah White, a 6-0 forward from Topeka, Kan., will both compete for playing time this season.

"Both of our freshmen had very good senior seasons," Yori said. "They are both young and hard-working players who have a lot of potential and want to get better. They are going to help us lay a solid foundation for the long-term success of our program."

While the newcomers will play a major role in Nebraska's fortunes this season, a solid nucleus of sophomores is helping to form the core of the Huskers' future.

Kiera Hardy, a 5-6 guard from Kansas City, Mo., enjoyed one of the best freshman seasons in the Big 12 last year. She averaged 9.1 points per game and led Nebraska with 45 steals. Hardy was the Huskers' most explosive and consistent threat off the bench in her rookie campaign. She was also Nebraska's top player during the postseason, averaging 19.0, 4.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game in two WNIT contests.

"Kiera was our most improved player last season and she also became our most coachable player," Yori said. "She plays the game with passion and our other players feed off her energy."

Joining Hardy as regular contributors as freshmen in 2003-04 were forwards Chelsea Aubry and Jessica Gerhart. Aubry, a 6-2 native of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, averaged 5.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game last season. A member of the Canadian Under-20 National Team before arriving at Nebraska, Aubry gained her first experience with the Canadian Senior National Team over the summer of 2004.

"Chelsea is one of our most experienced players, even though she has been in the program for only one year, so we are going to need her to make more of a contribution this year," Yori said. "Defensively, she is very solid and we know we can count on her. Offensively, we are working to get her more involved and become more of a consistent threat for us."

Gerhart, a 6-2 forward from Fenton, Iowa, showed flashes of her offensive abilities as a freshman. She averaged 3.0 points and 1.7 rebounds per game, despite playing less than 10 minutes per contest.

"Jess showed flashes of very good offensive play last year," Yori said. "Her focus is to get stronger and more fit and develop her athleticism."

Heather Kephart rounds out Nebraska's sophomore class. She was one of the Huskers' most dangerous shooters from long range last year, but missed 19 games with a foot injury. She shot nearly 35 percent from long range and hit 17 three-pointers in just 136 total minutes last year. One of the most prolific scorers in the history of Oklahoma basketball, Kephart has worked hard after surgery during the offseason. She is not 100 percent, but the coaches are hopeful that Kephart can help the Huskers in 2004-05.

The new-look Huskers will face one of the toughest schedules in school history again this season. A minimum of 16 2004-05 opponents qualified for postseason play in 2004.

Nebraska opens its regular season in the Preseason WNIT when the Huskers play host to a tough Western Illinois squad. The 16-team tournament runs from Nov. 12 through Nov. 20 at home sites around the country.

Along with the early experience the Huskers will gain in the WNIT, Nebraska will face postseason-caliber competition against Ohio State, North Carolina State and Hampton, which all advanced to the 2004 NCAA Tournament. The Huskers will also tangle with 2004 WNIT champion Creighton, along with WNIT postseason qualifiers Louisville and Memphis. The Huskers will square off against North Carolina State and either Louisville or Hampton in the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands during the Thanksgiving holiday.

"We are looking forward to the trip to the Paradise Jam," Yori said. "It is a great opportunity to play some postseason-caliber teams early in the year. It will also give our young players a chance to bond on a trip outside the United States."

The Big 12 Conference will again feature some of the nation's top teams, including 2004 NCAA Tournament qualifiers Kansas State, Texas, Texas Tech, Baylor, Oklahoma, Missouri and Colorado. Iowa State and Nebraska rounded out the nine Big 12 teams that qualified for the postseason in 2004.

"The Big 12 will be loaded from top to bottom this season," Yori said. "But we have a chance to surprise some people again."