2008-09 Preview: Huskers Ready for Next Step

Together. It's a simple word with a simple message.

But when it comes to basketball, five starters or an entire roster working together toward a unified goal can be remarkably powerful.

The Nebraska women's basketball team has bought into the concept of togetherness under Head Coach Connie Yori, and the Huskers have continued to climb.

Entering her seventh year at the helm of the Huskers, Yori has the Nebraska program riding an increasing wave of success.

Last season, the Huskers earned their second straight NCAA Tournament bid and won the school's first game in the Big Dance since 1998.

Nebraska has earned postseason tournament berths in five consecutive seasons - the longest stretch in school history.

The Huskers' increasing level of success has come after suffering through the worst season in school history in 2002-03. It was Yori's first year and she and Nebraska were left with just a handful of scholarship players.

Despite the overwhelming challenges that the 2002-03 squad faced, Yori and the Huskers stayed together and they found ways to begin laying a foundation for a successful program.

"It wasn't easy, but nothing that is worth achieving ever is," Yori said. "We shed plenty of tears that first year, but we did it together and it made us stronger."

Nebraska's team chemistry and unity continued to improve over the next fours years, leading to three straight trips to the WNIT before a senior-laden team broke through with an NCAA Tournament bid in 2007.

After a 22-win campaign that included 10 Big 12 Conference victories, the Huskers were left with a young and inexperienced 13-player roster before the 2007-08 campaign.

Entering the season, only one player - 2007 first-team All-Big 12 forward Kelsey Griffin - had ever started a game in a Nebraska uniform. The Huskers had five first-year freshmen, five sophomores, one junior college player, and lone senior Danielle Page, who had averaged just over five points per game in her career.

Instead of settling for the idea that 2007-08 would be a rebuilding year in Lincoln, the young Huskers came together for one of the best seasons in school history, which culminated with a 61-58 win over Xavier in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at College Park, Md.

"It was gratifying to see our team overcome so many challenges to succeed," Yori said. "We were one of the youngest teams in the league, and yet instead of using our inexperience as an excuse, we saw it as a strength."

Griffin, who was challenged by a cracked rib for the entire season, helped unite the Huskers in their purpose. The 6-2 native of Eagle River, Alaska, earned first-team All-Big 12 honors for the second straight year by averaging 16.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game in conference play.

Yvonne Turner, in her first year as Nebraska's starting point guard, emerged as a rising star in the Big 12 throughout the league season. She earned a spot on the Big 12's All-Defensive Team after leading the league with 2.6 steals per game in conference action.

Dominique Kelley, a true freshman and Lincoln native, started all 33 games for the Huskers along with junior college transfer Tay Hester to establish the foundation of a young Husker backcourt.

Along with the starters, Nebraska received important contributions from Cory Montgomery, Nikki Bober and Catheryn Redmon inside, along with Kaitlyn Burke, Kala Kuhlmann, and Nicole Neals on the perimeter, while true freshmen Monique Whittaker and Jessica Periago added even more depth.

The Huskers certainly bought into the concept that together they had strength in numbers. NU played the deepest rotation in the Big 12, with 10 players seeing action in 29 or more games on the year. In fact, NU was the only league team that had 10 players compete in all 16 regular-season Big 12 games.

"We believe that each one of our players brings specific strengths to the court that can make us better," Yori said. "We try to put our players in positions to succeed in our rotations so that we can get them into the flow of the game. Then, at the end of the game, when we need to dig deeper and execute at a higher level, we will be the stronger team. That idea of winning together carries over every day in practice and into every part of our program."

Now, entering the 2008-09 season, the Huskers remain together. In fact, a full dozen Huskers return for another season. This time, the Huskers bring a year of experience and an offseason of improvement.

Overall, Nebraska returns 83 percent of its scoring and rebounding, 88 percent of its steals and 91 percent of its assists from a year ago.

Griffin, an All-America candidate, will again be expected to lead the way for the Huskers. With 1,348 points and 665 career rebounds, Griffin carries the numbers to support her position as one of the Big 12's best players and one of the finest players in Nebraska history.

Griffin is also a fierce competitor who has shown her grit and determination on a daily basis during her Husker career.

"Kelsey is one of the toughest, hard-nosed competitors I have ever coached," Yori said. "She is a warrior for us on the court and you get her best every night. Not only that, but she is a solid student and an outstanding person."

One of the most productive players in the Big 12 last season, Griffin averaged a league-best 0.62 points per minute as a junior, surpassing 2007 National Player of the Year Courtney Paris (0.58 ppm). Griffin, who averaged just 27 minutes per game in part because of her cracked rib, also ranked second only to Paris in the Big 12 with 0.30 boards per minute.

Griffin was joined in NU's starting forward rotation by departed senior Danielle Page a year ago. Page, who earned honorable-mention All-Big 12 honors by averaging 12.0 points and 6.5 rebounds last season, spent a successful first season with the WNBA's Connecticut Sun following her graduation.

Page is expected to be replaced in Nebraska's starting lineup by junior Cory Montgomery.

The 6-2 forward from Cannon Falls, Minn., made the first four starts of her career when Griffin was out of the lineup with a rib injury at the end of non-conference play last season. One of the Big 12’s best off the bench in 2007-08, Montgomery averaged 9.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. She averaged 10 points and 3.5 boards per game in NCAA Tournament play, and 12 points per game as a starter for the Huskers.

"Cory has been a major contributor off the bench in her first two seasons, and we think she is ready to become a regular starter in our lineup," Yori said. "She runs the floor extremely hard, can score from anywhere on the court, and she is also an intelligent person on and off the court."

In addition to the return of Griffin and Montgomery, junior Nikki Bober appeared in all 33 games for NU last season. The 6-4 center from Murdock, Neb., averaged nearly nine minutes per game and will contend for more playing time along with sophomores Catheryn Redmon and Jessica Periago, and true freshman Harleen Sidhu on the blocks for the Huskers.

The top six players in Nebraska's backcourt return completely intact for 2008-09, led by Turner. The junior from Omaha averaged 9.8 points per game in Big 12 play last year, while tying for fourth in the league with her 39.3 percent three-point percentage. She also led the league with 2.6 steals per contest in Big 12 play.

She capped her sophomore season with one of the best efforts by a Husker in NCAA Tournament history. Turner erupted for a career-high 23 points and tied the school NCAA Tournament record with five three-pointers going head-to-head with Maryland All-America guard Kristi Tolliver. Turner's effort kept the Huskers in the game against the top-seeded Terps on their homecourt down to the wire.

Throughout Big 12 play, Turner proved herself as a clutch performer, leading NU to comeback road wins at Missouri and Colorado. She was also instrumental in the Huskers' first road win at Iowa State in a decade and NU's impressive win over eventual NCAA Elite Eight qualifier Texas A&M.

"Vonnie is one of the top defensive guards in the Big 12 and she has continued to improve offensively," Yori said. "With a full year of starting experience and the confidence she gained last year against some of the nation's best guards, we are hoping to see continued improvements from her this year."

Hester, who joins Griffin in Nebraska's senior class, returns for her second season with the Huskers.

The 5-10 guard from Moreno Valley, Calif., started all 33 games for NU in her first season after transferring from Mt. San Antonio College. She played a major role in NU’s NCAA Tournament win with 13 points against Xavier, including a pair of free throws with 35 seconds left to seal the victory.

"Tay Hester is a tremendous athlete who fills the starting No. 3 spot in our backcourt," Yori said. "Tay is a strong slasher and rebounder. She is also a solid defender and a good passer. After starting every game last year, we expect her to make even larger contributions as a senior."

Kelley, who set a Husker record by starting 33 games as a true freshman in 2007-08, worked hard in the offseason to make major gains in her game. Kelley averaged 6.4 points and 2.9 boards per contest while supplying solid defense.

Burke joined Kelley in making a major impact as a freshman by averaging 5.4 points and a team-leading 2.4 assists per game. Burke also ranked second on the team with 33 three-pointers on the year. Although she did not start a game as a freshman, Burke actually averaged more minutes per game (22.9) than Kelley (22.3).

Neals appeared in all 33 contests for the Huskers last year, averaging nearly 13 minutes per game, while Kuhlmann overcame a mid-season knee injury to play 30 games. Kuhlmann averaged 16 minutes per game, while contributing 3.0 points and 2.1 rebounds per contest.

Whittaker, a sophomore from Onalaska, Texas, and Layne Reeves, a freshman from Lubbock, Texas, will give the Huskers even more backcourt depth this season.

Whittaker has improved her conditioning and expanded her offensive skills, while Reeves gives the Huskers their purest shooter. Both big guards could add complements to NU's deep backcourt rotation.

"We definitely think our depth is a strength," Yori said. "We also know that the experience and depth across the Big 12 will be better this season. It's not enough to just be experienced with good depth. You have to be good and you have to be willing to outwork your opponents, too."

Nine teams in the Big 12 return at least four starters for the 2008-09 campaign, including North Division foes Missouri and Iowa State, which return all five starters. In fact, the Cyclones arguably have the most experienced team in conference history, with seven returning starters from last year's squad that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Texas A&M and Oklahoma State each return three starters, while Colorado is the only team that returns just two starters from last season.

The quality of those experienced league players is also striking, after the Big 12 sent 11 teams to the postseason, including eight to the NCAA Tournament a year ago. All 11 teams won postseason tournament games, and the Big 12 became the first conference in history to go 8-0 in first round NCAA Tournament action.

"Last year, the Big 12 had the best conference-wide RPI of any league in the country by a pretty big margin," Yori said. "This year, Big 12 teams enter the season looking even better on paper than last year. That's pretty amazing."

To prepare for the rigors of the regular-season Big 12 schedule, Yori has put together another one of the best non-conference slates in school history.

The Huskers tip off the regular season at home against Weber State on Nov. 14, before battling 2008 WNIT qualifier Creighton in Omaha on Nov. 17.

After a home game with Southern Utah on Nov. 22, the Huskers will play at Denver (Nov. 24), before facing Butler (Nov. 28) at the University of New Mexico's Thanksgiving Tournament. A win over the Bulldogs could set up a showdown with New Mexico, which advanced to the NCAA Tournament as the Mountain West Conference Tournament champions last season.

That game could start a stretch where NU would play eight of 10 games against 2008 NCAA Tournament squads, including games against the 2008 Mountain West, Summit League (Oral Roberts), Big Ten (Ohio State), Conference USA (at UTEP) and SEC (at LSU) champions. The Huskers will also face Arizona State at the Devaney Center during that stretch. The Sun Devils have advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament four straight seasons, while Ohio State, which comes to the Devaney Center on Dec. 6, has earned six straight NCAA bids. The Huskers end non-conference play against LSU in Baton Rouge on Jan. 1. The Tigers have advanced to five straight NCAA Final Fours.

"Our non-conference schedule is definitely going to prepare us for the Big 12," Yori said. "I can’t imagine too many other teams in the country who are willing to take on the challenge of potentially playing six of their final eight non-conference games against teams that went to last year’s NCAA Tournament.

"In basically a one-month stretch, we will play five conference champions from a year ago. That is the kind of schedule you will face if you want to make a run in the NCAA Tournament. The amazing thing is that the Big 12 schedule will probably be more challenging than our non-conference schedule."