Griesch's The Word - Sept. 22

The 2009-10 season may represent the changing of the guard in the Big 12 Conference in women's basketball. Perhaps more appropriately, I should say the changing of the posts.

For the past four years, Courtney Paris ruled the paint in the Big 12 down in Oklahoma, culminating with OU's trip to the Final Four in 2009.

This season, the Sooners not only lose a four-time All-American in CP3, but also her twin sister Ashley, along with three teammates who played smaller roles in Oklahoma's success since the arrival of the Paris twins.

No one player is irreplaceable, but Courtney Paris is probably as close as you will find in the history of Big 12 women's basketball. Compounding that, Ashley Paris was terrific last year. Courtney's numbers are amazing with well over 2,700 points and more than 2,000 rebounds, but Ashley's would be nearly as incredible if they weren't compared to her sister's. Ashley scored more than 1,200 points and pulled down more than 1,000 rebounds in her career, despite starting for just two full seasons.

Combined, Paris and Paris started 219 games at OU and had more than 4,100 points, 3,100 rebounds and blocked 560 shots. Those numbers should strike you as staggering, but let me give you a basis to compare them.

Baylor is losing four All-Big 12 starters from a year ago, including honorable-mention All-American Danielle Wilson in the post, All-Big 12 forward Rachel Allison and guards Jessica Morrow and Jhasmin Player. That quartet combined for 350 career starts and three of the four of them scored more than 1,000 career points, with Player just missing the mark with 991. Those four combined for 4,444 points, 2,410 rebounds and 440 blocks.

In other words, Oklahoma lost more at two positions than Baylor lost from four all-conference-level starters. Now, I left out the assists and the steals, but Courtney and Ashley did just fine in those two categories as well.

If you want another comparison, Iowa State is the heaviest hit in the numbers game in the Big 12 this season. The Cyclones are replacing eight players, including 1,000-point scorers in Heather Ezell and Nicky Wieben and senior starter Amanda Nisleit. Jocelyn Anderson and Toccara Ross also started extensively in their Iowa State careers. In 342 combined career starts, those eight Cyclones combined for 4,200 points, 2,200 rebounds and 350 blocks.

It took eight Cyclones from a team that advanced to the 2009 NCAA Elite Eight to match Courtney and Ashley Paris in points, but they still came up 900 rebounds and 200 blocked shots short of the twins. That is staggering.

The thing that all three of those 2009 NCAA Sweet 16 teams have in common this year, is that they lose their top two inside players from a year ago. Meanwhile, Kansas State loses a great player in Marlies Gipson and the most versatile player in the Big 12 in Shalee Lehning, who had over 900 rebounds and 800 assists to go along with her nearly 1,200 career points.

Texas A&M loses Danielle Gant, who scored more than 1,500 points and had more than 900 rebounds in her career, along with four-year starter LaToya Micheaux, who had over 800 career boards for the Aggies, not to mention Takia Starks, who scored nearly 2,000 points and had more than 500 boards in her career.

Even Oklahoma State loses an insider player in Shaunte' Smith who had more than 1,000 points and nearly 1,000 career rebounds.

Throw in that Colorado lost their only significant post presence from a year ago in Kara Richards, and Texas Tech which lost Dominic Seals, who had more than 800 points and 600 rebounds in just two seasons for the Lady Raiders, and it is obvious that the inside will open up a little bit in the Big 12 this year.

Baylor has the nation's top recruiting class that includes 6-8 Brittney Griner, and Texas A&M will be amazingly athletic across the board, but the rest of the group will feature largely unknown quantities inside. Kansas returns its entire post game, along with stars Danielle McCray and Sade Morris in the backcourt, and redshirt freshman point guard Angel Goodrich. KU should benefit from the losses around the league.

The best news in the paint is coming out of Nebraska. Not only do the Huskers return honorable-mention All-Big 12 forward Cory Montgomery and her 15 points and seven rebounds per game from last season, and starting center Catheryn Redmon, but the Huskers will benefit from the return of Kelsey Griffin. The All-America candidate is a three-year starter with 1,348 points and 665 rebounds.

Remember Kelsey Griffin? The only player in the Big 12 in 2007-08 to produce more points per minute than Courtney Paris, while ranking in the top three in the Big 12 in rebounds per minute. Remember Kelsey Griffin? You know, one of the most productive players in Nebraska history, who led NU to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2007 and 2008, including an NCAA win in 2008 despite playing the entire year with a broken rib. You know, the Kelsey Griffin that sat out all of 2008-09 with a foot injury.

Griffin has scored more points than any other returning post player in the league, just ahead of K-State's Ashley Sweat. In fact, there are only four forwards on the list of the top-12 returning scorers in the Big 12 - Griffin, Sweat, Montgomery, who ranks ninth with 947 career points, and Missouri's Jessra Johnson (902).

In Griffin, Montgomery and Redmon, the Huskers return three players who combine to average about 35 points and 21 rebounds per game. The Paris twins combined to average 28 points and 23 rebounds per game last year. 

Not only does Nebraska regain the services of Griffin and her 94 career starts, the Huskers also return senior center Nikki Bober, who missed Big 12 play last season with a knee injury. NU also has junior center Jessica Periago, who played extensively in Big 12 action last season, and two newcomers inside in Meghin Williams and Katya Leick.

Add the group of forwards and centers in with a backcourt that returns starters Yvonne Turner, who ranks 15th among the league's top returning scorers and is a two-time All-Big 12 Defensive team selection, and two-year starter Dominique Kelley, who ranks 24th among the Big 12's top returning scorers, and you have a team that is good up front and good in the back.

Not only that, but returning starter Kaitlyn Burke and senior guards Nicole Neals and Kala Kuhlmann give the Huskers plenty of options with depth, experience and shot-making ability off the bench. Might as well mix in sophomore Harleen Sidhu and redshirt freshman Layne Reeves, who might have the purest shooting stroke of the bunch.

Did I mention third-team high school All-America point guard Lindsey Moore? You know the Washington High School Player of the Year.

I don't know about you, but I like it when the seasons change.

Go Big Red!