Coatney's Call: Pittsburg State Game Preview

Nebraska vs. Pittsburg State

Date: Sunday, Oct. 30, 2011
Time: 2:05 p.m.(central)
Site: Lincoln, Neb.
Arena:  Devaney Center

Nebraska Radio: Husker Sports Network 
(Matt Coatney-Play-by-Play; Jeff Griesch-Color Analyst)
NO LOCAL RADIO IN LINCOLN OR OMAHA FOR THE TWO EXHIBITION GAMES

Internet: Live Radio on Huskers.com

I cannot believe the season is here!  There is a lot to be excited about right now if you are a fan of Nebraska Women's Basketball.  Certainly the beautiful new Hendricks Training Complex is at the top of the list.  The Huskers have a gorgeous new locker room, practice gym, basketball offices and other amenities that are difficult to accurately represent in words.  

Of course, this is the inaugural season for the Big Red in the Big Ten Conference, and it's exciting to look at the league schedule in anticipation of new matchups and rivalries.  But perhaps the biggest reason to be excited about Husker women's basketball is the young but very athletic team that will take the court for the first time this Sunday as the Huskers host the Pittsburg State Gorillas in an exhibition game at the Devaney Center in Lincoln. 

A veteran point guard can be very comforting to a coach with a young ballclub and Nebraska has one of the best in Lindsey Moore.  The honorable-mention all-conference junior has started every game in her collegiate career.  She is the only player in NCAA Division I women's basketball history to be the starting point guard as a freshman on a team that went undefeated during the regular season.  Moore  also was the first Husker basketball player, man or women, to post a triple-double in a game when she turned the trick against Florida A&M last season.  'Zeroes' was an iron woman for Nebraska last season, setting a school record by playing 1,164 minutes.

Another returning starter that will be a leader on this young Husker squad is 6-2 sophomore forward Jordan Hooper. 'J-Hoop' made the conference all-freshman team last season after leading NU in scoring (14.6 ppg).  Hooper  broke the Nebraska freshman three-point field goal record (67) and led all league freshmen in rebounding (6.6 rpg). 

The most veteran returner for the Huskers is 5-7 fifth-year senior Kaitlyn Burke.  'KB' has played in 101 career games and started 29 last season.  Burke  averaged 6.3 ppg and was second on the team in assists.

I am sure you'll be very impressed with the athleticism of the newcomers on this 2011-12 Husker team.  The four incoming freshmen are sure to see significant playing time and two are probable starters for Sunday's exhibition opener.  A name very familiar to local high school fans, 6-2 forward Emily Cady, helped Seward to three straight Nebraska Class B state titles.  She is expected to start along with 6-1 wing Hailie Sample.  The freshman from the Dallas/Ft. Worth area has been very impressive during the preseason on the defensive end and added 4.5 ppg during the Huskers' four-game tour of Scandanavia this summer.

Pittsburg State is an NCAA Division II squad from southeastern Kansas, near the Missouri border.  This is the third straight season the Gorillas have faced the Huskers in exhibition play.  PSU finished with a 16-12 overall record last season, including a 13-9 conference mark in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA).    They are picked to finish fourth in the MIAA this season.  Fifth-year head coach Lane Lord has posted winning records in each of the past three seasons, turning around a team that previously had won only 32 of 82 regular-season games in a three-year period.  This improvement helped propel Lane Lord to being named the 2008-09 WBCA/NCAA Division II Region Six Coach of the Year.

Junior Drew Roberts, a 5-6 guard, returns to lead PSU.  She tied Jordan Hooper for game-high scoring honors with 21 points last season in Nebraska's 78-60 win.  Roberts led Pittsburg State with 60 three-pointers last year and averaged 11.0 ppg.  The Gorillas have 19 roster players, including 11 returning letterwinners.

I cordially invite you to join Jeff Griesch and me as we begin our 11th season together as the play-by-play team for Nebraska Women's Basketball on the Husker Sports Network.  Our radio broadcast Sunday afternoon beings with the Husker Courtside pre-game show at 1:45 p.m. (central) with the tip-off scheduled for 2:05 p.m. on the Husker Sports Network.  There will not be any local radio coverage in Lincoln or Omaha for the two exhibition games, but it can be heard on other selected stations in Nebraska. All Husker Women's Basketball broadcasts are also available for free worldwide on the internet at www.huskers.com.  I hope you can join us.  

Go Big Red! 

Matt