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Hello Huskers,
The regular season is here, and our players are ready. Our returning players have set the tone by working hard every day in practice to get better. Our freshmen have not only followed suit, but have shown the ability to be leaders in practice. That is exciting. All of our players are focused on improving each day with every drill, and the results are apparent to both the coaches and the players themselves.
We still have a lot to work on. As a team, we are young and we know that we will experience some growing pains this year. That is the nature of women's basketball in the Big Ten. But the approach of our players on a daily basis since the end of last season has been impressive, and that day-to-day approach has given all of us reasons to not only be optimistic, but also confident.
Jordan Hooper led us in our two exhibition wins in impressive fashion. In the opener, she had 24 points and 17 rebounds against Pittsburg State. In the win over Nebraska-Kearney, she had 28 points and six rebounds. Averaging 26 points and 11.5 rebounds in about 27 minutes is pretty amazing production, and it might be unrealistic to expect those kinds of numbers from Jordan every night. However, Jordan knows she can play better in all areas, and she has continued to grow each day in practice. We hope she has a great sophomore season.
Lindsey Moore slowed herself down with some foul trouble in the opener, but played a solid game with 14 points and seven assists against Nebraska-Kearney. We think Lindsey has the potential to be one of the best guards in the Big Ten this season.
Kaitlyn Burke has been providing stability and leadership for us and that was apparent in the exhibition season. She was honored last week as one of 30 nominees for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. We think Kaitlyn is an outstanding representative of our program, and we hope that she can advance to the list of 10 finalists later this season.
Harleen Sidhu was cleared to practice for the first time on Tuesday, Nov. 8. She has worked hard to make it back to the court after offseason knee surgery, and it was great to have her back, even though she is still limited. She has a long way to go, but she is a great leader for us and a great teammate.
Meghin Williams missed some time at the end of the preseason after having two wisdom teeth pulled. She had some complications following the procedure and missed practice time and the Pittsburg State game. She also continues to battle a nagging foot injury. It was good to have her back for the UNK game. Rebecca Woodberry, Adrianna Maurer and Katie Simon both provided us with some good contributions off the bench in exhibition play, and all three have been improving each day in practice.
Our true freshmen did some good things in exhibition play as well. Emily Cady averaged double figures in just over 20 minutes a game. Tear'a Laudermill showed that she was explosive both defensively and offensively, and Hailie Sample continues to show her defensive skills while adding threats as a scorer, rebounder and passer. Brandi Jeffery had a quiet first game, but began to get more comfortable in the second game. She could be an important player for us this season.
On Wednesday, Nov. 9, we were able to officially announce the signing of Rachel Theriot to join the Huskers next season. Rachel is a 6-foot point guard from the Cleveland, Ohio, metro area. She is a great passer and can scorer in a variety of ways. Her height and length also make her a threat on the glass and at the defensive end. We think Rachel can have a great future in our backcourt as both a point guard and shooting guard.
We are excited to tip-off our season with Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Saturday at 3:05 p.m. Our season opens with an important four-game home stand that includes a Tuesday night game with Mississippi Valley State on Nov. 15, before a big challenge against preseason top-25 USC on Friday, Nov. 18 at 7:05 p.m.
We close the home stand with Savannah State on Nov. 21, before a challenging three-game road swing over Thanksgiving that includes games with a top-20 Florida State team and a top-25-caliber Georgia Tech squad. We also play a talented and experienced Florida A&M team on the trip.
We look forward to seeing you at the Devaney Center over the next two weeks. Our team really appreciates your support.
Go Big Red!
Connie