COLLEGE BASKETBALL - BROWN PREVIEW

2004-2010

Brown Women Face Challenges

Despite losing the top two scorers from last season, coach Jean Marie Burr says the Bears will be ready. Jean Marie Burr has been at the helm of the Brown women’s basketball team for 17 seasons, but she said the challenges of each new season keep things fresh. “Every year is like the first year in a lot of ways,” Burr said. ‘The seniors are gone, and you wear dark glasses at graduation, but the whole cycle starts fresh. It’s always fun, especially at Brown, with the type of students we have.”

Coming off two straight second-place finishes in the Ivy League, the Bears were chosen fourth in this year’s preseason vote. Burr said that’s mostly because of the unknown with Brown -- the two top scorers from last season have graduated.

But Burr said that the vote is also a bit of a slight, given that 6-foot-S senior center Holly Robertson, a second-team All-Ivy pick last year, is back, as are 12 other letter-winners. Robertson, a native of Cochrane, Alberta, averaged 11 points and 6.6 rebounds a game last season. Her numbers were even higher in league play (14.1, 7.1). She’s also a threat from 3-point range.

Despite Robertson’s returns, Burr will be looking for players to help in the rebounding department. Sarah Hayes, a 5-foot-S junior guard (10.2 PPG, 6.9 RPG), and jack-of-all-trades junior guard Colleen Kelly (8.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG) are among those the coach is depending on to pick up the load.

Hayes, a former Ivy League rookie of the year, has big shoes to fill at the point -- Tanara Golston broke the league career assists record. Burr said she’d like to see Kelly step up her scoring.

Since practice started last month, Burr said it’s clear sophomores Courtney Peters and Ashley King-Bischof have stepped up their games. King-Bischof is a guard/forward who will be asked to play inside and outside. Peters was a high school teammate of Tennessee freshman Candace Parker, who made headlines earlier this year when she won the dunk contest at the McDonald’s All-American game.

The scoring may be a bit of a question mark, but there’s no question the Bears will be one of the best defensive teams in the Ivy League, if not the country. They have led the Ivies in defensive percentage and opponent’s scoring average each of the last two years, and held nine teams under 60 points last season.

“It’s a real commitment we have as a program. One of the defensive leaders is (sophomore) Lena McAfee -- she’s quick, she’s athletic, she can put pressure on opposing guards,” Burr said. “(Sophomore) Katie Barr didn’t see a lot of time last year, but with the loss of a couple of players, there’s an opportunity for her to show us what she’s got.” Brown also has a strong freshman class: 6-footer Amy Hunckler was named an adidas All-American out of Benet Academy in Aurora, Ill., while guard Anne ONeal was an honorable mention All-State pick at Heard County high in Franklin, Ga.

“I expect that they’ll make a contribution as they get their feet wet with Brown and the system. They’re picking things up quickly; I think the upperclassmen are giving them the confidence they need,” Burr said.

One of the changes that Burr is most excited about is the addition of former Classical All-Stater Christina Batastini to the coaching staff. After four years with nationally ranked Stanford, Batastini played professionally in Europe and was a head coach in Switzerland last year. “It’s a great feather in the program’s cap to be able to attract a polished player and coach like her. She has so much to offer players, and knows what it is to balance the demands of academics and athletics,’ Burr said.

The Bears open play Friday at the Pizzitola against Temple, the defending Atlantic-b champions. The Owls are coached by Philadelphia legend and three-time Olympic champion Dawn Staley.

SHALISE MANZA YOUNG Journal Sports Writer The Providence Journal. Providence, RI.: Nov 14, 2004