By Anvil Welch
awelch@joplinglobe.com
A new look with a definite southwest Missouri flavor.
That’s a description of the Crowder College women’s basketball team for 2009-10.
Third-year Crowder coach Tina Robbins has a roster of 15 players and only two — Kallie Flood and Elura Veirs — are veterans.
“We’re much deeper than last season,” Robbins said on Friday.
But it isn’t just numbers that has Robbins excited about a season that tips off Monday with a 6 p.m. visit to Neosho by Neosho County Community College of Chanute, Kan.
“We have several players competing for starting positions,” Robbins said. “Those starters could change game-to-game ... especially during the early part of the season.
“We have the personnel to play the style I want to play,” Robbins said. “We want to defensively pressure people and offensively get up and down the floor. Hopefully, we can make Lady ’Riders basketball exciting for the fans.”
Flood, 5-foot-1 product out of Hurley High School, totaled 56 treys and 52 assists and averaged 8.3 points for an 8-23 edition last season. The 5-6 Veirs (Edmond, Okla., North) had 43 assists and averaged 3.8 points.
Robbins, breaking down the 13 freshmen by position, said there are four post players in 6-3 Rachel Green (Chelsea, Okla.), 6-1 Kelsey Hullinger (Blue Eye), 6-0 Jaimee Shields (McDonald County) and 6-4 Brooke Smith (Fouke, Ark.).
Forwards are 6-0 Khyrstyn Brumley (Ozark), 5-7 Kenzie Lauffer (Aurora), 6-0 Sierra McSpadden (Green’s teammate from Chelsea) and 5-11 Holly Thomas (Houston).
Guards joining Flood and Veirs are 5-1 Sara Paschall of West Plains, 5-7 Erin Rust of Mount Vernon, 5-4 Kasie Scott of Exeter, 5-7 Tashina Tennis of Sparta and 5-8 Makayla Vail of Miami, Okla.
“We’ve been making progress each week,” Robbins said. “Right now, we’re emphasizing defense. It will keep you in games. We have a long way to go. But we are improving.
“It takes longer for the offense to mesh,” Robbins said. “They have to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each other.
“It’s important, of course, that we get all the players on the same page and continue working hard each day. We do have good team chemistry at this point.
“This season a challenge? I don’t consider it any bigger than any year,” Robbins said.
Notes: Leon Lowe, an assistant in boys basketball in 2008-09 for Darin Meinders at Aurora High School, is assisting Robbins this season. McDonald County product Melanie Bowers, a sophomore on last year’s Crowder team, also is helping. ... Katrina Visina, assistant last season, is pursuing master’s degree at Emporia State. ... The first Crowder Classic will be held Friday and Saturday in Bob Sneller Gymnasium. Pairings on Friday are Labette of Parsons vs. Rend Lake (Ill.) at 5 p.m. and Crowder vs. Meramec at 7. Saturday’s schedule: Labette vs. Meramec, 1 p.m.; Crowder vs. Rend Lake, 3.
