Riding the Wave of Experience – Women’s Basketball set for 2011-12 Season
The Elms College women's basketball team takes the court for the 2011-12 campaign with a decisive advantage: experience.
Led by 10th year head coach Laura Habacker who is 13 wins shy of reaching the 100-win milestone with the Blazers, Elms welcomes back five seniors to the floor to highlight a group of 13 returners. Coach Habacker has guided the Blazers to three consecutive New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) postseason berths including an appearance in the league title game in the inaugural 2008-09 season.
Here is a look at how the 2011-12 team breaks down by class:
Seniors
Senior captain Katie Condon (Sandy Hook, Conn.), who was named Honorable Mention All-NECC following the 2010-11 season, averaged 9.3 points per game during league play. Condon now ranks in the top 10 on the program's all-time rebounds list with 356, assists list with 138 and steals list with 84. She is joined by senior forward Erika Murphy (Torrington, Conn.) – a First Team All-NECC selection - who led the Blazers in almost every statistical category during league play last season. Murphy is also ranked third all-time at Elms in free-throw percentage with a 78.3-percent mark.
Senior guard Brooke Miller (West Warwick, R.I.) and senior forward Maryanne Overmyer (Mattapoisett, Mass.) will add depth and experience to Elms' corps of upperclassmen, while senior guard Carolyn Talmadge (Wilbraham, Mass.) returns to the backcourt for her senior season as the program's all-time assists leader with 244.
Juniors
Guard Jennifer Normandie (Westford, Mass.) is the lone junior on the Blazers' 15-player roster. Normandie averaged 9.1 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per game during a successful sophomore year. Following the season she moved into seventh place on the program's all-time steals list with 87 and is now 10th all-time at Elms in field goals attempted with 509 in two seasons of action.
Sophomores
Seven sophomores dot the Blazers' squad including guard Taylor Darby (Bristol, Conn.) who is fifth on the Blazers' all-time three-point field goal percentage list (31.4-percent) after just one season while classmates Ellen Donohue (Southington, Conn.) and Emily Boucher (Ashburnham, Mass.) follow in seventh and eighth with respective percentages of 30.5 and 30.2.
Nicolette Martin (Colchester, Conn.) saw action at the forward position in all 26 games last season and averaged 5.0 points per game and 3.8 boards per contest during her freshman season, while Marisabel Santiago (Springfield, Mass.) played in 20 games for the Blazers last year.
Rounding out the sophomore contingent are guards Erin Broughton (Essex Junction, Vt.) and Jennifer Belanger (Chicopee, Mass.). Primarily roles players during the 2010-11 campaign, Broughton and Belanger will bring additional experience to the court this season.
Freshmen
The Blazers will look to blend just two newcomers with the group of 13 returners. Guard Gianna Youngblood (East Freetown, Mass.) and Denisha Parks (Fall River, Mass.) have their sights set on learning Elms' system and making an immediate impact to help the team reach its goal of winning the NECC tournament championship.
Schedule
The Blazers open their 2011-12 season at the Castleton State College Tip-Off tournament in Vermont on Friday, Nov. 18 and Saturday, Nov. 19. Elms will square off against St. Joseph's College (Maine) at 8:00 p.m. and will play at either 1:00 p.m. or 3:00 p.m. on Saturday against either Simmons College or host Castleton State.
The Blazers will play four of their next six games on the road with their home-opener set for Nov. 30 at 7:00 p.m. against Anna Maria College at Picknelly Arena. Bard College will then make the trek to Chicopee, Mass. for a 2:00 p.m. tilt with Elms on Dec. 3.
Elms begins its conference on Dec. 10 at Lesley University and will play just one non-league game from that point on at St. Joseph College (Conn.) on Jan. 4, 2012. The squad's first NECC home game is set for Jan. 10 versus Becker College.
Wrap Up
The upcoming season for the Blazers will be rooted in the strength of 13 returners that includes a cast of five seniors. With experience, poise and three straight runs in the conference postseason tournament, the 2011-12 women's basketball team has the foundation in place to win its first NECC league title and secure the program's first-ever bid to the NCAA Division III Championship.
