WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SEASON PREVIEW: PART 2

New kids on the block

Several first-year players made an immediate impression on writing this preview. Leah Murphy will be one that you hear her name a great deal during the season. Murphy will shoot the ball, not always when it is needed, but she is unafraid to shoot.

“Leah can score in a lot of different ways,” says Plant. Which was not on full display versus Johnson and Wales, but you could see what Plant was saying about Murphy’s ability to score from just a few possessions.

“She has the potential to be one of the top guards in the conference.” Now coming from Plant that is something to hold on to. Murphy has height, a touch, and when near the basket she is able to score. It makes you wonder what teams will do if White draws a double-team, and Murphy is on the court too?

Another likely role player with the ability to silently put up numbers in every major category is Claire Ramonas. Ramonas is dedicated to getting better with each practice, and ultimately each game. She brings a number of high school accolades to the team. She was a three-sport athlete, and won two basketball championships for Deering High. Adding to that, she was a SMAA All-Star, SMAA All-Defensive Team member, named Maine Sunday Telegram First Team, and Maine McDonald’s All-Star. 

All that being said, she has so much potential to make an immediate impact. “She does the little things right,” Plant says of Ramonas. “Claire is smart, can pass, makes steals, rebounds, and shoots.”

Games to watch for

Certainly the University of New England match is a “must see”, but that will have to wait until January 27, 2011. Prior to the Nor’easters, Regis will face conference foe Colby-Sawyer (Jan. 8). The match with the Chargers will be a tough match as Colby-Sawyer brings back a core of guards with athleticism and skill.

The Colby-Sawyer game actually opens conference play, although Regis College will host Colby (Jan. 25). The non-conference game with the Mules will be the first of three games in a weeks span. The other two games are UNE (Jan. 27) and Wentworth (Jan. 29).

When asked why three games in a week, Plant felt that putting the team in a situation where it would have to play three games two days a part, similar to the conference playoff structure, would better acclimate Regis to playing a similar schedule on February 22 when the playoffs start.

Much of the first half of the season is non-conference games with two tournaments. Regis’ first tournament will be the Babson College Tip-Off Tournament, before hosting its own tourney December 11-12.

One of the Pride’s biggest games will be against D3Hoops.com No. 8 Kean University Cougars on January 2. The Cougars finished last season 29-2 overall, and undefeated in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC). Kean reached the NCAA Final Four in 2009-10, but fell a game shy of championship losing to the University of Rochester 68-65.

The Cougars return two of its most dominant players from the 2009-10 team, including senior Tiffany Patrick who posted a season-high 30 points and 22 rebounds in two separate games.

Colby, another non-conference match-up, will be one to watch for. The No. 23 Colby College Mules will kick-off a three-game week for the Pride in the second half of the season on Jan. 25.

Colby handily defeated TCCC Champion UNE 74-64 last season, all in route to a 24-5 overall record, winning 17 non-conference games. The Mules had two scorers in double figures a year ago, and defensively held its opponents to scoring just shy of 60 points per game.

Of course the championship rematch with the Nor’easters will be a tough battle, but so will games versus nearby Endicott (Jan. 5).

Regis College will open its season Nov. 15 at Mount Ida College, and back on the road to Daniel Webster on Wednesday, Nov. 17. Those games are slated for 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. starts respectively.