FOREST GROVE – The 2010-11 season was a year of gaining experience for the Pacific women’s basketball team.

A team full of youth and inexperience with no seniors went through the expected growing pains and came out the other end better for it. This growth was signposted by two performances at the end of the season, a 78-57 victory over Pacific Lutheran and a 61-59 overtime win at home in the season finale against Whitworth. In matchups earlier in the season, PLU defeated Pacific 63-57 and Whitworth won 74-52.

The lack of senior leadership was tough on a young team, but what may have been one of the team’s greatest weaknesses last year could be one its greatest strengths this season. The Boxers return a talented core of veterans, including two all-conference players who led them in nearly every statistical category.

“Leadership definitely was an aspect that we were missing most significantly last year,” said fifth-year head coach Sharon Rissmiller. “This year, with a good solid core group back, we’re excited for the leadership that we have this season.”

With proven veteran leaders in place, the healing hands of time massaging old injuries and an influx of able junior college transfers and a sprinkling of capable new freshmen, the Boxers go into the 2011-12 season with much brighter prospects than a year ago.

RETURNERS
Erica Schultz (Sr., Medford, Ore.) spent the fall semester in 2010 studying abroad in Spain, but did return in time for the conference season, playing in 16 games with 15 starts. The 5-10 forward provided an inside-outside scoring punch, with the ability to drain a three-point shot, slash to the basket or score on quick post-ups, finishing fifth in the conference in scoring at 15.1 points per game, while shooting .462 from the field and .353 from downtown.

Far from being a one-dimensional scorer, Schultz was also Pacific’s second-leading rebounder (5.0 rpg) and finished sixth in the NWC in steals (1.7 spg).

Schultz enters her senior year as a four-year starter and returning Second Team All-NWC selection and one of the unquestioned leaders on this team.

“It’s hard when one of your best players is gone and comes back midseason,” said Rissmiller. “Starting off from the beginning she has accepted the leadership role and has done very well with it this season.”

The Boxers also return Honorable Mention All-NWC honoree Paige Jensen (Jr., Bemidji, Minn.). The 5-11 forward flirted with a season double-double, averaging 10.1 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. Jensen was relied upon to be more of a scorer earlier in the season with the absence of Schultz. The continued development of those offensive skills, which included hitting 5-of-15 shots from beyond the three-point arc along with a consistent mid-range jumper, should pay dividends in 2011-12 for a player who is already a strong defender and pound-for-pound maybe the best rebounder in the NWC.

“She’s such a smart player,” said Rissmiller. “She’s so intelligent out on the floor. She’ll find a way to score and she is one of our best defenders. She’s going to be a huge contributor.”

If there were a toughness award in the NWC, senior post Brittany Anderson (Missoula, Mont.) would have won it hands down. Still recovering from ACL surgery during her sophomore year, the 5-foot-10 forward tore the meniscus in the same knee at the end of December. Despite this, Anderson was one of two players to play in every game for the Boxers in 2011-12, starting all but two, while finishing second on the team in field goal percentage (.467) and third in rebounding (4.5 rpg), while distributing 34 assists from the post, third on the team.

“She’s so smart on the floor,” said Rissmiller. “She does a great job of reading the defense offensively and she is smart defensively. She is one of those players that is really fun to watch.”

“Having her back healthy, she’ll be able to move better out on the floor which is going to be great for her and our team.”

On a team that takes defense seriously, Kandice McArthur (Sr., Post Falls, Idaho) might be the Boxers’ most disruptive defender. The 5-foot-7 senior guard, who started 19 games in 2010-11 and scored 6.8 points per game, is one of Pacific’s top on-ball defenders (1.6 steals per game). McArthur can also get hot from the outside (.349 from 3-pt range) and is an above-average rebounder from the guard position (4.0 rpg).
 
“A major component that we have been hitting in practice is defensive intensity,” said Rissmiller. “We are looking for Kandice to be a spark in that area for us.”

Annette Highley (Juneau, Alaska) provided a strong defensive presence off the bench and started eight games in 2010-11.  Another aggressive guard at 5-foot-8, Highley played more of a secondary role on offense (3.2 ppg), while focusing her energy on the defensive end. A scorer in high school for a state championship team at Juneau-Douglas, Highley will be looked upon to be more of an offensive threat this season after shooting a team-high .474 from the field and .357 from beyond the arc.

“She’s aggressive and a great defender as well,” said Rissmiller. “We’ll need her to be assertive offensively and she can definitely provide that for us.”

Kaley Adams (Seattle, Wash.) is Pacific’s tallest player at 6-0 and has the ability to run the floor. Adams has done a good job in the offseason getting stronger after playing 16 games last year.

NEWCOMERS
The Boxers have turned the junior college ranks and two transfer newcomers are expected to play key roles right away, one in the frontcourt an one in the backcourt.

Junior forward Heather Hitch (Enumclaw, Wash.) averaged 8.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.1 steals for Highline Community College, a playoff team in the NWAACC last year. A graduate of girls basketball power Enumclaw High School in east King County, Washington, the 5-11 Hitch averaged 11 points and 8.6 rebounds for a state playoff team as a senior for the 3A Hornets.

“She is very aggressive,” said Rissmiller, “and we love that aspect about her. Rebounding, she will help us a lot there and defensively she is very aggressive and we need that in the post position.”

Junior Erica Colter (Kennewick, Wash.) joins the team from Wenatchee Valley Community College, where she was selected team MVP in 2010-11. Rissmiller will look to Colter to secure the point guard position. A very good outside shooter, Colter does a good job seeing the floor and making smart decisions.

Several freshman newcomers will see the floor early in the season. Of the new group, Jualani “Nani” Ostrom (Juneau, Alaska) should see the most significant playing time alternating with Colter at point guard. It will be a new position for Ostrom, a former high school teammate of Annette Highley at Juneau-Douglas. Ostrom was an all-conference shooting guard for the 4A Bears and a two-year starter in the backcourt for a team that won a state championship in 2010.

“Nani does a good job of leading the team and communicating,” said Rissmiller. “She is a solid outside shooter. She is really good at defending and putting pressure on the ball and that is a major aspect we were lacking.”

Joining the Boxers from local Beaverton High School is Olivia Cook, a six-footer who played primarily on the perimeter for a state playoff team. An Honorable Mention All-Metro League selection in a brutally strong girls basketball league, Cook could be a valuable zone-buster off the bench with her ability to shoot the three and will present matchup difficulties with her size on the outside.

Kaila Johnson (McKinleyville, Calif.) is another good shooter who can see the floor and attack the basket, while playing either guard position. Daily Koga (Caldwell, Idaho), who comes from an athletic lineage, is one of Pacific’s fastest players. She will be a valuable weapon on the break. Anuhea Wall (Kealakekua, Hawaii) is an aggressive, dynamic forward who loves to attack the basket.

SCHEDULE
The Boxers will begin the season with a huge challenge, taking on the Oregon State Beavers at Gill Coliseum on Tue., Nov. 8 in an exhibition game.

“It is a little bit of a challenge and we are exited for that challenge,” said Rissmiller. “It’s a good motivating factor for us to work hard in the preseason and get ready for the season ahead.”

“The size difference is going to be a big factor for us. I just want to see how we do defensively. With such a quality team, they will pull out all of our flaws, which will help us in the future. We’re excited to see how we do against them.”

After a pair of games in southern California at Pomona-Pitzer and Caltech, the Boxers host four straight games, beginning with Northwest Christian on Tue., Nov. 22 and including the NWC opener against Linfield on Nov. 29 at the Stoller Center.

In the preseason coaches’ poll, the Wildcats were picked to finish sixth with Pacific selected eighth out of nine teams. George Fox, which has won or shared five consecutive NWC titles, was picked to finish first with Lewis & Clark selected second. Both teams return their top players, with 6-foot-5 center Hannah Munger and All-NWC guard Keisha Gordon returning for the Bruins and NWC Player Of The Year Kristina Williams back for the Pioneers.

“Our conference is very competitive,” said Rissmiller. “A team that ends up at the bottom of our conference could go to another conference and win it all. That’s what’s exciting about NWC basketball.”

Rejoining Rissmiller for her fifth year on the bench is Tara (Podpah) Gronsdahl, a former Metro League Player Of The Year at Aloha High School. Assistant coach Nicole Cleveland, a native of Dubuque, Iowa, joins the coaching staff for 2011-12.