Lakeland College

Women's basketball season preview: Johnson looks to lead young team to top of the standings

Athletics - posted on 11/12/2008

What a difference a year makes.

The Lakeland College women's basketball team enters the 2008-09 season with new goals, new expectations and a plethora of new faces following a 15-11 campaign last season, including a 12-6 mark in the Northern Athletics Conference, which tied for fourth in the league. The Muskies ran off eight consecutive victories, all in NAC play, to close the regular season.

Just five players return from the 2007-08 team, which was defeated in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament by Edgewood.

"We gelled well in early-to-mid January from watching us play from mid-December to January," Lakeland head coach Teri Johnson said. "You could definitely see a different team where we just clicked well. Our style kind of changed a little bit.

"This is a completely different team this year. It's a very young team, and we're different in a lot of aspects."

Johnson's current squad features nine freshmen, two sophomores, three juniors and one senior. The second-year head coach is pleased with the leadership and guidance of the upperclassmen to the younger players.

"I think the majority of our upperclassmen, all five returners, they all came together as a group," Johnson said. "They've really embraced the fact that we've got a large group of younger players coming in, and we really have to get them on the same page. They all took the leadership role in helping those ladies out, not just on the basketball court, but off the basketball court too."

While the roster returns just over 30 percent of its scoring from last year, several key players are back for Lakeland.

Junior forward KC Blahnik (Gladstone, Mich.), a 5-foot-8 co-captain, is a fantastic athlete who the Muskies will rely on heavily. Blahnik, a second-team all-conference performer, was second on the team in scoring last season, averaging 11.1 points and a team-leading 7.6 rebounds per game. She also led the team with 10 blocks.

"KC Blahnik is just a very talented, raw athlete," Johnson said. "She brings a lot of fire and intensity to the court, which is one of the things she's known for. She's an excellent scorer, defender and rebounder, and just an all-around strong basketball player."

Blahnik is joined in the frontcourt by 5-11 junior center Katie Kilton. The Waukesha native saw action in just seven games last season, but has impressed the coaching staff in practice and was recently named a co-captain.

"Somebody who's been a great surprise is Katie Kilton," Johnson said. "I think she's been quietly waiting. She's a quiet scorer in practice so far, and she's done some fairly nice things."

Senior guard/forward Kasey Gussert (Kingsford, Mich.) is Lakeland's third captain. The 5-6 Gussert averaged 4.1 points and 2.6 rebounds in 26 games last season, shooting a solid 38.2 percent from 3-point range. She is one of the team's best leaders, as well as one of its most competitive players.

"'Gus' just brings it every single day and knows what we expect from her, and what she expects out of her teammates to make our program better," Johnson said. "Another thing we expect out of her is her scoring ability. I think she's worked hard over the summer, and you can definitely see that in practices, and hopefully throughout the season too."

Sophomore Mary Dennewitz is another player expected to produce in the backcourt. The 5-6 point guard out of Chicago averaged 5.3 points per game last season, appearing in all 26 games. Dennewitz is strong off the dribble and has developed the leadership necessary on the court to quarterback the team.

"Mary will need that mental toughness and competitive edge to be able to lead our five we have on the court, and she's doing that very well," Johnson said. "She has the capability to be a strong passer and she's a great penetrator."

After playing her freshman year for the first semester, junior guard Chelsea Coenen returns to the Muskies. A Wrightstown native, Coenen also plays on the Lakeland softball team and is one of the team's better athletes.

Several of Lakeland's freshmen will be expected to contribute right away. The talented group is characterized by speed and height, and is a nice group to compliment the returning players.

"So far, from what I'm seeing, they've been adaptable, coming in with such a large group and learning a different style, which is more up-tempo than what they're probably used to at the high school level," Johnson said.

Becca Paulson, a 5-7 guard/forward from Clayton, joins the team one year after her sister, Brenda Paulson, played her final season at Lakeland. Becca Paulson has a nice jumper and will provide some depth at the 3 or 4 position.

"Becca just seems to get our defensive scheme of things a little bit," Johnson said. "She's been around because of her older sister, so I think she has that going for her as well."

Two other freshmen, Becca Tilleman (5-2, PG, Green Bay) and Erin Cepa (5-7, G, Glenview, Ill.), also project to see minutes in the backcourt.

In the frontcourt, freshmen Autumn Gaylor (6-0, F/C, Ingleside, Ill.) and Sarah Schroeder (5-10, C, Sheboygan) will provide some much-needed depth. Gaylor is also a member of the Lakeland women's soccer team.

Sophomore Whitney Diedrich (5-5, G, Hilbert) and freshmen Katelin Minton (5-6, G, Hesperia, Calif.), Hannah Landgraf (5-5, G, Elkhart Lake), Laken Love (5-7, G, Delevan) and Kristin Martin (5-9, G/F, Hilbert) will also push for playing time.

"I'm still getting to learn the freshmen tendencies, who's picking up on what and who's really stepping up from that group," Johnson said.

Lakeland will be tested early in the non-conference portion of the schedule, which includes games against a pair of in-state opponents, Carroll (Nov. 17) and Beloit (Jan. 3), and Elmhurst (Dec. 2), a team out of the strong College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.

The Muskies also host their annual Tip-Off Tournament on Nov. 21-22. Lakeland will play Lawrence on the tournament's first day, followed by a game against either Northland or Cornell on the second day of competition.

"We always like to win our own tournament," Johnson said. "I think it will be a nice, competitive tournament. With Carroll, Lawrence and whoever we play in the second game of the tournament, it will be a nice week to sort of get us ready for our first conference match-up against Rockford right before Thanksgiving break."

For the first time in league history, the NAC has been divided into two divisions, the North and the South. The Muskies will play in the North Division, along with Concordia Wisconsin, Edgewood, Marian, Maranatha Baptist and Rockford. Lakeland will play each team in its division twice during the regular season, and each team from the South Division once.

Players and coaches around the league are excited about the new scheduling.

"The new divisions bring a little bit of organization to the schedule," Johnson said. "The North is a tough division due to the fact that Concordia Wisconsin and Edgewood were two of the top teams from last year's tournament, and both are returning a large portion of their starting rosters from a year ago."

Lakeland was picked to finish third in the conference's preseason coaches' poll. CUW was picked first, receiving 11 of the 13 first-place votes, while Edgewood was tabbed second in the league. Last season's conference tournament champion, Wisconsin Lutheran, was selected first in the South Division.

Share This Story