By Taylor Nigrelli
Sports Editor
You’ll have to excuse St. Bonaventure students for their light attendance of Saturday’s women’s basketball scrimmage. The program hasn’t exactly been a beacon of hope the past year.
Last season, as the defending Atlantic 10 regular season champions, the team dropped 11 out of 14 conference games, scoring 60 or fewer points in 10 of those contests. The team then parted ways with veterans Doris Ortega, CeCe Dixon and Tatiana Wilson in June, as all three were released.
This left very little in the way of veteran leadership. The team was cut down to 11 players, only two of whom played on the 2012 squad that advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament. Both of those players, seniors Ashley Zahn and Chelsea Bowker, are struggling with injuries. Zahn will sit out the season with a shoulder injury, while Bowker is attempting to come back from an ankle sprain.
Jill Murphy, a fifth-year senior walk-on who spent the last four years playing softball, will enter the season as the only upperclassman, if Bowker is out for any length of time.
Yet despite last year’s horrid showing and this year’s incredible lack of depth, one couldn’t help but walk away from Saturday’s scrimmage against Edinboro feeling slightly positive about this season.
Obviously, the Fighting Scots don’t quite match up to the talent of most A-10 schools. But some of the individual performances of the Bonnies were impressive, nonetheless.
A quartet of sophomores put up quality and encouraging performances for the Bonnies. Guard Nyla Rueter was like a Swiss army knife as she scored 15 points, grabbed five rebounds, dished out three assists and recorded two blocks and two steals. Katie Healy and Hannah Little were unstoppable down low as they scored 17 and 16 points, respectively. Emily Michael didn’t attempt a shot, but intelligently and effectively ran the offense from the point guard position.
Not to be outdone, the freshmen appeared poised, confident and capable in their first college game. Only time will tell how they’re able to handle more talented competition.
No banner will be raised in the rafters of the Reilly Center for a 20-point exhibition win over a Division II squad. Considering the attendance, it’s likely many students didn’t even know a game was going on. And that’s a shame, because they’re missing the development of the team’s core.
This young talent may not be on the same level as Jessica Jenkins, Megan Van Tatenhove, Armelia Horton and Alaina Walker, but it should give the Bonaventure faithful hope going into the future.
Watching Saturday’s game, it was hard to believe, at times, that these four players are all sophomores. But it wasn’t difficult to envision them continuing to grow into their roles over the next three years.
How unstoppable will Healy be in the low post with three more years of experience? How well will Michael be able to facilitate and run the point? How easily will Little be able to drive to the rim and score? How valuable will Rueter be if she can consistently hit a mid-range jump shot?
Most importantly, how will these four players gel with each other and their teammates on and off the court? As last year showed, this is often an underrated aspect of the game.
If Saturday was any indication, they should have no trouble playing together. After the game, Head Coach Jim Crowley even remarked on how well Little and Healy play together and how well Michael ran the offense. The amount of time these players spent on the court together last year is starting to pay off.
The game may have been just an exhibition. But Healy, Michael, Rueter and Little are just sophomores. And they already appear ready to pull the women’s basketball program from the ashes of a nightmarish 12 months.
Taylor Nigrelli is the sports editor of the Bona Venture. His email is nigreltn11@bonaventure.edu.
