2006-2007 CROWN POINT Girls Basketball Preview

	2007 Crown Point Lady Bulldogs Coach Tom May (432-162) 26 years 2006 (11-11); 2005 (17-6); 2004 (14-8) Assistant coach: Scott Reid Junior varsity coach: Sarah Zondor (2000) Freshman coach: Ginger Keithley 8th grade coach: Angie Babjak Gutierrez ('98) 7th grade coach: Tom Isailovich Volunteer assistants: Nancy Cowan Eksten (`85), Courtney Weeks Yekic ('95) Lady Bulldogs Team Roster * projected pre-season starter (11) Meagan Maloney (soph) 5-8 guard-forward (15) Megan Ast (junior) 5-9 forward (20) Brittany Clements (senior) 5-3 guard* (22) Daniela Tarailo (soph) 5-10 guard* (23) Sydnee Reeves (soph) 5-10 guard (25) Kristi Quigley (senior) 5-7 guard (31) Andjalina Obradovic (senior) 5-10 forward (32) Nicci Brown (junior) 6-0 center (33) Amanda Moore (senior) 5-9 guard-forward* (34) Samantha Polus (soph) 5-10 forward (40) Kristen Morasan (senior) 5-8 forward-center (42) Courtney Perry (senior) 6-0 center* (45) Anjellica Rospond (senior) 6-1 center-forward*
Crown Point Lady Bulldogs include returning varsity seniors Anjellica Rospond (left), Amanda Moore (center) and Courtney Perry (right). (All photos by Mark Smith)

Nancy Cowan-Eksten and Courtney Weeks are former CP star players who are new to the CP coaching staff this season. (All photos by Mark Smith.)

2005-2006 CROWN POINT (11-11)
Offense: 45.5 ppg.; Defense: 44.4 ppg.; DAC games in CAPS
Nov. 11 (W) 47-35 at Hebron
Nov. 12 (W) 48-28 at Kankakee Valley
Nov. 18 (W) 60-21 PORTAGE
Nov. 19 (L) 45-61 at Warsaw
Nov. 25 (L) 39-40 at CHESTERTON
Nov. 29 (L) 43-62 at Lowell
Dec. 2 (W) 43-39 LaPORTE
Dec. 9 (L) 38-51 at LAKE CENTRAL
Dec. 10 (W) 67-43 Boone Grove
Dec. 13 (W) 51-42 at VALPARAISO
Dec. 16 (W) 56-50 MICHIGAN CITY
Dec. 17 (W) 58-35 Hanover Central
Dec. 28 (L) 41-57 MERRILLVILLE
Jan. 5 (W) 50-25 at PORTAGE
Jan. 6 (W) 37-34 CHESTERTON
Jan. 14 (L) 41-48 LAKE CENTRAL
Jan. 20 (L) 39-58 at MICHIGAN CITY
Jan. 24 (L) 38-51 at LaPORTE
Jan. 27 (L) 34-48 VALPARAISO
Feb. 4 (L) 44-55 at MERRILLVILLE
Chesterton (4A) Sectional
Feb. 7 (W) 51-47 Portage
Feb. 10 (L) 31-46 Chesterton

Here's what 26-year veteran coach Tom May had to say about the members of his 2006-2007 edition of the Crown Point Lady Bulldogs prior to their first game of the new season:

BRITTANY CLEMENTS (5-3, senior - Guard)

"Nobody knows that she's playing soccer but she didn't really play. But she didn't quit. But she's been preparing herself. She knew she'd have a much better role here than what she had in soccer. She's the surprise. To be honest, most of the summer, our starter there was probably going to be Sydnee Reeves, who is a superior athlete. She played last year. She's 5-10 and she can do things Brittany can't do. But Brittany has something that Sydnee is still learning. She has court savvy and experience. Brittney looks at me and I tell her three things and she gets them done. The other kids listen to her. She's playing very well. There's three things she can get done. She's delivering the ball exactly where we want it. And with the other kids being threats, Brittany's going to get shots. She's playing very well. She's very coachable. Brittany right now is there."

"She's a great kid and she's stayed with us for four years. She hasn't played a lot. Hasn't gotten much playing time. Everything we do, she's there. She's into the culinary arts. She's already been accepted to a school in Chicago. She's going to be a chef. My wife's already giving her recipies. We like her. She knows what her role's going to be. She may not play a lot. But she is willing to work hard, knowing she'll play limited minutes."

"She won't start but she could play. If situations happen where players get tired or don't have a good game, she could step in. She likes to score. She has a little shake-and-bake. She's different from the other kids. She's probably not where she needs to be physically. But she's working at it and she'll get there."

"Kristi wants to start and wants to play. She likes to score. She went into the sectional game last year and actually did attack Chesterton. She can take the ball to the basket. She's contending for the '2' position. Right now she doesn't have it, but in every practice she's going hard. She's wants it badly. She could get her chance because the girl in front of her is a sophomore and you don't know what she'll do. Kristi's got a lot more experience. She has to play within herself. She doesn't have to show me in three minutes that she deserves to play. There's only certain things I want her to do. She has to play her role."

"She doesn't have a lot of skills with the ball, but she's sound. She catches the ball well. She keeps it high. And she can turn and put it off the glass. She's going to hurt a lot of people with her size. As long as she does what she's able to do and our kids give her the ball only where she can do her thing, she'll be effective. I don't know how much she can play this year. But she's sure going to play next year."

"We had never seen her. She moved here from Kansas and she didn't come to any of the open gyms. I think she was concentrating on volleyball. We heard she could play, but we never saw her. Now, she comes out and she can play. But, she hasn't played enough with us. We're very different from where she came from. She is one of our best three pure athletes. But she doesn't have the intangibles that a player in our program needs to have. So she'll be on both (Varsity and JV). After Christmas, if we have kids who are struggling and can't get the job done she might be able to contend. She's a natural '3' and a really good jumper."

"By far, our most athletic player in the entire program. Jumps higher. Runs faster. Quicker Agility. Has it all. She wins all the sprints and jumps above everybody. She works on her game and she has flaws. But she's a sophomore and she's going to have flaws. She has worked to get better. When you see her, you'll say she can do things that no one else can. Because she's young, she still tries to do things too fast. She loses concentration. But we're willing to sacrifice that for her athleticism. She's the exact opposite of Amanda on the other wing. They compliment each other. Right now, she's got the starting '2' spot on the other wing."

"She's a very nice player for someone who hasn't even started her sophomore year. But, unfortunately, the point guard has to have more skills than anyone else on the floor. They just do. Because of that, she's really working hard on using both hands and making good decisions with the ball. Right now, she doesn't have a left hand. And she really has to work on shooting the ball. She needs to work on what we want and when we want it. She has great height. Great athleticism. She flies up and down the floor. When she does those other things, there's no comparison between her and Brittany. But Brittany's a Bulldog."

"Maegen is a another great athlete. Our sophomore class has three superior athletes. We're looking for that kid who can step in when Amanda's in foul trouble or not playing well. We think Amanda is a given. Maegen can shoot. She can score. But we need Maegen to be a complete player. We need her to put the ball on the floor. Shoot mid-range. In our league, once they see you on tape, they will take some things away from you. You get scouted and you have to be able to do different things. People will be in your face. Maegen needs to get some rebounds. Go inside. Shut down the girl against you. Right now, that's what we need Maegen to do. She'll be varsity only. We don't want her to play at the JV level. But she needs to show us. She should be a good defender, but you have to want to be."

"She's got good size and speed. She can run, she can jump. She's another great athlete, but she does not have confidence in herself. She's a volleyball player and we think that after she spends some time with us, she will contribute. She has a lot of athletic ability."

** "Of all the players I have in my officiating class... all the senior girls, Steven Albrecht, Matt Ernest, Aleks Alavanja... The one I think loves it and accepts it the most is Amanda Moore. She has the ability. She just has to get out of the blocks. She's not a true athlete. Her dad's a big 6-8 guy. She's not fast, but she's strong. She has the ability to score. Last year, she'd be the first to tell you, that she just didn't play. After practice, she likes to go to the 'Y' and keep playing. For a kid who does all that to not have success, it just rips us on the coaching staff apart. She's our kid. She's our spokeswoman. She's the talk captain. She's the one who will approach me. She'll start at the wing. The No. 3."

** "Our No. 4 is Anjellica Rospond and she is as strong as she's ever been. She's added to her game. She's in the best shape of her life. The finesse game where she just shoots from outside... that's not going to make it. We've convinced her that when Perry gets the ball, just sprint to the other side of the floor and make yourself available. Go board. Draw fouls. Do the nasty things underneath. She's about 6-1, 6-2. And I think she's decided she wants to play at the next level. But she's got to make that happen. She's got to play through things. If she misses six shots, there can't be any tears. And you're not coming to the bench. She's not going to be sitting beside me. She's going to stay out there and miss six more shots. She's got to play through it. She's just a great kid. She's from a great background. Her mom is great person and her dad Ronnie Rospond is one of the best athletes ever to come through Crown Point. We just think her senior year is going to work out well."

** "We have to put points on the board. We're returning one girl (Courtney Perry) who started most of the time last year. She's got to accept a role she's never had before and that's to be the main cog. All the roles from last year are different. Last year, you give me two points in 12 minutes. This year, I need 8-10 points. Courtney Perry is the one who brings it all to the table. She's already signed a full scholarship for Southern Indiana. We're looking for Moore and Rospond to sign too, if they can. Courtney has the ability. She's strong and she's quick. She's been a starter. But we need more from her. She just has to do it."

"Our seven seniors have been the best we've had in awhile. The seven seniors have been good from the start of last year. They've done their cardiovascular work. They've played in the summer together. They hang around together. They go to movies together. They shop together. They have spaghetti dinner together. It shows. I'm not telling you they're the best players we've ever had, because they're not. But Scott (Reid) and I have said it's a pleasure coming to practice when they really want to be here. We have to push them to leave sometimes. We played Merrillville during the summer and they got the ball off the board the first time, beat us down the floor and got a layup. We are not very fast. Daniella Tarailo was the only girl who could keep up with the Merrillville girls. We have to do little things. They will be vitally important."

"In the conference, we are the one team coming back that has one starter. Lake Central and Michigan City are dynamite. LaPorte loses one player. This is their senior class that Skeeter (LaPorte coach Skeeter Heath) had as a freshman when he came in. They're really good. Right now, we don't have any (guaranteed) wins and if you don't believe it, look at volleyball (CPHS volleyball was 1-13 this fall). We're playing those same kids."

**** "But we've changed. We're going to stop launching the ball. You're going to see 80% of our shots... at the free throw lane, with elbows, in the foul lane... some blocks. It's going to be a movement offense and the ball's going in. Only when they stop that, that's when we will shoot from outside. We have totally changed our offense. I think we're going to have a very enjoyable season."

2006-2007 CROWN POINT Girls Basketball Preview

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith