As the basketball season approaches on Friday, the women’s team is up for another big year, and the one word to describe this team: unpredictable.
The Stags have six new faces on the team this year, and each of them can prove to be an intricate part of the team. Fairfield also has a superior core group of girls returning from last year, which will help the team in having experience. The most significant returnee from last year, is senior co-captain Schrene Isidora, who has one of the best medium-range games in the Northeast, according to head coach Dianne Nolan.
“Schrene is a really affective player when she’s on the floor,” Nolan said.
Nolan, who enters her 24th year of coaching at Fairfield, believes her team will win a lot of games this year. And feels this is the type of team that will learn more about themselves as the season goes on.
“We are a very competitive, aggressive and unselfish team,” said Nolan. “And we are a lot stronger this year because our commitment to working hard in the off-season.”
Out of the six new faces on the team, two of them have played for Division I schools and three of them are from other countries.
Nolan feels that the addition of these girls, gives the team much needed depth, which the team has lacked the last few seasons. The team did lose a big player from last year in Ayana Brown ’05, who decided she didn’t want to play basketball anymore, and has since transfered from Fairfield to a nearby community college.
The style of game this team will have this year is a run-and-gun method, according to Nolan. They are more aggressive, faster and stronger than last year.
“We have so many new people, and other teams just don’t know what to expect from us,” said co-captain Marybeth Chartier ’04.
In conference play, Siena will again be the team to beat. The Saints have won the MAAC the last three seasons, and are returning all five of their starters from last year.
“This season we are just going to come out and play our game,” said Isidora. “We have spent a lot of time together this year as a team, and that allows us to be more familiar with each other’s games.”
The Stags open up against No. 16 ranked Penn State this Friday at 7 at the Arena at Harbor Yard.
Prediction – The woman were predicted to finish 3rd in the coaches preseason poll. With all the new faces and talent on this team, they are very unpredictable. And will have some big upset wins this year and will finish 2nd in the MAAC.
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