SPORTS
Stone relying on talented rookies
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Also by Derek Zetlin:
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- Cinderellas fly under national radar (November 1, 2007)
- GRIDIRON - No sure bet this year in Heisman race (October 25, 2007)
- GRIDIRON: Senior quarterbacks show potential (October 18, 2007)
- USC loss keeps upset train rolling (October 11, 2007)
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- Stone reaches UW status (March 27, 2007)
- Stone raises roof (January 24, 2007)
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by Derek Zetlin
Tuesday, December 5, 2006
The UW women's basketball team is 8-1, its best start since Lisa Stone took over the head coaching position in April of 2003. Her Badger squads have gotten off to fast starts in the recent past, but Stone is enjoying their current success and is convinced that there's something different about this year's squad.
"It's a fun group," Stone said of her Badgers, who are 5-0 at home this season. "They're fired up. This team is unique."
This is Stone's fourth season as Wisconsin's head coach, and her hard work is finally beginning to pay dividends.
"This is why I came here," Stone claimed enthusiastically. "There [are] winning teams all around me. Success breeds success and I hope that we can keep things going."
Dunham boosts bench
Since before the season started, Stone has been excited about the abundance of options she has in her arsenal. Freshman forward Mariah Dunham is showing signs of improvement as she is slowly emerging into a difference maker off the Badger bench.
Dunham is listed as a power forward on the team's official roster, but she can shoot the three with the best of them, which has created matchup problems for opponents.
"[Dunham] has shown great improvement [especially on defense]" Stone said. "She's one of our most consistent rebounders; she's a team builder; she's got a personality that's electric, and if you combine that with her play, her growth and maturity gets better every day."
Dunham scored a career high 14 points Friday night against Southern Mississippi.
She was 3-for-3 (2-2 from 3-point range) from the field in the first half of Sunday's victory against Kansas.
"[Dunham] gave us a great spark [Sunday]," Stone noted.
Despite Dunham's recent success, Stone doesn't plan on inserting the Watertown High School graduate into the starting lineup anytime soon.
"The wheel's not flat yet, so why fix it?" Stone said about the possibility of shaking up the starting lineup. "I like the spark we're getting and the energy off the bench. It's not who starts the game, it's who finishes the game."
Finishing games is something Stone's teams have had trouble with in seasons past, but this season, slamming the door on opponents has yet to be a challenge. Last year, Wisconsin blew a double-digit lead at Kansas, eventually losing in double overtime. Sunday it turned an eight-point halftime lead into a 27-point blowout victory.
Team depth
Dunham has not been the only Badger newcomer to make an immediate impact this season. Stone noted that freshman guards Sarah Ingison, Teah Gant and forward Brittany Heins have also played well in backup roles during their rookie campaigns.
Ingison has played well in relief of fellow freshman point guard Rae Lin D'Alie, especially against UNLV when D'Alie was suffering from flu-like symptoms.
Heins has been slowed down by a nagging ankle injury, but has looked solid on the Badger glass.
Gant has excelled on both ends of the court, with one of her best performances coming in the second half against Western Michigan when she played shutdown defense against Bronco superstar Carrie Moore.
"Right now, we have a solid rotation of nine," Stone added. "I like our rotation right now. I like the balance we have. I like what I see and we're getting great contributions from our bench."
Prior to this season, Stone knew that juniors Jolene Anderson, Danielle Ward and Janese Banks would make significant contributions. But the talented freshman class along with sophomore Caitlin Gibson has been instrumental in the Badger hot start.
"When you're two deep at each position, that offers a lot. I like the fact that we can go at least four or five deep on the bench," Stone said.
