APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University women’s basketball coach Ashley Wellman is happy to give up some elbow room on the bench.
With an influx of seven newcomers to go with seven returning players, the Vikings bring a deeper and more talented team into the 2014-15 season. The 14 players makes this the largest squad Lawrence brings into a season since Amy Proctor’s final year as head coach back in 2006-07.
Lawrence opens its season at Concordia Chicago on Nov. 15 with cautious optimism that it can take a step forward.
“I feel very good about the direction we’re headed,” said second-year head coach Ashley Wellman. “It’s exciting to be in an atmosphere where we have competition at every spot. I could play every person on the bench and feel good about them going into the game.”
Lawrence lost its top player, guard Alex Deshler, to graduation, but the Vikings should have more options on offense and a stronger hold on the point guard position. Deshler led the team in scoring at 11 points per game, and it was point guard by committee for most of last season and that led to a minus-6.1 in turnover margin.
“We have a lot more depth this year so that is pretty exciting,” Wellman said. “Our returning class is expected to step up in terms of scoring and leadership.”
The Vikings bring back returning starters in senior guard Kassidy Rinehart and junior forward Andrea Wilkinson. Wilkinson averaged 7.8 points and 4.7 rebounds last season, and Rinehart averaged 6.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.
Two others starters from last season, guard Patsy Kealey and forward Katie Schumacher also will be back. Kealey is nearing a return after being sidelined by a knee injury last season, and Schumacher is studying abroad during the first term.
“Andrea and Kassidy will be expected to lead the team on the floor,” Wellman said. “It’s been really good this year because of the talent and the competitiveness that we have in practice. It’s pushing our upperclassmen to be better than they were last year. We’ve seen tremendous improvement.”
The newcomers giving the Vikings that depth and daily competition in practice come from near and far. Forward Danelle Buck is from just down the road in Valders, and Nicole Cummins joins the Vikings from San Antonio, Texas.
This group also brings some serious versatility with everything from point guards to post players. The five new guards range from quick points guards to shooters, and Buck (5-foot-11) and Elizabeth Arco (6-1) bring more size and athleticism to the front line.
“We are a lot more athletic and versatile so that will be nice. We also have more speed so we will look to push the ball more than we did last year,” Wellman said.
“We are expecting some big things from multiple freshmen, but it is still sorting itself out as to who is going to rise above the rest.”
After winning just three games last season, including one in the Midwest Conference, the Vikings are not setting any crazy expectations for the upcoming campaign.
“We would like to not finish dead last in the conference,” Wellman said. “For right now, we are focused on one game at time. If we do that, we will be surprised at the outcome at the end of the season.”