2000-2001 OU Women's Basketball Outlook

Oct. 26, 2000

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NORMAN, OKLA. - On March 20, 2000, Oklahoma shocked the women's basketball community and spoiled Purdue's hopes of a national title repeat by fighting back from a 17-point deficit to upend the Boilermakers, 76-74, in the second round of the NCAA East Region. OU Head Coach Sherri Coale called a time out early in the second half and told her team, "Let's just have some fun with this thing. Let's see how close we can make it." In front of a packed Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind., Oklahoma showed that when a group of people commit to something outside of themselves, extraordinary things can happen.

Extraordinary things have been happening with OU's women's basketball program since Coale's arrival four years ago. Not only did she guide the Sooners to a school- record 25 victories (25-8) in 1999-2000, that same team captured its first Big 12 Conference regular season title (13-3) and its first NCAA Sweet 16 Tournament berth under the 64-team format.

And the unbelievable part of this story is the Sooners return 11 letterwinners and four starters from that extraordinary team from a year ago. "The best news is those returning players aren't the same players that they were this time last year," said Coale. "We have two sophomores who averaged between 20 and 30 minutes a game as freshmen. We have two juniors who have started every single game of their careers here at OU. Last year's schedule, combined with our NCAA Tournament run, gave us invaluable experience and knowledge. There is no substitute for having been there."

This year's team will have to use that knowledge and experience to try and find a way to replace OU's all-time leading scorer and All-American Phylesha Whaley, who was the catalyst behind the Sooners' success a year ago. "I think we'll replace her points and rebounds - though it may be by committee," Coale says. "But we won't replace her presence. Phylesha was extraordinary. Her work ethic was relentless and her track record here commanded such respect. We will find a way to get what Phylesha gave us from a number of different sources possibly and, of course, it will have a signature all its own."

Coale will draw from OU's returning backcourt, juniors Stacey Dales and LaNeishea Caufield, plus sophomore forward Caton Hill and junior center Jen Cunningham. "Stacey has been a co-captain and an outstanding leader alongside Phylesha for the past two years," Coale stated. "Caton has had a tremendous spring and summer and has strong leadership ability as well. LaNeishea is more of a leader by example while Jen has held the reins as she committed her summer to staying in Norman, working out, and organizing and leading her teammates in Stacey's absence."

Yes, it will be a challenge to replace Whaley but that night in West Lafayette, Ind., proved that the extraordinary can happen and with the added knowledge and experience this year's team has, another chapter in Sooner Women's Basketball history is about to be written. Look for last year's mostly youthful and inexperienced squad to be national title contenders for years to come.

FRONTCOURT Caton Hill, Jamie Talbert, Jennifer Cunningham, Desiree Taylor, Shannon Selmon, Emily Britt

When you look at Oklahoma's frontcourt, there's nothing out of the ordinary. The Sooners have height, depth and experience spread among their six post players. However, when OU combined Jen Cunningham, Desiree Taylor and Caton Hill last March against Purdue, the extraordinary truely occurred for the Sooners.

OU's front court was faced with one of its biggest challenges as the Sooner's tallest player, Cunningham, was suffering from the stomach flu. With Cunningham not at 100 percent and Camille Cooper dominating OU at the post position, Coale pulled her troops together and began to rotate the players in the second half in order to give Cunningham a breather. That allowed Taylor and Hill to play help defense with Whaley on Cooper. Coale's strategy worked as Cunningham was able to provide invaluable minutes for the Sooners against Cooper. The 6-3 center blocked a shot and forced Cooper to commit two critical turnovers within the last two minutes of the game. In Cunningham's absence, the duo of Taylor and Hill worked together to stop Cooper. Without them Cooper and Purdue could have prevailed over the Sooners. "Jen's play last year, especially late in the season, was a big part of our ride in the NCAA Tournament," Coale said. "She made a tremendous difference. Her play against Purdue's Camille Cooper really was the turning point to that game. She had key rebounds, forced turnovers and blocked shots that turned the game around."

Cunningham is expected to play an instrumental part in this year's team success. She's a three-year letterwinner who has played in 54 career games. Cunningham averages 3.1 points and 2.4 rebounds, while shooting a solid 59.0 percent from the field. In addition to her numbers, she brings to the team size, good hands and a nice touch around the basket. She also has the ability to step out on the perimeter and shoot effectively. This past summer she committed herself to the off season strength and conditioning program, as is evident in the numbers she's posted in preseason. "Jen is in the best physical condition of her life," said Coale. "She looks good, moves well, and really looks like she's ready to contribute both physically and mentally to this year's team. We have very high expectations for Jen this year."

Another post player who Coale has high expectations for is Hill, a sophomore. The power forward did not spend her freshman campaign getting used to the collegiate game but instead forced the Sooner opponents to get used to her powerful presence in the paint. Hill started all 33 games for OU and ended the season just a few votes short of being named the Big 12 Conference's Freshman of the Year. She ranked among the NCAA Tournament leaders and league's best in defensive rebounds and total rebounds per game. Hill was one of only two freshmen to produce six double-doubles on the season, with three coming against Texas. The Ada, Okla., native has never made her presences more known than she did in her debut against Texas in Austin. Hill carried the Sooners when OU's trio of stars (Dales, Whaley and Caufield) were sent to the bench with four personal fouls each midway through the second half. This 6-0 power forward rose to the occasion as she recorded 11 of the team's 21 points in the final minutes of the game. She also grabbed 10 of her career-high 13 rebounds in the final 20 minutes of action. When she faced the Longhorns for the second time in Norman, she produced 10 rebounds and 10 points. Hill's final encounter with UT was an 11-point and 10-rebound performance in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament. Hill, who stormed through the the Big 12 Conference, averaged 9.7 points and 9.8 rebounds per game and was named to numerous media all-freshmen teams.

"Caton is a worker. She is absolutely relentless about getting better," stated Coale. "She was determined to improve the things that she wasn't very good at last season and to enhance the things at she was good at. She's in terrific condition and is a much stronger player than she was a year ago. Caton has really taken pride in fine tuning her moves around the basket and learning how to elude defenders that are bigger than she."

Whaley's projected replacement could come from a handful of players, including junior transfer Jamie Talbert, who Coale expects to contribute to the Sooners' frontcourt. Talbert, a native of Elkhart, Kan., is a two-time Junior College All-American who averaged 23.7 points and 10.0 rebounds per game as a sophomore at Seward County Junior College (Kan.). She was also voted the MVP of Region VI and Jayhawk West Conference last year. "Jamie has a knack of being in the right place at the right time," Coale said. "She's a very good rebounder and a very good finisher around the basket. If you get the ball to her on the block, something good is going to happen. She's either going to score or she's going to get fouled. She's a play maker."

Taylor, one of only two seniors on this year's team, returns for what Coale hopes will be her best season yet. "There is no doubt that we are a more effective basketball team when Desiree is playing with confidence," Coale said. Taylor, who's probably the strongest player on the team, has played in 86 career games, starting nearly half of them. She contributed 4.2 points and 2.7 rebounds in 12.5 minutes of action a year ago. Taylor also shot 52.9 percent from the field, third best on the team, and ranked fifth in rebounds. The Richardson, Texas, native improved her free throw percentage from .632 as a sophomore to .701 as a junior. "Desiree is so strong and so explosive. She runs the floor extremely well which give us an obvious advantage in transition."

The Sooners added depth also comes from the experience of Shannon Selmon, who has appeared in 11 starting lineups and played in 51 career games, and the return of Emily Britt. Both players are fundamentally solid athletes who are determined to contribute to OU's success. Selmon, a graduate of Norman High, played in 23 of the team's 33 games a year ago and shot 50 percent from the field. "She is a mature player who takes great pride in her defense and makes a lot of good things happen when she is on the floor," Coale said.

Britt, a sophomore, enters this year stronger and more determined to contribute to the team. Even though she only played in 12 games as a freshman, the Granbury, Texas, native brought a strong work ethic and a positive attitude to the team daily. "Emily's another one of those strong, inside/outside players, who runs very well," said Coale. "She's had to adjust to playing facing the basket some, but she's getting more and more comfortable there. She must continue to improve to give us added depth and versatility."

BACKCOURT Stacey Dales, LaNeishea Caufield, Sunny Hardeman, Jadrea Seeley, Rosalind Ross, Stephanie Luce

Oklahoma's knowledge and experience comes in its backcourt as the Sooners return veterans Stacey Dales and LaNeishea Caufield. The duo has appeared in every OU lineup since their arrival.

Dales spent the summer fine tuning her skills by training and playing for the Canadian National team that participated in the 2000 Olympics games in Sydney, Australia. The Brockville, Ontario, native ended her Olympic debut averaging 11.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 31 minutes per game. She also shot a solid 42.5 percent from the field against the world's best athletes. "I'm not sure I can put a tangible value on how proud I am of Stacey Dales," said Coale. "Her participation in the 2000 Olympics is a reflection of her work ethic and the focus she has on the things that are important to her. She told me when she was 17 years old that she wanted to play in the Olympics. When Stacey plays for Canada she also represents the University of Oklahoma. Her participation in the Olympics continually reminds people of the emergence and magnitude of our program."

The 6-0 point guard, and Oklahoma's first women's basketball Olympian, returns with added confidence and determination to guide her team deeper into the NCAA Tournament. Last year, Dales was named the ESPN.com The Dish Player of the Day on March 20, after a solid offensive and strong defensive performance against Purdue's All-American Katie Douglas. She was also selected to the All-Big 12 second team and earned several All-Big 12 honors by media outlets. Dales is currently the league record holder for most assists per game (5.5) and ranks sixth in all-time assists (340). She averaged 12.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game last year. In addition, she dished out a career-high 12 assists against BYU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

"I think we'll see Stacey emerge as a big-time Division I basketball player this season," Coale said. "She should be one of the top guards in the country. She will also be our leader. Her skills are potentially off the charts. She has a gift of distributing the basketball to the right place, at the right time, and in the right way. She has a court vision that you cannot teach, but you only hope to enhance by good timing, spacing and teaching the other players on the floor to be able to help her utilize her gift.

"This year we will see a Stacey Dales who's a more complete player, who is very talented, very competitive and now very knowledgeable about the game. I don't think that there's any doubt that when Stacey Dales is good, Oklahoma is good."

For the past two summers, Caufield has been one of the elite players invited by USA Women's Basketball to team trials for the Jones Cup (2000) and World University (1999) Games. Caufield ended last year's collegiate campaign by playing the best basketball of her career in the NCAA Tournament. The Ada, Okla., native recorded 20-plus points in all game NCAA games, including 26 points in the opening contest against BYU and 22 vs. national champions Connecticut. The team's top returning scorer, she averaged 15.3 points on the season and 23.7 points in NCAA action. Caufield netted 10 or more points in 26 games and pocketed four-plus steals in nine games. She's also a tenacious defender who often draws the assignment of guarding the opponent's top scoring threat. The two-year letterwinner and starter, Caufield repetitively finds ways to contribute to the team, whether it is by breaking down the opponent's defense and scoring on a layup or by stopping the opposition with her quick hands and fast foot work.

"She's carried us on occasion," said Coale. "She had an incredible NCAA Tournament. Her numbers were absolutely phenomenal (23.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 2.0 spg, 60.5 FG%). She's a hard worker, but I think that at the same time her greatest weakness is that sometimes she underestimates her own potential. She is capable of controlling games and stopping any offensive player on any team we face. For Oklahoma to have the type of season the Sooners want, Caufield must know and embody it every day. She has a terrific first step, a great deal of explosiveness, and can finish going to her right or left. LaNeishea's in shape, healthy, and very excited about accepting some of the leadership roles on this basketball team."

OU will build upon its guard play with the return of senior Sunny Hardeman and sophomore Jadrea Seeley. Hardeman returns for her senior season after earning valuable playing time last year. She's an outstanding shooter from three-point range and experienced at both the point and shooting guard spots. Hardeman led the team and ranked third in the Big 12 Conference in assist/turnover ratio a year ago. The Norman native averaged 4.8 points and 3.7 assists in 28.5 minutes last season. She is also an explosive three-point threat as she shot 33.9 percent (40-of-118) from behind the arc. Hardeman nearly tripled her treys made and attempted from her sophomore (13-of-40) to her junior (40-of-118) season. However, her best asset is that she has played within Coach Coale's system since 1994. "I've coached Sunny for eight years!" replied Coale. "We've won two state championships together, a Big 12 title, and gone to an NCAA Sweet 16 and we have one more year! No one outside of our program will realize how good Sunny is until she's gone. She's one of those players that makes the process work. She does all the little things and makes very few mistakes on the court."

Seeley consistently performed well for the Sooners as a rookie. She had nine double-digit scoring performances, including a career-high 18 points against San Diego. She also had an outstanding NCAA Tournament showing, averaging 7.3 points and shooting 62.9 percent from the field. "Jadrea is a tremendous athlete. It has been amazing to watch her transformation, both physically and mentally, over the past eight to 10 months," Coale said. "She has phenomenal touch with the basketball. She's improving defensively and I expect her to be a consistent contributor this season." Her hard work as a rookie earned her a spot on the Kansas City Star All-Big 12 Bench team.

With a year of Division I experience and a full spring and summer of off season conditioning behind her, Jadrea is poised to make an even greater impact on OU's success this year. I expect Jadrea to have a big sophomore year," said Coale. "Jadrea is the kind of player who can make a difference in a game. She runs the floor very well, has a terrific vertical jump and can be an outstanding rebounder for us. There are lots of things we can do with her because she has great range, great leaping ability and can finish with the basketball in her hand."

Making their debut in the backcourt will be junior college transfer Rosalind Ross, a Junior College All-American, and freshman Stephanie Luce, a Texas All-State selection.

Ross comes to OU by way of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Junior College. She was named a two-time All-American and all-conference selection at NEO. She led her team in scoring with 17.1 points per game. She also contributed 4.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.9 steals last year. The Milwaukee, Wis., native established NEO's single-season record for most three-pointers made (115) and attempted (208) as a sophomore. "Rosalind is a very competitive athlete. She posted great numbers from behind the arc at NEO. We need her athleticm. She's had a great pre-season and we've been very impressed with her work ethic," said Coale. "She has a chance to play a significant role on our team this season."

Luce averaged 15.0 points, 5.4 assists and 2.8 steals per game her final prep season. She also played on the 1998 Texas Express AAU National Championship team, along with current OU teammate Emily Britt. Luce brings speed and quickness to the Sooner program. "I think she'll be a complement to Sunny and Stacey in terms of running the floor. Steph can shoot, score, penetrate, defend. She's an explosive athlete and a tough competitor, who makes us a deeper, tougher and more versatile in the backcourt."

SCHEDULE The 2000-2001 schedule is the toughest that Coach Coale has faced since her arrival in 1996. This year's slate features 12 teams that participated in the NCAA Tournament (Georgia, Notre Dame, Southwest Missouri State, SMU, North Carolina, San Diego, Stanford, Iowa State, Texas Tech, Texas, Nebraska) and two teams that played in the WNIT (Champion Wisconsin and Missouri). In addition, 10 squads finished among the top two within their respective conference.

Oklahoma opens the campaign by competing in the annual Bertha Teague Classic that features Tulsa, Oklahoma State and host ORU in Tulsa, Okla. Following that tournament, the Sooners were invited to participate in the Coaches vs. Cancer Challenge with top 25 teams in host Wisconsin, Notre Dame and Georgia at the Kohl Center in Madison. Oklahoma will face Georgia, which advanced to last year's NCAA quarterfinals, in the opening game on Nov. 22, followed by a game against Notre Dame, a 2000 NCAA Sweet 16 team, or Wisconsin, the 2000 WNIT Champions, on Nov. 24.

The Sooners make two road trips in December to non-conference foes Arkansas-Little Rock and San Diego. OU faced and defeated both teams by an average of 37.5 points a year ago. OU's non-conference schedule in December also includes a two-game series with Southwest Missouri State (Dec. 1 &16) and home games with SMU (Dec. 9) and Stanford (Dec. 27). Each team participated in last year's NCAA Tournament and posted 20-win seasons. SMU won its conference while SMSU and Stanford finished second.

"This year's preseason schedule is the toughest I've had at OU and it will test our basketball program," said Coale. "The Coaches vs. Cancer Classic and the Big 12/ACC Challenge, along with Stanford, SMU and Southwest Missouri State, are great preparation for a very tough conference schedule and postseason action."

In mid-January, Oklahoma jumps out of league play to participate in the Big 12/ACC Challenge. The Sooners will face North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C., while Iowa State will challenge North Carolina State in Raleigh, N.C.

Other key regular season contests are games against Big 12 rivals and teams that advanced to the 2000 NCAA "Big Dance" including Texas Tech, an NCAA quarterfinalist, and Sweet 16 team Iowa State, plus Texas, Nebraska, Kansas. The Big 12 Conference will be more balanced this year than ever before. "The Big 12 is the toughest conference in America," said Coale. "There is very little difference between the top six and the bottom six teams. I think the fact that three of us tied for first place last year is a reflection of that parity."

WHAT TO EXPECT Look for a more mature and experienced team to emerge this season. Even though OU has to replace All-American Whaley, Coale believes she has the right mixture of veterans and the added depth needed at each position to strengthen the Sooners' chances of going deeper into the NCAA Tournament.

Oklahoma will continue to play an up-tempo, fast break type of an offense. Look for the Sooners to extend their defense and apply more full court pressure due to the added depth.

With Coale, the 2000 Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year, at the helm of the revamped program, don't be surprised to see the Sooners making a run for the Elite Eight or its first-ever Final Four appearance this season.

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2000-2001 OU Women's Basketball Outlook

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