No. 3 ESU focused on itself as matchup with Kansas looms
By Jesse Newell
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Boxing out. Sprinting back in transition. Communicating on defense.
It will be those fundamentals — and not the scoreboard — that will have the most focus of Emporia State coach Brandon Schneider as his team travels to play Division-I Kansas on Thursday at Allen Fieldhouse.
“In these things, we don’t talk a lot about winning and losing,” Schneider said. “We just talk about being competitive every possession and trying to do what we do.”
Make no mistake, however. Though this is an exhibition game, the score does — and will — matter to those involved.
The third-ranked Lady Hornets only need to point to last year as evidence of that. It was then that ESU made headlines, taking down the reigning WNIT-champion Kansas State Wildcats 64-59 at Bramlage Coliseum in the two teams’ exhibition opener.
“I think we’re expecting the same thing as we did last year — to compete,” ESU senior Michelle Stueve said.
It’s something the Lady Hornets couldn’t do in their last matchup against KU.
In their 2005 exhibition game, ESU fell behind 16-4 and never recovered, losing 83-53. The Lady Hornets had 29 turnovers in that contest.
“When we played them then,” Stueve said, “we didn’t have a very good showing.”
Stueve will be one of a few players returning to Lawrence for this trip, as the Lady Hornets enter the preseason opener with eight newcomers on the roster.
Jessen Tucker, Becky Zabel, Bree Kisner, Kayla Krueger, Allie Renberg and Alli Volkens all could make their ESU debuts Thursday.
Ida Edwards will join the team at the end of the semester, while Brittney Miller will be a part of the squad after the ESU volleyball season ends.
Schneider expects some struggles in his team’s first exhibition, especially because the Lady Hornets will not prepare much for KU.
“There may be some action and different plays and sets that we may not guard very well, No. 1 because we don’t have any kind of scouting report, and No. 2 because you don’t have everything in at this point in the season,” Schneider said.
“Nobody trades exhibition film. We’re not going to have much of an idea of what they do. I think that works both ways.”
KU, which was picked 10th in the Big 12 preseason coaches’ poll, defeated Pittsburg State, 82-48, in its first exhibition game Sunday.
Stueve said the Lady Hornets were ready to play against different competition.
“This preseason has seemed pretty long,” Stueve said. “I think we’re all ready for a game. It doesn’t matter who you’re playing — at least you’re not playing against each other.”
admireed (anonymous) says...
ESU 67 KU 62
November 7, 2007 at 6:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
gregorymed (anonymous) says...
Without Edwards.....try K.U.72, ESU 60.
November 8, 2007 at 8:05 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )