Schneider: ESU Likely to Press Again
Lady Hornets picked to win MIAA
By Jesse Newell
Friday, October 26, 2007
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A staple of Lady Hornet basketball could be making its way back to White Auditorium soon.
With a roster stocked with eight newcomers and more athleticism than in years past, Emporia State women’s basketball coach Brandon Schneider said there was a good possibility the team would go back to the full-court press that was the team’s trademark in the late 1990s.
“It’s the way I like to coach,” Schneider said at Thursday’s MIAA Media Day. “I’ve always believed that if you’re not attacking, you’re being attacked. I would just as soon be on the attack.”
Though the Lady Hornets will not have the size they did last season — losing 6-foot-5 Denisa Svarova, 6-2 Genae Glasper and 6-1 Casey Henningsen — they have a roster stockpiled with players that are more athletic and quicker in the post.
That switch would seem to favor a return to the fast-paced, fun-to-watch style that helped establish ESU as a women’s basketball power a decade ago.
“Whether or not we can incorporate (the press) remains to be seen. A lot of it is going to depend on how quickly we can pick it up,” Schneider said. “Depth is going to be a factor. But if we pick it up, and if we feel like we have quality depth, then I think this is a team that has the potential to be a team that forces some turnovers.”
Even if run to perfection, Schneider said the press wouldn’t be as successful today as it was 10 years ago.
“I think the thing we have to remember is the league is far more talented,” Schneider said. “The coaching in the league is far better than it was at that period of time. I don’t think you’re ever going to see a team force 33, 34 turnovers a game.
“Can we hopefully be plus in the turnover margin? We hope so. We’re definitely trying to be a team that is on the attack a little bit more.”
For the second straight year, ESU was picked by the coaches to win the MIAA. The Lady Hornets finished with 78 points, edging out Washburn, which had 76 points.
ESU picked up six of 10 first-place votes.
“I think we’re all mature enough to understand this is just a preseason poll,” Schneider said. “We’ve got to go out and win some games.”
The return of the full-court press might help the coach do just that.
“If you don’t have that kind of team, you can’t play that way,” Schneider said. “We think that we potentially have that kind of team.
“We’ll see what happens.”
ESU men picked 4th in conference poll
The Emporia State men were selected as fourth in the MIAA coaches poll, receiving 51 points.
The Hornets return four starters and five of their top six scorers from a year ago.
“Last year we had guys trust and believe in each other, and we succeeded,” ESU coach David Moe said. “We need that again this year.”
Northwest Missouri State was the unanimous choice to win the conference, followed by Central Missouri (68 points) and Pittsburg State (65 points).
With the loss of All-MIAA defensive player Ed Desir in the post, the Hornets will face a height disadvantage in nearly every game. To overcome it, Moe said ESU would look to step up the defensive intensity in its four-guard lineup.
The Hornets also will look to get back some of the confidence they built up at the beginning of last season. ESU won its first 16 games before going 5-8 the rest of the way.
“When we face adversity, we have to work hard to play smarter,” Moe said. “If we do those things, we have a chance to be successful.”
New logo
The MIAA unveiled its new logo at Thursday’s media day, an emblem that will symbolize the conference starting in the 2008-09 season.
The change was made to give the league a new identity and also to accommodate the addition of Nebraska-Omaha next year. The current MIAA logo shows only the states of Kansas and Missouri.
The new logo will be displayed at the 2007-08 basketball tournament this year.