UC Irvine aims for the upper echelon

Barry Faulkner

The growing number of UC Irvine women’s basketball players that

Anteaters Coach Mark Adams no longer sees eye-to-eye with has less to

do with attitude than altitude.

Not so long ago, the 6-foot-1 coach had to glance downward to

connect with his players, who also looked up to a significant amount

of their competitors.

But with three 6-footers in the starting lineup, including 6-5

forward Joanna Usher and 6-4 center Ashley Biggins, as well as

athletes at 6-3, 6-2 and 6-1 coming off the bench, the Anteaters’

collective size now better reflects the program’s burgeoning

expectations.

UCI won its first Big West Conference tournament game since 1997

last year, before falling to powerful UC Santa Barbara in the

semifinals to finish 17-12.

This season, Adams believes UCI’s upward climb may extend beyond

the measuring tape.

“We look at last year as a springboard for us,” Adams said. “We

want to consistently be a team that is hard to beat in the Big West.”

UC Santa Barbara, ranked No. 18, is still the Big West team to

beat, while the University of the Pacific and Long Beach State were

also picked to finish ahead of UCI, tabbed fourth in preseason

conference polls.

But with a handful of newcomers, as well as a roster full of

experienced players that played last season with only one senior

(Wendy Gabbe), the Anteaters are anxious to see if they can surprise

the prognosticators.

“We have veteran players who are far along and I think we have

great chemistry,” Adams said. “I think if we play good defense,

rebound better and stay away from injuries, we’ll be very

competitive.”

Injuries have already intervened. Freshman point guard Megan

Aaker, who missed last season with a torn ACL, tore her other ACL the

first week of practice and is out for the season. Freshman point

guard Shayna Stanley, whose quickness was expected to accelerate the

Anteaters’ already up-tempo approach, has missed preseason drills

with a mysterious nerve problem that rendered her right ring and

pinkie fingers numb.

“And that’s a problem, because she is a right-handed point guard,”

Adams said.

In addition, sophomore Jackie Lord, a transfer from Cal who

prepped at Brea Olinda, has been slowed by lingering knee pain.

Adams expects Stanley and Lord to eventually handle point guard, a

spot vacated when Lisa Faulkner, who averaged 8.5 points and 6.5

assists as a sophomore last season, transferred to NAIA power

Vanguard University.

But Courtney Ferguson, a 5-6 junior, will fill in in the meantime.

Ferguson, 6-0 senior Christina Calloway and 5-8 senior Kristen Green,

form a solid veteran nucleus that combined to average 31 points last

season, about half of the team’s 65.7 average that ranked second

among Big West teams.

Calloway averaged 12.8 points and a team-leading 7.8 rebounds en

route to second-team all-conference recognition last season. But,

with Usher and Biggins expected to provide a strong inside presence,

Adams said Calloway, third in the conference with eight

double-doubles last season, has been playing, and excelling, more on

the perimeter this year.

Green, a 5-8 guard, whose determination and leadership make her

the heart of the team, Adams said, averaged 10.8 points, 5.7 rebounds

and 3.5 assists last season.

Biggins, a sophomore who averaged just 1.8 points and 4.1 rebounds

as a freshman, has taken over in the post for 6-3 sophomore Lauren

Yadon. Yadon, who averaged 9.8 points and 5.5 rebounds in 2002-03,

made the conference’s all-freshmen team, but has been hampered by a

high-ankle sprain.

“Ashley has really come a long way,” said Adams, who will also

count upon sophomore Usher (46 points in 24 games as a freshman) to

provide a strong defensive presence.

“[Usher] has really long arms and should block some shots,” Adams

said.

Freshman Stephanie Duda, who led Orange County in scoring (23.5

ppg) at Los Alamitos High, is expected to contribute off the bench,

where 6-1 freshman Katie Urban, freshman Angie Ned and 6-2 junior

Katie Sturgeon also add depth.

The Anteaters play host to Love ‘N’ Basketball for an exhibition

game Sunday at 3 p.m., before opening the season at home Nov. 21

against Eastern Washington.