2008-2009 SEASON PREVIEW
Oct. 30, 2008
Graduating seven players and coming off a 22-7 campaign last year, the Emmanuel Women's Basketball Team is optimistic about the upcoming season. Head Coach Andy Yosinoff returns for his 32nd season with the Emmanuel program. The esteemed coach enters the 08-09 season just four wins shy of 600 for his career. Yosinoff will be just the fifth NCAA Division III women's basketball coach to ever accomplish the feat. Despite returning just five veterans from last season's GNAC Championship squad, Yosinoff will be looking to lead the Saints to their 14th NCAA Tournament appearance.
Among Emmanuel's five returners, is junior co-captain and 2008 Great Northeast Athletic Conference Player of the Year, Iman Davis (Toms River, NJ). Davis led the Saints, averaging 17.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game last season. The Saints' other two returning starters are sophomore point guard Casey Shevlin (Medford, NY) and junior center Abby Brenkach (Germantown, NY). Shevlin dished out 84 assists as a rookie and netted 4.0 points per outing. Brenkach was good for 4 rebounds and 4 points per game as a sophomore.
Emmanuel also has two returning veterans, who came off the bench last season. Kristin LeBel (Tolland, CT) is back for her sophomore season. LeBel hit 25 three-pointers last year and averaged over 6 points a game. Junior center Meredith Shaw (Yarmouth, ME) will give the Saints some solid minutes inside this year. Yosinoff has added his largest recruiting class in program history to his five veteran players. Yosinoff has reloaded for the 2008-2009 season and feels that this year's rookies, eleven freshmen and one sophomore, may be his most athletic and best recruiting class ever.
Emmanuel's newcomers to watch include Liz Brooks (Charlton, MA), a 6'0 power forward from Shepherd Hill Regional, who was a first-team central Massachusetts all-star. Freshman Breanna Ockimey (Philadelphia, PA) is expected to see quality minutes at the small forward slot. Freshman Jade Santos (Plymouth, MA) comes to the Saints out of Cardinal Spellman High School and will look to show her athleticism at the collegiate level.
Freshman Jenna Ross (Centerburg, OH) is coming off a very successful season with the women's volleyball team and will give the Saints some strong rebounding inside this season. Rookie point guard Tierra Ellis (York, PA) is a terrific defender and adds great speed to the Emmanuel squad.
Other players expected to make an immediate impact on the program include: Katasi Kulubya (Anaheim, CA), an athletic guard from Choate Rosemary Hall in Connecticut, Jasmine Jean Jacques (Jamaica, NY), a 6'1 center from Frederick Douglass Academy, Erin Stilphen (South Portland, ME), who led her high school to a runner-up finish in the Western Maine finals, and Karin Bird (Lee, ME), a shooting guard, who led her high school team to a Maine State Championship.
The 2008-2009 schedule will be a challenging one for Emmanuel, as the Saints face some tough non-conference opponents early in the year. The team opens up play with a home game against Wentworth Institute of Technology on November 18th and then hosts Randolph College, Salve Regina University, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the Emmanuel College Invitational on November 22nd and 23rd.