2010-11 EMMANUEL WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SEASON PREVIEW
Nov. 9, 2010
The Emmanuel College Women's Basketball Team enters the 2010-11 season with high hopes for another successful year on the hardwood. The Saints are coming off a 22-6 campaign and Emmanuel's tenth-straight 20+ win season last year. Emmanuel lost three solid seniors to graduation last May, but Head Coach Andy Yosinoff returned eight veterans and brought in a strong recruiting class for the upcoming season.
Yosinoff is entering his 34th season at the helm and has led the Saints to an incredible 640 wins over his lengthy career at Emmanuel. He returns a strong backcourt in senior guards Kristin LeBel (Tolland, Conn.) and Casey Shevlin (Medford, N.Y.). LeBel, a 1000-point scorer as a junior, led the Saints in scoring last year with 13.7 points per game. Shevlin started in all 28 games at the point guard slot last year, dishing out a team-high 109 assists, while also netting 7.4 points per night.
In addition to this senior backcourt tandem, Yosinoff will add the veteran experience of junior transfer Meghan Kirwan (Melrose, Mass.). Kirwan transferred to Emmanuel after playing Division II ball during her freshman and sophomore years at UMass-Lowell. Junior guard Breanna Ockimey (Philadelphia, Pa.) started in several games for the Saints last year and hit for 7.1 points per game, including knocking down 23 tri-fectas. She will be called upon to add to the experience and stability in the Saints' backcourt.
The Saints are also returning starting forward Fiona O'Dwyer (Stamford, Conn.), who is back for her sophomore season with the blue and gold. O'Dwyer was good for 6.1 points and 6.0 boards as a rookie. She will start again in the front court this season. In addition to O'Dwyer, Yosinoff will look to senior forward Pamela Mobley (Worcester, Mass.) to provide solid minutes in the paint for the Saints.
Yosinoff and the Saints will play an incredibly strong non-conference schedule, including three teams ranked in the D3hoops.com Preseason Top 25. Among the strong non-league competitors, Emmanuel will square off against \#1 Amherst College, \#14 Williams College, and \#18 Bowdoin College. In addition, the Saints will face perennially powerful squads in Tufts, Brandeis, Wesleyan, Eastern Connecticut and Salem State.
When the Saints enter their second semester Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) schedule, Emmanuel will be looking to win its fifth-consecutive and 15th all-time GNAC Championship. In order to do so, the Saints will have to get past some tough GNAC competition including the likes of Norwich University, Emerson College and Albertus Magnus College.
Yosinoff sited experience and depth as a couple of key components entering the 2010-11 season. "We have good chemistry and a very hard-working team this year. I like the mix of upperclassmen and newcomers. I think we have great experience in our veteran players and more depth at certain positions than in years past," commented Yosinoff.
The Saints will open up the season at Lesley University on November 16th and will face the Lynx, who are coming off a 17-8 campaign and a New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Championship last year. Emmanuel's home opener will be on Saturday, November 20th, when the Saints host the 27th Annual Emmanuel College Invitational Tournament. The tournament's opening game will feature Williams College taking on William Smith College in a noontime start. Emmanuel will then play the College of Staten Island at 2:30pm. The tournament consolation and championship games will be held on Sunday afternoon.