The 2010-11 Big West women's basketball prospectus, which highlights the upcoming season, as well as recapping the 2009-10 season, is now available.
Cal Poly
Cal Poly has been a force to be reckoned with the past two seasons and the Mustangs hope to continue their surge in 2010-11. The Mustangs welcome back two starters and 11 letterwinners from last year's squad that matched program records for total Big West victories, fewest losses and conference winning percentage. Cal Poly's tie for second place in the Big West standings was the top regular season finish in program history. In 2008-09, Cal Poly established a new program record with a .656 overall winning percentage while the 21 victories accumulated matched the 1981-82 Mustang squad for the highest single-season victory total in program history.
Headlining the 2010-11 Cal Poly roster is 2009-10 Big West Women's Basketball Player of the Year Kristina Santiago. Santiago, the first Cal Poly player in the history of the Big West to come away with the Player of the Year award, led the conference in scoring (19.6), while ranking second in steals per game (2.41), total steals (70), rebounding (8.5) and field goal percentage (.547). Santiago also had nine double-doubles which ranked third in the Big West. The Santa Maria, Calif., native, who earned her second consecutive first team All-Big West nod, scored in double figures in every game last season, pulled down double-digit rebounds in nine outings and has scored at least 10 points in 60 of her last 65 games.
Cal State Fullerton
In her first season as head coach, Marcia Foster guided the Cal State Fullerton Titans to an overall mark of 15-17 and an 8-8 Big West record, good enough for sixth place. The Titans' eight league wins ties for most wins since the 1990-91 season when Cal State Fullerton posted a 14-4 mark to place third in the Big West. Prior to her head coaching job, Foster worked six years as an assistant coach for the Titans' women's basketball program.
Welcoming back four starters and 10 letterwinners, the Titans are primed to continue to build upon their success a season ago. Leading the charge is All-Big West First Team member Megan Richardson, who is the top Fullerton returner in scoring (15.3 ppg), assists (2.6 apg) and minutes played (32.2 mpg). Jenna Breite returns as the top rebounder, averaging 6.0 boards per game, and holds the highest field goal percentage at .393.
Cal State Fullerton will definitely be battle-tested by the time the Titans reach conference play as they open the 2010-11 season playing 14 of its first 17 games on the road, including the opening weekend of Big West play. Following the extensive road trip, Cal State Fullerton hosts four straight league games at Titan Gym, where it was 8-5 last year.
Cal State Northridge
Jasmine Erving, a 2009-10 All-Big West Second Team member, leads a veteran Cal State Northridge squad that has reason to look forward to the upcoming season with four returning starters and 11 letterwinners, along with a new face at the helm of the program in Jason Flowers. Erving is the Matadors' top returner in scoring (13.6 ppg), rebounds (5.5 rpg), field goal percentage (.450) and blocks (1.3 bpg). She was also fifth in the league in scoring average and tallied a .736 clip from the charity stripe.
During the spring Jason Flowers, former assistant coach at both UC Riverside and Long Beach State, was hired as head coach of Cal State Northridge. In 2009-10, Flowers helped the Highlanders earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament following their championship performance at the Big West Tournament. While at LBSU, Flowers helped coach the 49ers to the 2005-06 Big West Conference championship.
Haley White of Colony High School is the lone newcomer on the 2010-11 Cal State Northridge roster. A 5-9 guard, White was a Max Preps All-Mt. Baldy Second Team selection after helping lead the Titans to back-to-back CIF Southern Section IIA Championships. During her senior season, White led Colony with an average of 3.0 assists per game and recorded a season-high seven assists and 16 points against Don Lugo on Jan. 19, 2010.
Long Beach State
The Long Beach State women's basketball team returns five letterwinners and two starters from last year's squad that finished tied for fourth in the Big West Conference and advanced to the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.
The 49ers are looking to build on the success they had last season under first-year head coach Jody Wynn. Long Beach State, which went 13-17 overall and 9-7 in BWC action, swept eventual Big West Tournament champion UC Riverside and defending Big West champion UC Santa Barbara during the regular season. The 49ers also defeated the Gauchos on their home floor for the first time in 19 years.
Senior Melanie Lisnock is Long Beach State's top returning scorer (8.0 ppg), while teammate Ashley Bookman is the top returning rebounder (5.7 rpg). LBSU also welcomes back junior Tipesa Moorer (6.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg) and senior Courtney Jacob, who redshirted the 2009-10 season.
UC Davis
In 2009-10, the UC Davis Aggies claimed their first-ever regular-season Big West Conference championship with an impressive 12-4 league mark. The Aggies also produced the program's first 20-win season since 1998-99 after posting a 21-11 overall mark. The Aggies look to be contenders for the title once again this season as they welcome back four starters and 10 letterwinners from a season ago.
Leading the charge for the Aggies squad this year is senior Heidi Heintz. The Spokane, Wash., native is UC Davis' top stat returner in scoring (10.8 ppg), rebounds (4.5 rpg), field goal percentage (.486) and free throw percentage (.856). Joining her in the starting lineup is Hana Asano, a junior guard who ranked fourth in the Big West in steals (2.1 spg) last year. She is also the top returner in assists (2.7 apg) and minutes played (28.8).
UC Davis, who just completed its third season competing at the Division I level, has made two postseason appearances, both of them to the WNIT. In 2009-10, the Aggies earned the Big West Conference's automatic berth to the WNIT by winning the league's regular-season conference championship. Unfortunately UCD suffered a 74-69 overtime loss to California in first round action.
UC Irvine
UC Irvine was 9-21 overall in 2009-10, a two-game improvement in the win column from the previous year, and finished seventh in the league standings with a 6-10 mark. UCI's win total was the most since the 2005-06 team was 9-19 overall and 7-8 in league play. The Anteaters were 6-9 at home, the most wins in Irvine since the 2002-03 season when the squad went 9-4. The Anteaters lost eight games last year by six points or less, including five contests by three or less and averaged 63.6 points per game. UCI also scored more than 60 points 20 times during the season, while only doing it six times over 30 games in 2008-09.
Last season three Anteater players were named to All-Big West teams, the most selections in one year since 2003 when there were five honorees. Forward Mikah Maly-Karros, who averaged a double-double (20.5 ppg, 11.1 rpg), was named to the All-Big West first team. Forward Jazmyne White was named Big West Freshman of the Year, becoming the first Anteater to garner the top rookie distinction. White, who was also named to the All-Freshman Team, ranked third in the conference in rebounding with a 6.9 average and was ninth in steals (1.5). Jade Smith-Williams earned Big West honorable mention accolades after averaging 12.7 points and 4.3 assists. All three players are slated to return to the Anteaters line-up for the 2010-11 season.
UC Riverside
The UC Riverside Highlanders enter the 2010-11 season as defending Big West Conference Tournament Champions after claiming their third tournament title with a 71-67 victory over regular season champion UC Davis. UC Riverside received the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament where it would eventually fall to No. 1 Stanford in first round action.
Senior Guard Alyssa Morris, named to the 2009-10 All-Big West First Team, is the top returner for the Highlanders as she paces the squad in rebounds (2.4 rpg), assists (1.5 apg), field goal percentage (.380) and free throw percentage (.735). Morris is joined by All-Big West Second Team selection Rhaya Neabors, who finished third in the conference in steals with 2.1 per game, ninth in three-point field goal percentage (.367) and sixth in minutes per game (33.4). In all, UC Riverside welcomes back three starters and seven letterwinners.
UC Riverside plays 15 of its 29 games in the familiar confines of the Student Recreation Center, which includes a three-game season-opening homestand against Montana, Arizona State and Seattle. Last year the Highlanders posted a 9-3 overall record and 7-1 Big West mark in front of the home crowd.
UC Santa Barbara
UC Santa Barbara closed out the 2009-10 season winning seven of its final eight contests. The Gauchos' lone defeat during the aforementioned stretch was a 63-53 loss to top-seeded UC Davis in the Big West Conference Tournament.
The Gauchos finished last year ranked sixth in the nation in blocked shots, setting a school record with 202 last year. Transfer Mekia Valentine finished third in the nation with 4.0 blocks per game, setting a UC Santa Barbara record with 120 swats over the course of the season. Valentine not only returns as the Gauchos' top blocker but also as the leading rebounder with 9.7 boards per game.
The bad news is that UC Santa Barbara is returning just two starters from a season ago, but the good news is that the returnees happen to be the top two scorers in 2009-10. Emilie Johnson led the team in scoring with 13.8 points per game and Valentine ranked second, averaging 12.3 points per contest. The Gauchos also welcome back five letterwinners.
Pacific
The 2010-11 Pacific Tigers roster features 10 letterwinners, two of which are 2009-10 All-Big West Honorable Mention selections - Eliza Day and Christina Thompson. The two combined to lead every statistical category for the Tigers with Dy topping the charts in assists, free throw percentage and blocks. Thompson paces the team in scoring, rebounds, field goal percentage and blocks.
Joining the core of veterans are newcomers Danielle Peacon, Taryn Garza, Gena Johnson and Ashley Wakefield. Peacon was named to the First Team All-State Team for her presence in the state championship tournament. Garza and the Crusaders compiled a 27-8 overall record and went undefeated in the Trans Valley League with a perfect 13-0 record. Transferring to Franklin High School in Elk Grove, Calif., as a junior, Johnson led the Wildcats to a 21-8 overall record and a 9-1 Delta Valley League finish. For her stand-out junior season, Johnson was ranked as California's No. 21 guard prospect after being named the Delta Valley League's MVP and First Team All-League. Wakefield paced College of the Canyons with her 12.9 rebounds per game and her .587 field goal shooting percentage. For her efforts, Wakefield was named the 2009-10 California State Community College Player of the Year as well as the most valuable player in the Western State Conference (WSC).