By Sean Giggy
Herald Press Sports Editor

Few people saw it coming.

Following a year where they had just seven total players and finished 17-13, the Huntington University women’s basketball team entered the 2008-09 season with eight freshmen in what many thought would be a growing year.

If that was the case, the Foresters grew up fast.

Huntington finished last season 25-7 and captured the Mid-Central Conference tournament championship for the first time since 1994. They also advanced to the second round of the NAIA national tournament in Sioux City, Iowa.

But that unfamiliarity, the surprise factor and the unknowns that were evident at the start of last season are now long gone.

With two first-place votes in this year’s conference preseason poll, the Foresters are expected to be one of the top teams in the MCC and it’s a position head coach Lori Culler hopes her team can stand behind.

“It’s definitely a situation we haven’t been in for a while,” she said. “This group of players has not been in a situation where they’re playing with a target on their back.

“Last year we were able to sneak up on a lot of teams and surprise them, but that’s not going to happen this year. Everybody’s going to be prepared for us. We know that nothing is going to be handed to us on a platter and we’re going to have to fight for it.”

And the Foresters will have the talent to put up that fight and get back to where they were last season.

They lost only one player to graduation, Lauren Davenport-Johnson. Johnson was a third-team All-American last season after averaging 11.5 points a game, dishing out a team-high 145 assists and finishing with an astounding 116 steals.

“Lauren has been somebody who has always been very mature, poised and confident on the floor,” Culler said. “This past year was definitely the best all-around for her in terms of her leadership and what she was able to do on the floor for us. You don’t replace all that knowledge, experience, composure and poise a senior brings to a team with a freshman.

“In my book, that’s the most important position on the floor, so that’s a very key loss for us. She was the glue that kept us together last year and she had a knack for coming up with big shots when we needed them or a big defensive play when the situation called for it.”

Although Johnson will be greatly missed, Huntington has several experienced returnees and very talented freshmen ready to fill the void, beginning with four veteran seniors ready to guide the path back to Iowa.

Leading scorer Jenna Donaldson (15.6 ppg), leading rebounder Courtney Beerbower (6.9 rpg) and guards Brittney Bateman and Ryleigh Carr all return and bring a deep level of leadership to the floor.

Beerbower was a second team all-conference performer while Donaldson was MCC honorable mention. Both have contributed significant minutes since their freshman seasons and Culler hopes each will have a memorable senior year.

“Jenna has a lot of ability to create shots for herself. She’s very versatile,” Culler said. “She could easily average 20 [points] a game for us this year. I don’t know if we need her to do that, but she has that potential and I’d like to see her have a season where she’s consistent from day one.

“Courtney uses her body well, defends well and rebounds well. The important thing for Courtney is to get touches. There were times because of our inability to shoot the 3-point shot, people collapsed on her and she didn’t always get that many looks. I’m hoping with more outside shooting we’ll be able to open things up for her.”

Bateman and Carr provided vital minutes as guards last season and with the departure of Johnson, the two will be called upon more this year.

“Ryleigh has great court vision. She understands the game very well. She can be a exciting player to watch.  For the first time since she’s been at HU, she is healthy and it’s obvious in her game.  She’s got the most confidence in herself and her game than I’ve seen in her career.

“Brittney is a model of consistency with her work ethic. You know what you’re going to get from her day in and day out. She is an outstanding defender and has continued to work on her offensive game.”

Sophomore Sarah Miller, named to the MCC’s all-newcomer team, will seek to follow up an extremely successful freshman campaign.

Miller averaged 11.7 points and was the team’s top 3-point shooter and second in assists in her first year with the team.

“Sarah probably hit more big shots at critical times for us than any player I’ve ever coached,” Culler added. “To have her do that as a freshman is even more amazing. She also gave us another top-notch defender on the floor which arguably may have been her most important contribution last year.  She is a hard worker and I expect her to pick up this season where she left off.”

Three more sophomores are expected to bolster the frontcourt for the Foresters.

Kelsey Green scored 5.6 points and pulled down 4.1 rebounds a game, Brita Kuiper added 3.8 points and 2.2 boards a night and Haleigh Osborne averaged one point in four minutes a game.

“Kelsey is coming into her own,” Culler said. “She looks really good on post moves, has been putting the ball on the floor some and is really diversifying her game.”

“The potential for Brita is sky high. She’s so athletic and has a nose for the ball.  Last season, she played nervous at times, but she looks very comfortable on the floor with a year of experience under her belt.  I expect her to be a much bigger contributor this season.”

“Haleigh is probably our most physical player and our tallest.  She is a solid defender in the post and has the ability to score in the paint.  There will definitely be opportunities for her to step in and make a difference.”

A new face that could make a significant and immediate impact is freshman Lauren Meese. Meese was a member of the Oak Hill team that finished as the IHSAA class 2A state runner-up the past two seasons.

Meese average 12.1 points, 4.5 assists and 3.9 steals per game as a senior and should provide quality minutes for the Foresters this season.

“Lauren is coming from a program that has experienced a tremendous amount of success,” Culler said. “You can’t have too many players on your team that know how to win.  She shoots and handles the ball well and she also is a great defender.  Lauren was recruited to help fill the void left by Lauren Johnson at the point position.  She will definitely see time there for us this season.”

Co-Miami County players of the year, Alicia Burrus, of North Miami, and Allison Greene, of Peru, round out the roster and Culler said each provides a strong 3-point threat.

Burrus scored 19 points a game in her final high school season while Greene tallied 18 points per contest.

“They both shoot the three well,” Culler said. “Allison has maybe a little more of a versatile game where she can get all the way to the hoop and get a shot off. Alicia has great range on the [three] and a nice pull-up jumper. I see all three [freshmen] having an impact on the success of the team.”

Huntington will begin the season with three straight home games, including games against NAIA powerhouses Cornerstone and Aquinas.

The Foresters open the MCC season against Taylor on Dec. 2, the team they beat in the conference tournament championship.

Four MCC teams qualified for the national tournament and were ranked in the final top 25 poll last season and Culler believes the race for the conference title will be even tighter this year.

“The conference is just going to be phenomenal,” she said. “Everybody’s gotten better and I hope we have too. I think we may be stronger than we’ve ever been. It’ll be a challenging year and critical for us to stay healthy.   It will be important for us to capitalize on opportunities when we see them and not let any slip through our fingers.”

And if the Foresters can survive the brutal schedule, they could find themselves making back-to-back national tournament appearances for the first time in school history.

“They got a taste and weren’t satisfied winning only one game,” Culler said. “They will be disappointed if the trip to Iowa doesn’t happen in March. I have a roster of 11 players that are very committed to do what it takes to get back to Iowa. They know they have a target on their backs, but they’re approaching it instead as if it’s a chip on their shoulder.  They’re ready to fight for it.”