|
|
Five days before the start of the Big Ten Conference season, the University of Minnesota women's basketball team is close to sorting out some key concerns.
Senior power forward Kadidja Andersson rejoined the No. 7 Gophers (8-0) on Friday
after missing a game to attend her grandmother's funeral in Sweden, and coach
Pam Borton adjusted freshman Jamie Broback's backup role — from shooting
guard to power forward.
And heading into Sunday's game against Georgia State in the two-day Cavalier Classic in Charlottesville, Va., the Gophers have been introduced to new plays and defensive sets.
"This tournament will give us a pretty good test," Borton said of
the tournament, hosted by the University of Virginia. "We want to be playing
close to our best ball before we get into the Big Ten."
The Gophers, enjoying the highest national ranking in the program's 32-year
history, open the Big Ten season Thursday against Michigan at Williams Arena.
Before the release of this week's Associated Press poll on Monday, the Gophers'
previous best ranking was ninth, a position they held for three weeks this season
and one week last January.
Borton needed certain areas addressed with the Big Ten season looming. The Gophers
have only nine scholarship players. Of the four coming off the bench, three
are freshmen. The other two are walk-on guards Lori Dimitroff and Hannah Garry.
Senior forward Leslie Hill was expected to be a valuable player off the bench,
but she was lost for the season after rupturing her right Achilles' tendon in
practice on Nov. 12.
Borton and her staff hope the team's limited depth isn't an issue. The coaches
had a trial run with the problem when Andersson missed Sunday's 75-55 victory
over Wisconsin-Green Bay at Williams Arena.
Freshman Liz Podominick replaced Andersson in the starting lineup, and finished
with four points and six rebounds in 24 minutes. With sophomore center Christina
Collison as the team's only reserve front-liner, Borton moved the 6-foot-3 Broback
into a rotation at forward with Podominick. Broback, who played center at Eastview
High School in Apple Valley, responded with 11 points, four steals and three
rebounds in 24 minutes.
"Nothing can replace game experience, and that's what we need to give Jamie
right now," Borton said. "She wasn't getting much playing time in
our guard rotation. She'll be more comfortable at forward."
Broback's move could make the Gophers' front line even more productive. Andersson
and Janel McCarville have been a dominant tandem for three years. Andersson,
who averages eight points and 4.7 rebounds, is considered the team's best post
defender. McCarville, shooting 62.3 percent from the floor, is averaging 13.5
points and 8.8 rebounds. Andersson's return Sunday will be her first game since
the Gophers' 79-53 victory at Missouri-Kansas City on Dec. 7.
"It'll take me a couple of practices to get back in sync, but I'll be fine,"
said Andersson, who had played in all 96 games in her career before the Wisconsin-Green
Bay game. "Before I went home, we were working on some of the new plays,
so I haven't missed that much."
Borton gave Andersson, a native of Stockholm, Sweden, permission to leave early
for the Christmas break to be with her family after the death of her grandmother.
Borton said Andersson will start Sunday against Georgia State (4-2), the defending
champion in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
"It's good for me to be playing again to get my mind off things for awhile,"
Andersson said.
Briefly: Both Gophers' games in Charlottesville will be broadcast live on WMNN-AM
1330 and on the team's Web site at www.gophersports.com.
The Gophers and Georgia State play in the opener of the four-team tournament
Sunday at 3:30 p.m. Temple and Virginia follow in the second game. The winners
meet Monday at 6 p.m.
• The tournament gives McCarville a chance to visit with Virginia coach
Debbie Ryan. She played for Ryan last summer on the United States' Pan American
Games team.