By Nate Owen
A new coaching staff and offensive system has the Northeastern women’s basketball team hoping for success during the 2006-07 season.
The Huskies, who finished the 2005-06 season with an 8-21 record (3-15 Colonial Athletic Association), are now under the tutelage of first-year coach Daynia La-Force Mann. She spent last year as head coach of New Haven, leading the Chargers to a 24-7 record, and an NCAA Division II tournament spot.
Prior to that she spent 10 years as an assistant coach at the Division I level, coaching at Long Island from 1995-2002 and St. John’s from 2002-05.
She brings with her a new staff, including Viki Wancel, who was with La-Force Mann last year at New Haven. Also joining the staff are Sherri Brown, whom La-Force Mann coached for two years at St. John’s, and Monge Codio Jr., who was an assistant at Iona for two years.
La-Force Mann said she is excited about the opportunity to coach the Huskies.
“It’s a chance to build up a team [and] make them better than the year before,” she said.
To do this, she installed a new uptempo style of offense which will feature quick scoring and breakaway points.
“[The players] love it,” La-Force Mann said. “[The response] has really been positive. We have good guards who can go create opportunities [on offense].”
Senior captain Jody Burrows is one of the keys to the new offense. Burrows ranks second among returning CAA players with 4.9 assists per game and also had 1.7 steals per game, good for seventh among returning players. She is a proven scorer as well, averaging a solid six points per game last season.
Burrows is one of three starters returning from last year’s unit, along with junior guard Shaleyse Smallwood (11.7 points per game, 4 rebounds per game) and junior forward Stefanie Hodell (5.9, 5.3). Junior guard Lucia Pablos, one of the Huskies’ top defenders, will team with Burrows and Smallwood to give Northeastern a talented backcourt.
Burrows will look to dish the ball to the outside, where sophomore guard Ashley Feldman set a freshman record for three-pointers despite starting only nine games. She averaged 12.4 points per game, 13th among returning players in the CAA and ranks fourth in three-pointers made with 58. For her efforts, she was named to the CAA All-Rookie team.
Feldman’s continued emergence should help compensate for the loss of guard Marlene Zwarich, who averaged 12 points and six boards per game last year. The Huskies also lost forward Quiana Copeland (9.1, 7.1).
Looking to pick up some of the production will be freshman forward Kim Carr, who is “going to be a force,” La-Force Mann said.
“She has a great work ethic,” La-Force Mann said. “She [is] very strong. [She’s] not playing like a freshman.”
The Huskies will open their season with a tough challenge on the road against the nationally-ranked Duke Blue Devils Nov. 11. La-Force Mann said this game will provide a good barometer to measure how the Huskies are adjusting to the new system.
“Are we competitive, are they buying into the program?” La-Force Mann said. “Is our ‘D’ tenacious?”
Additionally, La-Force Mann would like to see the Huskies develop mental toughness as the season progresses.
“[We] lost a lot of games last year by 10 points or less,” she said. “[To] win games at the end, we need to develop work ethic and confidence.”
The Huskies will open the season at home Nov. 21 against Boston University. La-Force Mann said she hopes Husky fans come fill the stands and provide the support which has helped the hockey and football teams record big wins at home.
Despite being ranked last in the CAA preseason poll, the Huskies head into the season with a high level of confidence despite last years abysmal record.
“This is a different team [this year],” La-Force Mann said. “The kids are confident. We are really going to surprise some people.”
