Last year was sort of a tough one for Ute women's basketball coach Elaine Elliott, who was often frustrated with her young team's mistakes and inconsistency. Still, that team played well enough to compile a 21-7 record and earn a berth in the women's NIT tournament.
This year, with all but one of her players back, Elliott's Utes are picked to win the initial Mountain West Conference women's championship. And if things go as well as expected, the Utes could find themselves back in the NCAA tournament like eight of Elliott's previous teams.The Utes open the 1999-2000 season Saturday at 3 p.m. when they meet Washington State at the Huntsman Center.
One of the strengths of last year's young club was its balance, and it will be a team of no stars again this year. It will also be very young again, with just one senior starter in point guard Tiana Fuertes and one other senior on the roster (Janna Whitman).
The top returning scorer is sophomore guard Erin Gibbons (11.7 ppg), who isn't even likely to start. Provo's Lori Red was an all-conference selection last year, and she'll be joined on the forward line by Lindsay Sodja, a 6-1 junior out of Taylorsville. Lauren Beckman, a 6-2 sophomore from Elko, Nev., will be the center, while Amy Ewert, one of three Canadians on the team, will join Fuertes on the guardline.
Gibbons gives the Utes scoring punch off the bench as does forward Kristina Anderson, who started some games last year. Others bringing experience off the bench are forward Katherine McColl, Lindsay Herbert and Erin Hansen.
Freshmen who will be trying to work their way into the lineup are 5-9 guard Sarah Wobbe and 6-2 center Carley Marshall, both from Oregon, and 6-foot guard Whitney Sutak of Mill Valley, Calif.
Tuesday, the Utes will play at defending WAC champion Colorado State in a nonconference game, even though the Rams are in the Mountain West Conference. They'll then play Montana before returning for a game Dec. 2 against Iowa.