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University of Maine head women’s basketball coach Sharon Versyp will soon find out what her team is made of, as the Black Bears face tough tests in the first two games of the regular season.
“I’m the kind of coach to just throw my team into the fire early, because we’re going to learn a lot,” Versyp said Tuesday.
The Black Bears host Kent State University Friday night at the Augusta Civic Center before heading to Athens, Ga., to take on Southeast Conference powerhouse and the nationally-ranked University of Georgia Bulldogs on Sunday afternoon.
The UMaine men’s ice hockey team will be in action at Alfond Arena on Friday, forcing Versyp and her team to travel south to Augusta to host a formidable Kent State team.
“Obviously we would have liked to have a true home opener, but this is the only day Kent State could play us,” Versyp said. “I hope the Augusta fans pack the place.”
Kent State finished the season with a record of 21-8 last year, but like UMaine, has a relatively young squad. Two starters, sophomore guards Lori Krezeczowski and Christi Shibata, return for head coach Bob Lindsay, who begins his 13th year at the helm of the Golden Flashes.
Krezeczowski led the team in assists a year ago, averaging 4.7 per game, and chipped in 6.3 points per game. Shibata is the team’s leading returning scorer, averaging 9.3 points per game in 2000/01.
Sophomore six-foot-six-inch center Andrea Csaszar, primarily a reserve last season, may give the Black Bears trouble in the middle. Transfer students Kate Miller and Valerie Zona also look to make an impact for Kent State, who has received an NCAA Tournament berth in three of the last six years.
“Kent State has probably one of the most fundamentally sound man-to-man defenses we will see,” Versyp said. “They have a very similar style to ours and I think we match up very evenly with them. It should be an interesting game.”
The Golden Flashes carry the longest current home winning streak, at 43 games, in the nation.
UMaine will spend Friday night in Augusta before catching an early plane to Georgia on Saturday.
The Black Bears took the Bulldogs to overtime before losing 78-69 at the Dead River Company Classic at Alfond Arena in 1999, in the only other meeting between the two teams.
“Georgia is one of the biggest teams we’ll play this season, physically,” Versyp said. “It’s just a whole new brand of basketball; the SEC is one of the best conferences in the country.”
Georgia returns one starter from last year’s team that finished 27-6 and lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Senior forward Tawana McDonald and sophomore reserve Christi Thomas will be joined by seven newcomers, but coach Andy Landers’ team is ranked No. 16 in the Associated Press preseason poll.
Georgia is perennially in contention for the SEC title and made it to the NCAA Women’s Final Four in 1999, the same year the team faced UMaine in Orono. The Black Bears will have to adjust to not only the quality of competition, but also playing in Stegeman Coliseum. The arena holds roughly 11,000, about twice the capacity of Alfond Arena.
“Their facility is extremely nice, it’s going to be a great environment for our kids,” Versyp said. “Playing a team like Georgia is a measuring stick of where you are and where you hope to be in the future.”
Versyp said the Black Bears will approach both games with their depth and defensive intensity.
“I would love to be able to play 10 players. Our depth will allow us to play the style we need to in order to win,” Versyp said.
UMaine looked sharp in last Friday’s exhibition over a team from the National Women’s Basketball League, allowing just 20 points in the second half while scoring 93 points in the game.
Still, Versyp knows it is early and feels her team still has plenty to work on.
“We need to do a better job on the boards, and we need to get to the free throw line more often.”
Bangor Daily News