Women's Preview
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Big Eight wants a year to remember
Women's conference will be competitive for final league title
By Spencer Duncan Kansan sportswriter
One common theme is echoing throughout the Big Eight Conference this year.
Each women's basketball team has the desire to be remembered as the last team to win the Big Eight title before the Big 12 Conference begins play next season.
All of the teams want the Big Eight to be remembered forever as a competitive conference with the best women's teams in basketball— even if that means an eightway tie for the Big Eight conference title.
Here's a look at the players and coaches that may make this a season to remember.
COLORADO Colorado captured its third consecutive Big Eight title last season with a 14-0 conference record.
The Buffaloes went 30-3 overall as they advanced to the round of eight in the NCAA tournament for the second time in three years. They also won their third consecutive Big Eight regular-season championship.The goal in Boulder, Colo., this season is to not let the success falter.
"This year will be different," Colorado women's basketball coach Ceal Barry said. "Harder. More of a challenge."
The challenge will be replacing last year's top two scorers, point guard Shelly Sheetz and forward Isabella Fijalkowski, who both graduated. Sheetz was last year's Big Eight player of the year and the school's second all-time leading scorer.
However, the team is not low on talent this season even with the loss of Sheetz and Fijalkowski. The seniors have an 84-12 overall record, and the juniors are close behind with an overall record of 57-8. Barry believes this team will prove it can step up and win.
"We will rely on our strengths and exploit them," Barry said. "We have to identify our weaknesses early and keep them to a minimum."
OKLAHOMA
With a 22-9 overall record and a second-place finish in the Big Eight, Oklahoma set a few school records last year.
It captured the most conference wins in school history with 11, the most road wins with eight and the most consecutive conference road wins with five.
This season the Sooners will fight to do better.
"We lost a lot from last year," Oklahoma women's basketball coach Burl Plunkett said. "But we have a lot of good players returning and some solid newcomers."
The difficulty for the team is replacing six seniors, including Sharee Mitchum, who was Oklahoma's career assist leader.
The team will have three seniors starting this season in Etta Maytubby, Pam Pennon and LaNae Jones. They were the team's second, third and fourth leading scorers, respectively, last season.
The team has an even balance of upper- and lower-classmen, which Plunkett
believes means that good things are ahead for Oklahoma basketball.
"For the first time that I've been here in my six years, everybody can play," Plunkett said.
OKLAHOMA STATE
Oklahoma State was disappointed with its 18-14 record and fourth-place finish in the Big Eight last season.
The Cowgirls, who return four starters, hope to turn things around this year.
"Although we made it to the NCAA tournament," Oklahoma State women's basketball coach Dick Halterman said, "we lost a lot of really close games we had a chance to win."
The Cowgirls have seven seniors, one junior, three sophomores and three freshmen. Halterman is pleased with his team's balance of maturity and youth, which he believes is a key to keeping the team competitive.
Oklahoma has two All-Big Eight returnees at the forward position in seniors Stacy Coffey and Amy Scales.
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The March to March
Hill • November 15, 1995