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Given to Fly

February 18, 2007

Given to Fly: Sycamores doing it with more than just offense

Back on Nov. 28, 2006, the Indiana State women’s basketball team allowed a Loyola (Ill.) team to come into Hulman Center, shoot 50.9 percent from the field and score 71 points.

Uninspiring defensive efforts were commonplace back then, but coach Kelvin Sampson of Indiana — referring to a Purdue men’s team that has steadily improved this season — said a team’s true identity is shown in February, not in November.

While the Sycamores surpassed 100 points for the third time of the season in that Loyola win, the defense was awful. Drastic changes were made at halftime of an 89-81 loss to the same Illinois State Redbirds whom Indiana State stifled into 30-percent shooting Sunday at Redbird Arena.

Since that loss to the Rebirds, ISU has held its last seven opponents to a combined 36-percent shooting from the field. Not only do the Sycamores have the best offense in the league, they’ve earned an identity as a defensive stopper.

The turnaround is downright amazing.

“Early in the year we were probably one of the softest teams in the conference,” coach Jim Wiedie said. “I thought we were soft all the way around — soft inside, soft on the perimeter. Mentally soft.

“But I think we’ve matured as the season goes along and you get more comfortable with what you’re doing. You can just see the demeanor start to change. Are we the toughest team in the league physically? No, not yet, but we’re getting a little bit better. Rebounding and defense are a good indicator of that.”

With a young team full of newcomers, Wiedie’s Sycamores are a team that has as good a shot as anyone at a third-place finish in the regular season. A month ago that seemed unlikely, with teams like last-place Missouri State able to win in Hulman Center.

Wiedie, the 2006 MVC Coach of the Year, deserves consideration for that honor again, although it’s a given that Southern Illinois’ Dana Eikenberg deserves the award if her Salukis win the regular-season league title.

“Indiana State’s a very good team and you’ve got to give Jim a ton of credit,” said Illinois State coach Robin Pingeton on Sunday. “To lose so many kids last year and to still be at the level they’re at without one of their best players [Annie Bankhead] I think speaks volumes about him.”

Sunday’s win was ISU’s most impressive of the season, but that doesn’t make it the most important. Winning at Missouri State was the biggest step forward for the program. Most of the current Sycamores were barely born when ISU last won there in 1989, and only Rachel Maenpaa, Laura Rudolphi and Leah Phillips were key components of last year’s team that had its heart broken in that building in Springfield, Mo.

Accomplishing something that Melanie Boeglin-led teams were unable to do — even if this year’s Missouri State team is nowhere close to those of years past — raised the confidence of this team.

“We just have a whole another level of confidence in the post,” Rachel Maenpaa said after a big hug from her dad Sunday on the court in Redbird Arena. “This is just great. Our team is really coming together. Our team is having fun on and off the court together ... playing good and having fun.”

So Illinois State isn’t playing the way it was on Jan. 19 when it won at Hulman Center. So it’s without standout freshman Kenyatta Shelton. ISU was without one of its best defenders and best passers in Bankhead, out for the last of a three-game suspension for a team-rule violation. Leah Phillips wasn’t 100 percent Sunday either.

ISU’s potential ability to easily go 11 players deep is now becoming reality. Bankhead will fit right back in, and Sarah Paul will still get plenty of minutes the way she’s defending and rebounding.

Sunday’s win may have been the most impressive so far, but the best may be yet to come.

Craig Pearson can be reached by email at craig.pearson@tribstar.com or after 4 p.m. by phone at (812) 231-4356.

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