TERRE HAUTE —
Can Teri Moren lift Indiana State, last year’s seventh-place team in the Missouri Valley Conference, to one of the league’s contenders in her first year on campus?
Despite a 6-5 record — including a dismal 1-4 mark away from Hulman Center — Moren plans to do just that in a league that looks strong at the top and possibly deep as well.
“The team is, other than the record, right where I thought it would be,” Moren said. “We’re in a good place.”
As true as that may be, several other MVC teams are in good places.
Illinois State, Wichita State, Northern Iowa, Creighton and Drake all have talent similar to the Sycamores. The MVC has one of the best nonconference cumulative records in league history, and ranks a solid ninth in conference RPI rankings.
Missouri State (9-3) ranks 10th in the NCAA in field-goal percentage defense, holding opponents to 33-percent shooting.
With the league’s best player, 6-foot junior point guard Casey Garrison (17 ppg), MSU is the favorite to win the regular-season title and go dancing in March.
Count the Sycamores among the teams who should believe they can prevent the Bears from doing that for a MVC-leading 14th time. ISU is still looking for trip No. 1, for those fans in need of the reminder.
Like MSU, the Sycamores have defended well for most of the nonconference season.
ISU’s defense, while having had meltdowns, has been stout, holding opponents to 35.7 percent from the field for 50th in the NCAA, which is an encouraging sign.
Despite the disheartening losses — to a talented-but-young Tennessee-Martin team, to a mediocre Butler team, to a mediocre Florida International team — Moren expects those to be learning experiences.
“Hopefully what happened at Butler, what happened at UT-Martin will help us at some point in the Valley,” Moren said.
The ability — and more importantly toughness — of ISU sophomore point guard Taylor Whitley should provide hope for ISU fans that a Sycamore team can end that NCAA futility sometime soon.
The statistics show Whitley has made important improvement in playmaking with a league-high 4.7 assists per game. While she’s far from a finished product, Whitley can help ISU contend by using her speed and strength near the basket.
“I think if you look across the board at the teams that are in the tournament and do well, they have two things in common. I think they have a tremendous point guard and I think they have a tremendous post presence,” Moren said. “Anytime you have those two things working for you, and you have kids around you that play their roles and do what they’re asked to do, you can set yourself up for success.”
Shannon Thomas, a 6-4 post player, is averaging 17.8 points and 12.8 rebounds during her last four games. If she can produce anywhere close to that, while continuing to block and alter shots defensively, she has a chance to be the best center in the MVC.
Thomas has to be prepared for tougher competition, and she should be after gaining valuable experience the past two years.
“The question being is, will Shannon Thomas sustain what she’s been doing? My hope is that will be yes, that she’ll continue to put up the numbers that she’s left us with at the break, because there’s no doubt that Taylor Whitley is going to get better as a point guard as the season goes on,” Moren said. “Brittany [Schoen is] always going to give you great minutes, and [Kelsie] Cooley’s always going to give you those hustle minutes. We’ve got a lot to look forward to in Valley play.”
Deja Mattox has also brought aggressive play the last couple weeks, getting to the free-throw line with regularity and knocking down some outside shots.
While Cooley may be that glue type of player that brings it all together, Schoen can provide the same stability in the backcourt.
Schoen, whose average of 3.3 3-pointers per game ranks seventh in the nation, pointed out that the Sycamores have a chance to get off to a strong start in MVC action with three games at home. ISU plays Northern Iowa on Thursday, Bradley on Saturday and then Illinois State at home Jan. 8.
The Sycamores went 2-7 on the road last year in MVC play. A winning road record is typically the only way to earn a conference title.
A formidable task?
No doubt.
But Moren and her staff have this team heading in the right direction, with roles becoming more defined in recent weeks.
With a more mature team overall, a more resillient ISU should at least return to the top half of the conference standings in 2011.
Given to Fly
December 27, 2010
'Til It's Over: Sycamores ‘in a good place,’ but searching for more in MVC
- Given to Fly
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GIVEN TO FLY: ISU women have solid recruiting class
The caliber of athletes that the Indiana State women’s basketball coaching staff is bringing in is on an upswing.
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GIVEN TO FLY: Major leaguers John, Dorsett meet up at tonight’s game
Terre Haute’s only two big leaguers of the last 50 years — Tommy John and Brian Dorsett — will catch up with one another today.
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FOOT NOTES: Valley natives perform well on national stage
Several Wabash Valley natives continue to shine on the national track and field scene.
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'Til It's Over: Sycamores ‘in a good place,’ but searching for more in MVC
Can Teri Moren lift Indiana State, last year’s seventh-place team in the Missouri Valley Conference, to one of the league’s contenders in her first year on campus?
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'Til It's Over: Two sets of identical twins should keep North Central baseball a contender
The last high school baseball team standing in the Wabash Valley was the North Central, the Thunderbirds falling short 4-3 in the Class A Semistate on Saturday just one game shy of Victory Field.
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'Til It's Over: Jarvis, Anderson confident Olney, hard work leads to Division I dream
Olney, Ill., population 8,000-plus and known for its population of white squirrels, might not be the dream destination for high school basketball players in Indiana.
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'Til It's Over: Robinson 7-footer more focused in postseason; 6-foot Jones keeps producing
Robinson 7-footer Meyers Leonard is not going to be the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA some day, but his odds of reaching the league are pretty solid if his game continues to evolve as it has during high school.
- 'Til It's Over: ‘Stepping stone’ game points Sycamores in right direction Whether the win comes against a top-25 team or a conference pushover, ending a four-game losing streak is always a relief.
- 'Til It's Over: Indianapolis ISU recruit rolling along in senior season As Indiana State recruit Anna Munn approached Christmas with the Decatur Central basketball team, the senior guard didn’t seem to need much of a wishlist.
- 'Til It's Over: Magic’s still there for '79 Sycamores For the former Indiana State players who visited the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in late November, the weekend was a chance to relive memories with teammates and see Larry Bird’s career with the Sycamores celebrated again.
- CRAIG PEARSON: North has strong history in cross country state finals Vigo County is home to just four IHSAA state championships in team sports. Most recently, Terre Haute South won girls titles in basketball (2002) and tennis (2001).
- 'Till It's Over: It’s been rough year but no need to break up Cubs' core Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry is only in the first year of a three-year contract, and aren’t back-to-back division championships enough to keep him around despite this year’s season filled with bad luck?
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'Til It's Over: Hansbrough, Hibbert give Pacers glimpse of future
You might have heard of the Indiana Pacers’ 2009 first-round draft pick. He was on the television once in a while during his four-year career at North Carolina.
- 'Til It's Over: Bertoli, Moore put on show in abundance of events “Anthony and Erica” may not have the marketing capability of “Dan and Dave,” but neither of Indiana State’s outstanding multi-event participants had let-down performances this weekend in the Missouri Valley Conference Championships.
- ‘Walking wounded’: ISU seniors return to provide spark All three ISU seniors will graduate in May, and all three will be in uniform today as Indiana State battles Bradley in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament quarterfinals.
- Given to Fly: Northview standout runner Thacker coming to ISU Doc Brown told an old-timer in a saloon in “Back to the Future III” that despite having automobiles in the future people run for recreation.
- Given to Fly: Schilli’s Rodman-like performance aids ISU With Indiana State’s women’s basketball team ranking eighth in the Missouri Valley Conference in field-goal percentage (36.5), the Sycamores need as many shot attempts as possible to maintain their standing on top of the league.
- Given to Fly: A classic in every sense of the word What tournament director and co-founder Gary Fears had in mind when creating the tournament came to fruition Tuesday. Marshall, with an enrollment of 438 students, became the smallest school to win the Pizza Hut Wabash Valley Classic in the ninth season of the tourney.
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Given to Fly: ISU women should build confidence off strong outing
Indiana State did not pull off the monumental upset Saturday against No. 23 Kansas State, but the Wildcats are —aside from Connecticut in 2005 — the best team the Sycamores have played in the Jim Wiedie era.
- Given to Fly: ISU women's hoops team slides onto commercial radio Coach Jim Wiedie expects the Indiana State women’s basketball team to have a bit of a retro feel this season, meaning the Sycamores have the potential to get back to creating havoc with their full-court press.
- Given to Fly: ISU vets hope to prove pundits wrong Indiana State’s only two seniors were surprised to see they were picked ahead of just three Missouri Valley Conference women’s basketball teams Tuesday morning.
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Footnotes: In first marathon, former Sycamore comes out a winner
Indiana State graduate Dani Prince made her debut in the event with a victory in the Columbus Marathon on Sunday.
Prince’s goal was a time under 2 hours and 50 minutes, and she ran a 2:48.56. -
Given To Fly: ISU volleyball turning things around
It was an extremely busy weekend for Indiana State athletics this weekend.
- Footnotes: Here’s hoping perfect weather is still around for Nationals in November The weather made for a perfect fall afternoon Saturday at LaVern Gibson Championship Course. For what it’s worth, the Farmer’s Almanac calls for more sunny conditions from Nov. 20-24, with the NCAA Championships falling on the 24th this year.
- Terre Haute natives cherish memories of ‘House that Ruth Built’ Yankee Stadium was packed as usual on Easter Sunday in 1979. George Steinbrenner’s Yankees were one loss away from being swept by the Milwaukee Brewers to start the season. That was no way for the two-time defending World Series champions to perform, so the boss had a conversation with his new veteran left-handed starting pitcher prior to the game.
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Footnotes: Oregon men and women have strangehold on preseason NCAA cross countryrankings
The Oregon men and women were almost both unanimous picks as the No. 1 teams in the nation in the preseason cross country national rankings released recently.
- Given to Fly: Bronze medalist has strong ISU ties One of the remarkable American medalists of this 2008 Olympics thus far also provided one of the most sparkling stories in the brief history of the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course here in Terre Haute.
- Former ISU QB gets back to Amarillo This week, Indiana State signed its most highly-touted football prospect in years, and former quarterback Julian Reese is ripping it up for the Amarillo Dusters of Arena2.
- Indiana State track sending strong group to NCAA regional Three sophomore women and three senior men lead a large Indiana State contingent of track and field athletes into the NCAA Mideast Regional this weekend at Fayetteville, Ark.
- Given to Fly: Sycamores embracing underdog role at MVC Tournament The frustration of not living up to expectations can cause problems within any sports team, from the coach down to the players at the end of the bench.
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