FIGHTING TIGER WOMEN BASKETBALL EYES SUCCESSFUL 2006-07 CAMPAIGN

Coming off back-to-back twenty-win seasons the SUNY Cobleskill women’s basketball program enters the 2006-07 campaign with guarded optimism and a fresh approach. With the departure of two-time NJCAA All-American forward Dee Dee Smith and All-Region III center Crystal Ferrer the Fighting Tigers will look to speed things up rather than slug things out like the 2005-06 version of the team which advanced to the NJCAA Region III Division III Semifinals after posting a 24-5 record during the year.

“Long gone are the days of giving the ball to Dee Dee Smith and watching her take over,” lamented Fighting Tiger Head Coach Josh Suttles. “This year we’re going to be a completely different team than we’ve been the past two seasons. We’re going to run more this year and we have a new offense we’ve installed. Certainly our defense is once again going to have to be one of our strong points this season. We’ve got some people completing fall sports so we’re going to need some time to get acclimated and there is a tremendous learning curve to deal with. However we’ve got good leadership with eight returning seniors and we’re going to do some unconventional things this year offensively. Hopefully sometime after Thanksgiving we’ll be hitting our stride.”

There is balanced scoring among the returning Fighting Tigers as senior guard Erinn O’Rourke, South Glens Falls, NY, South Glens Falls High School, leads the attack after averaging 7.2 points, 2.6 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game as a freshman. O’Rourke will be joined by senior long distance shooting ace guard/forward Kim Stahl, Scotia, NY, Scotia-Glenville High School, who averaged 7.4 points and 2.3 rebounds per contest. Upfront bruising forward Kim McMillen, Greenville, NY, Greenville High School, should improve upon her 5.8 point per game and 7.0 rebounds per game averages while senior point guard Meghan Smida, Cobleskill, NY, Cobleskill-Richmondville High School, will bring energy off the bench after averaging 5.0 points and 2.1 assists per game during her rookie campaign. Additional help will come from senior guard Tanisha McClinton, Poughkeepsie, NY, Poughkeepsie High School, who returns from a freshman season shortened due to academic probation which saw her average 9.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game.  

Of the newcomers, senior shooting guard Andrea Piedigrossi, Cortland, NY, Cortland High School, will take the court after a pair of injury filled years and should give the Fighting Tigers solid offensive play from the perimeter. Freshman forward April Ackermann, Cochecton, NY, Sullivan West High School, will also eventually join the line-up bringing Cobleskill an inside/outside scoring threat and some defensive presence on the interior.

With the season close at hand Coach Suttles sees his team’s versatility as its major strength and its main difference from his past Cobleskill squads.

“We’re hoping to be a more multi-dimensional offensive team this year which is not going to allow opposing defenses to key on one specific person. Sharing the basketball is going to be one of the keys to a successful season for us. This year it could take us some time to get going and I’ve told our players that the difference between a 10 win season and a 20 win season will rest entirely with them.”

The Fighting Tigers will open the 2006 season on Saturday November 2nd when they host the Cougars of Clinton Community College beginning at 3:00 PM at the Iorio Gymnasium located on the SUNY Cobleskill campus in Bouck Hall. Admission to all Fighting Tiger regular season home games it free of charge to the public.