Cougars are on the Rise

This is June Daugherty’s third year as Head Coach at Washington State. In the year before June arrived, the Cougars won 5 games and lost 24, winning only one conference game. In June’s first season the Cougars improved by one, winning 5 total and 2 conference games. However last season, June’s second in the Palouse, the Cougars won 11, lost 19 and went 4-14 in league play. This season they could challenge for the first division.

The former Stanford Assistant has won 330 games in her 20 year Head Coaching career, at a 56% win rate. She also has a built in Associate Head Coach of some acclaim, her husband Mike. All three Assistants and the support staff begin their 3rd season with June in Pullman.

First, what did the Cougars lose from last year? Well eight players is the simple answer. However this is very much a team on the rise. Four graduated and four did not return. However there are six newcomers to take the place of those who left.

The two Centers from last season, Ebonee Coates and Heather Molzen, both graduated. Top 3 Point shooter Katie Appleton also graduated. Coates and Molzen played some together, and they combined to average 44 minutes, 9 points and 11 rebounds per game. Appleton scored 8.5 points per game averaging 31 minutes per game and hit 35% of her Three’s, a total of 45.

Two who didn’t play at all are gone, Brynn Bemis who graduated, and Alexa Price.

Also gone from last year’s team are Jasmine Williams, who played 2 games, Salena Dickson, who played 38 minutes for the season, and Kezia Kelly who played as a reserve but did not start. Kelly’s case is quite interesting, she is from New Zealand and was
Pre med. She needed to finish her undergrad degree in New Zealand to get into Med School there.

Bottom line, some loses to graduation, and not earthshaking.

Having now been in Pullman for three years, and I’m sure has read the “How the Stanford Fast Break Club got Started” book by Harriett Benson, June has started the Cougar Pawz Club, a booster group.

On to this season. The Center position is big and young and talented. 6-5 Frosh Carly Noyes is the probable starter. Noyes could be a double, double type of player. Carly was a three time League MVP and played for a solid Travel team, the Spokane Stars. She’s aggressive, good footwork and can score.

Jessica Oestreicher, a 6-8 Soph will also play quite a bit at Center. She was held to only 18 games and only 8 minutes per game last year by a knee injury and the two Seniors ahead of her. She was ranked as high as # 25 and # 71 in the nation by two publications. She also missed her Jr year in High School with an ACL. As a Sr she was the Homecoming Queen. If her knees are fine, Jessica will be a big factor for the Cougs.

A third Center might enroll in January, Aussie Razz Muir, 6-4. She was not cleared to play by the NCAA to start the school year.

6-1 Soph Rosie Tarnowski will play the 4. Last year she debuted starting 20 games and averaging 7 points and 5 rebounds. Rosie had a high of 10 rebounds, and that should be her forte. Also at the 3 or 4 will be 6-0 Jr Katie Calderwood. She played little last season but as a Frosh the year before Katie started 20 games averaging 4.6 points and 4 rebounds per game.

Katie Madison is a 6-0 Jr who transferred from Idaho and sat out last season. Katie may well start, as a Soph at Idaho she averaged 14 points and 7 rebounds a game and as a frosh 19 points and 9 rebounds. Her high game was 35 points. Idaho is in the WAC, so she has a solid background.

Lexie Pettersen is a 6-1 Soph who played in every game last season. Amy Waltenburg is a 6-0 Sr who has walked on. She played two years in JC.

All this and you might wonder how is this a team on the rise? It’s the Guards. This is a team whose best players are quick, high scoring Guards. And they are young.

April Cook is a 5-8 Soph who led the team at 14 points per games. April shot 33% from Three while making 43 on the season. She was 5th in the Pac 10 in scoring, 7th in scoring among the Nation’s Frosh.

Danielle LeNoir, is a 5-6 Frosh, whose sister played the past four years for USC. Danielle played 17 minutes a game behind the graduated Appleton, and scored 4 points per game. We remember her when she made 3 Three’s against Stanford.

Jazmine Perkins is a 5-10 Soph who started every game last season scoring 14 points per game, and added 2 steals per game. Like Cook she needs to take care of the ball, Perkins had 4 turnovers per game, Cook 2.5. Perkins did lead the Cougs with 2.6 assists per game.

5-8 Frosh KiKi Moore comes from the fabled Scared Heart Cathedral High School and might move right in as the Point Guard. Moore was All State, Top 100 in the Nation, and as a Sr in High School averaged 16 points, 10 rebounds, 7 steals and 6 assists per game. KiKi could bring the stability, even as a frosh, this team needs.

Two other Guards are 5-8 Soph Katie Grad and 5-9 Frosh Ireti Amojo. Grad suffered a foot injury and didn’t play last season. As a High School Sr she was named by one newspaper as the State of Washington Player of the Year while scoring 21 points grabbing 11 rebounds and adding 5 steals per game. Amojo is from Germany but spent a year as an exchange student playing with Katie Grad at a Washington High School. Amojo has already played for the German National 16U, 18U and 20U teams.

Washington State is guard oriented with some very big post players. They play Kansas State and Nebraska early, so we should see how they mesh. The remainder of the pre- season schedule is pretty easy, so it’s very possible, really probable, that the Cougars will open the Pac 10 season with a winning record.