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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Blue-Chip Freshmen Look Solid In UI Gold

Jim Meehan Staff Writer

Susan Woolf was leading the fast break and Alli Nieman was sprinting down the wing in an exhibition game. Woolf looked left, dished right and Nieman scored an easy layup.

Who says you can’t see into the future?

The University of Idaho women’s basketball outlook is bright, in part because of these two blue-chip freshmen making noise in the preseason who could orchestrate scads of wins in their careers.

“One play, my assistant Kate (Rue) watched Woolf do something and she reached over, grabbed my arm and said, ‘Nice job recruiting, coach,”’ head coach Julie Holt said.

Indeed. Woolf, a point guard, and Nieman, a forward, were the best high school players in their states. Schools such as Oregon and Washington State sought Nieman. Woolf was wooed out of Andover, Kan., by Florida State, Kansas State and Mississippi State, among others.

Why’d they choose a program that hasn’t had a winning season since 1992 and is 13-39 the last two years?

For Nieman, Idaho allowed her to stay close to her hometown of Sandpoint. Also, UI encouraged Nieman to play basketball and volleyball. Other schools only tolerated the idea.

“A couple of schools said if I wanted to play both they’d drop me,” said Nieman, who has scored 20 and 21 points in two exhibition games. “Idaho was the only place I could play both sports and it wouldn’t be a struggle.”

For Woolf, it was a matter of a familiar voice and a convincing recruiting trip.

“When I first listened to coach Holt, she left a message on my machine, and the way she talked and her enthusiasm sounded just like my high school coach,” Woolf said. “I made the campus visit and knew pretty much then.”

Woolf’s parents made their own campus visit. “They really liked it, too, but they wanted to stay low-key and not persuade my decision,” Susan said. “After I signed, they pulled out all these Idaho T-shirts they’d bought, so I felt pretty good that I’d made the right decision.”

Holt, who rebuilt Gonzaga’s program before taking over a struggling UI team three years ago, sold the pair on what she hopes Idaho will become, not what it has been.

“We want to win the Big West and go to the (NCAA) Tournament,” Holt said. “We have a five-year plan and we’re right where we planned to be.”

Nieman and Woolf played against each other at AAU tournaments.

“Right before we both decided to come here, we talked on the phone,” Nieman recalled. “We both kinda were like, ‘Well, I’ll go here if you go here.”’

Nieman, 6-foot-1 with inside and outside skills, already is in the starting lineup. She redshirted in volleyball, though coach Tom Hilbert said she could have made immediate contributions.

“Since I redshirted in volleyball, I worked a little more on basketball stuff,” Nieman said. “As soon as Oct. 15th hit, it was straight basketball.”

Nieman led Sandpoint to second place at state last year, setting a record with 80 points in three tourney games.

For the first time since eighth grade AAU, Woolf isn’t a starter. UI has two senior point guards in Ari Skorpik and Jill Ortner.

“Both of our seniors do a nice job, so the pressure is off Susan to some degree,” Holt said. “If she beats out Ari, she beats her out. I don’t know that it’s going to happen, but it’s great for Susan to be able to mentor under Ari.”

Woolf is more of a points guard than a point guard. She scored 51 in a high school game as a freshman. She averaged 29 points during four years and made 297 3-pointers.

“My coach gave me the green light to shoot from outside,” said Woolf, who honed her game playing against her twin brother.

The presence of the two USA Today All-Americans has somewhat overshadowed the rest of the recruits. The freshmen class also has 6-4 center Natalie Weeks from Pullman. She’s a probable redshirt. Suzy Goss, 5-11 from Boise, might have been starting at wing, but she suffered a broken neck in a diving accident last summer. She should find out next month if she’ll be able to play basketball again.

Holt plucked forwards Kathryn Gussett and Lauren Newman from the JC ranks.

Nieman and Woolf have high hopes this year, though Idaho steps into the Big West, which should be more competitive than the Big Sky.

“We’ve got seven new players. When everybody gets used to each other, we’re going to be pretty good,” Nieman said.

“Coach Holt told me she’s rebuilding the program and each year we’re getting better,” Woolf said. “I know she was really excited to sign Alli and myself.”

For good reason.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Idaho women’s basketball roster Name Pos. Ht. Yr. Hometown Jill Ortner G 5-5 Sr. Kettle Falls Kelli Johnson F/C 5-10 Jr. Moscow, Idaho Kathryn Gussett F 5-11 Jr. Susanville, Calif. Susan Woolf G 5-6 Fr. Andover, Kan. Ari Skorpik G 5-5 Sr. Kennewick Melisa McDaniel G 5-7 Jr. Grandview, Idaho Lauren Newman F 6-1 Jr. Oxnard, Calif. Michelle Greenwood F/C 6-0 Sr. Spokane Alli Nieman F 6-1 Fr. Sandpoint Sarah Blakley F 5-10 Soph. Boise Jennifer Stone C 6-2 Soph. Craigmont, Idaho

Schedule (All times Pacific) Date Opponent Time Nov. 8 vs. Simon Fraser (exhibition) Loss, 65-53 Nov. 16 vs. Alumni (exhibition) Win, 100-73 Nov. 22 vs. Sacramento State 7 Nov. 24 vs. Loyola Marymount 2 Nov. 29 at Saint Mary’s Tournament (vs. New Mexico) 5:30 Nov. 30 at Saint Mary’s Tournament 5:30 or 7:30 Dec. 6 University Inn Vandal Tournament 7 Dec. 7 University Inn Vandal Tournament 5 or 7 Dec. 10 at Washington State 7 Dec. 13 vs. Eastern Washington 7 Dec. 15 vs. Pepperdine 2 Dec. 20 at Eastern Washington 7 Jan. 2 at Gonzaga 7 Jan. 4 at Portland 7 Jan. 10 at Nevada 7 Jan. 17 vs. Pacific 7 Jan. 19 at Boise State 1 Jan. 23 vs. New Mexico State 7 Jan. 25 vs. North Texas 7 Jan. 31 at Cal State-Fullerton 7 Feb. 2 at UC-Irvine 7 Feb. 7 vs. UC-Santa Barbara 7 Feb. 9 vs. Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo 2 Feb. 16 vs. Nevada 2 Feb. 19 at Long Beach State 7:30 Feb. 23 vs. Boise State 2 Feb. 27 at North Texas 3 March 1 at New Mexico State 4 March 5-8 at Big West Tournament (Reno) TBA

This sidebar appeared with the story: Idaho women’s basketball roster Name Pos. Ht. Yr. Hometown Jill Ortner G 5-5 Sr. Kettle Falls Kelli Johnson F/C 5-10 Jr. Moscow, Idaho Kathryn Gussett F 5-11 Jr. Susanville, Calif. Susan Woolf G 5-6 Fr. Andover, Kan. Ari Skorpik G 5-5 Sr. Kennewick Melisa McDaniel G 5-7 Jr. Grandview, Idaho Lauren Newman F 6-1 Jr. Oxnard, Calif. Michelle Greenwood F/C 6-0 Sr. Spokane Alli Nieman F 6-1 Fr. Sandpoint Sarah Blakley F 5-10 Soph. Boise Jennifer Stone C 6-2 Soph. Craigmont, Idaho

Schedule (All times Pacific) Date Opponent Time Nov. 8 vs. Simon Fraser (exhibition) Loss, 65-53 Nov. 16 vs. Alumni (exhibition) Win, 100-73 Nov. 22 vs. Sacramento State 7 Nov. 24 vs. Loyola Marymount 2 Nov. 29 at Saint Mary’s Tournament (vs. New Mexico) 5:30 Nov. 30 at Saint Mary’s Tournament 5:30 or 7:30 Dec. 6 University Inn Vandal Tournament 7 Dec. 7 University Inn Vandal Tournament 5 or 7 Dec. 10 at Washington State 7 Dec. 13 vs. Eastern Washington 7 Dec. 15 vs. Pepperdine 2 Dec. 20 at Eastern Washington 7 Jan. 2 at Gonzaga 7 Jan. 4 at Portland 7 Jan. 10 at Nevada 7 Jan. 17 vs. Pacific 7 Jan. 19 at Boise State 1 Jan. 23 vs. New Mexico State 7 Jan. 25 vs. North Texas 7 Jan. 31 at Cal State-Fullerton 7 Feb. 2 at UC-Irvine 7 Feb. 7 vs. UC-Santa Barbara 7 Feb. 9 vs. Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo 2 Feb. 16 vs. Nevada 2 Feb. 19 at Long Beach State 7:30 Feb. 23 vs. Boise State 2 Feb. 27 at North Texas 3 March 1 at New Mexico State 4 March 5-8 at Big West Tournament (Reno) TBA