UW May Show More Than Meets The Eye
Women’s basketball notes
Eastern Washington coach Heidi VanDerveer would have loved to have watched Washington play Gonzaga Wednesday night at GU given the fact that her Eagles head to Seattle Saturday for a 7 p.m. contest against the Huskies.
However, NCAA rules prohibit coaches from scouting opponents live, so some of her players went instead.
But even if she were there, VanDerveer realizes that what she might have seen from Washington Wednesday isn’t what she and her team will face Saturday.
“They’re at home now and they will be a little more comfortable over there,” VanDerveer said.
However, against Eastern Washington, the Huskies have a history of being comfortable. Washington owns a 13-1 record against EWU with an average margin of victory of 18 points. Eastern’s only win in the series was an 80-68 victory during the 1979-80 season.
Unfortunately for the Eagles, they won’t have the services of former University High star Nicole King.
King’s been practicing at nearly full-strength for the past two weeks, but she isn’t scheduled to return to game action for the first time in a year until the Washington State game next week. King, a 5-foot-11 forward, ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee five games into last season.
“She’s actually looking pretty good,” Vanderveer said. “She could have a good impact on our team.”
If King can return close to the form she had when she went down, VanDerveer would have a frontline of King at 5-11; Rachel Ferguson, 6-4; Kristy Missall, 6-1; Shae Olson, 6-3; Elicia Sloan, 5-11; and Tina Smith, 6-0.
WSU notes
It’s become an annual ritual for Washington State coach Harold Rhodes. This season, it hit a little bit earlier than usual.
Another season-ending injury has hit the Cougars, with center Amy Saneholtz this season’s first victim.
Saneholtz underwent surgery last week to repair the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in her left knee she injured Nov. 22 while the Cougars were in Hawaii.
The injury bug has no stranger to WSU in the ‘90s.
Last year, Laura Wilder played five games before tearing the ACL in her left knee, and freshman Felesia Fode played three games before undergoing surgery to correct patellar tendonitis.
In 1993-94, Adrienne Keith redshirted with a stress fracture. The year before, Saneholtz redshirted after five games, having suffered numerous ankle sprains. That same season, Angie Peterson suffered a season-ending eye injury.
In 1991-92, Susie Jarosch tore ligaments in her left knee and was lost for the year. Also, Andrea Wood redshirted after surgeons repaired two old meniscus tears in her left knee. Later, she gave up basketball with a degenerative hip.
Over the years, the personnel losses have forced Rhodes to shuffle his lineups like a deck of cards.
Without Saneholtz, Kristin Erickson has moved from power forward to center, Ruff from small-forward to power-forward, Julie Wight from shooting-guard to small-forward and Kelli Kronberger from the bench to the shooting-guard spot. Jade Hyett is the point guard.
Now there is concern about Kronberger, who has missed a lot of practice because of a stiff back.
, DataTimes