At the end of each season, there is only one team – the national champion – that ends its season with the ultimate prize.
For the rest of the nation, there are two options: stand pat and trust that talent alone will help the team advance, or get to work and try to improve to reach that next level.
The Nebraska women’s basketball team is certainly part of the latter category. Nebraska coach Connie Yori said every player on the team has shown improvement in some areas.
“We’re really excited about what our players did in the offseason to make the step,” Yori said.
Last season, the Huskers posted just a 15-16 record but still managed to make their sixth-consecutive postseason appearance. Injuries played a factor in keeping NU from reaching their full potential.
“We played really thin last year,” Yori said. “We were depleted because of injuries, which meant that we had to play some kids for bigger minutes than we would have liked. Now, we’re in a position where we can be more selective in who we’re playing based on how they’re producing for us.”
The most devastating of those losses was a foot injury that kept senior forward Kelsey Griffin off the court for the entire season. Griffin, a two-time All-Big 12 first team selection, redshirted and is healthy for this season.
“Any time you have a player of her caliber back in the lineup, not only is she bringing points and rebounds and a lot of other things from a skill standpoint, but she also gives confidence to our team that I felt was missing a year ago,” Yori said. “She’s one of the best players in the country.”
Griffin is one of six Cornhusker seniors this year, a deep, experienced group that’s also led by forward Cory Montgomery and guard Yvonne Turner, a two-time first team All-Big 12 defender.
“This group is experienced and has enough talent to provide good leadership for us,” Yori said. “I think we’ve got a big group of leaders and a lot of talent in that group.”
NU will also be counting on contributions from its younger players, including freshman point guard Lindsey Moore. The 2009 Gatorade Washington High School Player of the Year started the team’s two exhibition games, victories over Pittsburgh State and the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
“Lindsey has tremendous poise as a point guard for such a young player,” Yori said. “She has a way of finding people and making it easier for her teammates. She’s going to be a good one for us.”
Moore enters her first collegiate season with more experience than the typical freshman. She was one of 27 players invited to the USA Basketball Women’s U19 National Team Trials in Colorado Springs, Colo., last May.
Moore said the experience has made the transition from high school to college smoother.
“I wasn’t just thrown into it and said ‘OK, here you go,’ when I got to college,” Moore said. “It was a fluid transition, playing against people (in the tournament) I might be playing against in college on a regular basis.”
The Huskers open the season against Davidson on Friday with hopes of improving on last season’s win total and advancing deeper into the postseason.
“As far as a team, obviously we want to get to the Big Dance and go deep into the tournament,” Moore said. “We also want to have a really good Big 12 tournament going into that.”
With an offseason of work behind them, the Huskers have put themselves in position to accomplish both of those goals.
danhoppen@dailynebraskan.com
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