Women’s Basketball: Report card time

By Scott Lepp

Talent: A

The University of Calgary Women’s basketball team is entering Christmas break with a record of 8-2; good enough for a share of first place in the Canada West standings with the nation’s top-ranked team, the University of Victoria Vikings. The 2000/01 Dinos are absolutely stacked with talent, possibly more so than last year’s squad. They combine a deadly starting lineup with a very solid bench.

Performance: A

Star forward Leighann Doan is leading the CIAU in scoring with 20.8 ppg and is currently sitting in fifth place in rebounding with 7.6 rpg. Helping Doan take care of the scoring is fourth-year guard Jennifer Goldade who averages 9.0 PPG With Doan taking care of most of the scoring in the post, the Dinos also have some high-calibre perimeter players. Sarah Williams and Rena Carriere are constant threats from the outside with their exceptional three-point strokes. The ball handling is done mainly by point guards Linnae Bee and Natalie Hudec.

Effort: A

The Dinos are out to prove something this year and are right on pace to tie last year’s record of 16 wins and four losses. Calgary travelled to Winnipeg in early November and suffered a disappointing two-point loss that could have been a set back, but the team rebounded and defeated the University of Winnipeg the following day and then disposed the rival University of Alberta in two straight games. The next weekend they upset the nation’s second-ranked team, the University of Manitoba Bisons. This accomplishment pushed the Dinos into fourth place in the CIAU.

Coaching: A

The Dinos games are fast paced and exciting to watch. My high school basketball coach always said that it was best for a team to improve throughout the season and hit their peak by the playoffs. Coach Harle’s Dinos look to be doing just that as they are now primed for the second half of the season and are steadily improving.

Overall: A

The team has the talent, depth and discipline to duplicate or better last year’s performance. With all this in mind, I predict a run at the national championship game.

Food this team makes me think of: Prime rib. Alberta Grade-A prime rib. High quality, but still accessible to the general public.