SVEN ALSKOG
Staff Writer
It has been a successful run so far at Idaho State University for women’s basketball coach Seton Sobolewski, leading the Bengals to the NCAA tournament in 2012 and the NIT in 2013, with both teams being primarily veteran groups.
This season, the story is a little different.
Numerous freshman and sophomores will be relied on to help lead the team back to another solid season.
Looking to help make it a smooth transition into big minutes for the younger players on the team will be a senior class of five players, led by guards Lindsey Reed and Kara Jenkins. Developing the mindset that is needed to reach their goals is something that the Bengals will be working on in the non-conference games to start the season.
“Preseason play will really help us,” said Jenkins. “It will push us to the limits. With us returning upperclassmen, we are trying to spread the knowledge that we are all good enough to be here and we will win some games.”
Some of the players that will step into larger roles this season include junior Rebecca Schrimpsher and sophomore Anna Lee Policicchio, while incoming freshmen Kyndall Adams and Sherise Porchia will also have the opportunity to help continue the strong recent run for ISU women’s basketball.
“Our young people have looked good,” said Sobolewski. “We have got potential if we can tighten things up a little bit.”
With a relatively young team, it helps to have a good core group, something that the five returning seniors will bring.
Both Jenkins and Reed will be expected to contribute double-digit scoring totals on a regular basis.
“With Lindsey and myself, we are trying to be leading scorers on this team,” said Jenkins.
The Bengals are looking to focus a heavy portion of their efforts on the defensive side of the ball in the early non-conference games.
“We need a better mental sharpness on the defensive side of the ball,” said Sobolewski.
During the exhibition game with the University of Mary, the Bengals trailed 35-31 at the half. They were able to come back in the second half thanks in large part to an increased emphasis on defense, leading to easy transition baskets on their way to outscoring the visitors 44-19 in the second half.
“I think we realized that isn’t how we play ISU basketball,” said Schrimpsher. “Coach let us know that the way we played in that first half was not how we represent ISU and that we needed to play harder. We have to come out like we did in the second half of that game for the whole game.”
The non-conference schedule for the Bengals consists of just two home games in the month of November, with none in December. ISU will head out on the road for seven games with quality competition, hoping to use that time on the road to gel as a unit.
“It’s hard to get people to come [to Reed Gym] to play because we have been so good here,” said Sobolewski. “We will need to be road warriors in this non-conference schedule.”
Over the next couple of months, the Bengals will venture to Illinois, Oklahoma, Utah and Iowa as a result of their travel-heavy schedule.
Sobolewski has hopes that this team will be able to handle the challenges that come with the difficult schedule, knowing that the future is bright for this team once everyone gets up to speed. As has been the case over the last few years, ISU women’s basketball looks to be a force to be reckoned with in the Big Sky yet again this season.
