Hoping for another great year

Gino Terrell, Senior Reporter

Head coach Kerri Stockwell said the team looks to build upon last season’s momentum, when they made a playoff appearance.

“The expectations of the team are playoffs and beyond,” Stockwell said. “The returners are really determined…that’s something we want to go after.”

Stockwell said the team is relatively young with only four upperclassmen on the roster, but the Pipers will be down to three active, due to the injury of senior point guard Je’Naya Brown.

Brown is undergoing rehab to make an attempt to return later this season. Although Brown hasn’t been on the court, Stockwell recognizes the impact she has on the team from the sidelines.

“[Brown] is with us at practice, provides good leadership and instruction for the new players,” Stockwell said.

On the court, junior Jordan Sammons has led the team in scoring to start the season. She was also named the MIAC Women’s Basketball Athlete of the Week after scoring 35 points to open the season against Northwestern (MN) and recording a double-double, that same week she scored 30 points and recorded 12 rebounds against Gustavus.

“Jordan is definitely a leader on the court for us,” Stockwell said. “She provides that spark on both the offensive and defensive ends.”

Stockwell elaborated that Sammons’ work ethic ignites the younger player’s performance at practice and during the games because they feed off the energy she brings.

“It just makes the people around her better and that’s the key thing,” she said.

Stockwell explained that the team is working on their offensive continuity and playing aggressive defense. She’s looking for the team to pick up the pace on offense to play bring an up-tempo element to their style of play.

This year the team is undersized just as it was last year, but Stockwell said the defense will focus on being aggressive and forcing turnovers.

“Last year defensively we really got after it,” she said. “It’s really getting in there and wreaking havoc for the other teams.”

Even though it’s early in the season Stockwell already likes what she sees in the team.

“I’m very excited for this year. There’s obviously a lot of new faces and new energy,” she said. “It’s just a good overall group of kids because they’re working extremely hard. Very good talent, it’s just a matter of being younger [and having] time to mesh and get some experience going forward.”