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Show November 7, 2000 7 - The Forum Photo Courtesy of the Communications Office Photo Courtesy of the Communications Office Mitch Montgomery, Todd Christensen, Micah Peterson Front Row: Tommy Jensen, Mark Mawhinne, Cory Carlston, Brad Wilden, Front Row: Jennifer Jarvie, Stephanie Self, Brooke Neeley, Amy Jensen, Ashlee Grange, Dana Voorhees, Misty Griffiths Back Row: Head Coach Tommy Connor, Coach Steinke, Dave Nielsen, Mick Buroker, Brad Bentley, Josh Davis, Ben Rajamaki, Enoch Dahl ,Matt Sparrow, Charlie lorg, Isaac Butler, Coach Gaskins, Coach Phillips Back Row: Jessica Richter, Shelby Wingo, Angie Bohnam, Katie Bradshaw, Rachael Patterson, Rebekah Steenblik, Shari Kelsch, Jaclyn Walker, Lesley Shaw, Head Coach Daron Park Voorhees, Brooke Neeley, Amy Jensen and Katie Bradshaw. To get ready for the new season. Park found it important to find transfer students to come and provide the leadership and experience of previous college level players. In response to this. Park brought in five transfer students. Lesley Shaw from Salt Lake Community College, Ashlee Grange from Colorado Northwest Community College, Jaclyn Walker from Albertson College, Misty Griffiths from Dixie College and Shelby Wingo from Butte Community College. High school recruits include Jennifer Jarvie from Manila High School, Stephanie Self from Grant High School, Jessica Richter from Alta High School, Rachael Patterson from Bountiful High School and Rebekah Steenblik from Olympus High School. In recruiting the new players to the team. Coach Park focused on finding players with ties to Salt Lake. Only two players come from out of state, and Grange, who previously attended college in Colorado, actually went to high school at Alta. To start a new season and a relatively new program, Park has been working on many things. "I think my biggest goal coming into the season was for us to consistently give a great effort," said Park. Park also said, "In a way it has been a bit challang-in- g because I am also making the transition from men's to women's basketball." The differences have not been very large, but they still needed to be taken into account. Park said, "I've been spending the summer and the fall trying to learn those differences and at the same time trying to develop a relationship with the athletes so they have an idea of what to expect from me." Despite the personal difficulty of moving from men's to women's. Park has seen improvements with the team. To prepare for their season, the women have scrimmaged against five teams at the UVSC Jamboree, SLCC and Dixie. Comments were positive, and several people said they "felt as though they the team is much improved over last year." Park credited it to the hard work the women put in during the summer and in the fall thus far. Leading scorer Kelsch also contributed to the team by shooting .652 from the line, averaging 7.6 rebounds per game, and 24 steals. Kelsch transfered from UVSC, and is currently a senior at Westminster majoring in social science. She transferred to continue to play basketball, and because Westminster has a good academic program. 'We are way better than last year," said Kelsch. Her enthusiasm for the upcoming season is apparent, and highlights that the team has learned many new skills from their new coach, has learned to play better together as a team, and they have more experienced players and dedication. On her contributions to the team, Kelsch says that she is a "wild person" on the floor, and can help with her positive attitude and encouragement to the rest of her teammates. Kelsch will also be counted on to help the team in scoring. Last year she shot .376 from the field. The consistency Park looks for on the team can be seen in Kelsch's play on the court. Lesley Shaw transferred to Westminster after attending SLCC for two years. Shaw came here because she enjoyed the atmosphere of the college. She also thought that it would be a great opportunity to help develop the fairly new program. Shaw knew there were going to be good junior college transfers at Westminster, and she could see the potential on the team. Shaw believes that she and the rest of the junior college transfers will be able to bring experience to the young team at Westminster. Currently she has two years of experience on a college level that many of the returning players and freshman do not possess. Her "love and enthusiasm for the game" will also benefit the team because she will work hard everyday to better herself and the team. In addition to the hard work and determination by the women of the team, improvements also take the form of their new and permanent coach. Daron Park was previously assistant coach to Tommy Connor, and at the end of last year was appointed as the new head coach for the women's team. Coach Park is very enthusiastic about his new position. 'To be a head coach at age 29 is an unbelievable dream come true. And to work with these gals, it just exceeded my expectations. They truly are wonderful human beings, and they are great students in the classroom," said Park. Before heading the women's basketball team. Park learned many things under the instruction of Head Coach Tommy Connor. On his year with Connor, Park said, "There's no way I would be prepared enough to be a head coach if I wouldn't have had that year with him. I would have been thrilled to have 2 or 3 more years with him because he's a wonderful teacher of the game. He really prepared me to step into this position and feel confident and comfortable as a head coach now." Kelsch and Shaw have a lot of respect for their new coach. "He's the best things that could happen to us," said Kelsch. Shaw gives Park a lot of credit for the work he has done to improve the program at Westminster. She knows that it has been a challenge to switch from men's to women's basketball, and he has adjusted very well to the situation. The new seasons for the men's and women's basketball teams will certainly be a treat for all the spectators that attend the games. The players have been working hard to get ready for the upcoming season, and their committment and passion for the game will make the events that much more exciting for those present. For students who want to be more involved with the teams and their success by providing added encouragement, Sean Lee is currently organizing the "6th Man Club" to support the basketball teams. To be involved in this group, members pay a small fee and To help the team, this club to help receive a raise the spirit of both the crowd and the players. To attend a Weestminster basketball game, prices are minimal. For a Westminster College student with an ID card, no fee is charged. Students from other colleges and universities interested in attending are only set back $3. Faculty of the college can receive two tickets with their ID, and families can receive family passes. A family pass is $12 and admitts up to 10 family members. Season passes are also available. For more ticket information call 832-234- 2. With the new talent present on the teams, and the hard work put forward by the players, you don't want to miss the new basketball season. Come out and support a fellow Griffin. According to Matt Swallow, the team would like unconditional support and just telling him and his fellow teammates "Good Job." |