Fresh off of one of the most successful seasons in program history, the Saint Mary’s basketball team will look to continue to climb to the top of the MIAA standings and show that they are contenders for a conference title in 2010.
After posting eight new school records last season and finishing second in the MIAA for their highest-ever placing, fourth-year head coach Jenn Henley will keep the ball rolling in a positive direction. She will look to a strong returning core from last year’s squad and some key newcomers this year to fill the void left by the graduation of four seniors. The meshing of the experienced and new players alike will help solidify the Belles as one of the top teams in the league.
Among those top returners are senior Anna Kammrath, junior Liz Wade, and sophomores Patsy Mahoney and Kelley Murphy. Kammrath, the lone senior on the team, will be the veteran vocal leader for the Belles while coming into the season with 598 rebounds, the fourth-highest in school history. The senior has also averaged more than eight points per game over the past three seasons.
Last season, Wade emerged as one of the top point guards on both sides of the court as she led the team in assists and steals. She was also among the conference’s leaders in both categories, which helped her to garner MIAA Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Mahoney and Murphy, meanwhile, had breakout freshman seasons for the Belles in 2008-09. Mahoney and Murphy are the top two returning scorers from last season’s team that nearly scored 1,900 points. The pair of sophomores along with Kammrath accounted for more than 690 points a year ago.
The experienced veterans coupled with talented newcomers will be looked upon to propel Saint Mary’s into the top of the MIAA in 2009-10 as the Belles look to claim the College’s first conference basketball title.
