Ivy League Sports

By Gordon Morton, Dartmouth College

They have their Ivy championship rings and NCAA tournament watches, but they want more. They have the experience. They have the desire. If they can put it all together, this could be a special season for the Dartmouth women's basketball team.

For the first time since the 1994-95 season, Coach Chris Wielgus will lead an Ivy championship team that returns with its nucleus intact to defend its crown. That squad went on to win a second consecutive Ivy title before falling to Virginia by three points in the NCAA tournament. After the 1998-99 Big Green team won the Ivy title, the 1999-00 squad turned in an encore performance that was even better - that team won 20 games and lost by only four points to Purdue in the NCAA tournament. This year's team seeks to do one better - capture another championship in the highly competitive Ivy League and win a first round NCAA game. The challenge has been issued and now it is time to see if the Big Green is ready to answer the call.

Ivy Player of the Year candidate Elise Morrison is the focus of the Big Green attack up front. Since opposing defenses concentrate primarily on her, the 6-4 Morrison has become more adept at recognizing the double teams and finding her open teammates for easy shots. This type of unselfish play between the inside game and the outside shooters creates a great balance to the Dartmouth offense, making it difficult for opposing coaches to devise a way to stop the Big Green attack.

“Elise is very offensively gifted and versatile. She's a terrific team player and her ability to pass and find the open shooters is very important to our offense,” said Wielgus. “Elise's skills are going to shine even more this year now that we have more depth up front. It will allow us to give her a rest when we need to and to give her some help on defense and on the boards.”

Joining Morrison up front is senior power forward Krista Perry, who enjoyed a breakthrough season last year. “Krista is our unsung hero,” praised Wielgus.

“She is extremely smart on the court and does all of the little things well. She is an overachieving player who has this fire inside her that is contagious.”

Sophomore Sydney Scott, a unanimous choice to the Ivy League All-Rookie team last season, is one of the top young post players in the conference.

“Sydney is just a force inside. She is physical and has a great deal of confidence,” said Wielgus.

Two newcomers, Darcy Rose, a 6-2 forward from Fort Collins, Colo., and Amanda Young, a 6-3 center from South Glastonbury, Conn., bring much-needed size to the frontcourt.

“Darcy is a good athlete who has the size and speed we've been looking for at the forward position. She is mentally and physically tough and will be counted on as a defensive specialist for us,” predicted Wielgus. “Amanda is good facing the basket. She has good size and is a good shooter, but she just needs time to adjust to the physicality of the game at the Division I level,” said Wielgus.

Splitting time between the frontcourt and backcourt is small forward/combination guard Ashley Taylor. One of the most versatile players in the Ivy League, Taylor ranked eighth in the conference in scoring, 15th in rebounding and eighth in assists and earned second team All-Ivy accolades.

“Ashley's speed and athleticism are very important to this team. She is a great defender and a good rebounder despite her size. Offensively, she is a slasher and a great three-point shooter. She is a hard-working player and a terrific competitor,” praised Wielgus.

It takes a pair of great guards to carry a team and Dartmouth has arguably the best combination in the Ivy League with seniors Angie Soriaga and Jeannie Cullen. Both have started since their freshman year and both earned All-Ivy honors during their sophomore and junior seasons.

“Angie is in a class by herself,” said Wielgus. “She is innately talented and has a great sense of the game. She really stepped up her game last year and she should be even more dangerous this season as she continues to develop into more of a scoring threat.”

Soriaga's backcourt partner Cullen has already been a prolific scorer for the Big Green and registered her 1,000th career point last year.

“Jeannie has also worked hard to diversify her game,” added Wielgus. “Her outside shooting is important to our concept of a balanced attack and her ability to rebound from the guard position is crucial.”

Junior Fatima Kamara is a tough defender and rebounder who can play either guard position.

“Fatima is a gifted athlete and she had a banner year for us last year. She's physically strong and a great penetrator. We're lucky. She's the type of athlete that a lot of programs in the Ivy League don't have.”

With all five starters and ten letterwinners returning from a championship team, most pundits would seem ready to hand Dartmouth the Ivy crown, but Wielgus isn't about to believe her own press just yet.

“This is the third time I've had everyone back from a championship team. It happened once at Fordham also. And even with all of those factors known, there's still so much you can't predict. Each team takes on its own personality and defines its own season. They're going to be challenged by teams like Houston and Texas A&M and N.C. State and we'll see what they're made of. I'm excited about coaching them.

“We've got a big target on our back and in order to survive the onslaught of teams trying to dethrone the champion, we're going to have to be mentally and physically tough. Our goal at the end of the season is not just to win the championship, but to be deserving of the championship. That's our goal.”