Nov. 20, 2009

Optimism is running high around the Johns Hopkins women's basketball team entering the 2009-10 season. After all, the Blue Jays rallied from a tough start last season to win 13 of their final 19 games and advanced to the Centennial Conference Championship game for the 11th time in school history.

Head coach Nancy Funk returns three starters, four of her top six scorers, four of her top five rebounders and one of the premier players in the league in junior Lyndsay Burton. The Blue Jays may just have what it takes to reclaim their spot at the top of the league.

Burton is the focal point of the returning core as she earned First Team All-Centennial honors after averaing 15.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game last season. She bumped her scoring average up to nearly 17 points per game during JHU's late-season surge and punched up five straight 20-point performances at one point. Burton, who will play the forward spot in JHU's three-guard offense, has a quick first step off the dribble and can also hit the mid-range jumper. Her ability to pick up where she left off last season will be crucial to any early-season success the Blue Jays might enjoy.

Joining Burton in the rotation at forward and also able to play center is junior Siobhan Callanan. Callanan is a tireless worker down low and can hit from the outside as well. She is a solid defensive player and should improve on her averages of 3.4 points and 2.4 rebounds of a year ago.

Callanan averaged just under 10 minutes per game last season, but that number could more than double as her versatility and intensity make her a factor at both ends of the court.

Senior Monica Mitchell joins Burton and Callanan as JHU's only experienced frontcourt players. A team captain, Mitchell will play primarily at center. Mitchell played in all 27 games with six starts a year ago. She finished third on the team in rebounding (4.3) desipte playing less than 12 minutes per game. She has a solid all-around game and is a strong rebounder.

Funk and the Blue Jays welcome three newcomers to the rotation in the frontcourt this season in freshmen Alex Vassila, Sarah Higbee and KaraLea Follmer. Vassila has been impressive in the preseason and should find time in the rotation at center. She has demonstrated a strong presence around the basket with a good finishing touch. She also runs the floor very well for a center and could be an asset when the Blue Jays want to get out and run.

Follmer is a hard-working player who also figures into the plans at center. She is a strong rebounder and has the foundation to develop into a solid post player. Higbee is likely to find time at forward behind Burton and Callanan. She is agile and has demonstrated a nice touch around the basket. With a roster heavy on guards, she could find time in the rotation early, especially if the Blue Jays go with a smaller lineup.

Moving to the backcourt, the Blue Jays count 10 players who could work their way into the lineup, several of which have the versatility to play move than one spot. Senior co-captain Katie Biggart is the leading candidate to start at point guard after getting the nod 18 times a year ago.

Biggart is now two years removed from an ACL injury that cost her the entire 2007-08 season and has looked quicker and more confident than last year, when she played with a brace. She is a vocal leader on the floor and good decision maker with the ball.

Sophomores Chantel Mattiola and Stephanie Fong and senior Steph Kielb also figure into the plans at the point.

Mattiola, who will also see time at shooting guard, is the most consistent shooter among the four players likely to see time at point guard as she finished fourth on the team with 14 three-pointers as a freshman. She is a good defensive player and handles the press very well.

Mattiola earned 11 starts last season and her 517 minutes played were the most among all freshmen. She also led the team in assists (56) and hit 92.9% of her free throw attempts.

Fong played in 25 games off the bench last season and plays the point guard spot with a much more analytical approach. She totaled 29 assists and 16 steals last season and is also strong at the free throw line as she hit 75% of her attempts last season.

Kielb played in 16 games last season and will see time at point guard and shooting guard. She is one of the most fundamentelly sound players on the team and is a very hard worker. Her understanding of the game and the Blue Jays' system make her an asset at both ends of the court.

Senior Anastasia Wynn returns to start at the shooting guard spot after averaging 7.9 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. She can hit from the outside and takes the ball strong to the basket. With an established scoring threat in Burton in the front court, Funk and the Blue Jays are looking for Wynn to become a complementary double-figure scorer in the backcourt.

Senior Britni Lonesome also returns and should find time at shooting guard. Lonesome's ability to play up-tempo gives the Blue Jays a player who can get to the basket and create problems at the defensive end. She provides a spark at both ends of the court and flourishes when the Blue Jays go with a small, quick lineup. Although not a prototypical point guard, she can push the transition game off rebounds and steals.

Senior Leigh McAdams figures to battle for time in a reserve role at the shooting guard spot. With time and room, she is an accurate outside shooter. She has been slowed in the preseason by an injury, but is expected to be ready for the start of the season.

Senior co-captain Leslie Markun figures into the rotation at the three-guard spot and creates matchup problems with her length. She handles the ball well, has a good understanding of the team system and does the little things that don't show up in the box score.

Sophomore Kat Fox could play either the two-guard or three-guard. Now two years removed from a torn ACL suffered in high school, she is a very strong defender and has shown tremendous improvement from last season. Her versatility will be an asset, especially early in the season as the Blue Jays look for the right playing combinations.

Funk could shift the the lineup big or small, depending on the matchups, with newcomer Nia Josiah offering perhaps the biggest mismatch in either set. Josiah was heavily recruited out of high school and played at Georgia Tech as a freshman. Now two years removed from her playing time there, she is focusing on her academic career in pre. med., but is looking to make an impact on the Blue Jay basketball program.

Josiah will play the three-guard spot in JHU's three-guard lineup and brings great athleticism and versatility to the floor and could be the missing piece that pushes the Blue Jays back to the NCAA Tournament. If she can shake off the rust of not playing for two years, she will make everyone on the floor better.

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