Women's Basketball

[EasyE112]

We talk about our guys team on here so much, that I think our girls have been overshadowed a little.  I think that with Coach Finkbeiner coming back and our trio of juniors (Watman, Camargo, Hardin) that ORU should be picked to win the Summit League again this year.  What do you guys think?

[mickeyb]

I see ORU being picked to finish second behind SDSU in the regular season.  The Jacks went to the quarterfinal round of the WNIT and there's always the "let's vote for anyone besides ORU if we can" bias among the league coaches (see baseball awards).

[tmh8286]

First of all, I couldn't be happier that Jerry Finkbeiner is still at the helm of the women's program.  He's everything we could want in a coach at ORU.  His staying provides the added element of stability to the program, that is invaluable.  In addition, I don't think that it has been announced yet, but I've heard that he's hired, or soon will, a replacement for one of the assistants that left, it's someone we know, and will be another very positive move for the program.  I think that things are really looking good in that regard for the women's program.

I'm a little less certain about how we'll be, at least in the short term, at the player level.  Losing the incomparable Elisha Turek to graduation will take some adjustment.  She's been such an important part of that team since she was a freshman, her loss will be comparable to the men losing Caleb.  The good thing is that we've got Jenny Hardin coming on very strong, and will most likely be the one to step into Elisha's shoes.  I haven't heard any reports on  Janae Voelker's healing after her ACL tear in the Mid-Con tournament, but, she has the potential to be a major factor.  I'm concerned that her injury may sideline her for this next season.  We'll have to see.  

The three players you mentioned, Easy, will provide a strong foundation, but we lost a lot to graduation this year - not only Elisha, but Alycia Seay, Katie Langford, and Sarah Davidson, who were all strong contributors, as well as Jamie Fithian and Ebony Haliburton, whose careers at ORU were limited by injury, but both of whom provided strong emotional support from the bench.   With the major loss of manpower this season, in spite of the strong players returning, I think this will be a rebuilding year for the women's team.  I HOPE that they come out of the blocks strong - time will tell if they do.

[ManiacVP]

The team is very young this year. Ive actually had a chance to play with them quite a bit. Alot of shooters coming in. Hester has a nice deep stroke as well as Whitney Wehmeyer. Leanne has a great shot and the to JC transfers (Lameka and Demesha) can ball. I really think we'll see good things from the girls this year. Jenny and Janae havent been playing yet... but Kelly and Watman have been tearing me up. Gabby Walk has been running me all over the court too. She knows how to handle the ball and where to go with it. Ive seen nothing but good things from them all.

[tmh8286]

I had a chance to visit with Coach Fink last week, and I asked him about Janae.  He said that she should be back at 100% by the starting day of practice.  He said she is such a fierce competitor that he doesn't think the injury will slow her down in the future - that she'll fight through whatever lasting effects there might be.  I hope he's right, because it often seems that players lose a step after ACL surgery.

He's very positive about this year's team, so it will be interesting to meet them all at the GEC Barbecue.