2009-2010 New Haven Season Outlook

Information Provided By New Haven Sports Information


The 2009-10 University of New Haven women’s basketball team returns nine players that competed in the Northeast-10 Conference (NE-10) for the fi rst time a season ago. Three seniors, five juniors and one sophomore helped guide the Chargers to a first round upset in the 2008-09 NE-10 Championship Tournament and a 16-13 overall record. Five freshmen complete the Chargers’ 14-player roster this season.

With a full NE-10 season under their belts, the returning eight letterwinners and three starters are ready to build off their 10-12 conference record last season. The excitement of the season can be summed up in the team’s 2009-10 theme, ‘Charger Up.’ Entering their second season in the NE-10, the Chargers are looking to mold new talent with an experienced core to make a run for the program’s first NE-10 Championship.

UNH has made the postseason each of the last seven seasons, including three NCAA tournament appearances, and head coach Jessica Smith is confi dent that the team can improve upon last season’s NE-10 quarterfi nal appearance. Picked ninth in the 2009-10 NE-10 Preseason Poll, the Chargers will need to draw from their wealth of experience to battle through one of the toughest women’s basketball conferences in the nation.

“Not only is the NE-10 a talented league full of great players and legendary coaches, but it forces you to play your best game every night. All the teams in the league are poised to beat any team on any night,” Smith said.

Losing two starters to graduation, three returning starters are expected to lead the Chargers this season.

“Seven of our nine returners averaged more than ten minutes per game last year. Helin gained a wealth of experience at the point guard position. Nikki is expected to build on her successful rookie season and Dominique will lead a strong group of guards with her rebounding and scoring ability,” said Smith. “I have great anticipation for the continued growth of our program.”

The Chargers nine returners all played in over half of last year’s games, including five that averaged over 20 minutes. The team will look for senior Helin Marte to lead from the point guard position this season. She was the only player to start in all 29 games last season, while averaging 7.4 points per game. A dynamic ballhandler, Marte also led the team last season with 5.2 assists per game. She currently ranks seventh in the UNH records book with 329 career assists. Fellow seniors Alysia Saunders and Lindsay Salt will continue to see their roles expand this season at the forward position. Both played signifi cant minutes last season and will see increases this season. Saunders averaged 7.0 points and 7.1 rebounds in 22.1 minutes per game a year ago, while Salt averaged 2.7 points and 1.9 rebounds in 11.8 minutes per game.

Returning starter Dominique Stellmacher will play an important role this season as well. The junior played 21.2 minutes per game last season and totaled 199 points. She led the starters with a 78.7 free throw shooting percentage and added 4.0 rebounds per contest. Three more juniors, Nicole Pollard, Yasmin Ithier-Vicenty and Tiana Williams will all compete for time at the guard positions, while the Chargers fi fth junior, Lauren Boivin, will see time at the Chargers’ post position. Ithier-Vicenty played in all 29 games last season, while starting 10. She tallied 48 assists and 40 steals, while playing in nearly 25 minutes a game. Pollard will see an increased role this season, with the graduation of four-year starter Brianna Rende. In 11.8 minutes per game last season, Pollard averaged 3.5 points and 1.3 rebounds per contest. She shot 83.3 percent from the free throw line last season and is shooting 80.0 percent from the charity stripe in her career. Williams and Boivin will both see additional playing time at their respective positions as well. Williams played in 25 games last season and averaged 6.8 minutes at point guard, while Boivin saw action in 15 games as a post player.

After a breakout freshman campaign, sophomore Nikki Carroll will take a greater responsibility in this season’s success. The Oswego, N.Y. native was second on the team with 10.5 points per game in 16 starts last season. She was named to the NE-10 All-Rookie Team and led the Chargers with 7.3 rebounds per game last year. A handful of freshmen will help take the Chargers to the next level in the NE-10 this season. Two post players, Jill Baranger and Olivia DeMarco, join a trio of guards, Jasmine Hardy, Nikita Reddy, and Emani Odom as newcomers in 2009. At 6-foot-3, Baranger, a native of Fairfi eld, Conn., will make an immediate impact for the Chargers inside game this season. With great athleticism and a keen sense of the game, Baranger may find herself in the starting position as the season opens on November 15. DeMarco will be competing for the post position with Baranger and Boivin as well. At Catholic Central High School in Watervliet, N.Y., DeMarco was named to the All-Conference Second Team. A 5-foot-8 combo guard, Hardy will look to see time at the wing this season. A native of Meriden, N.H., Hardy was a four-year starter at Lebanon High School and a McDonald’s All-American nominee. With the ability to play inside and outside, she will add competition at the off guard position throughout the season.

Reddy comes to UNH via Northwest High School in Germantown, Maryland, where she averaged 18 points, fi ve assists and two steals per game as a senior. Prior to Northwest High, Reddy spend three seasons at Montrose Christian High School where she was named the most outstanding player her sophomore season and was the team captain her junior season. Odom joins the Chargers after spending her high school career at Fredrick Douglas Academy II in New York, N.Y. The freshman averaged 19 points, three rebounds and four assists as a senior. With the team’s eighth straight postseason birth on the horizon, the Chargers have been busy preparing for another exciting season since mid October. The team has gelled well with hopes of making a run at the NE-10 title and another trip to the NCAA tournament come March.

The Schedule

This year’s 27-game regular season schedule features one of the region’s toughest schedules. The Chargers open at home on Sunday, November 15 against Dominican College, followed by a pair of road games, including their NE-10 opener against American International College on November 18. A Saturday match up on November 21 pits the Chargers against national power, and preseason No. 17 Holy Family University.

After a month of NE-10 play, the Chargers will travel to sunny Florida for a pair of games against Lynn University and Nova Southeastern during the holiday break. One more game with C.W. Post during the recess wraps up the non-conference schedule for the Chargers. With the turn of the calendar comes a tough month for the Chargers. They travel to cross-town rival Southern Connecticut State University on January 2, followed by a home game against Bentley University on January 6, who was listed as a school receiving votes on the WBCA Preseason Coaches’ Poll. A game at UMass Lowell on January 9 gives the Chargers a one-game break before taking on national runnersup and preseason No. 2 Franklin Pierce University.

Four days later, New Haven travels to preseason No. 9 Stonehill College in Mass. Eleven NE-10 games, including six at Charger Gymnasium conclude the 2009-10 regular season. Senior night will take place on February 20 when the team hosts their fi nal regular season home game against Pace University. The NE-10 Championship Tournament starts on February 28 with the five through 12 seeds playing. The NE-10 quarterfi nals take place on March 2 followed by the semifi nals on March 5. The 2009-10 NE-10 Champions will be crowned on Sunday, March 7.