We're a few weeks into the college basketball season now. The really good teams are starting to separate themselves from the pack. But what about a women's team that plays in Naperville that has had little history to hang its hat on save a national title in 1983?
The North Central women's basketball team is off to a historic start in 2014-15, and close out a five game road trip tonight at Monmouth. After a pair of 7-4 starts to the last two seasons, this team is off to a program-best 8-0 start with three games to go before CCIW play begins.
This is Year Three of Michelle Roof implementing a Grinnell-style system at North Central. After a decent
Year One saw the team sneak into the CCIW Tournament,
most numbers improved in Year Two except for the win total. So far,
Year Three has been excellent. Through eight games, the Cardinals are averaging over 100 points per game. Three point shooting so far is back down around Year One levels (26.3 percent), but individual players are having monster years, most notably Miranda Grizaffi (10.8 PPG, 43.8 percent from beyond the arc). The major difference from the last two years has been the inside presence.
The last two years saw Larynn Shumaker show off impressive footwork to beat interior defenders and get some tough points. Shumaker is not with the team this year, and a couple players have almost made some people forget about her. The big landing in the offseason was the transfer of Naperville native Jamie Cuny from D-II's University of Illinois-Springfield. Coach Roof raved about her before I got to see any action, and she hasn't disappointed through eight games. While she hasn't been a major offensive force (8.4 PPG on 30% shooting), the 6'2" forward is a force of nature inside. Coming into the season, the school's single season record for blocked shots was 52, set by Lindsey Feris back in 1997-98.
Cuny is already fifth through just eight games. Granted, more than half of those have come in two games where she broke the school's record for blocks (
she had eight to help give NCC its first Tip Off Tournament title since 2008, then
had ten to notch the program's first ever triple double in the win over Carroll last week), but her mere presence in the paint has been enough to change the scope of games.
They've needed a go-to scorer though, and one has emerged in senior Tess Godhardt. Godhardt transferred from Elmhurst last year, but by CCIW rules was only allowed to play in the final four games of the season. Other than
helping lead the Cardinals to their first win at Illinois Wesleyan for the first time since 2006, she didn't have much impact last season. In her first full season as a Cardinal, she's been incredible, leading the team in scoring (18.4 PPG), including dropping a school-record 40 points in that Millsaps win (a performance which earned her Tip Off Tournament MVP honors).
Maybe the juju from her pair of state titles at Hinckley-Big Rock are rubbing off on this team.
All of this success so far... and yet, there's been no national recognition for this team. I didn't expect there to be a lot of preseason hype outside the halls of Merner Field and the confines of Confessions of a Sportscaster (and the latter only because I am an unabashed homer), so I don't fault whoever the voters for the
D3hoops.com Top 25 are. Then randomly,
North Central picked up some voter recognition in the Week 2 poll.
Last week they fell off completely, and
they remain off every ballot this week. Apparently the fact that this is the last undefeated team in the CCIW means nothing to people.
Initially, I was mad last week that there were no votes. Then I thought about it a little bit. "Nobody Believes in Us" is a powerful force. This year's team is a team that is scoring at a similar, if not better, clip than the past two editions. On top of that, they're finding ways to close out tight games, and
they aren't letting deficits keep them down. Sure, there are CCIW teams that scare me: Wheaton is ranked #14 in the country and has thrived so far against the system. North Park is a team on the rise, and Illinois Wesleyan is always a tough battle. But this team has the makings to not only survive the gauntlet, but thrive in it. And right now, people aren't talking about this team. This system was disrespected by the Carroll play by play team last week during the game, a system that beat their team. It's giving this Cardinal team a chip on their shoulder. I like it. It's part of what's gotten them to 8-0 so far. Hopefully, they'll take care of business tonight at Monmouth and come home Friday night for me to go back to yelling "THREEEEEEEEEEEEE!" en route to another victory and a notice to the CCIW:
Nobody believes in us. But we're coming for you.
We're a few weeks into the college basketball season now. The really good teams are starting to separate themselves from the pack. But what about a women's team that plays in Naperville that has had little history to hang its hat on save a national title in 1983?
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