Exhibition No. 1
NWBL USA Elite Travel Team at San Diego State Aztecs
Friday, Nov. 5, 7 p.m., Cox Arena at Aztec Bowl
Storyline
• The San Diego State women’s basketball team opens it 1999-2000 season this
Friday at 7 p.m. when the Aztecs host the National Women’s Basketball League
USA Elite Travel Team at Cox Arena.
A Quick Look at the Aztecs
• The Aztecs, who are coming off a 7-19 season and a tie for sixth place in
the Western Athletic Conference’s Pacific Division with a 4-10 mark, return
seven letterwinners, including four starters for ’99-00. Among the returnees,
SDSU brings back both its leading scorer, guard Sophia Sledge (10.7 ppg), and
leading rebounder, forward Anita Bundage (6.5 rpg).
• Sledge, one of only two Aztec seniors, led SDSU in scoring a team-high nine
times last season, including a career best 25-point outing against Duquense.
She also sank 36 three-pointers a year ago, the seventh-most three-point goals
ever in a single season at San Diego State.
• Bundage, a junior, was SDSU’s top rebounder in 10 games and also posted her
career high last season against Duquense with 14 caroms.
• The Aztecs’ also return a pair of WAC honorees in guards Claire Swinbank and
Shannon Lee. Swinbank, a sophomore, was named to the conferences All-Newcomer
team while Lee was tabbed as and All-Defensive team selection.
• In the paint, San Diego State returns a pair of players in senior Mary
Apiafi and sophomore Atim Otii who came on strong at the end of the season.
Apiafi, who saw action in all 26 games after transferring to SDSU from
Pasadena City College, led the Aztecs on the boards 11 times, including nine
of the Aztecs’ final 11 games. Otii made 16 starts for SDSU as a freshman,
finishing up with 6.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
SDSU Probable Starters (1998-99 Final Stats)
32 Anita Bundage F 5-11 Jr. 8.0 ppg 6.5 rpg 25.4 min
55 Atim Otii F 6-0 So. 6.8 ppg 4.5 rpg 23.5 min
23 Mary Apiafi C 6-2 Sr. 4.8 ppg 5.7 rpg 15.9 min
4 Sophia Sledge G 5-8 Sr. 10.7 ppg 1.8 rpg 20.9 min
12 Claire Swinbank G 5-8 So. 5.3 ppg 1.6 rpg 19.7 min
SDSU Complete Roster (1998-99 Final Stats)
15 Shannon Lee G 5-9 Jr. 5.8 ppg 2.2 rpg 20.8 min
30 Robin Hayes C/F 6-4 Jr. 2.0 ppg 0.3 rpg 5.2 min
31 Debbie Stanton G 5-3 So. 1.3 ppg 0.4 rpg 7.8 min
33 Brie Ahern G 5-8 Jr. -- -- --
20 Jamey Cox G 5-7 Fr. -- -- --
52 Andrea Kiesling F 6-3 Fr. -- -- --
50 Kacee Wheeler F 6-1 Fr. -- -- --
Head Coach Barb Smith
• San Diego State head coach Barb Smith enters her third season with the
Aztecs with a 17-34 (.333) overall record. Prior to taking over as SDSU’s
fifth head coach, Smith spent nine years as the top assistant at the
University of Colorado. During her tenure at CU, the Buffaloes won an average
of 24 games per season, five Big 8 Conference championships and made eight
NCAA Tournament appearances. She is a 1996 graduate of Ohio State University,
where she was a four-year starter and led the Buckeyes to three NCAA berths.
Scouting Report — NWBL USA Elite Team
Who Are these Guys?
• What is the NWBL and who is on the USA Elite Travel Team? The National
Women’s Basketball League (NWBL), made up primarily of former college stars,
was founded in June 1997 to provide women’s basketball players the opportunity
to compete on a viable national level across America. Today the NWBL is
America’s largest women’s basketball semi-pro league, boasting over 600
players on 45 teams. The League office is located right her in San Diego.
• SDSU’s WNBL competition is the USA Elite Team and includes players from some
of the nation’s top collegiate programs.
NWBL USA Elite Team Roster
No. Name Pos. Ht. Hometown (College)
1 Alyssa Nelson F 6-0 San Diego, CA (Princeton)
11 Melissa Sanford G 5-11 Scottsdale, AZ (Creighton)
12 Michelle Duckworth G 5-7 Tustin, CA (UCSB)
13 Kris Grazzini F 6-1 San Diego, CA (UCSB)
15 Delonda Little F 6-0 Detroit, MI (Detroit)
21 Marja Miller G 5-10 San Diego, CA (No. Arizona)
22 Amber Lacey F 6-1 Altadena, CA (California)
23 Donna Simms F 6-0 Woodland Hills, CA (Queens College)
31 Jessica Welk F 6-0 Sherman Oaks, CA (Idaho)
42 Cozette Ealy G 5-6 Detroit, MI (Houston)
44 Kristen Carlson C 6-4 Poway, CA (Rice)
55 Amy Boone F 6-0 La Jolla, CA (George Mason)
Aztecs Like the Outside
• The Aztecs set a school record for both three-point shots taken and made
last season, connecting on 120-of-389 attempts from beyond the arc. SDSU’s
previous records of 99 made and 327 taken were each set during the 1995-96
season. For the ’99-00 season, the Aztecs look to replace two of their top-3
three-point threats in Charley Murray and Kaly Gillette, who sunk 38 and 29
treys last season, respectively. Top candidates for 1999 include a pair of
newcomers in JC transfer Brie Ahern and freshman Jamey Cox.
SDSU Picked 6th by Media, 7th by Coaches
• Coming off a sixth place finish in the WAC Pacific Division, San Diego State
was projected to finish in the same area in the inaugural Mountain West. In a
secret ballot of Conference coaches SDSU received 19 votes, good for seventh
place. The Aztecs, however, were held in a bit higher esteem by media members,
who ranked them sixth. Utah was picked to finish atop the conference in both
polls, with 1999 Sweet 16 participant Colorado State picked second.
1999-00 MWC Preseason Coaches Poll
Rk. School Votes
1. Utah 60
2. Colorado State 55
3. New Mexico 46
4. BYU 42
5. UNLV 32
6. Wyoming 23
7. San Diego State 19
8. Air Force 9
1999-00 MWC Preseason Coaches Poll
Rk. School Votes
1. Utah (11) 195
2. Colorado State (10) 180
3. New Mexico (4) 178
4. BYU (2) 140
5. UNLV 130
6. San Diego State 86
7. Wyoming 63
8. Air Force 30
Spreading the Wealth
• San Diego State spread the wealth fairly evenly as far as point production
in 1998-99, with nine different Aztecs registering team-high scoring honors in
at least one game. Of the nine, six return for the 1999-2000 campaign,
including Sophia Sledge, who led SDSU in scoring in eight games.
Five-Finger Discounts
• Of the eight former WAC teams that split to form the new Mountain West
Conference, SDSU posted the most steals in ’98-99 with 295, an average of over
11 per game. The Aztecs top thief was Shannon Lee, an All-WAC Defensive team
selection who had 58.
Senior Looks for Big Year
• Shooting guard Sophia Sledge returns for her final season at SDSU in 1999-
2000. The Aztecs’ leading scorer from a year ago with 10.7 points per game,
Sledge sank 36 three-pointers during the ’98-99 campaign, the seventh-most
three-point goals ever in a single season at San Diego State. For her career,
Sledge ranks No. 2 on SDSU’s all-time three-point field goal made list with
70. Falisha Wright (1992-95) is the Aztecs all-time leader with 206.
To the Point
• One of the biggest surprises of the preseason has been the development of
freshman point guard Jamey Cox. Cox, a first team all-state selection out of
West High School in Waterloo, Iowa, has been as good as advertised in
practice, especially as a ball-handler and running the offense. But what has
the SDSU coaching staff really excited has been her scoring ability. According
to coaches, Cox will see plenty of floor time this season and should contend
for MWC All-Newcomer team honors in ’99-00.
This and That
• The Aztecs have the benefit of playing two exhibition games this year to
prep for the season after playing only one last year...Brie Ahern suffered a
sever ankle sprain during the second full week of drills and has not practiced
since. Ahern, a transfer from San Jose City College, is expected to be on the
shelf until at least the 1999 Pacific Bell Classic, Nov. 26-27 at Cox
Arena...San Diego State added two new assistant coaches in the offseason in
Steve Huber and Yvonne Sanchez. Huber comes to SDSU from Benedictine College
in Kansas where he served as head coach from 1994-99. Sanchez, a former
standout at USIU (1985-89) joins the Aztec staff from New Mexico State, where
she was an assistant from 1993-99.
On the Horizon
• San Diego State returns to action a week from Saturday on Nov. 13, when the
Aztecs take on SBC Hanacka Kyselka Prerov of the Czech Republic at Cox Arena.
Tip time is set for 7 p.m. Since 1997, SBC HK Prerov has competed at the top
level in the Czech Republic and last year placed second at in the Women’s
National Basketball League.
Aztecs on the Radio
All San Diego State women’s basketball home games will be broadcast on KCBQ
(1170 AM) in San Diego. Bill Early call’s the play-by-play with Aztec alum
Tammy Blackburn providing the color analysis.
Aztecs on the Internet
All SDSU releases, results, statistics, box scores, schedules and coach and
player information, as well as historical data, is available on the Internet
at www.goaztecs.com. Game recaps and statistics are updated after each
contest.
AZTEC BREAKDOWN
By Class
Senior (2) — Mary Apiafi, Sophia Sledge
Junior (4) — Brie Ahern, Anita Bundage, Robin Hayes, Shannon Lee
Sophmore (3) — Atim Otii, Debbie Stanton, Claire Swinbank
Freshman (3) — Jamey Cox, Andrea Kiesling, Kacee Wheeler
By Home State
California (7) — Brie Ahern, Mary Apiafi, Robin Hayes, Shannon Lee, Sophia Sledge, Debbie Stanton, Kacee Wheeler
Texas (2) — Anita Bundage, Claire Swinbank
Colorado (1) — Atim Otii
Iowa (1) — Jamey Cox
Montana (1) — Andrea Kiesling
By Height
6-4 Robin Hayes
6-3 Andrea Kiesling
6-2 Mary Apiafi
6-1 Kacee Wheeler
6-0 Atim Otii
5-11 Anita Bundage
5-9 Shannon Lee
5-8 Brie Ahern
5-8 Sophia Sledge
5-8 Claire Swinbank
5-7 Jamey Cox
5-3 Debbie Stanton
Games Career Starts
Sophia Sledge 74 22
Anita Bundage 50 35
Shannon Lee 32 16
Atim Otii 26 16
Mary Apiafi 26 10
Claire Swinbank 24 10
Robin Hayes 21 0
Debbie Stanton 16 0
Brie Ahern 0 0
Jamey Cox 0 0
Andrea Kiesling 0 0
Kacee Wheeler 0 0
Points Career Avg.
Sophia Sledge 532 7.2
Anita Bundage 278 5.6
Atim Otii 178 6.8
Shannon Lee 151 4.7
Claire Swinbank 128 5.3
Mary Apiafi 125 4.8
Robin Hayes 32 1.5
Debbie Stanton 21 1.3
Brie Ahern 0 0.0
Jamey Cox 0 0.0
Andrea Kiesling 0 0.0
Kacee Wheeler 0 0.0
Rebounds Career Avg.
Anita Bundage 248 4.8
Mary Apiafi 148 5.7
Atim Otii 117 4.5
Sophia Sledge 112 1.5
Shannon Lee 59 1.8
Claire Swinbank 38 1.6
Robin Hayes 22 1.0
Debbie Stanton 7 0.4
Brie Ahern 0 0.0
Jamey Cox 0 0.0
Andrea Kiesling 0 0.0
Kacee Wheeler 0 0.0
Assists Career Avg.
Sophia Sledge 157 2.1
Shannon Lee 75 2.3
Anita Bundage 40 0.8
Claire Swinbank 39 1.6
Atim Otii 19 0.7
Debbie Stanton 10 0.6
Mary Apiafi 5 0.2
Robin Hayes 1 0.1
Brie Ahern 0 0.0
Jamey Cox 0 0.0
Andrea Kiesling 0 0.0
Kacee Wheeler 0 0.0
|
|
 |
