October 13, 1998
From an up tempo offense down to a full-court defense - even down to the uniforms - the Tigers will have a fresh new look under first-year head coach Cindy Stein.
"We have three main philosophies on offense," said Stein. "First, we want to push the ball up the floor. Second we want to always have motion and to be active on the floor. And, third, we want to make good decisions and take the best shot."
"Motion" will be the main theme for the Tigers. The amount of movement will depend on how well the Tigers will adjust to Coach Stein's new system and how well the players fit into her system. But nonetheless, there will be plenty of movement on the court, both defensively and offensively.
On defense, Missouri will mix it up. The Tigers will become the aggressors. Opponents will not know what is coming at them next. It is referred to by Coach Stein as chaos.
" I usually like to refer to our defense as organized chaos," explained Stein. "We want to keep the opponent off balance."
Leading the Tiger attack will be senior Kesha Bonds and junior Julie Helm. The 6-1, Bonds averaged 14.5 points and 10.1 rebounds as a junior. She started 25 out of 27 games and led the team and the conference in rebounding.
Bonds finished her junior season with 1,013 points, making her the 20th Tiger to score 1,000 points. She is known for her finesse around the basket and her superior rebounding skills.
Helm finished the 1997-98 season as a third-team All-Big 12 selection. She has scored 1,065 points in her MU career, good enough for 18th on the Tigers' all-time scoring list. She is on track to becoming one of Missouri's top scorers.
Helm led the team in scoring, averaging 19.9 points per game. She ranked third in the conference in scoring. She also led the team at the free throw line, connecting on 133 of 159 shots for 83.6 percent.
Along with Bonds and Helm, the Tigers return seven letterwinners from the 1997-98 squad. Together, they accounted for 55 of MU's 66.7 points per game. In other words, 82.5 percent of Missouri's scoring returns. As far as rebounding goes, almost 87 percent of the Tigers' rebounding power remains in tact. In addition, five newcomers will suit up for the first time. Compared to last year's lack of depth, the Tigers are blessed with good depth at every position.
Starting with the guards, the first to come to mind is Helm. A sharp-shooting two guard with virtually unlimited range, Helm started in all 27 games last season and led the team in scoring with 537 points. One of her strengths is her ability to create shots for herself in the face of a seemingly sticky defense.
"Julie is a tremendous scorer," said Stein. "She has a great desire and a knack for putting the ball in the hoop."
Another guard who should figure into the mix is sophomore Kendra Jones. A bit of a surprise as a freshman, Jones started five games last season after Tanisha Johnson was injured and became a valuable sixth man after Johnson returned to the lineup. She was a solid contributor, averaging 3.7 points in nearly 22 minutes of action per game. Jones was also one of the team's top free throw shooters, hitting 71.1 percent from the foul line.
"Kendra is a good, steady guard," said Stein. "She has a great attitude and that combined with her leadership skills will help her see a lot of time on the floor."
Leslie Woehrer and Tracy Franklin round out the returning guard corps. Woehrer, a senior, saw limited action last season. She played in 12 games for the Tigers and averaged 2.0 points a game.
Franklin saw action in 21 games last season and started in two. She is one of the top shooters on the team, and could be a zone buster for the Tigers.
"Tracy is a pure shooter," said Stein. "We look for her to get a lot of playing time because of her athleticism and her scoring ability."
Two other players that could step into the lineup at guard are freshmen Natalie Bright and Ali Johnston. Bright comes to Mizzou from Dowling High School in Des Moines, Iowa. Bright has a reputation as a smart no-nonsense player who takes care of the ball and gets the job done. She averaged 15 ppg and 8 apg as a senior.
"Natalie is a very solid point guard," Stein said. "She is very tough mentally and really knows the game and sees the floor well."
Johnston, like Helm and Franklin, is a good perimeter shooter. She comes to Missouri from Evergreen High School in Colorado. As a senior she averaged 20 ppg and 5.7 apg.
" Ali is a good shooter," said Stein. "She has great attitude and will continue to get better as the year goes by."
The fight for playing time at the forward figures to be fierce. Stepping into the ring first will be returning starters Kesha Bonds and Ekpe Akpaffiong. Bonds, a starter at center the last two years, finished second on the team in scoring with 14.5 ppg. She also relied on her natural ability to crash the boards and led the team in rebounding with 10.1 rpg.
"Kesha is very quick and explosive," Stein said. "We will look for her to lead this team. She is a great rebounder and is explosive in the paint."
Akpaffiong, who started 23 games at the power forward spot last season, averaged 8.8 ppg and 5.6 rpg. She also pulled down a career-high 15 boards against Nebraska and scored a career-high 23 points.
"I expect Ekpe to improve off of this summer's work," explained Stein. "She is a great athlete and she will continue to get better."
Bonds and Akpaffiong might sound like sure bets to hold on to their positions. But several others, including junior Amy Monsees, could threaten their job security.
Monsees displayed a soft shooting touch and flashes of greatness in the paint last season. She averaged 6.2 ppg and 4.3 rpg.
"Amy is a top conditioned athlete upon her return to Missouri," said Stein. "We look for her to see action at the four spot."
As far as the center position is concerned, the only true centers the Tigers have are newcomers Marjorie Whipple and Angelleka Harris.
Whipple comes to MU from Pleasantville High School in Iowa. As a senior she averaged 18 ppg and 12 rpg.
"Marjorie has good speed for her size," said Stein. "She has really good hands and is getting better."
Harris comes to Mizzou from Collins Hill High School in Lawrenceville, Ga. She averaged 12 ppg and 10 rpg as a senior.
"Angelleka will give us size in the lineup," said Stein. "She is a good rebounder and will help us out on the boards."
Regardless of which players get the starting nod at each position, a look at the opponents suggests that those on the court better be ready to play. The conference schedule features its usual, grind of 16 games, which will be more grueling than the usual with Sweet 16 participant Kansas and Baylor the WNIT runner-up very much intact. The Tigers will play home and away against Kansas, and will travel to Waco to face the Lady Bears. Among the major non-conference challenges are games with Iowa , Arkansas, and Louisville.
"Our non-conference schedule will prepare us for conference play," explained Stein. "Arkansas made it to the Final Four last season and Iowa and Louisville both made it to the second round of the tournament.
"Our conference schedule is tough," said Stein. "We begin on the road at Nebraska and finish on the road. There are so many quality teams with potential to win it all. Everything will come down to who can stay healthy and sharp from January through March."
The 1999 Big 12 Tournament will be held March 2-6 in Kansas City.