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08-09 Womens Basketball Seniors

Women's Basketball

Toros Women's Basketball Set to Open 2008-09 Season

From left: Seniors Brittney Blankenship, Aujanee Baldwin, coach Monique Marquez, head coach Van Girard, Ennisha Kyles and Ashley Johnson
An Image Reborn

After a turbulent season in which they went 13-15 overall and 7-13 in the CCAA Conference, head coach Van Girard is hoping that the strength of his star returnee and the talent of his new recruits will prove Cal State Dominguez Hills women's basketball again can be a force to be reckoned with.

They begin their season this week as they travel to Cal State Stanislaus for the Eva Schicke Memorial Classic.

With the “fab-four” freshman class from 2004-05 no longer leading the team, senior Brittney Blankenship – the sole returner from that class after red-shirting last year – will have to step up to fill a void as she leads the Toros in her farewell tour.

Last season the team was picked to win the always tough CCAA Conference, and kept their hopes alive early as they finished the 2007 calendar year at 8-3, which included a win over NAIA No. 16 Azusa Pacific.  However, the Toros were unable to realize their potential as 2008 arrived, as the bulk of conference play began in early January. After losing their point guard a few weeks later, the team was completely different, and ended the season on a downward spiral.

“We lost our point guard mid-season, and when that happens it takes awhile for a team to recoup,” explains Girard.

Beginning with weekend losses to Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State San Bernardino by only a combined seven points, the Toros rallied and defeated Cal State L.A. as play continued.

It seemed, however, too much as they struggled to out-shoot and out-rebound their opponents the rest of the season. Early in the season the team's rebounding, free throw and assist-to-turnover ratio were all positive stats that lent to its eight victories. As the season progressed these positives quickly turned to negatives with the team finishing last in the conference in rebounding.

But this year coach Girard is hoping that the addition of Neka Mixon, who has yet to compete in her two years on the Carson campus will be the positive addition the team needs.  “If we don't rebound we are in trouble,” Girard says as a matter-of-fact. “Neka is going to help us a tremendously on the offensive glass.”

With more losing than winning streaks accumulating, the Toros got their final break as they defeated CPP and CSULA by a combined 21 points in mid-February to put them one step closer to a spot in the revived CCAA Championship Tournament. A final win over Cal State Stanislaus in the penultimate game of the regular season, due in part to two last second free throws from Diana Leasau, put them in the eighth and final slot for the CCAA Championships.

Facing No. 18 Chico State in the CCAA's first round, however, which had already handed CSUDH two regular season losses, proved too much for the Toros as the Wildcats took the game 62-45.

Picked to finish 8th in this year's CCAA pre-season coaches poll, Girard remains undaunted about the task that lies before his team. “There is a part of me that is insulted at being ranked umber 8 and a part that understands,” he begins.

“But this year we have no targets on our back. We have a target to go for and the team needs to understand how hard we need to work to get there. The way the conference is, it doesn't matter where you start; it matters where you finish.”

This year's conference play will be as much as a dog-fight as ever for the Toros with the majority of the teams looking just as good, if not better, than their squads last year. With nearly all the conference teams returning more starters than lost and boasting strong returnee-filled squads, Girard's squad has its work cut out for them.
 
With just five wins and seven losses at home last year, CSUDH will have to defend its home court in order to advance to championships. “ You have to take care of your home court,” states Girard. “Last year we were a better road team than home team, but to be successful, you have to be able to win at home.”
The Team

The Toros will look to the skills of its four returning four-year seniors in Blankenship, Aujanee Baldwin, Ennisha Kyles, and Ashley Johnson.

Leading the team from the floor will be Blankenship, who, after sitting out last year due to injury, has only the sky to shoot for in terms of her expectations. In her 2006-07 junior year, Blankenship scored 212 points all season and carried a .351 field goal percentage.  She also grabbed 124 boards – 47 defensive and 77 offensive – for third on the team.

“Sometimes a loss pushes you to another level maturity wise, and Brittney losing last year exposed her to coaching thoughts instead of just her own perspective,” Girard explains. “She finally saw the big picture and it is now her time and her team.”

On the completely opposite realm from Blankenship is true freshman MacKenzie Mathias, in whom coach Girard is putting just as much faith to help lead the team. No stranger to the game, Mathias will see a lot of time as the team's primary point guard as Girard looks to develop her talent. Though not flashy, she is fundamentally sound, a trait that can't be emphasized enough in the tough CCAA Conference.

“The biggest burden is on MacKenzie, which is a tough place to be as a freshman,” states Girard. “The best thing about her is she is steady. She's got a quick learning curve and she can make open jumpers. If you don't guard her, she will make that shot.”

Adding depth to the offense is Kayla Montalvo, a junior who Girard is looking to fill the void of 3-point specialist after Jessica Liang's graduation. Last year she made 19 of 58 long range attempts, good for a .328 3pt. percentage and second only to Liang.

“Kayla has to be our Jessica this year,” affirms Girard. “She is capable of it and is shooting the ball well.”

Two freshmen in Sarah Cascadden and Robynn Cochran will also be looked upon to fill the void left by Liang, as both possess a deft touch beyond the arc.

Rounding out the offense is Mixon, who after not having competed her first two years at CSUDH will be a fresh addition for coach Girard's team. His goal is to allow her to come into her talent and recapture it in a competitive atmosphere that she hasn't seen in three years.

“Neka is a kid who can play any position on the court,” says Girard. “We can run plays for her because she is going to finish. She is a player I have tremendously high expectations for.”

Whitney Gantt, a junior with two years of experience in Carson, will vie for playing time against Mixon, also having the ability to hit from the arc and create off the dribble. However, as coach Girard says, “she needs to figure out how hard she needs to work.”

Defensively, the Toros will once again rely on Kyles to grab the boards after tallying 134 defensive rebounds last season, en route to a team leading 197. A 5'10” senior, she will post up and grab a lot of loose balls.  With the posts now hers, coach Girard will look to her to produce double-doubles on a consistent basis.

Another senior in Baldwin, who is improving in her game every day and will have to fill the void left by another departed senior in Alana Bailey, will join Kyles underneath the hoop.

A balanced player and one of the teams better rebounding guards, Baldwin grabbed 65 rebounds last year while tallying 146 points in her 24 games played. Baldwin, however, will have to stay healthy throughout the season, as previous ankle injuries have kept her from realizing her potential.

Johnson is another senior will also see more playing time this year as she looks to improve her middle game on the court.

The biggest improvement coach Girard sees thus far has been in his team's inside game, which wasn't as good as he believes it could have been last year. With his new crop of players, heavily made up of guards, Girard is looking to see them post-up more than his traditional post players.

“This year we have an inside game,” says Girard. “We have people who can create off the bounce in numbers and people who can shoot, and that will lead to a really good basketball team.”
Closing Thoughts

As with previous years, the biggest area of improvement centers on the defense end. Girard sees three areas that, with improvement, can create another post-season appearance for the Toros: defending, rebounding and creating easy scoring opportunities.

“We have the athletic ability to do it,” he says about his team.  “The question mark now is do we have the will?”

The program's past successes have been due in part to a team that consists of players who have been in the program for numerous years. With a strong returning class and new recruits, coach Girard sees only one last area of concern.

“Patience. We have so many people with the ability to play off the bounce, sometime we do it too much. We need to be able to push the ball up the floor now,” he concludes.

“I can't wait to get started.”

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