2013-14 Womens Basketball Preview: Staying in the Moment

CARSON -- Ready to embark on her second year as head coach of the Cal State Dominguez Hills women's basketball program, the indelible imprint Molly Goodenbour left last year after leading the Toros to within one win from tying for the eighth and final spot in the CCAA Tournament and seven more total and six more league victories than 2011-12 is on the verge of becoming a full-fledged stamp.

With just four holdovers from last year, Goodenbour recruited 13 players with talent, size, and most importantly, character, in hopes of exceeding last year's progress, as well as the California Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches' preseason prediction for a 6th-place finish.

But before Goodenbour sets any goals for her team, she realizes that the focus every day is that particular day, and to not look ahead.

"Our goal is always to win the CCAA Championship and make it to NCAAs, but really I just wanted these guys to focus on effort, improving and being positive every day," she begins.

"I think we can be good but we have a lot of work to do and I don't want them to do anything yet except stay in the moment and be the best ball player they can be today," she continues. "We'll worry about tomorrow when it gets here."

Straying a bit from her normal recruiting philosophy that includes freshmen, Goodenbour tabbed only 2-year or 4-year transfers for the 2013-14 squad, which caused some early self-imposed anxiety.

"All of our new players are transfers, which is something I have never done before as a coach," she explains.

"It made me a little nervous at first, but now I feel really good about our group," she continues. "They bring experience and maturity -- there is a better concept of how to handle being a college student-athlete -- they have all been through this before so that has made it easier to set the bar a little higher in terms of expectations."

Noting that depth and the post will be the team's biggest strengths this year, the 2007-08 CCAA Coach of the Year understands that chemistry on a team filled with mostly newcomers will be the biggest challenge early on, but once that's developed, the ceiling for this team is high.

"This team is very competitive, they want to win and they understand the focus and intensity level it takes in practice each day," Goodenbour says.

"They seem to have great chemistry so far, and with our depth, they can all play and will all compete for time on the court," she concludes. "There's not a huge drop off from top to bottom."

Here's a closer look at this year's Toro squad, currently in year two of its rise from bottom to top:

THE CORE OF FOUR

Sophomore Monay Lee leads the group of returning players after a stellar freshman campaign that saw her finish 5th in scoring, 9th in FT%, 13th in FG% and 19th in rebounds in the CCAA, as well as lead the team in scoring and FTs made, and place 2nd in rebounds and FT%. The Huntington Beach native scored at least 10 points in 15 games, with 5 games with at least 20 points, including a season-high 29 points at Sonoma State and a 28-point outburst against Humboldt State. Additionally, Lee drained a perfect 15-of-15 free throws against UCSD to set CSUDH single-game free throw record to kick off December.

"Monay had a fantastic freshman season and I fully expect her to pick up where she left off to be an integral part of our program on both ends of the floor," Goodenbour begins. "She has definitely spent time on her shot and extending her range to the 3-point line so she can become a more versatile player."

Fellow sophomore Julia Poecksteiner also returns after finishing 13th in steals and 24th in scoring in the CCAA, as well as 2nd on the team in 3PT FG made and 3rd in FT% while enjoying nine games with at least 10 points scored and six games with at least 5 boards.

"Julia needs to stay healthy and find her comfort zone on the perimeter," says Goodenbour. "She can be a consistent scorer and has a good understanding of basketball so she will look to improve on her freshman season by being a more efficient offensive player."

Likened to the "Energizer Bunny," sophomore sparkplug Breanne Garcia made 13 starts in 20 games played last year, finishing 2nd on the team in free throws, 4th in steals, 5th in points and 3-pointers made, and 7th in rebounds while enjoying seven games in double-figure scoring, including season-high 19 against Cal Poly Pomona (Jan 25) in which she hit 7-of-14 from the field.

"Breezy is small but relentless, and her heart, toughness and competitiveness are super-sized!" says Goodenbour with excitement. "Her energy is contagious and makes everyone around her go harder, and I am pleased with her increased focus both in school and on the floor and encouraged by her improved maturity and decision-making, and very excited to watch her play this year."

An athletic 5-9 guard, Kielyn Wilson saw action in 23 games with 6 starts, finishing 2nd on the team in blocks, 6th in steals and 7th in scoring. The Los Angeles native scored in double-figures twice, including 15 against Cal State L.A. (Nov 20), and pulled down at least 4 rebounds 15 times, including 12 at Humboldt State (Feb 27).

"Kie has really dedicated herself to basketball moreso than ever before," says Goodenbour, with a smile. "She is working hard and is focused; she greatly has improved her perimeter shooting and gives us tremendous athleticism and the ability to rebound, and will find ways to help us this year.

"All our returners have an increased level of confidence and assertiveness because they have that first year under their belts."

GOOD AND PLENTY

With nine of the 13 newcomers geared to play this season, opponents and Toro faithful alike will welcome a plethora of new faces.

Two, in particular, have made their way to Carson via Division I schools, and look forward to making an immediate impact.

A 5-11 local product, senior team co-captain Tayler Champion prepped at Inglewood HS before playing at both Oregon State and UC Irvine. As an Anteater, she averaged 11.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in one year of competition, ending the year strong with 17.0 point and 7.7 rebound per game tallies over the last seven games, shooting .444 from the floor, .467 from three-point range and .897 from the free throw line in that span. A scoring threat from anywhere on the floor, Champion also drained 35 triples in just 17 games played, good for third-most on the team.

Prior, she saw action in 10 games at Oregon State, averaging 2.1 points and 1.9 boards a game.

"Champion has the ability to shoot from anywhere on the floor to about 28 feet," Goodenbour glows. "In addition to stretching the defense when she catches fire, she has great size for a wing in this league and the versatility to play inside or out. She can make a difference for us."

Sophomore Jenee Gooden played one year at Weber State in which she saw action in 12 games off the bench, making 3-of-9 field goals on the year including a triple. This came after leading Berkeley HS to a pair of NorCal titles and earning scholar-athlete status.

"Gooden is a highly intelligent and true point guard who will make a positive impact immediately," says Goodenbour. "She has excellent speed and quickness on both offense and defense."

Two others Goodenbour has tabbed as difference makers are forward Shomari McCorkle and guard Talia Rayford.

McCorkle earned a pair of all-league selections at Irvine Valley College after a four-year varsity starter at Villa Park HS, while Rayford earned co-MVP honors and a 1st-team all-league selection at Long Beach City College after being named the Player of the Year at Junipero Serra HS.

"McCorkle equals ENERGY," Goodenbour begins about the team co-captain, with a smile. "She is a dynamo who never stops moving, and will be a great defender and rebounder as someone who does all the dirty work and goes hard every single play.

Rayford, meanwhile, is "athletic, a scorer, competitive and an excellent defender who will make an immediate impact on our team."

With so many talented transfers, Goodenbour knows that others are capable and will step up and contribute.

"The best thing is that we have a lot of good players, so I think we can have a balanced attack."

An added benefit of this year's recruiting class was its overall size, with seven players reaching at least 5-10 plateau.

"Recruiting all of these forward/center-type players was not necessarily the game plan but I am really happy that it worked out that way as each is a little bit different from one another in terms of strengths," Goodenbour begins. "We have a nice blend of players and are figuring out how to best utilize our personnel this fall.

"The plan was just to bring in as many good players from good programs as we could and we were fortunate to be able to attract all of the players we did," she continues. "I'm really really happy with this recruiting class; we worked hard on them.

"The best thing is they seem to have great chemistry so far. You worry about bringing together so many new people from different programs and how that will work, but it has been all positive so far."

Additionally, with no seniors on this year's team, the future of the Cal State Dominguez Hills women's basketball team looks brighter than ever.

"We're excited that all will return, but recognize that we will have big holes to fill when they all graduate in two years," Goodenbour says, with a grin that disappears as quickly as it surfaced. "We are trying to be mindful of this in our recruiting and bring in some quality players who will help to ease the transition and allow us to continue to build the program."

RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER

With three exhibitions under their collective belt and the 2013-14 season right around the corner with its season opener at cross-town rival Cal State L.A. this Saturday, Goodenbour knows the road through the CCAA schedule will be an arduous one. But reflecting on last year when CSUDH went 5-6 in the first half of league play before a 4-7 second half, Goodenbour realizes that this year's squad has more talent, depth and experience, three factors that can contribute heavily to wins and losses.

"With 22 league games and a conference tourney, the CCAA is a tough league and becomes a grind each night, and you always have to be prepared for each opponent and to be mentally tough through the travel and Friday-Saturday games," she begins.

"This year, we should be improved in our depth, experience and weapons, but I don't know yet if we have the mental toughness to perform every night at the level a team needs to perform at in order to be a championship team in this league.

"But that is always our goal, to be the best team we can be."

FINAL THOUGHTS

With four key contributors returning to a team with a full year of CCAA experience under their belts, adding a talented group of newcomers only heightens the excitement and anticipation surrounding the program as the 2013-14 seaon beckons.

Realizing the journey -- one that began with an exhibition win at Concordia and a near win at Division I Cal State Fullerton -- potentially could have more ups than downs ths year, Goodenbour knows the team she and her staff have assembled is poised to bring the Toros back to league and national prominence, and sees the future, which is now.

Talent in the front court as well as depth are two categories CSUDH has improved on greatly this year, which should give the entire team experience and rest throughout the year.

"Our bench will be critical for us and I believe that it will be one of our best assets as the season plays out," she begins. "We also were able to recruit a number of very good center/forward type players who give us decent size and physicality, which will hopefully translate into rebounds, getting to the foul line and interior scoring.

"Also, our entire team has played at least one season of college basketball which already has been beneficial in terms of elevating our on- and off-court expectations for us as a group."

With all the ingredients seemingly in place, and preseason community service events such as visits to the LA Food Bank and the Boys and Girls Club helping the team bond, the 2013-14 season has all the makings of something special, with a leader in Goodenbour who's been there, and who's done that.

"I'm excited every day about our program, and I think we are going in the right direction," Goodenbour begins, with a countenance that resembles a grin. "I truly enjoy the student-athletes on our team and look forward to being on the court with them and working together each day.

"All I want them and us to focus on is getting better each day, and if we do that, the other things will take care of themselves.

"But yes, it is exciting to get started with this group and see how they develop as the year continues," she concludes. "We are really excited to get to games and see what this group can do and figure out how to make adjustments to get the most out of them individually and collectively.

"They are fun to work with and I really want them to have a great basketball experience here at CSUDH."

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2013-14 Womens Basketball Preview: Staying in the Moment