The 2005-06 women's basketball season begins Friday with the new nine-team WAC. Hawai`i will face No. 23 USC at home, while Boise State travels to Idaho State. Fresno State will play at UC Irvine, while Idaho will host Portland. Nevada will also face a team from Portland, traveling to Portland State. San Jose State will host Gonzaga and New Mexico State will host Northern Arizona.
Click Here for Week One Women's Basketball Notes
FAURHOLT EARNS PRESEASON HONORS ?“ For the second-consecutive season, Emily Faurholt was honored as a preseason candidate for the John R. Wooden Award. The nomination pits Faurholt as one of the top 30 players in the country and as an early frontrunner for college basketball?™s most coveted trophy. Faurholt begins the season needing 706 points to match the school record for career points. She has scored 737 points and 697 points in her previous two seasons. Faurholt begins the season needing 176 free throws to match the school record for career free throws made. She has made 172 free throws and 169 free throws in herprevious two seasons.
HAWAI'I STARTS SEASON WITH NO. 23 USC ?“ Hawai'i will face its first ranked team of the season when they face No. 23/No 24 USC in the season opener. UH has lost 18 straight games to ranked opponents dating back to the 1998-99 season. In nearly half those games, the Rainbow Wahine were in position for an upset. UH last beat a ranked opponent on Nov. 22, 1998 with a 51-47 win over No. 17 Kansas.
NEVADA TO HOST 2006 TOURNAMENT ?“ For the second consecutive year, Nevada?™s Lawlor Events Center (11,200) will host the WAC Basketball T ournament. The dates for this year?™s tournament are March 7-11. A host for 2007 has not been determined.
WIGGINS TO COACH FRESNO STATE IN 2005-06 ?“ After leading the Fresno State women?™s basketball team to 20 wins and a berth to the WNIT, Adrian Wiggins will remain as the women?™s basketball coach for the 2005-06 season.
Wiggins?™ appointment is for one year at which time a search for a permanent head coach will commence.
Under Wiggins?™ guidance the Bulldogs posted a record of 7-3, and advanced to the semifinals of the WAC tournament, before losing in double overtime to regular season WAC champion Louisiana Tech.
WAC JOINS NCAA CELBRATION OF WOMEN?™S CHAMPIONSHIPS ?“ The Western Athletic Conference has joined the NCAA national office in celebrating the 2005-06 season as the 25th anniversary of NCAA Women?™s Championships.
The NCAA is encouraging the more that 1,020 member colleges, universities and conferences to recognize the 2005-06 season as the 25th anniversary of women?™s championships. Recognition can include special campus activities, banners and signage, promotional events, program inserts, the naming of anniversary teams, and special awards. Activation kits were provided to all NCAA Division I, II and III colleges and universities in an effort to assist with the initiatives on their campuses.
BOISE STATE WELCOMES PRESNELL ?“ Gordan Presnell became Boise State?™s head coach in June. He is the sixth head coach in the program?™s 35-year history (36th in 2005-06). He is also the second man to lead the Broncos. The other was Tony Oddo (1984-89). One unique aspect of Presnell?™s hire is that he is the first head coach in program history to have previous head coaching experience at the four-year collegiate level. He comes to Boise State after 18 successful years at Seattle Pacific University. Oddo had junior college experience with men, but no other coach was a previous collegiate head coach until they were hired at Boise State.
LOUISIANA TECH?™S LONG NAMED HEAD COACH ?“ Chris Long was named the fourth head coach in Lady Techster history. After a six-year stint as an assistant coach on the Louisiana Tech staff, including three years under both Leon Barmore and Kurt Budke, Long replaces Budke who accepted the head coaching position at Oklahoma State March 28.
Long takes over a Louisiana Tech program that, along with Tennessee, is considered the most storied in the history of the women?™s game. During the 31-year history of Lady Techster basketball, Tech has won 871 games - second most only to Tennessee. Louisiana Tech and Tennessee are the only two programs to have participated in all 24 NCAA Tournament. The Lady Techsters have advanced to 13 Final Fours, competed in eight national title games and won three national titles.
TOP PLAYERS RETURNING ?“ A total of six players from both the all-WAC first and second-teams will return. WAC Player of the Year Tasha Williams (formerly Crain) is one of three first-team members returning. Also returning are San Jose State?™s Lamisha Augustine and Fresno State?™s Amy Parrish.
There are three members of the second team returning. Lakiste Barkus, a member of the all-Defensive team returns for Louisiana Tech. San Jose State?™s Amber Jackson and Hawai'i?™s Amy Sanders will also be back.
STAT LEADERS BACK ?“ Four of the top 10 scorers return for the 2005-06 season. Louisiana Tech?™s Tasha Williams (formerly Crain) was second in the WAC in scoring last year with a 18.2 point per game average. Others coming back include: Amber Jackson, San Jose State (14.9); Amy Parrish, Fresno State (13.5) and Meghan McGuire, Nevada (13.2). Jackson is the leading returning rebounder with a 8.5 rpg average last season (third in the WAC). Louisiana Tech?™s Tamika Kursh is the other top 10 rebounder returning. She averaged 7.6 boards per game last season.
FIRST AND SECOND ROUND SITES SET ?“ For the second-straight season, there will be pre-determined sites for the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Last season, Fresno State was one of the chosen sites. This season is the 25th anniversary of the women?™s basketball tournament. The Final Four travels to Boston, Mass., for its silver anniversary. On April 4-6, Harvard University and Northeastern University will host the Final Four. All games will be played at the FleetCenter, home of the Boston Celtics.
Boise State Broncos (0-0, 0-0 WAC)
Gordy Presnell, the Broncos new head coach, inherits a young squad that went 10-19 overall last year and finished 4-14 (9th) in WAC play ... with all the questions facing the program do to the changes, the Broncos find themselves picked to place in the bottom half of the WAC for the upcoming season ... the league?™s coaches picked Boise State to tie for seventh with New Mexico State, while the conference?™s media picked the Broncos eighth.
Fresno State Bulldogs (0-0, 0-0 WAC)
Fresno State holds a 16-18 overall mark in season openers since the 1971-72 season (records unavailable during the program?™s first six seasons) ... prior to 2004, Fresno State had not won a season opener since Nov. 17, 2001 (Delaware State, 71-49) ... however, the Bulldogs defeated Pepperdine 58-38 in front of a school-record 7,042 fans at the Save Mart Center in last year?™s lid-lifter ... Fresno State is also debuting on the road for the third time in the last four years.
Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine (0-0, 0-0 WAC)
The Rainbow Wahine have lost its last two season
openers, following a streak of 14-straight wins ... with an 11-15 mark in 2004-05, UH posted back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since the 1980-81 and '81-82 campaigns ... UH looks to avoid three straight losing seasons,
something that has happened only once in the history of the program (1979-1982) ... Hawai'i will play its 800th game in program history on Nov. 25 versus Washington State ... Hawai'i is 11 wins shy of 500 all-time ... Brittany Grice ranks fifth all-time in blocked shots at UH with 87 and Alofa Toiaivao ranks seventh after just one season with 66.
Idaho Vandals (0-0, 0-0 WAC)
Leilani Mitchell is currently listed on the "2006 Player Buzz" section of www.pointguard.org, the official web site of the Nancy Lieberman Award ... the Lieberman award is rewarded to the top point guard in the NCAA ... Mitchell begins the season just 31 points from becoming the 15th player in the history of the Idaho basketball program to score 1,000 points ... she begins the season needing 76 steals to match the school record for career steals ... she has managed 90 steals and 118 steals in her previous two seasons ... the Vandals have won their past two season openers after losing the previous four ... Ticey Westbrooks and Stephanie Sax will both miss Friday?™s game due to injury.
Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters (0-0, 0-0 WAC)
Louisiana Tech are the defending WAC regular season champions ... this season, the Lady Techsters are under the guidance of first-year head coach Chris Long ... Louisiana Tech returns WAC Player of the Year Tasha Williams (formerly Crain) ... Louisiana Tech has advanced to 13 Final Fours and eight nation al championship games.
Nevada Wolf Pack (0-0, 0-0 WAC)
Nevada will finally gets its season underway with a tough test of a road trip traveling to Portland State on Friday, Nov. 18 and then to the Pac-10?™s Oregon on Sunday, Nov. 20 ... Nevada will play in two tournaments, the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands in late November and the Pack?™s own Nugget Classic in early December.
New Mexico State Aggies (0-0, 0-0 WAC)
New Mexico State enters its first season in the WAC at home on Friday, Nov. 18 against Northern Arizona ... last season, the Aggies were 9-19 ... New Mexico State returns four starters from the 2004-05 team, including sophomore guard Monique Bribiescas ... the Aggies will play seven games against teams that were in the NCAA Tournament or the WNIT last year.
San Jose State Spartans (0-0, 0-0 WAC)
San Jose State will start the season at home against Gonzaga ... the Spartans welcome back red-shirt senior Lamisha Augustine who was garnered another season of eligibility ... San Jose State has two all-WAC honorees back this season in first-team selection Lamisha Augustine and second-team selection, Amber Jackson ... the Spartans are seeking their fourth winning record in five seasons ... Jackson was ranked second nationally in field goal percentage, shooting .659.
Utah State Aggies (0-0, 0-0 WAC)
Utah State is 3-12 in known season openers, including a 1-8 mark in season-opening home contests ... Friday?™s game marks the fourth straight year the Aggies will open the season at home ... they have gone 0-3 in their last three season opening home games, including a 69-53 loss to Weber State last season ... USU has not won a season opener since winning at Southern Idaho, 79-59, to open the 1981-82 season ... the Aggies have not won a season opening home tilt since the 1978-79 season when they downed Montana, 70-49 ... USU is 0-2 in season openers under head coach Raegan Pebley.