Wheaton College women's basketball coach
Kent Madsen says of his 2012-13 squad, “We will have a new look this year and that will be exciting. We are pretty young in terms of on-court experience, yet I think we have brought in some freshmen that will definitely create a competitive environment and bring some athleticism to the team."
Madsen's 2011-12 team went 18-8. Three starters graduated off last year's team; however, Madsen's squad does return All-CCIW guard
Brooke Olson (PICTURED LEFT). The Thunder head coach notes, “Our style of play will be a little bit different. Part of our strength now is the fact that we have Brooke [Olson] who can push the ball and has the most on-court experience of anyone on our team. However, some of our depth this year lies in our post players like
Maris Hovee and
Lauren Graham. We have also increased our depth inside with new players like
Hannah Considine and
Sarah Drury.”
Wheaton opens its season on November 16 by hosting the Beth Baker Classic. “I am looking forward to seeing where we really are once we play our first games. When you have a young team you aren't always sure what you have because you aren't sure how consistent your play will be,” mentions Madsen. “We need to sustain great effort over two halves. That is what is going to help us compete well this season.” He adds, “I am looking forward to getting into our first tournament and seeing how we perform. Our consistency throughout an entire game is a concern. Last year we had players that were three-year starters and you knew what to expect from them. Now there is a little bit of an unknown with some of the inexperienced players we have. However, they are talented.”
Olson enters her fourth season as a starter at guard for the Thunder. She played in every game last year and averaged 9.8 points and 4.3 assists per game. Olson heads into her senior season 11th in school history with 264 career assists. Madsen notes, “Something that is nice about this year is that even though we will be young, I have a senior leader on the court as my point guard. She will definitely bring some calmness to this young team.” He continues, “Brooke is a very talented player, having been All-Conference the last two years. I am looking for her to step up as a leader on the court this year, even more than in the past. What I appreciate about Brooke is that she has a strong desire to win and loves to compete. She plays extremely hard all the time.”
Junior forward #
Maris Hovee# (PICTURED RIGHT) saw considerable playing time last year as a sophomore, averaging 25 minutes per game. She averaged 5.9 points per game and led the squad in rebounding with 6.6 rebounds per game. “Maris did a wonderful job on the defensive end last year and she did a great job competing against the other bigs in our league and non-conference schedule,” mentions Madsen. He adds, “She provides a real rebounding presence for us too. What I am looking forward to from her this year is having her step up on the offensive end. She has that capability because of the strength that she has as an inside player.”
Sophomore
#Lauren Graham# (PICTURED LEFT) had a strong freshman season in 2011-12 for the Thunder. The 5' 10” forward played in every game, averaging 8.0 points per game, with 5.2 rebounds per contest. “Lauren had a really nice freshman year and I am looking forward to seeing her build off of that,” notes the head coach. Madsen concludes, “We have definitely challenged her in some areas like scoring inside, improving her range and looking to shoot more. She will help us a lot because of her desire to compete. Lauren cares about performing at a high level and she has put in a tremendous amount of work in the offseason, which I greatly appreciate.”
Senior guard
Breanna Bohlen (PICTURED RIGHT) played in every game last year, despite battling through injuries. She averaged 5.1 points per game and made 21 three pointers. Madsen says of Bohlen, “She definitely provides us with a strong outside shooter. She is a player that is able to handle the physical demands of the game. We are pleased with the leadership she has provided this team. She is going to be a strong asset.”
Senior guard #
Jenn Lee# (PICTURED LEFT) provided the Thunder with a defensive spark last season, averaging nearly 10 minutes per game. Madsen notes of Lee, “Jenn is an excellent defender and we appreciate what she can do on that end of the court. We think that she will help us as an outside threat and she will have an increased role this year.”
Junior guard
Maria Panaggio averaged nearly 10 minutes per game off the Thunder bench last season with a 42.3% (22-52) field goal percentage. “Maria came off the bench last year. We are looking for her to step up in her role this year and she should be getting more minutes this year,” states Madsen. He adds, “She has the ability to slash and can play big or small, which benefits us. She brings some versatility to our team.”
Madsen notes that junior guard #
Kate Hoeksema# “has provided strong leadership heading into the season.” Junior
Bri Graham and sophomore
Iris Cheng are returnees who add some experienced guard depth to this year's club.
Madsen and his coaching staff have added eight freshmen to the roster for this season. He says of the newcomers, “Overall we are really pleased with our freshmen. We have a group that we believe gives us more athleticism and provides more depth. I love their desire to compete that has definitely been evident. “
Center
Hannah Considine (Baraboo, Wis./Portage) and forward
Sarah Drury (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton Academy) give the Thunder two new faces down low. “Hannah and Sarah will definitely help us in the post, an area where we have been small in the past. They add a lot of size and athleticism,” notes Madsen. He says of the 6' 0” Considine, “Hannah is very athletic. She will be able to help up defend because of her quickness and rebound because of her size. Because of her athleticism she can guard a big or a small, she is that athletic. She is going to continue to improve offensively.” The Thunder head coach notes of the 5' 10” Drury, “Sarah is offensive minded and has a scorer's mentality at this point in time and is continuing to improve defensively.”
Freshman guards
Moriah Reeves (Dubuque, Iowa/Wren) and
Ellie Zeller (New Brighton, Minn./St. Anthony Village) are expected to add to Wheaton's depth at guard immediately this season. Madsen notes, “Moriah is a wing player with the quickness to guard any perimeter player. She is increasing her range as a shooter, but can attack the basket and brings the athleticism and versatility that we like in our program.” He adds of Zeller, “Ellie provides us with another strong ball-handler and she also has the ability to attack the basket. She brings a solid defensive intensity.”
Forward #
NatalieRose Brogan# (East Lansing, Mich./East Lansing), guard
Makayla Seibold (Avon, Ind./Covenant Christian), guard #
Leah Perera# (Hingham, Mass./South Shore Christian Academy) and guard
Katie Buell (San Diego, Calif./Westview) will add additional depth to the roster. Brogan, a six-footer, has sat out Wheaton's preseason training while she is recovering from knee surgery. Madsen says, “Hopefully in time NatalieRose will give us another big player that can play the perimeter, as well as in the post. She is currently recovering from surgery so we may not see her till the conference schedule, but she will definitely help us because she has good range as a shooter.” He adds of Seibold, “Makayla is one of those really scrappy players that can play multiple positions. She loves the game of basketball.” Madsen notes of Perera, “Leah has given us very good effort in practice.” Buell has missed the preseason due to injury.
