When I was growing up we boys all laughed at the way girls would run, elbows close to their sides, palms toward the sky, goofy laughter – you get the picture. Dorky. The only sport they played was field hockey and that was in gym class. Boy, have things changed, and for Portland-area hoop fans, that’s good news courtesy of the Portland State women’s basketball team. They are good. They are tough. They have skills up and down the lineup, and they don’t run like the girls I used to know.
After a loss Saturday to league leader, Idaho State, the Viks are sitting on a 13-11 record, sixth place in the competitive Big Sky Conference. Last year PSU went 20-12 and captured its first ever regular season title, eventually losing by a mere 4 points to Montana in the post-season conference championship game. Guard Eryn Jones was named MVP of the Big Sky, again rewriting PSU record books as the first Vik to ever win the award, and Coach Sherri Murrell shared Coach of the Year honors. Murrell and Associate Head Coach Peg Swadener are both in their fifth year and boast an impressive overall record of 83-46.
Jones is one of only three seniors on the roster and a member of the 1,000-career points club. With the Idaho State game in the books, Eryn moved into a tie for fourth place all-time at PSU in games played (122) and a tie for seventh in 10-point games (66). Despite their record, it is an indicator of good things to come because Jones is third this season in points per game (13.3), following sophomore Kate Lanz (16.8) and junior Courtney VanBrocklin (14.1).
Lanz in particular is a ferocious competitor, and her defender better pay attention because she is unafraid to either drive the lane or launch a 3-pointer. Never still, I am impressed with her ability to go either way and shoot in the post with both hands. Although fourth in minutes played, she leads the team in scoring.
VanBrocklin is the team’s point guard (allowing Jones to roam, dart around screens, and free-up for jumpers), a very good dribbler, calm under pressure, and leads the team in 3-point percentage.
The sleeper of this bunch is junior small forward Karley Lampman. Her jumper is the stuff of legend, a tad flat in trajectory, but an indicator of her confidence. She’s scary-good and capable of blowout games. I have to imagine both she and Murrell are eager to see her be more consistent and boost her points per game, currently 9.2.
Two of the strengths of this team is its free throw percentage (ask the Schonz what he thinks about that) plus Murrell can go deep into her bench. Lariel Powell and Allison Greene are only freshmen, but they are valuable contributors and get good minutes. Greene earned her first career start against Idaho State and played a career-high 32 minutes, finishing with 13 points.
For a university the size of PSU, their “arena,” the Stott Center, is surprisingly small and resembles a high school gym. This is both good and bad. Bad, because the caliber of this team deserves much better, and good because every seat puts you right on top of the action (Rose Garden nosebleed outcasts, take note).
For an older guy like me, I also dig the pep band, a bunch of, I guess, PSU alums who obviously pray at the altar of James Brown, Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels, Bruce Springsteen, and Tower of Power because, like the ladies on the floor, these guys rock. Catch all the action, both in the stands and on the floor. This is a team worth your attention.
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