November 3, 1998
ASU Sun Devils vs. Slovan Bratislava
Wells Fargo Arena - Tempe, Ariz.
7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4
The Arizona State women's basketball team gets its first test of the 1998-99 season when it hosts Slovan Bratislava in an exhibition game Wednesday night at Wells Fargo Arena. Tip- off is slated for 7 p.m. Slovan Bratislava plays UNLV Monday and then travels to NAU for a Tuesday night matchup. The Sun Devils return nine players, including three starters, from a squad that went 10-17 overall and 6-12 (T7th) in the Pac-10 in 1997-98. Last year's squad achieved ASU's most overall and Pac-10 wins in five seasons.
ASU & Exhibition Games
The Sun Devils are 2-2 in exhibition games under third-year coach Charli Turner Thorne. ASU split its games last year defeating Kilsyth 69-67 on Nov. 8 and falling to Myjava 48-62 on Nov. 14.
Mid-Morning Madness
The Arizona State women's basketball team will host its third annual Mid-Morning Madness for Phoenix-area youth on Sat., Nov. 7. The event takes place from 9 to 11 a.m. at Wells Fargo Arena. Kids are encouraged to check out an ASU scrimmage, enjoy a free breakfast and visit with the Sun Devil coaching staff and all 15 players. "The kids are able to get an up-close look at Sun Devil women's basketball and meet and visit with the players," says Turner Thorne. "They love it.
Probable Starters '97-98 ASU Sun Devils Pos. Cl. Ht. PPG RPG NOTES #33 Natalie Tucker G So. 5-9 -- -- transfer from Texas A&M #15 Kitch Kitchen G Jr. 5-7 19.3 9.5 avg. 7.1 assists last year #4 Leaf Newman F So. 5-9 6.6 3.0 Pac-10 All-Freshman HM #22 Theresa Jantzen F Fr. 6-3 29.5 12.9 2-time Miss Alberta Basketball #54 Rachel Holt C Jr. 6-3 10.3 4.8 '98 Pac-10 Honorable Mention
Did You Know?
Arizona State notched double-digit wins (10) last season for the first time since going 17-10 in 1992-93.
Pac-10 Media Day
Pac-10 Basketball Media Day will take place Thursday, Nov. 5, at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel in Los Angeles from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. ASU women's basketball coach Charli Turner Thorne and men's coach Rob Evans will be available, as well as the 18 other conference coaches. The Preseason Pac-10 Media Poll will be released at Media Day. For more information, contact the Pac-10 Conference at (925) 932-4411.
ASU Women's Basketball Media Day
Media Day for the Sun Devils women's team has been set for Tuesday, Nov. 10 from 1 to 2 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena.
Nine Letterwinners Return
Junior center Rachel Holt will anchor a Sun Devil frontcourt which features the most depth in Turner Thorne's ASU tenure. Also back among the post players is senior Kisha White (8.5ppg/4.4rpg), who stepped into the starting lineup last December and started the last 20 games, sophomore Kristine Sand, redshirt freshman Jennifer Bennett and sophomore Kellie McDanal. The ASU backcourt returns senior Michelle Tom, who will see time at both the 1 and 2 positions this year, senior Rechelle Lang (who missed the last 11 games of '97-98 with inflammatory arthritis/left knee), and sophomores Leaf Newman (6.6 pts., 3.0 reb., 16.3 min.) and Ebony Edwards, who is coming off an ACL reconstruction last season.
Six New Faces
ASU women's hoops roster features six new faces this season, as a pair of Division I transfers become eligible and a juco transfer, two freshmen and a walk-on join the program: Natalie Tucker (5-9 G/Texas A&M), Aubrey McFadyen (6-1 G/Colorado State), Kitch Kitchen (5-7 G/San Jose City College), Kristy Hangartner (5-5 G/Dominican College), Leah Combs (6-2 F/Yorba Linda, Calif.) and Theresa Jantzen (6-3 F/Medicine Hat, Alberta).
1998-99 Preseason Pac-10 Coaches' Poll
Arizona State was picked to finish seventh in the Conference in the 1998-99 Pac-10 Coaches' Preseason Poll. After being picked to finish ninth last season, the Sun Devils tied for seventh. Here are the coaches' poll results, with points (first-place votes in parentheses):
1. UCLA (5) 94
2. Stanford (2) 84
3. Oregon (2) 77
4. Washington (1) 74
5. Arizona 64
6. USC 44
7. Arizona State 38
8. Washington State 31
T9. California 22
Oregon State 22
TV and Radio Exposure
Once again, ASU flagship station KMVP 860 AM will broadcast all Sun Devil women's basketball games (home and away), with Kevin Ray calling the action. ASU will appear on at least two nationally televised games on FOX Sports Net (Jan. 2 vs. USC and Feb. 21 at Oregon State). In addition, FOX Sports Arizona and COX Sports will select Sun Devil women's basketball games for regional and local telecasts.
Moving Forward
In 1997-98, the Sun Devils surpassed their overall win total (9) and doubled their Pac-10 win total (3) from the previous year. Heading into this year, ASU has averaged 3.4 conference wins and 7.8 overall wins over the last five seasons.
Year Overall Conf. Coach 1997-98 10-17 6-12/T7th Charli Turner Thorne 1996-97 9-19 3-15/9th Charli Turner Thorne 1995-96 8-19 4-14/9th Jacquie Hullah 1994-95 8-19 2-16/10th Jacquie Hullah 1993-94 4-22 2-16/T9th Jacquie Hullah 1992-93 17-10 10-8/T4th Maura McHugh
Tempe Turnaround
After just 55 games at the helm of the ASU women's basketball program, Head Coach Charli Turner Thorne has the Sun Devils heading back in the right direction. ASU had not recorded more than eight wins in a season for three straight years before Turner Thorne arrived in Tempe in June 1996. A lot has been changing since then.
In 1997-98 Turner Thorne guided ASU to:
- Its best Pac-10 start (4-5) since the 1992-93 season when it started out 5-4.
- Its most Pac-10 wins (6) in five years.
- Its largest margin of victory in a Pac-10 game (+21) since 1992-93.
- Its first back-to-back conference wins since 1995-96.
- Its first Pac-10 road win in almost three years.
- Its first season sweeps of Pac-10 teams in two years.
- Its first sweep of at least two Pac-10 teams in five years.
- One of its biggest upsets (77-76 win vs. then-No. 7 Washington).
- Its first 100-point game since the 1992-93 season (118 points vs. Long Island).
- The second-highest scoring output by a Sun Devil women's team (118 points).
A Look Back at 1997-98
In Charli Turner Thorne's second season at the helm, the Sun Devils went 10-17 (6-12 Pac-10/T7th), achieving their most overall and conference wins in five years.
Despite costly injuries to reserve guard Ebony Edwards (torn ACL) and starting forward Jennifer Bennett (stress fracture) in December, ASU ended the preseason slate on a high note, taking then-No. 23 Auburn down to the wire and defeating Oklahoma at home.
Picked to finish ninth in the conference race in a preseason poll of Pac-10 media, ASU spent most of the season in sixth place but ended the year on a season-high four-game losing streak to finish tied for seventh in the league. The Sun Devils fought to a 4-5 record in the first half of league play including one of their biggest upsets a victory over then-No. 7 Washington on Jan. 8. Junior Michelle Tom launched a three-pointer that drained as the buzzer sounded, giving the Sun Devils the 77-76 win and making CNN's Play's of the Day.
Injuries took an especially hard toll on the ASU backcourt in late January. Inflammatory arthritis (left knee) hindered starting point guard Rechelle Lang beginning with the Jan. 22 and 24 games at Oregon State and Oregon, respectively. Without Lang available, ASU went just 3-8 in its last 11 games but managed season sweeps of Oregon State and Washington State its first Pac-10 sweeps in two years.