Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Winona State Warriors
LOCATION Williams Arena (14,625) - Minneapolis, Minn. DATE / TIME: Wednesday, Nov. 4 / 7 p.m. TELEVISION: none RADIO / WEBCAST: none
Gophers Host Winona State in Exhibition Contest Minnesota will play host to Winona State on Wednesday, Nov. 4, in the first of the Golden Gophers’ two exhibition games heading into the 2009 season. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. in Williams Arena.
New Barn Floor Wednesday’s game between Minnesota and Winona State marks the first basketball game played on the brand new court in Williams Arena. Technically, the floor was christened in a volleyball match on Oct. 24, when Minnesota hosted Michigan.
A Familiar Face on Opposing Sideline Gopher fan-favorite Shannon Schonrock returns to Williams Arena as an assistant coach on the Winona State squad. Schonrock played for the Gophers from 2002-06 and started at point guard on Minnesota’s squad that advanced to the Final Four in 2004. Season-Opening Success Minnesota has won its season-opening games in eight of the last 10 years including a 6-1 mark during the tenure of Pam Borton. Overall, the Gophers , are 22-43 in openers since 1973-74 (results from the first two years of basketball, 1971-72 and 1972-73, are unavailable). Borton Embarks on Eighth Year at Minnesota Head coach Pam Borton begins her eighth season at Minnesota. Borton, along with Ohio State’s Jim Foster, share the second-longest coaching tenure in the Big Ten Conference. Only Iowa’s Lisa Bluder, entering her 10th season, has been in the league longer. This season, only Northwestern has a new coach after our Big Ten schools (Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State) had rookie coaches a year ago. The Trio of Team Captains For 2009-10 The Golden Gopher team captains for the 2009-10 season are seniors Ashley Ellis-Milan, Brittany McCoy and Katie Ohm. Ellis-Milan and McCoy are two-captains.
By the Numbers... The Gophers welcome back 73 percent of the scoring, 87 percent of the rebounding and 63 percent of the assists from last season. Topping the list is Ashley Ellis-Milan, returning after averaging 11.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, and Brittany McCoy back with her 4.1 assists an outing.
Plenty of Experience in Starting Lineup The Golden Gophers kick off the 2009-10 season with a mix of experience and youth on their roster. The Gophers return four starters in Brittany McCoy, Ashley Ellis-Milan, Katie Ohm and Jackie Voigt, who combined have 268 games of starting experience.
Pam Borton Radio Show on Mondays The Pam Borton Radio Show, heard locally on WCCO Radio (830 am) is broadcast live on Monday evenings at 7:30 p.m. at Applebee’s in Stadium Village. Golden Gopher radio personalities Corbu Stathes and Lynnette Sjoquist host the program. The first show of the season Monday, Nov. 9. Preseason Poll Places Gophers Third, Fourth The annual Big Ten Basketball Media Day was held in Chicago on Thursday, Oct. 29, with Minnesota head coach Pam Borton, and seniors Ashley Ellis-Milan and Brittany McCoy representing the Golden Gophers women’s basketball team at the event. The Big Ten released the preseason polls of both the Conference coaches and media. The coaches predicted the Gophers to finish third, while the media tabbed Minnesota to finish fourth in the league standings. Ohio State was the favorite in both polls to repeat as the Big Ten team champion. Michigan State was picked to finish second. “I was not surprised (about the Gophers being picked third),” said Borton. “We’re returning a veteran team. The teams ahead of us are pretty obvious for preseason picks with Michigan State returning a lot of seniors and Ohio State returning the Big Ten Defensive, Rookie and Player of the Year. I think a lot of people have respect for our program, the four returning starters from our team and how we finished last year.” The 2009 Big Ten Player of the Year, Ohio State’s Jantel Lavender was tabbed as the Conference’s Preseason Player of the Year. Lavender was joined by Jenna Smith (Illinois), Allyssa DeHaan (Michigan State), Samantha Prahaulis (Ohio State) and Tyra Grant (Penn State) on the Preseason All-Big Ten Team. Looking for the Sweep Senior guard Brittany McCoy has the chance to build on an accomplishment in Gopher history that only she can claim. McCoy is the first player to collect over 100 assists during her freshman, sophomore and junior seasons. She has dished out 367 assists while starting each and every of her 97 career games.
Ellis-Milan the Power in the Post Senior Ashley Ellis-Milan is a four-year starter at the post for the Gophers and has led the team in rebounding in each of her first three seasons. Ellis-Milan, an All-Big Ten Third Team pick in 2009, looks to join an elite group of only Linda Roberts (1977-81) and Laura Coenen (1981-85) to lead the Gophers in rebounding in all four years of a career.
Ohm Returns to Chase School Three-Point Mark Katie Ohm brings her senior season with the Minnesota school record for three-point field goals in her sights. Ohm is ranked third with 156 three-pointers, 74 from Shannon Schonrock’s (2002-06) career total of 230. Ironically, Ohm notched a Minnesota single-season record with 74 triples a year ago.
Voigt a Steady Force in Low Post Sophomore Jackie Voigt earned the starting nod at forward for the first game of her rookie season and has been a consistent performer for the Gophers ever since. Voigt averaged 5.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game as a freshman.
Buford a Probable Starter For the Gophers Sophomore Kiara Buford is expected to join the starting lineup for the Golden Gophers this season. Buford was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team last season after averaging 6.9 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.
Courtesy: Sylvia Hesse
