2006-07 Season Preview

Courtesy of GoCobbers.com, Release: November 15

MOORHEAD, Minn. -- The past will intertwine with the future for the 2006-07 Concordia women’s basketball team and head coach Jessica Rahman. The Cobbers are coming off a season where they won 21 games, claimed the MIAC playoff championship and earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament. If there was ever a person that could preach on how to handle being the “hunted” instead of the “hunter” it is Rahman. When she played for the Cobbers in the late 1980’s, Rahman led Concordia to three straight MIAC championships and, after losing the national title game in 1987, helped the Cobbers win the national championship in 1988. She did this while playing with a huge target on her back every time she stepped out onto the court.

The target in 2006-07 comes in the form of the MIAC Coaches’ Preseason Poll where the Cobbers are predicted to finish first in the league. In just three short years under the tutelage of Rahman, the team has gone from league playoff participant to league favorite. This year’s team will need the knowledge of all of Rahman’s tricks of the trade if they hope to land back in the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season.

The reason for the red and white jersey the conference coaches placed on the back of Concordia is the return of four out of the five starters from a year ago. Not only do the Cobbers have quantity returning, they also have quality. Concordia All-Region performer Melanie Hageman (Jr., Fargo, N.D./Fargo South HS) returns for her junior season after her coming out party in 2005-06. Last year she led the MIAC in field goal percentage, connecting on 59.1% of her attempts from the field. She was also third in the league in scoring (16.3 points per game), fourth in rebounding (7.6 rebounds per game) and fourth in free throw percentage (80.6%). She was named to the MIAC All-Conference Team and the D3hoops.com All-Region Second Team for her efforts last year and will continue to get better in the two years to come.

Lest teams think Concordia is a one-trick pony that relies solely on the inside play of Hageman, Concordia returns both starting backcourt players that helped the team finish in the top three in just about every significant offensive statistical category. Annie Keeley (Sr., Grafton, N.D.) was named to the MIAC All-Conference Team last year and has earned league postseason awards in her first three seasons. She is the leader of a team that rarely gives in to pressure situations and always has fun on the court. Keeley has been one of the best defensive players in the league the past two seasons and possesses an uncanny ability to hit 3-point baskets at clutch during a game. She was second on the team in scoring in overall games (12.4 ppg) and conference games (11.7 ppg). The 5-6 guard was also third on the team in rebounding (4.0 rpg).

Joining Keeley in the backcourt is sophomore Jenna Freudenberg (Parkers Prairie, Minn.). Freudenberg’s quickness and athleticism make her the ideal point guard for Concordia’s up-tempo offense. She started 24 games last year and was second on the team in assists. The year of experience will help Freudenberg contend with even the toughest pressure defenses in 2006-07.

The one speed bump for Concordia in 2006-07 will be to find a replacement for last year’s spiritual leader Tori Ehlert. Ehlert was an inside force for the Cobbers on a nightly basis and led the team in rebounding with a 7.0 rebounds per game average.

Ehlert’s statistical production could be picked up by senior Sarah Krabbenhoft (Sioux Falls, S.D./Roosevelt HS). The six-foot post player is the team’s fourth returning starter and will take up some of the slack in the absence of Ehlert. Last year she was fourth on the team in scoring (5.9 ppg) and rebounding (3.3 rpg). She possesses a soft touch around the basket and can score from inside as well as out on the perimeter. Her ability to shoot the ball from anywhere on the floor is shown in the fact that she was second on the team in free throw percentage (.769) and third in 3-point field goal percentage (.343).

Finding another inside position player to go along with Hageman and Krabbenhoft will help Rahman be able to make a serious run at the team’s first regular season title since the 1989-90 season. Senior co-captain Leanne White (Eden Prairie, Minn.) is a gritty player who has shown flashes of great play in the past two seasons. She played in all 28 games in 2005-06 and was fifth on the team in rebounding. If she can find her scoring touch around the basket, she will be able to take the pressure off of Hageman and give teams another scoring threat to worry about.

The Cobbers can also give opponents a variety of looks when it comes to offensive schemes. They have several outstanding returning guards that helped the team throughout their playoff championship run last year. Jessica Heintz (Jr., Bismarck, N.D./Century HS) and Ashley King (So., Arthur, N.D./Northern Cass HS) both had stretches where they were able contribute to the team’s success last season and should help tremendously in 2006-07.

If Concordia can take a page out of Rahman’s playbook from the 1980’s then the Cobbers have a great shot at living up to preseason expectations and making a deeper run into the NCAA playoffs come March.

2006-07 MIAC Coaches'

Preseason Poll

Five teams received first place votes in the women's basketball poll but Concordia finished first. The Cobbers topped 2005-06 MIAC champion Saint Benedict, along with Carleton, Gustavus, and St. Thomas close behind. Non-conference women's basketball games begin on Friday, November 17 and MIAC conference games start on Wednesday, November 29.

1. Concordia (3)
2. Saint Benedict (4)
3. Carleton (2)
4. Gustavus (2)
5. St. Thomas (1)
6. Bethel
7. (tie) Hamline
7. (tie) St. Olaf
9. St. Catherine
10. Saint Mary's
11. Augsburg
12. Macalester