Ames Tribune
Legend in making
An open competition at point guard
Sunday, November 5, 2017
Bridget Carleton is on track to become one of ISU’s all-time best SEE PAGE 2
SEE PAGE 6
Cyclones hope post depth pays off SEE PAGE 7
2017-18 Iowa State women’s basketball guide
ISU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
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Ames Tribune
2017-18 IOWA STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PREVIEW TABLE OF CONTENTS Bridget Carleton Page 2 Schedule poster Page 4-5 Point guard Page 6 In the post Page 7
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Sunday, November 5, 2017
Carleton on path to be one of ISU’s all-time stars By Ian Murphy
Staff Writer imurphy@amestrib.com
Bridget Carleton might be that good. The comparisons, now only spouted as hypotheticals from the press-conference podiums by those who see the day in and day out work Carleton puts in at the Sukup basketball complex, could push Carleton beyond being compared to past Cyclone legends and into the figure future players are compared to. Carleton could join the group of Angie (Welle) Edinger, Stacy Frese Huber, Kelsey Bolte-Carper and Lyndsey (Medders) Fennelly as Cyclone greats. The junior guard might become the type of transcendent star the Iowa State women’s basketball program hasn’t seen in recent years. She might become one of the best players to come through the ISU ranks, joining a select few players who have their numbers hung in the rafters of Hilton Coliseum. She might enter the argument of best ever to play for ISU, and to hear those around the program talk about Bridget Carleton is to hear of a player well on her way to, at the least, joining the ranks of those ISU elite, but capable of more. “She’s going to have a career that rivals a lot of great players
Iowa State junior guard Bridget Carleton is on a trajectory to becoming one of the best players in ISU history. Some of the program’s greats think she can get there. PHOTO BY NIRMALENDU MAJUMDAR/AMES TRIBUNE
here,” ISU coach Bill Fennelly said. “And we’re just really lucky to have her here and lucky that she’s got two years left to play.” And to hear Carleton tell it, she’s just grateful for the opportunity to play for Fennelly. “Really no words when he says things like that,” she said of
Fennelly. “He obviously expects a lot of me, which is great, and that’s what I want in a coach, so that’s one of the reasons I wanted to come here.” • • • The Cyclones knew they had
a special player in Carleton, a Chatham, Ontario, native, almost immediately. “From the moment we saw her,” associate head coach Jodi Steyer said, “whether it was in high school or Canadian basketball, there’s a different level that she takes it to. She’s never
ISU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
satisfied with anything.” Steyer said the Cyclones thought videotape of Carleton playing was special. At 6-foot-1, Carleton has the size to be a player who draws a mismatch on smaller guards while having the ability to get around bigger players. “When you combine the talent, and you combine that mentality, you thought something special could happen,” Steyer said. “And I think it already has, and now she’s got two more years to continue the trajectory.” Carleton’s first two seasons set her on that trajectory, but one practice in to her college career, Fennelly knew he had a special player in his program, and her freshman year only confirmed as much. In 27 games as a freshman, Carleton averaged 12 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists on the season. A freshman who puts up that line is automatically labeled special, but Carleton said she was not as touted coming out of Canada as her freshman line would lead some to believe. “I wasn’t too highly recruited, I would say, it’s different being from Canada,” she said. “Obviously, coach Steyer saw some film of me and decided to go after it.” And the Cyclones are glad they did. Carleton avoided the “sophomore slump” last season, upping her scoring average to 15 points per game while also averaging 5.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. As a freshman, she played primarily outside the 3-point arc and excelled as a spot-up shooter. As a sophomore, Carleton showed a willingness to get to the paint as a slasher and finish at the rim, drawing comparison from Fennelly to Megan Taylor, ISU’s career leader in field goals made, 3-pointers attempted and 3-pointers made. Carleton, through two seasons, is not quite there, but is on her way, Fennelly said. “Same body type, same height, slasher, scorer, not someone you would say is a knock-down every shot kind of thing,” Fennelly said of the comparison to Taylor, “but finds a way to make plays off the bounce, shoot the three, offensive rebound, and do it at an ultra-competitive level for a career. That’s pretty high praise, maybe one of the all-time favorites here, but (Carleton is) on that same path.” The competitive element is the most striking part of the soft-spoken Carleton’s game. Carleton is not afraid to take a game over when she has, and she is willing to defer when she needs to as well. It’s that skill that caught the attention of Lyndsey (Medders) Fennelly, who broadcasts the ISU away games for the Cyclone Radio Network, is one of the top point guards to come through ISU and one of six WNBA draft picks, a basketball skills trainer based in Ames and wife of ISU assistant coach Billy Fennelly. Lyndsey Fennelly pointed to the Cyclones’ win over West Virginia in February last season. “She single handedly won us that game in the first half,” Lydnsey Fennelly said, pointing to Carleton’s 22 first-half points, which helped ISU to a 37-28 halftime lead
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Iowa State’s Bridget Carleton averaged 15 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks per game last season in leading the Cyclones to the NCAA tournament. PHOTO BY NIRMALENDU MAJUMDAR/AMES TRIBUNE
“I’m here morning, noon and night, and there’s not many times where she’s here, and I’m not here. The easiest thing for us to do is say, Bridget’s our best player, Bridget’s our hardest worker, Bridget spends all her time here, do what Bridget does.” Bill Fennelly, Iowa State women’s basketball coach
in what ended as an 80-55 ISU drubbing. “If we don’t win that game, we don’t make the NCAA tournament,” Lyndsey Fennelly said. “It’s about recognizing the opportunity and making the most of it.” Carleton certainly recognized it against the Mountaineers, going 9 of 12 from the field in the first half and finishing with 31 points and seven rebounds on 12-of-21 shooting on the game. The Cyclones won five of their last six regular-season games last season, helping solidify their NCAA tournament hopes. But, Lyndsey Fennelly said, the West Virginia game was the moment Carleton showed how special she is, and the skills trainer, in watching the junior guard, created new drills based on the game. “She did what I now call the Bridget Carleton drill,” Lyndsey Fennelly said. “You put your head down and take two dribbles, you get to the middle of the paint and jump stop so they move around a little bit, you find an opening and you shoot it.” Carleton got the bulk of her shots against the Mountaineers in the paint, demonstrating an understanding of her skillset, and an ability to maximize mismatches that impressed Lyndsey Fennelly.
But Carleton has also endeared herself to Will Fennelly, grandson of Bill and son of Billy and Lyndsey. “At 18 months old, he thought that’s his girlfriend,” Lyndsey said of her son. “We say he’s got good taste and a good eye for talent as well. “When he comes to practice, he’ll pretend he’s on his fake phone and is texting his girlfriend and wants to tell her good job all the time.” On the court, the skills trainer in Lyndsey Fennelly sees Carleton as a dualthreat player with a demonstrated ability to catch and shoot and an ability to take people on the dribble. Throw in size, and Carleton is a prototypical guard every coach dreams of. “She’s as well rounded, gifted, skilled player, and mind you I’ve been around this program 15 years,” Lyndsey Fennelly said. “I don’t see much limits. Who wouldn’t want to become a better defender, that one’s obvious, but she’s so complete in what she can do when the ball’s in her hands.” • • • Where Carleton does not excel in her game, she works relentlessly to fill the gaps. It’s been repeated ad nauseam Carleton is in the gym more than any player in Bill Fennelly’s tenure. “I don’t think she sleeps, really,” said ISU senior guard Emily Durr, Carleton’s roommate. “Every time I’ll knock on the door and be like, ‘Bridget?’ she’s not home. “I think she’s maybe here 23 out of the 24 hours a day, and that’s putting it lightly.” Durr made her joke with a serious tone, but Carleton, by many accounts, could have squatters rights in the gym. “Bridget Carleton is the hardest worker on the team, she’s the best player on the team, and it’s not an accident,” Fennelly said. “She’s in the gym all the time. “I’m here a lot — my wife likes it when
I’m here a lot — and when I’m in here, there’s not many times when I don’t hear a ball bouncing, and I don’t even have to look. I know it’s No. 21 on the gun. I know it’s No. 21 out here shooting free throws.” Carleton has dreams of playing for the Canadian national team and making the Olympics. She helped the senior national team to an AmeriCup title last summer, earning the team a qualifying berth for the FIBA World Cup next year. Those goals drive Carleton, and she’s working to add to her game, hoping to make the Canadian senior national team again next season. She’s working on creating her own shot and being consistent at finishing at the rim, but, true to her soft-spoken nature, she undersells the work she puts in. “I think I just have to work as hard as I can every day,” Carleton said. “Do whatever I can on the court and off the court, just kind of making my mark here.” But Fennelly is quick to point out the correlation between Carleton’s work ethic and the accolades coming her way. “I’m here morning, noon and night, and there’s not many times where she’s here, and I’m not here,” he said. “The easiest thing for us to do is say, Bridget’s our best player, Bridget’s our hardest worker, Bridget spends all her time here, do what Bridget does. “They can’t look at you and go, ‘it’s not working.’ Everything Bridget does translates to success, translates to individual and team success.” Carleton’s work ethic, which Fennelly described as unbelievable, is reaching untold heights of hype. But what impresses Angie (Welle) Edinger, the all-time leading scorer and rebounder in ISU history, is Carleton’s mental game. “What I like about her is she’s calm, she’s steady, she’s consistent,” Edinger said. “Those are traits that I think get overlooked in athletics, and you hear this all the time and you see this all the time, when you play (Big 12) Division I athletics, there’s an intense amount of pressure that comes with it.” And from her freshman year on, Edinger said, Carleton appeared unfazed. No stage or moment has been too big for the junior, who is unquestionably the Cyclones’ best player whenever she is on the court. Edinger, statistically speaking, is arguably the best to ever don the Cyclone uniform, but the great said the great-in-themaking is likely not paying attention to her building fame. And Carleton probably isn’t thinking about becoming one of the all-time great Cyclones. Instead, she’s probably in the gym, working to blow past that mark. “Speaking from experience, when you’re playing and you’re in the moment, you’re not thinking, OK, how can I leave a legacy at Iowa State?” Edinger said. “She has a ton of components that allow her to probably be the greatest or one of the greatest of all time. She’s coachable. She wants to get better. “She works super hard, she has a lot of those pieces that are setting her up for that.”
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ISU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL | Sunday, November 5, 2017
DATE OPPONENT Sun., Nov. 5 Wisconsin-La Crosse (Ex.) Fri., Nov. 10 South Dakota Tues., Nov. 14 at Northern Iowa Mon., Nov. 20 UMKC Junkanoo Jam Fri., Nov. 24 Tulane Sat., Nov. 25 C. Michigan/San Diego Thurs., Nov. 30 at Drake Big 12/SEC Challenge Sat., Dec. 2 at Vanderbilt Wed., Dec. 6 Iowa Sun., Dec. 10 North Carolina Central Sun., Dec. 17 UC Riverside Thurs., Dec. 21 Nicholls State Thurs., Dec. 28 Kansas Sun., Dec. 31 Oklahoma Wed., Jan. 3 at Baylor 2:45 p.m. TBD 7 p.m. 3 p.m. 6:30 p.m. noon 2 p.m. 1 p.m. TBD 2 p.m. 7 p.m.
Bimini, Bahamas Bimini, Bahamas Des Moines Nashville Hilton Coliseum Hilton Coliseum Hilton Coliseum Hilton Coliseum Hilton Coliseum Hilton Coliseum Waco, Texas
SEC Network Cyclones.tv Cyclones.tv Cyclones.tv Cyclones.tv Cyclones.tv Cyclones.tv FSSW+
Flohoops Flohoops
TIME TV noon Cyclones.tv noon Cyclones.tv 7 p.m. 6:30 p.m. Cyclones.tv
LOCATION Hilton Coliseum Hilton Coliseum Cedar Falls Hilton Coliseum
at West Virginia Kansas State at Texas Tech Baylor West Virginia at Oklahoma State at Texas TCU at Kansas State Oklahoma State at TCU Texas Tech at Oklahoma Texas at Kansas
Morgantown W.Va. Hilton Coliseum Lubbock, Texas Hilton Coliseum Hilton Coliseum Stillwater, Okla. Austin, Texas Hilton Coliseum Manhattan, Kan. Hilton Coliseum Fort Worth, Texas Hilton Coliseum Norman, Okla. Hilton Coliseum Lawrence, Kan.
1 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6 p.m. 8 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 8 p.m. 7 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 7 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 3 p.m. 7 p.m. 5 p.m. 7 p.m.
Cyclones.tv FSSW FSN Cyclones.tv FSN LHN Cyclones.tv ESPN3 Cyclones.tv FSSW Cyclones.tv FSSW+ FSN JTV-ESPN3
Fri.-Mon. March 2-5 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship Oklahoma City
Sun., Jan. 7 Wed., Jan. 10 Sat., Jan. 13 Wed., Jan. 17 Sat., Jan. 20 Wed., Jan. 24 Sat., Jan. 27 Tues., Jan. 30 Sat., Feb. 3 Sat., Feb. 10 Wed., Feb. 14 Sat., Feb. 17 Wed., Feb. 21 Sat., Feb. 24 Tues., Feb. 27
IOWA STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
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Point guard an open competition for Cyclones “The game has kind of gone positionless anyway, so ... we’re going to experiment with a lot of different people.”
By Ian Murphy
Staff Writer imurphy@amestrib.com
The heir to the Iowa State point guard throne is not yet apparent. The Iowa State women’s basketball team will turn to a host of players to fill the void at point guard, in part out of necessity and in part with coach Bill Fennelly’s desire to go to positionless basketball. “Obviously, it’s a unique situation for us,” Fennelly said. “It’s the first time we don’t have an incumbent point guard on our team.” The would-be incumbent point guard, Jadda Buckley, forwent her last year of eligibility and hung up her shoes, leaving untested sophomore Nia Washington and true freshman Rae Johnson as the only two point guards on the Cyclones’ roster. Even the duo, each measuring 5-foot-7, come with their own questions and skill sets. Washington is fast, and is a natural distributor, while Johnson can score slightly better than the sophomore. “They’re not the point guards we’ve had in the past,” Fennelly said. “Nia needs to be a distributor, have a great assists-to-turnover ratio, be a defender because scoring’s not going to be what she’s good at. Rae can score a little more but has to handle the ball a little better, defend. “They’re not going to be Jadda, they’re not going to be (former point guard) Lyndsey (Medders Fennelly, who averaged 11.9 points and 7.9 assists per game for the Cyclones in the early 2000’s).” Neither have the experience at the Big 12 level Buckley had, and neither are likely to be thrown into the thick of things the way Buckley or Lyndsey Fennelly were. The Cyclones, instead, will rely on a host of players to bring the ball up the floor. “To be honest with you, the game has kind of gone positionless anyway,” Fennelly said. “So we’ve kind of played without one, but we’re going to experiment with a lot of different people.” That includes Johnson and Washington, guards Bridget Carleton and Emily Durr, both of whom brought the ball up the court last season, and freshman forward Madison Wise, a
Bill Fennelly, Iowa State women’s basketball coach, on who will handle point guard duties for the Cyclones this coming season
Iowa State point guards Rae Johnson and Nia Washington both figure to get minutes running the offense this season. Both point guards turn to YouTube for inspiration.PHOTO BY NIRMALENDU MAJUMDAR/AMES TRIBUNE
Iowa State forward Madison Wise, above left, is among the most highly touted recruits the women’s basketball program has ever seen. Wise will have a day-one impact for the Cyclones. She likely will be asked to help bring the ball up the court, as will senior Emily Durr, above right.PHOTOS BY NIRMALENDU MAJUMDAR/AMES TRIBUNE
five-star recruit. “I’ve played a little bit of point guard, so not too bad,” Wise said. “I’ve never been like a set point guard, but I’m pretty comfortable with it. “Senior year (of high school), I played a lot of point guard because ours tore her ACL, and then coming in and having the team behind me, showing confidence in me, gives me a lot of confidence in whatever position I play.”
Whomever brings the ball up, which could vary each possession, will have to have the ability to distribute, be able to hold the ball and be a strong defender. An offseason conversation with Fennelly helped put those things in perspective for Washington, too. The competition at point guard is open, and Fennelly told Washington to know her role and do it well, and it’s exactly the skills player and coach discussed
Washington has focused on since last season. “I feel like we have a lot of big pieces in our offense, and I feel like as a point guard it’s my job to utilize them,” she said. “Guard the ball, that’s one of our biggest things that, we didn’t lack last year, but that was one of our weaknesses, defending the ball.” Washington has a year of playing understudy to Buckley as an advantage as well. Washington said she and associate head
coach Jodi Steyer have watched film of the former point guard. Washington’s time on the bench, too, was spent watching Buckley and learning the ins-and-outs of the Cyclones’ system. “Her IQ and finding ways to score, finding ways to get our teammates involved really showed me how to do that,” Washington said. “She did a lot of things right, so I was like, if I can mimic her, then I can fill in her spot.” But Buckley’s isn’t the only film Washington watches. There are no shortage of great point guards past and present, and the sophomore, along with Johnson, often turns to YouTube to find more models. “With ball handling, because I love handling the ball,” Washington said, “I really look at Allen Iverson and Kyrie Irving in that aspect. Chris Paul with the passing, I really look at him to see, alright, how does he get his teammates involved, because he’s more of a pass-first point guard, and that’s what I’m trying to look at for my role this year.” Johnson watches highlights of Iverson, whose crossover carried him to the Hall of Fame and whose anti-practice rant is almost equally legendary, and Paul, as well as Steph Curry, which she said will hopefully show her different ways to play point guard. “Their games are totally different, some are willing to score,” she said. “Some are willing to pass, and I enjoy watching both sides of it, the patience. I really enjoy watching.” Fennelly said he knew his two young point guards turned to YouTube for film, but he hoped, if either Johnson or Washington wins the point guard job, the duo would break from Iverson in two important ways. “I hope they like practice a little bit more,” he said with a laugh. “And I hope they don’t shoot as much.”
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Cyclones hope post depth pays off By Ian Murphy, Staff Writer imurphy@amestrib.com
Meredith Burkhall never had an easy go of things in her first two years at Iowa State. The 6-foot-4 Burkhall was baptized in the Big 12 fire when Bryanna Fernstrom transferred to Minnesota midseason in Burkhall’s freshman year. Then, as a sophomore, Burkhall was again the only post on the Cyclones’ roster. Heather Bowe helped as much as a 6-foot post can, but Burkhall played a huge share of the minutes at center for the second season in a row. “Mere has played two years here and probably been in an unfair situation,” ISU coach Bill Fennelly said of his junior center. “We haven’t had a lot of help for her and had to throw her in there against the Baylor and Texas and everyone else in the world, but she’s had her growing pains.” Now, for the first time in her ISU career, Burkhall has help in the post. An expanded role for Claire Ricketts and the additions of Bride Kennedy-Hopoate and Kristen Scott, a juco transfer and a true freshman, respectively, will give Burkhall reprieve from banging against the biggest bodies of the Big 12. “It’s nice to have some height,” Burkhall said of the new additions. “It’s nice to have them here and have some great experience.” Kennedy-Hopoate is the most intriguing addition, as the Australian center averaged 11.9 points and 5.9 rebounds in 19.1 minutes per game last season at Hutchinson Community Kansas en route to an NJCAA third-team All-American award.
Iowa State forward Claire Ricketts will be a key piece of the Cyclones’ post rotation this season. PHOTO BY NIRMALENDU MAJUMDAR/AMES TRIBUNE
She’s a mix of size and skill the Cyclones have not seen in the post since Chelsea Poppens and figures to be a key rotation player. “Bride gives us a physical presence that we haven’t had here in,” Fennelly said at media day, pausing for a moment to think, “forever, I can’t remember the last time, if ever.” But, Kennedy-Hopoate arrived to campus late, needing to finish her degree from Hutchinson, and is behind in that way. The jump from junior college to the Big 12 has been tough mentally and physically, she said. “It’s a whole different level. You’re playing with pure athletes here,” she said. “You have to adjust quickly, you can’t just go back to yesterday and think about yesterday. You have to keep going. “It’s a big compliment for me but it’s a big challenge, and I’ve got to step up I’ve got to make five big
steps, and I’m ready to do it.” She’ll need to as well, as the Cyclones will look to Kennedy-Hopoate in the post often. Fennelly said the Cyclones need to both offensive rebound better and take command defensively in the post. Physically, Kennedy-Hopoate thinks she’s ready to do that, though she said her scoring in the paint could be better. “I have always been a really aggressive player, and I love banging down in the post, so I’m really excited about that,” she said. “I can’t wait to do that with these big girls.” That’s been Burkhall’s job for two seasons, but the help has finally arrived. Ricketts, who has played sparingly over the last two seasons, sees it as her job to get the new players ready. “I think they need to understand the pace, first of all,” Rickett
Iowa State forward Meredith Burkhall has never had as much help in the post as she’ll have this season, but she still will be the No. 1 option. PHOTO BY NIRMALENDU MAJUMDAR/AMES TRIBUNE
said. “Bride has a little bit of experience from a juco, but I think everyone’s biggest thing they say to college from high school is just the pace is so much different. “I think having Kristen be confident in who she is and understanding the pace is a little faster, but at the same time, you need to take your time down low.” Scott, a three-star recruit out of Minnesota, figures to play as well. The Cyclones, however, will still rely on Burkhall for the bulk of the work in the paint. “The person that has probably made the most progress from last spring in my mind, to today is Meredith Burkahll,” Fennelly said.
That jump came in the weight room, both Fennelly and Burkhall agree, but she still sees areas to improve, particularly behind the 3-point line. A consistent three would give Burkhall and the Cyclones the ability to stretch the floor. The Cyclones, regardless of the the addition of Burkhall’s 3-point shot, feel confident in their new platoon of post players. “It’s fun to have four people you can throw out there,” Fennelly said. “And, hopefully, it’s kind of like an offensive or defensive line that kind of gels together. “Everyone figures out their little role and how they can impact success. So good so far. And hopefully, that can continue.”
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Sunday, November 5, 2017