Sports
Sports Editor: Jeff Hart – J.R.Hart2@iup.edu
Coach McConnell excited about future of IUP Women’s Basketball AUSTIN SMITH
Staff Writer A.S.Smith7@iup.edu @ThePennIUP
What’s cooking in the nest right now for the women’s Crimson Hawks basketball team? At this point, the Hawks should be playing their usual season and dominating their opponents, but we all know what has stopped all our normal activities. This stoppage has not kept the Hawks from putting in work and impressing early. IUP was ranked No. 4 in the preseason ranking, which is the best the team has been ranked in the preseason in program history. The 2021–22 season should be very promising, especially since the intensity and loud cheers will be back to normal at the Kolvachick Convention and Athletic Complex (KCAC) as soon as it is safe. IUP looks to get back to its winning ways as soon as the season can get underway, and the roster will be filled with talent. With the Hawks’ entering the NCAA tournament as the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Region last year, you can bet to see more of the same from IUP. The Crimson Hawks were geared up for another run, but there was a roadblock in the way: COVID-19. Head Coach Tom McConnell,
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despite all the setbacks, is optimistic about the coming season. He expects “late March and early April to be able to play some games and practice to get warmed up.” “Any specific expectations would be to grow and get better and kind of treat this spring as a chance to grow and mesh our young players,” McConnell said. With having some scrimmage games, the Hawks will have an advantage against other teams for sure. Playing a few games will allow some of the younger Hawks on the roster like freshman guards Gina Adams (marketing) and Keira Baughman (kinesiology health and sports science) to adapt to the Hawks’ system. McConnell didn’t want to get caught up in the hype and made sure to emphasize his respect for his opponents “We have great respect for everybody that we play in one of the best conferences,” McConnell said. “With a lot of great competitive games that IUP has had over the past couple seasons, that has definitely shown. I think it’s very important to respect any given team on any given night, which is what makes every game exciting to watch.” Among a strong team, McConnell mentioned two students that really stand out. “Two players come to mind: Courtney Alexander (redshirt senior, nursing) and Rajah Fink (junior, communications media),” McConnell said. “Courtney Alexander emerged as a 3-point shooter and mainly a catch-and-shoot player. “Rajah Fink can really take the ball to basket and was a big-time scorer in high school and was so fun to
watch her grow. “ Alexander was a very exciting player to watch, especially in the playoffs last season. She came in clutch hitting key 3-point shots, which is a huge asset to have on a team. Fink had the more driving nature to go to the basket, and the stats had shown that greatly in her sophomore season in which she averaged 7.7 points and four rebounds per game. “When the players are at home, they have to be creative and self-driven,” McConnell said. “When they are here at campus, we are able to do skill development four hours a week Monday through Friday. Early in March, [we] will be able to do team things and hope to play some scrimmages.” Some of the Crimson Hawks have been running up and down hills, going to close parks and doing home workouts, which is key vital to having a healthy successful season. Like McConnell mentioned, scrimmages will be a big key in getting ready for the upcoming season. Despite early ratings, McConnell still has things that he wants to work on as a team. “We established ourselves as one of the best defensive teams in the PSAC,” McConnell said. “We want to work hard on playing faster. We want to share the ball and move it and really want to take that to another level. We also want to keep that unselfish style play basketball.” The Crimson Hawks have been a solid defensive team and allowed an average of 53.3 points per game, which was eight in the nation. The Hawks do move the ball around, which is where a lot of their success has been found. By giving it to multiple players throughout the game, you are creating more scoring opportunities and creating a very complete team. The Crimson Hawks are going to be a very competitive team to play in the PSAC, and a lot of teams are going to have to play their best ball if they want to compete with the Hawks, especially at the KCAC.
January 20, 2021
(Teddy Jeannette/ The Penn) Despite their canceled season, the Hawks show a lot of promise.
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