2011-12 USF WOMEN’S BASKETBALL 2011-2012 USF WOMEN’S BASKETBALL QUICK FACTS School Name ................................................University of San Francisco Location....................................................................2130 Fulton Street, San Francisco, CA 94117-1080 Religious Affiliation....................................................... Roman Catholic (Jesuit) Year Founded..................................................................................1855 Enrollment.....................................................................................8,000 Conference.......................................................... West Coast Conference National Affiliation.........................................................NCAA Division I Nickname........................................................................................Dons Colors.................................................................................Green & Gold Home Arena.................................................War Memorial Gym (5,300) President.........................................................Fr. Stephen J. Privett, S.J. VP, Business and Finance................................................................ Charlie Cross Interim Athletic Director................................................ Dr. Gary Nelson
COACHING STAFF
Jennifer Azzi ............................................................Head Coach Second Year (Stanford, 1990) Katy Steding ........................................... Associate Head Coach Second Year (Stanford, 1990) (415) 422-5264................................. kssteding@usfca.edu Molly Marrin..................................................... Assistant Coach Fourth Year (Regis, 2003) (415) 422-5904................................ mbmarrin@usfca.edu Blair Hardiek..................................................... Assistant Coach Second Year (Missouri, 2007) (415) 422-5905................................ behardiek@usfca.edu Alexandria Cribbs .................. Director of Basketball Operations Second Year (Lynn, 2002) (415) 422-4639..................................... acribbs@usfca.edu Women’s Basketball Fax................................... (415) 422-2510 Rosie Cheng................................... Women’s Basketball Trainer Dr. Ken Akizuki.............................................. Team Orthopedist Dr. William Montgomery............................... Team Orthopedist
QUICK FACTS
Azzi’s Career/USF Record....................................... 5-33 First Year/Same 2010-11 Overall/WCC Record (Finish)...................... 4-25, 1-13 (Eighth) Letterwinners Returning/Lost........................................................ 10/2 Newcomers.......................................................................................... 5 Starters Returning/Lost................................................................... 4/1 All-time Program Record/Percentage.............. 478-513/.482 (35 Years) NCAA Tournament Appearance/Last 3/1997, First Round (USC 68, USF 55) Women’s Basketball SID................................................ Rachel Engrissei (415) 422-6816................................................... raengrissei@usfca.edu Engrissei Mobile Number...............................................(206) 618-5463 Media Relations Fax...................................................... (415) 422-2929 USF Online.................................................................... www.usfca.edu USF Athletics Online................................................ www.USFDons.com USF Women’s Basketball on Facebook: University of San Francisco Women’s Basketball USF Athletics on Facebook: University of San Francisco Dons USF on Twitter: @DonsAthletics
2011-12 WCC STANDINGS
(12/6/11) Team WCC Pct. BYU SCU GON USD SMC PEP POR LMU USF
2 NEXT OUTING: After five games away from the friendly confines of War Memorial Gym, USF will return to the Hilltop December 7 to host SEC power, Florida. Game time is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. LAST OUTING: Behind a double-digit scoring effort from freshman Taj Winston, the San Francisco women’s basketball team dropped a 60-41 decision to host UC Santa Barbara Friday at the Thunderdome. LOOKING AHEAD: USF will hit the road, again, traveling to Athens, Ohio Sunday to face Ohio. Tip-off is slated for 11 a.m. PST. ALE JOINS ELITE COMPANY: Senior Rheina Ale joined an elite group of Dons at Colorado. With 1:26 remaining in the first half against the Buffaloes, Ale went to the line for two free throws. After missing the first, the native of Carson, Calif. sank the second to become the 19th player in USF (1-7) women’s basketball history to score 1,000 or more points. The captain entered Wednesday’s game with 990 career points. Ale reached the illustrious mark in 95 career games played. Her team-high 23 points Wednesday also moved Ale into the all-time scoring ranks with 1,013 to rank 17th in program history. She now holds spots in three all-time USF career categories and is on the verge of moving into the top-10 in two others. Currently, Ale boasts 1,033 career points. WINSTON MAKES IMMEDIATE IMPACT FOR DONS: Freshman Taj Winston has made an immediate impact for San Francisco so far this season. The native of Long Beach earned her first career start last Saturday against Loyola-Chicago marking the first time since Dec. 4, 2009 that a USF freshman guard earned a starting nod. This season, Winston has averaged 9.9 points per game, including an 18-point performance against Seattle. ALE NAMED ALL-TOURNAMENT: Rheina Ale earned All-Tournament honors last weekend at the Seattle U Thanksgiving Tournament. During the event, Ale, who averages 13.9 points per game for the season, averaged 13.0 points per game with seven rebounds and four assists. It marks the third All-Tournament honor for the season during her career on the Hilltop. As a freshman, she was named to the 2008 odwalla Classic Tournament Team, before earning the honor against a sophomore at the 2009 Travelers Tip-off Tournament. KHLOK ON A ROLL: Junior guard Mel Khlok has enjoyed a break out season so far in the opening nine games. The native of Sacramento has posted 10-plus points in all but two games this season, including a career-high mark of 19 against Northern Colorado. Prior to this season, Khlok had recorded six career contests with 10 or more points. As a sophomore, she tallied three, the same amount as her freshman year. This season, Khlok has also established a career high in steals with three. ALE POSTS CAREER NIGHT: In her only collegiate game against her little sister - freshman Kristen Ale from Cal Poly - Rheina Ale tallied a career night. Against the Mustangs, the senior guard went off for a career-high 27 points with a dozen rebounds for her first career double-double. The 27 points also marked the first time in her career the native of Carson, Calif. has posted 20-plus points in consecutive games. At San Jose State, Ale posted a team-high 23 points as the Dons earned their first victory of the 2011-12 season. KEATING BOOSTS HER SPOT IN THE RECORD BOOK: Thanks to an attack from deep over the opening weekend of play, senior Katy Keating as propelled herself into third place in the all-time USF record book for 3-point baskets made. Keating, who entered the season with 113 baskets from beyond the arc, tallied five 3-point baskets against the Matadors and four more against the Spartans on the opening weekend to launch herself into a tie for third. At UC Davis, Keating tallied 18 points thanks to six baskets from deep. The mark fell one short shy of the single game school record, but narrowed the difference between her and second place. To date, Keating has hit 138 3-point baskets, just eight shy of second place. The school record for career 3-point field goals made is 205, held by Shay Rollins (2005-09). Currently, the senior ranks in the top-25 nationally in 3-point field goals made. AZZI NOMINATED FOR NAISMITH MEMORIAL HALL OF FAME: Jennifer Azzi, head coach of the University of San Francisco women’s basketball team, has been nominated for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, as announced over the weekend. The Class of 2012 ballot marked the first time Azzi was eligible to be nominated for the Hall. Azzi is one of two NCAA Division I women’s basketball head coaches to be nominated this season. Teresa Weatherspoon, head coach at Louisiana Tech, is in her third season with the Lady Techsters. In 2011, Azzi’s collegiate and National Team coach, Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer, was inducted into the Hall. To become a finalist for the Hall, a candidate must receive seven of nine votes from a screening committee – five of seven for women – during a vote in late-January or early-February. Results are scheduled to be announced February 24, 2012 during All-Star weekend in Orlando. Candidates that make the cut will be judged by a separate committee in late-February or early-March and need at least 18 of 24 votes to be inducted. Inductees will be announced at the 2012 Final Four in New Orleans. SAN FRANCISCO POSTS HIGH AND LOW MARKS: The USF Dons hit some pretty lofty numbers at San Jose State, sinking 25 free throws and shooting at a 49.1% clip. The last time San Francisco hit 25 or more free throws was in 2007, when it sank 29 against Cal Poly at War Memorial Gym. Oddly enough, the last time USF shot .490 or better was, also, against Cal Poly when the Dons shot .558 in San Luis Obispo. Wednesday, November 30, at Colorado, the Dons also posted some lofty and low numbers. San Francisco grabbed 12 steals while only committing nine turnovers. The dozen steals marks the most since USF grabbed 14 on February 14, 2009 at Gonzaga. The last time the Dons had nine or fewer turnovers was when USF committed nine mishaps against Loyola Marymount, March 5, 2010, during the West Coast Conference Tournament. JENNIFER AZZI ERA: This season marks the second season as women’s basketball legend Jennifer Azzi as head coach. Azzi, who was named to the helm of the program in April of 2010, brings an unprecedented wealth of basketball experience to the program. The 2009 Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame inductee played five seasons in the WNBA, was a founding member of the American Basketball League (ABL), played overseas and enjoyed an All-American collegiate career at Stanford. Internationally, Azzi was a member of the USA Basketball Senior National Team from 1990-91 and 1993-98. A key member of the United States gold medal-winning 1996 Olympic Team that concluded a perfect 60-0 season with an 8-0 record during the Olympic Games in Atlanta, Azzi played on 13 USA National Teams, compiling a mark of 114-14. She also medaled three times at the World Championships, claiming gold in 1998 and 1990, while earning a bronze in 1994. ALE GAINING GROUND: Senior guard Rheina Ale enters the 2011-12 season looking to gain ground in the USF career-record books. The native of Carson, Calif., currently holds three spots in the career top-10 record books. Ale sits fifth in free throw %, shooting at a .798 (272-341) clip from the line, Carey Sauer (1999-04) holds the record, shooting 87.4% (382-437). The two-time captain, Ale, is fourth all-time in 3-pointers made, with 129. Against UC Davis, Ale hit two baskets from deep to bypass Amy Touli (‘89-’93), who was in fourth with 122. Touli started the season in third, but has been passed by both Ale and Katy Keating this season so far. More recently, Ale scored 23 points at Colorado to earn a spot in the All-time scoring ranks. Currently, Ale sits in 17th place with 1,033 points. FOLLOW THE DONS ONLINE: Fans, make sure to become a friend of the University of San Francisco women’s basketball team on Facebook! The Dons’ Facebook page features photos, videos and much much more from behind the scenes of the season. It’s a great place to catch up on links, news and everything else to do with USF women’s basketball. USF BASKETBALL RETURNS ONLINE: USF women’s basketball returns online for the 2011-12 season with all games available on USFDons.com. Join
George Devine for the play-by-play in his 16th year behind the mic for the Dons. Other features on USFDons.com include live stats with live play-by-play Overall Pct. and streaming video of all home games courtesy of Yahoo Broadcast. This season’s online video stream will feature a new look featuring multiple camera 7-2 .778 angles from throughout War Memorial Gym. 6-2 .750 5-2 .714 FOLLOW THE DONS ON YOUR SMART PHONE!: This season, all USF women’s basketball home games will be available for live streaming on your computer - and one your mobile phone! For stats away from your monitor, please visit USFStats.com. The link will also feature live video from all of the Dons’ home 5-2 .714 games this season! 5-3 .625 4-3 .571 TICKETS TO SEE THE DONS PLAY LIVE: For season tickets and single game tickets to the rest of the Dons’ home games this season, please visit USFDons. 5-4 .556 com and click on Tickets. Last year the Dons ranked season in the West Coast Conference for home attendance, averaging over 1,000 fans each home game! 2-6 .250 1-8. 111
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