Girls basketball: Mid-Suburban East preview

Buffalo Grove

Coach: Tom Dineen (29th season)

Last year: 34-2, 10-0 East

Graduated players: Rachel Buchek

Returning players: Katie Lee (5-5 Sr. G), Allison Mocchi (5-10 Sr. G), Heather Nisbet (5-5 So. G), Ellen Ayoub (6-0 Sr. G), Maggie Mocchi (5-10 Sr. G), Kaitlin Hillner (5-6 Jr. G), Lauren Angotti (5-11 Sr. F), Allison Heissel (5-8 Sr. F)

Newcomers: Stacey Lialios (5-6 So. F), Andrea DiPrima (5-7 Fr. G), Kelly Mahoney (5-7 Fr. G), KC Dunne (5-6 Fr. G)

Outlook: The Bison have some of the key players back who helped lead them to three straight sectional titles and back-to-back Elite Eight berths. Before falling to Morton in a Class AA state quarterfinal, Buffalo Grove's only loss was to New Trier at the Dundee-Crown Charger Classic. The do-it-all Mocchi twins (Maggie and Allison) have committed to Northwestern while Ayoub will play at Loyola. Nisbet started at wing as a freshman last season. "These girls have been convinced for two years they had a good chance to be state champs," said Dineen. "Now this is their final chance. On paper, this group has accomplished more than any we've had for a period of two seasons. Now, to return so many players for a third season, we should do very well. But a lot of things come into factor. But winning a state title is their goal and I think it is very realistic." The only person Dineen must replace is Buchek, who started every game the last four seasons (school-record 138). "It will be point guard by committee," Dineen said. "It may depend on the opponent as to who will run the point. I'm not too worried about it because all our kids can handle the ball." Allison Mocchi underwent ACL surgery last spring after injuring her knee in the first half of BG's Elite Eight loss to Morton last March. "She says she's 90 percent right now," Dineen said. "She will be ready to go in the big games. We have some illness and injuries, so we're not 100 percent right now. But things will sort themselves out before long," Dineen, who is a member of the IHSA Coaches Association Hall of Fame and owns a career record of 644-225 in 28 years, is retiring as a teacher after this school year. "This is my last season of teaching and the administration has made it clear that it will post my coaching position at the end of the season," Dineen said. "I would still like to coach basketball. I feel I'm still young enough, competitive enough and enthusiastic enough that I still have something to offer. The door at Buffalo Grove is not closed, but it's not open very far."

Elk Grove

Coach: Jim Wills (sixth season)

Last year: 13-15, 2-8

Graduated players: Cindy Czarnik, Amy Johnson, Katie Kilmczak, Jazmine Moore, Jessica Ortega

Returning players: Kayla Mahoney (5-4 Sr. G), Olivia Roback (5-5 So. G), Melissa Regan (5-4 So. G), Ashley Capotosto (6-0 So. C), Meaghan Amann (5-8 So. F)

Newcomers: Katie Wilson (5-4 Jr. G), Laura Moskal (5-5 Jr G), Kristy Ottosen (5-7 Jr. F), Katie Nowak (5-9 Jr. C), Maggie Fries (5-8 Fr. G), Leah Miller (5-9 Fr. F)

Outlook: The Grenadiers return four starters: point guard Roback, off-guards Regan and Mahoney (23 3-pointers) and center Capotosto (15 points, 10 rebounds). Also returning is Amann, power forward who nursed a wrist injury at the end of last season and should help with rebounding. "Although we are still a very young team, what we lack in age we make up for in basketball experience," said Wills. "We have an extremely hard-working group of athletes and feel this could be the year we turn the corner and get our winning percentage above .500." Wills thinks the Grenadiers will have a balanced offense. "Obviously, Ashley was a big scorer last year," Wills said. "In a sense, she's our go-to person, but we have other threats on the floor, too, which is nice. We've got 10 players who are going to see a lot of playing time. It's a nice luxury to have 10 healthy players. Any one of them can go out and play for us, which gives us a nice rotation."

Hersey

Coach: Mary Fendley (10th season)

Last year: 23-8, 6-4

Graduated players: Laura Patton, Kerri Stanton, Sherrie Dubinski, Emma Long, Brittany Hogen

Returning players: Kelly Rogowski (5-6 Jr. G), Amanda Slove (5-6 Sr. G), Sarah Stoltzner (5-9 Sr. G-F), Maggie Tunney (5-5 Sr. G).

Newcomers: Megan Rogowski (5-9 Fr. G-F), Kari Tunney (5-6 So. G), Julia Fredian (5-8, So. G), Emma Kuhns (6-0 Sr. F), Kwin Irelan (5-9 Sr. F), Eileen Zydek (5-9 Fr. G-F), Annie Perkins (5-6, So. G), Maddie Swan (5-11 So. F), Erica Borst (5-10, Jr. F), Sabrina Rayner (6-0 Jr. F)

Outlook: The Huskies return two starters from last year. Kelly Rogowski was the second-leading scorer (10 ppg) behind all-area standout Hogen (17 ppg). Stoltzner averaged 8 points. After those two seniors, Fendley says the rest of her starting lineup is up for grabs. "It's going to be real competitive after those two for starting positions and playing time," Fendley said. "A lot of kids are starting to earn positions." Slove contributed as the first guard off the bench last year. She has been slowed by foot and ankle injuries. Fendley expects her to be a big part of the team once she returns to full strength. The big concern is replacing Hogen's area-high 13.9 rebounds (873 for her career). "Emma Kuhn seems to be stepping up as a rebounder," Fendley said. "That's what were waiting to see. We do a lot of drills at practice to see who is going to help us score and rebound inside. We're much more athletic than the past few years. All our kids can run. Everyone is pretty quick." The Huskies have a combined six freshmen and sophomores. "But we also have good leadership with the five seniors," Fendley said. "Megan Rogowski (freshman) has shown that she is in the mix fighting for a starting position. Our starting line-up is very much up in the air. The freshmen and sophomores will be asked to contribute early, as we will not be at full strength at the beginning of the season, for a variety of reasons." Maggie Tunney, who has played shortstop for the softball team, underwent shoulder surgery in August and is still rehabbing. "She is so good defensively," Fendley said. "And she is a really good passer, so it will be a bonus when we get her back." The last time Fendley coached a team with two freshmen was the 2001-02 season with Emilie Hirt and Shana Lieberman, who became all-area players.

Prospect

Coach: Martha Kelly (first season)

Graduated players: Becky Anderson, Lindsay Gibbel, Anne Sciurba, Margherite Brucci,

Returning players: Megan Murray (5-11 Sr. F), Katie Dyer (5-7 Sr. G), Marietta Smith (5-8, Sr. G-F), Alyssa Glennon (5-6 Jr. G), Danielle Brucci (5-4 Jr. G), Katy Shaffer (5-11 Jr. F), Rachel Hunt (5-11 So. F), Lexi Glennon (5-10 So. G)

Newcomers: Megan Geraghty (5-6 Jr. G), Kristen Hood (5-10 Jr. F), Kristina Winans (5-7 Jr. F), Julie Schmoldt (5-4 Jr. G), Katelyn Kozinski ( 5-11 Jr. F), Sarah Winans (5-5 Fr. G.)

Outlook: With the graduation of all-area selections Anderson (13.2 ppg) and Gibbel (10.2), the Knights lost a lot of offense. But Kelly hopes her first team at Prospect will score a lot of points off its transition game. Murray, an all-conference volleyball player, returns as the lone starter for the Knights. "She is a very good player and a great leader for the team," Kelly said. "Megan has great instincts, what I would call a physically intelligent player. She can do things with the ball that come natural to her." Hunt, an all-area volleyball player, also returns. "She does a good job on the boards," Kelly said. Alyssa Glennon, Lexi Glennon and Brucci give the Knights depth in the backcourt. "They can all be considered point guards," Kelly said. "They can handle the ball and shoot. I think that will help our outside game." The youngest player on the roster is freshman Sarah Winans. "She has some good all-around skills and I think she can surprise some people," Kelly said. "There's a reason we have her on the varsity." Kelly sees this as a much different team than a year ago. "We're a full-court team," she said. "Pretty much half of our team is comprised of soccer players, so they are used to that up-and-down running. We'll try to take advantage of that and be a running team. The girls are buying into it. It's exciting for them and they seem to enjoy it. The girls are looking forward to an exciting season. We compete in a tough conference with top-rated Buffalo Grove and Wheeling, as well as the state's best Christmas tournament at Dundee-Crown. The schedule is a tough one, but it is exactly the way we want it. We will surprise some people this year. We've got a really competitive schedule, and I could not be happier about that."

Rolling Meadows

Coach: Patrick O'Connell (sixth season)

Last year: 11-20, 0-10

Graduated players: Kelsey Loudermilk, Anna Harris, Colleen Briggs, Andrea Mueller

Returning players: Jenna Milas (5-7 Sr. G-F), Liezl Aluquin (5-1 Sr. G), Taylor Fritz (5-7, Jr. G), Emily Miller (5-11, Sr. C-F), Alexa Bennett (5-7 Sr. G), Kirsten Vliet (5-9, Sr. F), Shannon McGuire (5-8, Sr. F), Kelly Zahorski (5-10, Jr. F)

Newcomers: Madeline Urban (5-4 Jr. G), Paulina Gurbisz (5-8 Jr. F), Quinn Ryan (5-11 Jr. F), Kelly Adair (5-9 So. G), Sara Shumaker (6-0 Fr C-F).

Outlook: The Mustangs' have their most experience in the backcourt with the return of point guard Aluquin and shooting guard Fritz. "Guard is our strong point," said O'Connell, who is being assisted this season by former Palatine all-area standout Elizabeth (Ulrich) Robinson. "We are a little less experienced at the forward position." McGuire started a handful of games at forward last season while Vliet and Zahorski also have some experience in the post. O'Connell said Zahorski will hopefully be ready to return by the end of the month as she recovers from a knee injury suffered in club soccer. The coach expects Shumaker to see a lot of playing time. "She is improving very quickly. She's bright and learning real fast," O'Connell said. "We expect her to play a lot." Miller was voted as the Mustangs' Most Improved Player last winter, and O'Connell said the senior continued to improve more in the summer. "She has really come a long way," O'Connell said. "Jenna Milas is an outstanding athlete (all-area in volleyball). She is certainly going to be a contributor, too. She's 5-foot-7 but afraid of no one. In volleyball, she was a big hitter and being only 5-foot-7, she isn't supposed to be. So that tells you a lot right there." O'Connell said with his team's speed, the Mustangs will try to get opponents to play their game. "But we don't have a lot of size," he added. "So it will have to be a team effort on the boards and scoring, too. As a group, we have to rebound. There are some big people out there in our conference."

Wheeling

Coach: Shelly Wiegel (fourth year)

Last year: 23-7, 8-2

Graduated players: Natalie Hoos, Nikki Preston

Returning varsity players: Nicole Schroeder (5-6 Sr. G-F), Janelle Schroeder (5-5 Sr. G), Cheryl Bauer (5-4 Sr. G), Jessie Smith (5-11 Sr. G), Lindsey Mills (6-2 Sr. C), Lana Rukavina (6-3 Sr. F-C), Ashley Wilson (6-0 Jr. G-F), Bridgette Gray (5-3 Jr. G), Bianca Szafarowicz (5-11 So. G-F), Stephanie Kuzmanic (5-8, So. G)

Newcomers: Janelle Cannon (5-9 So. G), Natasha Robinson (6-0, Sr. G-F), Alisha Robinson (5-6 Jr. G), Cheri Nolla (5-8 Jr. F), Tiffany Meier (5-8 Jr. G-F), Samantha Melinyshyn (5-9 Jr. G)

Outlook: Rukavina, Wilson, Szafarowicz and Smith are returning starters for the Wildcats, who have won 20- plus games the last three seasons under Wiegel. Smith tore an ACL in June and had surgery. Wiegel expects her to be ready at the start of the season. Two-time all-area selection Wilson (834 career points), who has been recruited by several major Division I schools, has narrowed her choices to Marquette, Michigan State and Purdue. The defending Mid-Suburban East scoring champ (17.4 ppg, 8 rebounds) suffered a stress fracture over the summer and is being eased back into action. Three-time all-area selection Rukavina (13 pgg, 7 rebounds) verbally committed to Illinois. She needs 1 more point for 1,000 for her career. Mills and Szafarowicz are back after contributing to the Wildcats' volleyball team. Mills and Kuzmanic played significant roles off the bench last year while Gray was a major contributor this summer and brings strong defensive skills to the floor. The Robinson sisters played for the Bartlett varsity a year ago while Cannon checks in as a transfer from Evanston, where she played for the varsity last season. "Janelle (Cannon) and Natasha (Robinson, who was a two year-starter for Bartlett) will compete for starting jobs," Wiegel said. "They have already brought a lot to our practices. They are hard-working players and very coachable. They give us solid play. They are fast and athletic, so we'll be looking to run the floor." Wiegel said she wants to bring Wilson back slowly from the stress fracture injury. "This should be the best team I've had here," the coach added. "We want to be sure we're improving every game, keeping everyone healthy and looking to build on what we've done the last three years."