Scouting the Fox Valley area's Class 3A/4A teams
Bartlett Hawks
Coach: Denise Sarna (9th year, 154-84; 14th year overall)
Last season's record: 16-13, 7-3
Conference: Upstate Eight
Top returning player: Senior Katie Koster (5-6 guard).
Top newcomers: Juniors Sam Salinas (5-8 forward), Rachel Anello (5-6 guard), Becca Croni (5-9 guard/forward), Alexa Tovella (5-5 guard), Jackie Golevicz (5-9 forward), Rosie Garza (5-7 guard/forward), Shannon Sebestin (5-9 forward), Danielle Marciniak (6-1 center); freshmen Christina Carlson (6-0 center) Jacki Gulczynski (6-0 guard/forward).
Outlook: While there is talent, it's also obvious this will be a rebuilding year for the Hawks. The only senior on the roster is guard Katie Koster (5.0 ppg), who will be out for half the season with a bone chip in her knee. "It's definitely going to be a rebuilding year,' said coach Denise Sarna, who led the program to a Class AA state runner-up finish in 2005. "The junior group is a good group but there's not a lot of varsity experience." The Hawks also lost the Robinson sisters, Natasha and Alisha, who transferred to Wheeling. Natasha Robinson was honorable mention all-area last year. Sarna is high on 6-foot freshman Jacki Gulczynski. "She's got a lot of potential," Sarna said. "I'm excited about her future." Gulczynski could end up being the starting center depending on the health of Marciniak, who was nursing a leg injury earlier in the week. "We're trying to get some working combinations together,' said Sarna. "We can be fast and we've got some size but there are so many question marks right now. Our schedule is very challenging but this group is very positive and hard-working.'
Burlington Central Rockets
Coach: Darlene Guyett (4th year, 39-43)
Last season's record: 23-6, 9-1
Conference: Big Northern East
Top returning players: Seniors Cory Bazany (5-11 forward/guard), Brianna Conran (5-9 forward), Melanie Laird (5-11 center); sophomore Jordan Maisto (5-3 guard).
Top newcomers: Senior Haley Korkala (6-0 center, foreign exchange student from Finland); juniors Amanda Smith (5-10 forward), Rebecca Uchyn (5-8 forward), Tarika Fowler (5-6 guard); sophomores Katie McNutt (5-3 guard), Samantha McGuire (5-6 guard), Taylor Colby (5-10 guard; freshman Aly Settanni (5-11 forward).
Outlook: The Rockets are coming off a school-record 23 win season and a conference championship but return only three players and one starter from that team. "We started four seniors last year and it was a great senior class but this team already has formed its own identity," said coach Darlene Guyett. "We're solid and they feel good about themselves." Leading the way will be senior Cory Bazany, an all-area performer last season who averaged 11.6 points per game. "Cory will be a big part of what we do," Guyett said. "She had a good AAU season with Jim Cook's Team USA and we're looking for her to lead us." Also back in the mix is senior Melanie Laird, who missed last season with an ACL injury. She also played for Team USA and will be a team captain with Bazany. Sophomore Jordan Maisto will take over as the starting point guard. "Jordan had a great offseason and she really did a nice job of watching and learning last year. I don't look at her as a sophomore," said Guyett, who added that Hampshire and Marengo, along with Richmond and hall of fame coach Carol Plodzien now running the program, will be the toughest challenges in the BN-East. Senior Brianna Conran missed part of last season with mono and will be looked to for added scoring and rebounding punch this year. We'd like to be at the top of the conference but in the Big Northern you have to come to play every night," Guyett said. "Rebounding will be a big key for us,."
Cary-Grove Trojans
Coach: Rod Saffert (2nd season, 13-15; 15th year with program)
Last season's record: 13-15, 5-5
Conference: Fox Valley Conference Valley Division
Top returning athletes: Seniors: Danielle Smith (guard), Jamie Kuhl (center/forward), Jill Cole (forward), Brianna Smith (forward)
Top newcomers: Juniors: Tori Sandstrom (forward), Kelly Koch (guard); sophomores: Liz Bart (guard), Laura Chianakas (guard); freshmen: Meg Straumann (point guard), Claire Jakubicek (forward)
Outlook: Cary-Grove will take the court 10-deep in the hopes of dethroning Valley champ Crystal Lake South. "We have the speed, the depth, the height and the shooting," said C-G coach Rod Saffert. The Trojans welcome back last year's conference scoring leader in Danielle Smith who averaged 15 points per game as a 5-foot-11 inch guard. She led the area in 3-pointers as a sophomore with 55 (22 three pointers last year), and scored a season total 407 points last year. Center-forward Jamie Kuhl (12 ppg. 6 rpg) also returns to the lineup looking for success in her senior campaign. "We would like to put a lot of pressure on opponents this year," said Saffert. "The girls are in great shape to do that. We will be able to go after it hard." Smith and Kuhl are joined by returning seniors Jill Cole (8.1 ppg) and Brianna Smith (4.1 ppg) as well as some newcomers who will see a lot of playing time quickly. "We are the only obstacle that could impede us," said Saffert. "We won't let good be good enough."
Crystal Lake South Gators
Coach: Kyle McCaughn (7th season, 79-91)
Last season's record: 22-6, 8-2
Conference: Fox Valley Conference Valley Division
Top returning players: Senior: Laura Bicknell (guard); Juniors: Caitlin Mize (post) 6.1 ppg, Kaitlin Hardie (guard), Carly Juliano (guard), Jessica Taldone (guard); sophomores: Katie Burton (guard) 6.7 ppg, Michelle Gaede (guard), Molly Benoit (wing), Jenny Hanrahan (post)
Top newcomer: Emily Mahoney (wing)
Outlook: With the loss of last year's team leader Laura Knutson to graduation, Crystal Lake South will have some big shoes to fill in the upcoming weeks. However, Knutson left not only a legacy, but perhaps enough to enable returning players to fill the void. "Laura brought these new kids along extremely well last year," said CLS coach Kyle McCaughn. "Despite her absence, the girls continue to work very hard and are looking really strong." McCaughn is looking for somebody to step up into a leadership role, and as much as youth will be a team strength, it could be a weakness. "As young as we are, these kids do have a lot of varsity experience," said McCaughn. "They have enthusiasm to play and play hard. The want to learn, and they realize that they can be better for it." Depth will be an additional strength for the Gators, and McCaughn sees no other real weaknesses. "I would like to see growth and continued improvements to the program," he said. "These girls really want to take it to the next level. We have back-to-back conference titles and would like to repeat. We are hoping to build off of that success and add a regional title." According to McCaughn, Cary-Grove will be the team that everybody is shooting at, but he noted that Jacobs and Dundee-Crown will also be tough. "Everybody in the conference will be better this year," McCaughn said. "It will be very competitive." Carly Juliano was among the area point leaders last season averaging 7.4 points per game.
Dundee-Crown Chargers
Coach: Joe Komaromy (25th year, 439-255)
Last season's record: 11-17, 4-6
Conference: Fox Valley Conference Valley Division
Top returning players: Seniors Robyn Staudenmaier (6-0 forward), Rachel Wilhelmi (5-9 forward), Kathleen Collingbourne (5-6 guard), Beth Nowicke (5-8 forward), Kate Leigh-Pilson (6-0 center); junior Melissa Summaria (5-5 guard)
Top newcomers: Juniors Ashley Bartelt (guard), Emilie Kerkman (forward), Alex Lococo (guard), Jill Gantz (forward), Tori Scarpelli (forward), Katie Sullivan (guard), Apeil Podbregar (forward); sophomore Sierra Dunnar (forward).
Outlook: The Chargers are coming off a rare losing season (they've had 20 winning seasons in the last 24 years), but Fox Valley girls basketball coaching icon Joe Komaromy has some experience back this season, as well as a healthy Robyn Staudenmaier, who missed the bulk of her junior year with an ACL injury. "Robyn's looking much better," said Komaromy. "She's really moving back to the way she was her sophomore year. There are a lot of unknowns with her right now but she has the ability to make everyone around her better. Physically she's stronger and if the knee doesn't bother her she'll gain more confidence as the year goes on." Also back is third-year varsity guard Kathleen Collingbourne (5.7 ppg, 27 three-pointers), who will likely move to the shooting guard spot. Junior Melissa Summaria will man the point, senior Kate Leigh-Pilson will be in the middle and Komaromy said he expects to start sophomore Sierra Dunnar at the other forward spot. "We can go big or we can go quick and I do like our depth," Komaromy said. "We need to be more consistent in every aspect of the game. If we can become more consistent, we'll be OK."
Elgin Maroons
Coach: Angie Judson (3rd year, 10-47)
Last season's record: 5-23, 2-8
Conference: Upstate Eight
Top returning players: Seniors Zoe Marszalek (5-5 guard), Kiersten Swartz (5-8 forward), Giselle Bruskewitz (5-10 forward); juniors Ellen Holton (6-0 center), Caris Allen (5-4 guard).
Top newcomers: Seniors Claudia Diaz (5-3 guard), Maria Limon (5-6 forward); juniors Kayla Jackson (5-2 guard); sophomores Katie Quick (5-7 forward), Brandi Hernandez (5-4 guard)/
Outlook: Now in her third season at the helm of the Maroons, coach Angie Hudson is confident this team can better last year's 5-23 season. "We're down in numbers but we have three good kids back in Ellen (Holton), Giselle (Bruskewitz) and Caris (Allen) who all played AAU ball," Hudson said. The Maroons will look to Bruskewitz to be the leader of a young team. "We don't have a lot of seniors but Giselle is doing an excellent job of leadership so far," Hudson said. "We'll go through some growing pains but that will also make us better. We have a lot of sophomores and juniors who will be seeing a lot of playing time."
Huntley Red Raiders
Coach: Steve Raethz (9th season, 107-117)
Last season's record: 25-6, 7-3
Conference: Fox Valley Conference Fox Division
Top returning players: Seniors: Daisy Jara (forward), Katie Bergquist (forward), Coryn Marzejon (guard), Shannon Callahan (guard), Sam Rawson (guard)
Top newcomers: Senior: Stephanie Aroworade (center), juniors: Megan Martinez (guard/forward), Allyson Stallmach (forward), sophomore: Hillary Johnson (forward)
Outlook: Coming off a 25-6 overall finish in 2006-07 which included a regional title at Rock Falls, Huntley welcomes back five seniors and looks to build off that previous success. Returning to the Red Raider lineup is the team's second leading scorer from last year as well as all-conference, Daily Herald all-area selection Katie Bergquist (10.97 ppg). The 5-foot-11 inch forward led the area in 3-pointers with 56, and is joined by Daisy Jara (6.7 ppg), who was second in rebounding and the third leading scorer for Huntley last year. Five-foot-seven defensive specialist Coryn Marzejon also returns to the court as a guard. "I'm anxious to see us play," said coach Steve Raethz. "These girls work extremely hard and the ingredients are there to have an extremely successful season. While Huntley graduated 3 seniors, it does welcome a lot of new talent including Hoffman Estates transfer Stephanie Aroworade. "We have a very nice mix of guards and forwards," said Raethz. "We've got size and we have speed to compliment it. The opportunity is there for us to be very competitive." The Red Raiders' early goals include a conference championship as well as a return trip to sectionals. "We have a very balanced attack, and I think that we definitely have the players we need to achieve our goals," Raethz said. Huntley will have to boot last year's Fox Valley Fox champions Johnsburg which Raethz expects to be no easy task, but the girls are ready to put in the work. "Top to bottom, our division of the Fox Valley Conference is strong," Raethz said. "Still, our girls are ready for the challenge."
Jacobs Golden Eagles
Coach: Ed Haugens (5th season, 79-36)
Last season's record: 15-12, 7-3
Conference: Fox Valley Conference Valley Division
Top returning players: Senior: Markie Rahn (guard) 6.0 ppg; Juniors: Keri Bultman (forward) 6. ppg, K.C. Roller (guard) 4.0 ppg; Sophomore: Hailey Cnota (guard/forward) 3.8 ppg
Top newcomers: Senior: Stephanie Leddy (forward); Junior: Sam Vojtsek (guard); Sophomores: Maria Tamburrino (guard/forward), Katy Cook (forward)
Outlook: Behind strong senior leadership and size on the court, Jacobs expects to be a force in the Fox Valley Conference (Valley) in the weeks ahead. "It will be an interesting season," said coach Ed Haugens. "We are bigger than we've ever been across the board, and we have a lot of potential and a lot of athleticism." According to Haugens, keys for success will be less turnovers and more rebounding. Early on, the Golden Eagles will focus on defense as well as decreasing turnovers and increasing numbers on the boards. "I think our size will cause some problems for other teams matching up against us," Haugens said. "What I would like to see is our girls improving and showing growth as the season progresses. If they can do that, we will be successful." Of course Jacobs will have its work cut out for it as Haugens believes the Valley side of the Fox Valley Conference will be solid top to bottom. "Everybody will be a challenge," he said. "Crystal Lake South and Cary-Grove should both be at the top. Dundee-Crown will also be tough because they have a great coach in Joe Komaromy." Expect stronger team chemistry from the 2007-08 Golden Eagles. "The girls are getting along great this season which was a problem for us last year," said Haugens. "Our younger girls just need to learn varsity level play. We will take things one game at a time." Junior guard Jalissa Olive, an all-area honorable mention choice last year, has reportedly moved to Chicago.
Larkin Royals
Coach: Amy Silverman (13th year, 150-189)
Last season's record: 14-15, 4-6
Conference: Upstate Eight
Top returning players: Seniors Alyssa Burns (5-6 guard), Sophie Sterrcker (5-11 forwad), Jennifer Koch (5-5 guard), Laura Kay (5-10 forward).
Outlook: While the Royals have some experience back, they will be hard-pressed to fill the graduated shoes of Kiley Holtz, the program's all-time leading scorer who is now playing softball on scholarship at Eastern Illinois. Add in a season-ending ACL injury to projected starting junior guard Lauren Gabler (6.1 ppg, 26 3-pointers) and coach Amy Silverman's team will have even more work to do to compete in the Upstate Eight. "We're young and no one person can replace Kiley but we do have some experience up front," said Silverman. That includes seniors Laura Kay (4.3 ppg) and Sophie Sterricker (1.9ppg), who will both need to score more for the Royals to win. Larkin does return starting point guard senior Alyssa Burns, who was second to Holtz in scoring last year at 11.1 ppg. "I'm really looking for Laura Kay and Alyssa Burns to step it up and run this team," Silverman said. "It's going to take some time for everyone to learn each other and play together."
Prairie Ridge Wolves
Coach: Steven Rick (4th season)
Last season's record: 14-15, 4-6
Conference: Fox Valley Conference Fox Division
Top returning players: Seniors: Meghan Gregus (forward), Emily Murphy (forward); junior: Shannon Hennelly (guard), Anna Patras (guard)
Top newcomers: Juniors: Jackie Schwarz (guard), Julie Schwartz (guard)
Outlook: Prairie Ridge takes comfort in welcoming back several key players from last year's roster including Daily Herald all-area and all-conference selection Shannon Hennelly. The 5-foot-7 guard was among the area leaders in 3-pointers sinking 52, which was second best in the Fox Valley. Hennelly was also among the Top 5 in free-throw percentage with a 76.3 percent success average, and she led the Wolves in scoring as a sophomore (10.2 points per game). Following another successful tennis campaign, Emily Murphy (7.7 ppg) also returns. And the talent doesn't stop there. "We have a pretty deep bench overall," said Wolves coach Steven Rick. "We're going to play fast-paced. The girls are working very hard." Athleticism and 3-point potential are among the areas where Prairie Ridge expects to shine. "This program has been consistently making improvements with each season," said Rick. "I would like to keep those improvements coming, and wrap things up this year with a winning record." According to Rick, the Fox Valley Conference Fox Division is very well balanced, but he expects to see Johnsburg and Huntley as the top teams to beat.
South Elgin Storm
Coach: Tim Prendergast (1st year)
Last season's record: 6-24, 2-8
Conference: Upstate Eight
Top returning players: Seniors Amanda Sieverding (5-4 guard), Alexa Kruel (5-8 guard); juniors Genevieve Johnson (5-6 guard), Kaleigh Irwin (5-10 forward), Cortney Kumerow (6-1 center)
Top newcomers: Sophomore Dijon Smith (6-0 forward)
Outlook: New varsity coach Tim Prendergast takes over the program this season, which for the first time has seniors. While South Elgin struggled last year in its varsity season, the Storm did show flashes and should be much more competitive this season. "Our goals are to be competitive and compete in the Upstate Eight," said Prendergast. Juniors Cortney Kumerow (7.3) and Genevieve Johnson (6.6) were the team's leading scorers last year. "We will be a very up-tempo team on offense and we'll mix things up on defense," Prendergast said. "Our strengths are our bench, experience, post play and versatility but our weaknesses are that we're young."
Streamwood Sabres
Coach: George Rosner (23rd year overall at Streamwood; 27th year coaching; overall record 302-399 with 20o wins at Streamwood)
Last season's record: 7-23, 2-8
Conference: Upstate Eight
Top returning players: Seniors Krissy Kunavich (5-10 forward), Ryanne Mark (5-6 guard), Lissie Ibarra (5-3 guard), Candice Williams (6-0 center); juniors Kim Hotovy (5-8 guard/forward), Danielle Cizowski (5-6 guard); sophomore Melissa Oehlerking (5-11 forward)
Top newcomers: Juniors Megan Degula (guard), Elizabeth Liberman (guard), Arielle Gallone (forward); sophomore Kat Marchant (guard); freshman Emma Schmidt (forward)
Outlook: Streamwood coach George Rosner, the elder statesman of Upstate Eight Conference coaches, has reason to be optimistic with seven players returning, all of whom saw significant action on the varsity last season. There is a void to fill with the graduation of all-area guard Aly Del Fava, but the Sabres are a year older and a year more experienced. "We hit a low point a few years back and we've gotten more competitive since," Rosner said. "This year we hope to be even more competitive. Having the experience back that we do is a good thing. We only won seven games last year but the kids we have back are good and we expect to get better." Senior Krissy Kunavich (9.4 ppg) is a 3-year starter. "She's capable of double digits every night and strong rebounding," Rosner said. "She's very dedicated. She's a 3-sport athlete but basketball is her thing and she worked hard over the summer." Sophomore Melissa Oehlerking had some decent games as a freshman last year and senior Ryanne Mark is a sparkplug. "Everybody's looking better and that's a neat thing to see," said Rosner, who tabbed Waubonsie Valley and St. Chalres North as the teams to beat in the UEC. "We feel like we have 12 people who can all be on the court. Our practices have been better because of the depth we have."