GAME NOTES IN PDF FORMAT
THIS WEEK: San Francisco will continue it's short homestand Monday as it welcomes Bay Area rival San Jose State to The City. The Dons and Spartans are set to face-off at 7 p.m. at War Memorial Gym.
LAST OUTING: USF opened the 2010-11 regular season Friday as it hosts UC Davis at War Memorial Gym, falling 69-45. The Dons struggled in the opening half, but came back battling in the final 20 minutes. Kelly Jo Mullaney paced the Dons with a dozen points and four steals, while junior Rheina Ale snatched a career-high six steals.
LOOKING AHEAD: San Francisco will take to the road for the first time this season, as it travels to Cal State Fullerton. The Titans and Dons are scheduled to face off in Fullerton at 7 p.m. Thursday.
FITNESS NIGHT: Monday is part of the USF "Be A Part of It" campaign, supported by the West Coast Conference. The game against the Spartans at 7 p.m. is "Fitness Day". The event will feature a post game talk by Azzi and Rosie Bank, Certified Nutrition and Wellness Consultant. In addition, Monday, the first 200 fans to bring a canned food donation to War Memorial Gym will receive a "Building Champions" bracelet. For more information regarding the Be A Part of It campaign, visit www.usfbuildingchampions.com.
DONS INK FOUR FOR 2011-12: Wednesday, head coach Jennifer Azzi announced the signing of four to National Letters of Intent. Joining the Dons on the Hilltop next fall will be Aundrea Gordon - a 5-7 guard from McKinney, Texas, Madisen Irwin - a 6-5 center from La Costa Canyon, Calif. , Jamie Katuna - a 5-7 point guard from Longmont, Colo., and Alicia Scafidi - a 6-1 forward from Gresham, Ore.
JENNIFER AZZI ERA: This season marks the beginning of a new era on the Hilltop, as women's basketball legend Jennifer Azzi begins her appointment as head coach. Azzi, who was named to the helm of the program in April, 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 NAMED PRESEASON ALL-WCC: Junior guard Rheina Ale has been named to the All-West Coast Conference preseason team, as voted on by the league's head coaches. Ale, who received All-WCC honorable mention accolades a year ago, returns this season as the Dons' top scoring threat from last season. As a sophomore, Ale averaged 13.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.
NEW COACHING STAFF UNVEILED: Joining new head coach Jennifer Azzi this season on the bench will be associate head coach Katy Steding and assistant coaches Molly Marrin and Blair Hardiek. Steding, an Olympic gold medalist and a NCAA National Champion at Stanford University, joins the Dons from Columbia University. Prior to coaching the Lions, Steding spent a season as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA and seven years at Warner Pacific. Hardiek comes to the Hilltop after a year at San Francisco State and a four-year playing career at Missouri. Marrin, who is in her third year at USF, is entering her eighth season as an assistant coach at the Division I level – all as the recruiting coordinator.
2009-10 REVIEW: San Francisco finished the 2009-10 season with a 5-27 overall record, 1-13 in West Coast Conference play. The Dons were led by All-WCC honorable mention selection, Rheina Ale. As a sophomore, Ale averaged 13.2 points per game with a team-high 74 assists.
DONS RETURN 10 FROM A YEAR AGO: USF will welcome back 10 letter winners from last season's squad. The veterans account for all but just 98 points from last season's scoring effort. Leading the way are juniors Rheina Ale and Vania Singleterry. Ale paces the group averaging 13.2 points per game last season, while Singleterry tallied 8.6 per outing. Senior forward Donnisha Taylor returns as the Green and Gold's top defensive threat, after averaging 6.1 rebounds a game last season. Taylor posted six games as a junior with 10-plus rebounds – two of which were double-double efforts.
FRESHMEN DUO LOOK TO ADD TO THE MIX: San Francisco welcomes two freshmen – Savannah Erskine and Alexa Hardick - to the roster this season. Erskine comes to San Francisco from Culver City High, where she was a two-time All-CIF selection, averaging 10.0 points, four rebounds, five assists and four steals per game. Hardick joins the Dons by way of Dallas, Texas. A four-year letterwinner at Bishop Lynch High, Hardick led her team to four State Championships while being a three-time TAPPS All-State honoree.
MULLANEY FINISHES ODYSSEY ON THE HILLTOP: Kelly Jo Mullaney joins the Dons this season, coming to the Hilltop for just one season as a senior transfer from Colorado. Mullaney will be eligible immediately to play for the Dons, have being awarded an appeal from the NCAA. The native of Minneapolis began her career at Colorado State, before transferring to Colorado for the past two seasons. With the Rams, the guard averaged a team-high 14.5 points in 13 games and a dozen starts. During her tenure in Boulder, she averaged 4.6 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. Mullaney redshirted the 2007-08 season at Colorado after transferring from Colorado State. In her first game with USF, Mullaney paced the team with 12 points and two rebounds.
ALE GAINING GROUND: Junior guard Rheina Ale enters the 2010-11 season looking to gain ground in the USF career-record books. The native of Carson, Calif., currently holds three spots in three career top-10 record books. Ale sits second in free throw %, shooting at a .821 (170-207) clip from the line, Carey Sauer (1999-04) holds the record, shooting 87.4% (382-437). The 2010 captain, Ale, is tied for sixth in 3-pointers made, with 99. She is currently tied with Toni Russell (2001-05) and is on pace to break Shay Rollins (2005-09) school record of 205. Ale is seventh in 3-point field goal %, hitting 99-of-263 for a .376 clip.
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. Its a great place to catch up on links, news and everything else to do with USF women's basketball.
USF BASKETBALL RETURNS TO KUSF: USF women's basketball returns to the airwaves and cyberspace for the 2010-11 season with a bulk of the games available on KUSF 90.3 in San Francisco and all games available on USFDons.com. Join George Devine for the play-by-play in his 15th year behind the mic for the Dons. Other features on USFDons.com include live stats with live play-by-play 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 angles from throughout War Memorial Gym.
