Thursday, November 30, 1995
Women realize there’s no “I” in team
Collegian File Photo
Hot potato: ATW Marlesse
Schlott gives up the rock.
★★★★★★★★★
Schlott having impressive season
by Julie Stocker
Assistant Sports Editor
"She is a very inspirational
leader cm and off the floor," said
sophomore forward Erin
McCormick about teammate and
this week’s athlete of the week,
senior center Marlesse Schlott.
As well as a hoopster,
"Schtottie" also plays softball on
die Penn State-Behrend women's
softball team. She usually bats
in the four bole, and will be
making the transition from first
to third base this season.
To date, Schlott is second on
Mitchell gets coaching chance
By Cathy Harasta
Dallas Morning News
Knight-Ridder/Tribune News
IRVING, Texas - Many college
basketball coaches dream of the
right combinations of cloud
grazing height and four-digit SAT
scores. Laura Mitchell, the first
year coach of the University of
Dallas Lady Crusaders, just
wishes she could drive the team
rental van to games
At 24, Mitchell must wait
until her next birthday to meet
the age requirement of some auto
rental companies. Visitors to the
UD campus’ Maher Athletic
Center frequently peg her for a
player. That she easily can run
the court with the Crusaders has
been her strongest selling point
For months, Mitchell has
waited for this weekend, her
debut as a college head coach will
come in Conway, Ark., on
Saturday, when her team plays
Hendrix Colelge. As many
programs dp off in many towns,
Mitchell, a former player at
Lady Lions try to get on track
The Lady Lions knew at the beginning of the season that this
would be a long grueling year. And the first two weeks of the season
have been just that
The Lady Lions (1-3) began the season by finishing second in the
Creative Imprints/Day’s Inn Tournament by beating Bridgewater
State 82-69 before losing to Lycoming in the finals 74-56. Then last
Tuesday, they dropped a decision to Marietta 71-58. And on Monday,
they dropped one to a very tough Defiance team 93-66.
"We're struggling right now," said Coach Fomari.
playing well together as a team."
The Lady Lions did look good in the tournament. Against
Bridgewater State, the Lady Lions were led by Melanie Banas (9.3
ppg), who seemed unstoppable, scoring 18 points in the first half en
route to a2O point game. Nikki Schultz (10.0 ppg, 9.3 rpg) lived up
to her reputation as ‘most improved player’ by tossing in points and
grabbing 11 boards.
"We had a lot of enthusiasm and confidence (vs Bridgewater State)"
commented Fomari. But after Lycoming wc lost it and stopped doing
the little things we need to do to win."
Against Lycoming the Lady Lions fell behind very early and just
could never come back from the deficit as they fell 74-56. Reed led
all Lady Lion scorers with 18 points and Schultz and Marlesse
Schlott collected 13 boards a piece down low.
"We haven't found our niche yet," said forward Emily Marini, "but
it will come soon in the future."
the basketball team by averaging
1 I.S points per game, and is the
Lion leader in rebounds with 14.5
per game.
"I believe that rebounding is
the best part of my game, I play
the post strong, and 1 can take
anyone where I want them to go
in the paint," said Schlott.
Frontcourt mate Emily Marini
sees first hand how Schlott
roughs opponents in the key, and
is confident in her efforts.
"We weak well together, and
Schlott is experienced and knows
what she's doing," said Marini. "I
feel comfortable with her in the
Irving Nimitz, will try to make a
name for the small, private
school that sits quietly beside
Texas Stadium
“It would be nice to build
something here,” Mitchell said as
she sat in her tiny office. “I’ve
been too busy to be nervous.
But I’m also so excited about
Saturday, to see how we match
up. We’re very limited in who
wc can get.”
She has no scholarships to
give and must focus on athletes
who are students first. In
recruiting, it has helped that
Mitchell, 5-10, played for UD in
the program’s finest season,
1992-93 when the Crusaders went
12-13. The previous season, the
team went 1-15, with the lone
victory coming on a forfeit.
Mitchell took a winding route
to UD, playing for Hill Junior
College, Guilford College in
North Caroline and Eckerd
College in Florida before her
single season as a Crusader. She
said a sense of adventure caused
her to change schools, but it also
Sports
by Brian Gregory
Collegian Staff
post with me."
The senior co-captain also has
13 steals on the season, which is
a rarity for a post player to have
the team best.
But, by far, Schlott’s claim to
fame this season is her numbers
from behind the three-point arc.
Number 52 has taken only one
shot from down town, and hit it.
So, through four games this
season, Schlott is shooting 1.000
percent from three-point range.
"I wasn't really surprised when
it went in," commented the
shooting fool, "I was really
happy to surprise people because
reflected her growing devotion to
basketball, which had not been
her first love.
“I used to hate basketball,” she
said with a laugh. “I started out
as a gymnast and grew up too
tall.” She outgrew gymnastics in
time to start on the Nimitz junior
varsity squad a sophomore.
Some people still call her
“Vanilla,” the name that stuck
during high school. Mitchell
who majored in English and
journalism, graduated for UD in
1994, began to lose her nickname
with her first coaching job last
fall. That was a short-term
assignment as the freshman coach
at a Detroit-area high school.
Last November, she returned to
UD and began assisting then
coach Jim Jackson (not the
Maverick), for whom she had
played. After he resigned, the
school named Mitchell the
interim coach last March. Not
until June did she gain the head
coach title.
“ft was a long three months of
not knowing whether I would get
On the banks of the old Ohio River the Lady Lions lost to Marietta
by 13. The game showcased a great individual effort by Schlott (11.5
ppg, 14.5 rpg) who scored 18 points and brought down 24 hoards.
But, once again there was limited team support and no one picked up
the slack.
"We've had a lot of good individual efforts this season," Fornari
stated. "We're just not being effective as a team. Wc'rc lacking a lot
of intensity."
"This (intensity) starts in practice," continued Fornari. "It's hard to
keep up the intensity because Niki Bohn was out with a family
emergency and Schultz was sick last week."
Another great individual effort was turned in by Marini (8.8 ppg,
5.5 rpg) as her box read: Marini 5-5 10-10, for 20 points. She also
contributed 15 rebounds. However, Defiance was just way too strong
and way too fast.
"We're not
"(In the) Defiance game we were down early and in the first half wc
fought back," stated Fornari. "However, in the second half wc folded,
but only to their pressure."
Fornari has decided to change the offense and defense. This started
after the Marietta game. Bohn sees this helping, "With the new
offense we're starting to become a team, but wc'rc still too
individualistic."
The Lady Lions will travel to Nazareth, New York to participate in
the Nazareth Tournament this Saturday and Sunday.
Behrend will return home on December Bth against SUNY-
Fredonia. Tip-off is at 7:00 P.M. in Erie Hall. WPSE will
broadcast the game live.
they know I usually don't shoot
from out there."
Besides perfect three-point
shooting for the rest of the
season, Schlott, along with the
other Lady Lions, has set high
goals for the remainder of the
season.
“We want to make the NCAA
playoffs," stated a confident
Schlott, "But if we don’t, we
figure an ECAC playoff berth
will be right behind ns."
In order to experience a post
season, Schlott and the Lady
Lions wifi have to rebound from
a current three-game losing
the job,” said Mitchell, who lives
in Lewisville to be near graduate
studies at the University of North
Texas in Denton. “I knew I was
really young to be a head coach.
I was on needles and pins. I
didn’t know how to plan.”
She said her part-time status
meant she had no employee
benefits and, as a single mother,
her concerns led her to inquire
about other jobs. One local
restaurant manager told her that
she lacked enough waitressing
experience for his establishment
and that she had better hope the
coaching job came through.
It did. As her debut nears,
Mitchell said she and her team are
growing into a meaningful
relationship. UD belongs to the
TIAA and, though NAIA in
status, is a provisional member
of NCAA Division 111.
Mitchell praised the help she
has had from part-time assistant
Von McDade, a former standout
at the University of Wisconsin-
Milwaukcc who played in the
CBA. Plus, at 29. McDade k
streak. The worst part is, they'll
have to do it on the road, as they
prepare for the Nazareth
Tournament this weekend.
{This tournament) is supposed
to be-one of the best townies’
we’ve ever been in," concluded
Schlott. "We will have to run our
offenses, do up our defenses, and
keep up the intensity."
Mariesse added that the Lady
Lions will also look to "rebound,
kick the ball out, and run with
it.”
It would just figure that the
first step of that process would
start with Schlottie.
old enough to drive the rental
van.
A well-read copy of 101
Dalmatians sits not far from a
Pat Riley-authored coaching tome
in Mitchell’s office. Her son,
Adrian, who will turn 2 on Dec.
2, prefers the dalmatians to
Riley’s wisdom. Adrian, though
already a decent dribbler, also
appears to prefer hockey and the
Dallas Stars to all other sports
and teams, his mother said.
Theirs is a two-career family;
Adrian models clothing for print
and cable ads.
“I need six more hands, two
more brains and two more
calendars,” Mitchell said.
She did not say, but did not
have to, that she wants her
program to reflect her energy.
“They’re pretty tough players,”
Mitchell said with a grin.
It takes one to know one.