Michigan State University Athletics
Complete Coverage of Michigan State Women's Basketball Media Day
10/18/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Oct. 18, 2006
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The 2006-07 Michigan State Women's Basketball Media Day was held on Wednesday, Oct. 18 in the Breslin Center. With media from across the state in attendance, head coach Joanne P. McCallie started the event with a half-hour press conference, offering her thoughts on the program. A very comfortable McCallie said she was very excited about the season and was looking forward to get back to work after two straight trips to the Sweet 16. After the press conference, the media had their chance to interview the student-athletes.
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Backcourt Experience
The Spartans lost Honorable Mention All-American Lindsay Bowen at point guard, but the Spartans return two senior starters in Rene Haynes and Victoria Lucas-Perry. Haynes has started 48 games in her career, including starting 31 as a junior while averaging a career-high 8.8 points per game. Lucas-Perry has started 62 games in her career, including starting 32 as a junior while earning Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors. Junior Courtney Davidson, who will be out until January with an achilles' tendon injury, also has valuable playing experience, having seen action in 37 games in her career, including 32 last season while helping to run the point for the Spartans. Junior Alisa Wulff and sophomore Mia Johnson also have plenty of Division I experience, as Wulff, who was hampered by injuries in her first season at MSU, played in 25 games and started four as a freshman at Virginia and Johnson scored 444 points as a freshman at Saint Louis.
In Search of 1,000 Points
Two players enter the 2006-07 season in reach of 1,000 career points. Senior Rene Haynes has posted 838 points, leaving her 162 shy of the milestone that has been reached by only 16 players in the 33-year history of Michigan State women's basketball. Haynes needs to average 5.6 points per game to reach the plateau by regular season's end. Senior Victoria Lucas-Perry enters the season with 735 points, 265 shy of 1,000. She needs to average 9.1 points per game to reach the club by the end of the regular season.
Hitting the Trifecta
The Spartan backcourt may have lost its most prolific 3-point shooter in Lindsay Bowen, but the team returns two players who are already in the top 10 in school history in 3-pointers made. Senior Victoria Lucas-Perry, with 89 career 3-pointers currently stands in eighth-place in school history. She is 11 trifectas away from becoming just the seventh player in school histoty to reach 100 in a Green and White uniform. Rene Haynes is not far behind, with her 78 career 3-pointers 10th in school history, plus with three more steals, she will enter the top 10 in a career in that category. Sophomore Mia Johnson, who transferred from Saint Louis University and sat out during the 2005-06 campaign, hit 64 3-pointers during her freshman season with the Billikens.
At Work In The Classroom
The Spartans had six of their nine eligible players earn Academic All-Big Ten honors in 2005-06. Liz Shimek and Lindsay Bowen headed the group, as both also earned CoSIDA's Academic All-Region honors as seniors. Seniors Victoria Lucas-Perry and Katrina Grantham and Maggie Dwyer and junior Laura Hall were also honored. The Big Ten awards all letterwinners in the season for which they are being honored with an overall career grade-point average of "B" or better. Honorees must be in at least their second academic year at the institution.
Strive For Five
The Michigan State women's basketball team opens the season looking for its fifth-straight NCAA Tournament berth. In 2006, the team made its school-record fourth straight entry into March Madness, advancing to the Regional Semifinals for the second straight time. In the last four years, head coach Joanne P. McCallie has led the Spartans to an 8-4 (.667) record during the NCAA Tournament, helping the Spartans to the second round of the tournament three times and the national championship game once.
Batting 300
Head coach Joanne P. McCallie enters the 2006-07 campaign needing just eight wins to reach 300 in her career. In 14 seasons (eight at Maine and six at Michigan State), the 2004-05 Associated Press National Coach of the Year has won an average of 20.9 games per season. She has reached the NCAA Tournament as a head coach 10 times.
Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime
Coach P has committed her team to playing one of the toughest schedules in the nation once again in 2006-07. The Spartans will take on defending national champion Maryland at College Park on Jan. 6 and also square off with Final Four participant Louisiana State at the Breslin Center on Dec. 17. The Spartans face seven other opponents who appeared in the 64-team field, including regional semifinalists Rutgers (Jan. 28) and Purdue (Home, Jan. 11; Away, Feb. 11). Five more opponents were a part of the 40-team WNIT field.
Super Sophomores
Althoughtheir paths have been very different, sophomores Aisha Jefferson and Mia Johnson have converged to present a very formidable challenge to Michigan State's foes for the next three seasons. Jefferson, a 6-0 forward from Dayton, was named to the All-Big Ten Freshman team at the end of the 2005-06 season. The tough forward averaged 6.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game as a freshman. She started each of the last 16 games and shot 42 percent (94-220) from the field. Johnson, a sophomore transfer from Saint Louis University, redshirted in 2005-06, but will return to the court this season. She was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman team after ranking fifth in the league with a scoring average of 17.1 points per game and drilling 64 3-pointers.
Back In The Mix
Three Spartans saw their seasons cut short due to injuries last season and all three are back looking to make solid contributions this season. Senior Myisha Bannister played in 10 games and started six at forward before an ACL injury sidelined her for the season. Bannister averaged 2.2 points and 2.9 rebounds in 11.2 minutes per game as a junior. Senior Katrina Grantham was hampered with a knee injury for the much of the year, having surgery before the Big Ten Tournament. She played 20 games, averaging just 4.7 minutes per game after averaging 8.4 minutes as a junior. Junior Alisa Wulff also appeared in only three games, as she was hampered with injuries for much of the year.
The New Faces
This season, the Spartans welcome three freshmen to the mix, in one of the most highly-touted recruiting classes in the school's history. Allyssa DeHaan, a 6-9 center from Grandville, brings the Spartans shot-blocking ability, as she averaged nine blocked shots per game as a prep senior. Takeya Fortner, a 5-9 guard from Flint, was a two-time Flint Journal Player of the Year at Northern High School. Mandy Piechowski, also a 5-9 guard, was rated the No. 2 player in Michigan by The Detroit News before her senior year at Utica High School. She averaged 18 points, four assists and four steals during the season. All three earned all-state honors during their senior season.
A Grand Exhibition
It isn't only during the regular season that the Spartans are playing tough opponents. The Spartans kick off their two-game exhibition season on Nov. 2 by playing host to Grand Valley State, the reigning Division II National Champion. Last season, the Spartans survived a scare from the Lakers before pulling out an 84-77 exhibition win.
Into The Nation's Family Room
Michigan State will have at least six games televised this season, with four reaching a national audience. The team's Jan. 6 game at Maryland will be broadcast live on CBS and two more games are slated for air on ESPN2 (at Rutgers, Jan. 28; at Purdue, Feb. 11). The team will also see airtime on CSTV when it travels to Penn State on Jan. 25. CSN Chicago will air regional broadcasts of the Spartans games against Penn State (Feb. 1) and at Ohio State (Feb. 18).
WNBA Ties
A Spartan has been taken in the WNBA draft in each of the last two years, as Kristin Haynie was taken with the ninth pick overall in the 2005 draft by the Sacramento Monarchs and Liz Shimek was drafted by the Phoenix Mercury with the 18th pick in 2006. Haynie has led the Monarchs to two straight WNBA title runs, including the 2005 WNBA title and Shimek, who was traded to Houston on draft day, saw action with the Chicago Sky in her rookie year after another trade. Kristin Rasmussen, a 2000 MSU grad, has played seven seasons in the WNBA, playing with the Phoenix Mercury in 2006.
Our House
The women's basketball program, thanks to a 61-21 (.744) record at home in Coach P's six years as head coach, has built up quite the regional following, setting season attendance records in each of the last four seasons, drawing an average of 6,787 last season. The Spartans posted a 23-game winning streak at the Breslin Center before a narrow 67-65 loss to Ohio State on Jan. 22. Still, the Green and White posted a 14-1 record at home in 2005-06, giving the team a 47-8 (.854) mark in the last four years. This season, the Spartans welcome 15 teams into the Breslin Center during the regular season and also host two exhibition games. The team's first five regular-season games will be played within the friendly confines of the Brez.
March Madness At The Breslin Center
Michigan State will host the first two rounds of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament on March 18 and 20. If the Spartans make the 64-team field, they will play at home during the first two rounds of the tournament.
