2008 Woodie Awards
Women's hoops adds four players
RJ Walters
Issue date: 4/19/07 Section: Sports
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It's been three seasons since the NMU women's basketball team reached the GLIAC tournament, the 'Cats improved by three wins from head coach Troy Mattson's first and second seasons and last year Northern was just three wins from reaching the post-season. Hoping that the third time around is the charm, Mattson is counting on a trio of talented guards from around the Midwest, coupled with the 2007 U.P. Player of the Year to bolster his squad and help them take the next step.
Guards Steffani Stoeger from Appleton, Wis., Hillary Bowling from Greenwood, Ind. and Kelly Rietveld from New Lenox, Ill. will join Marquette Senior High center Erin Power as newcomers on the 2007-08 Wildcat squad.
"The three guards are extremely athletic. They can jump, they get after it on defense, they're leaders and they're everything I was looking for in players," Mattson said. "They can do it all. They drive left, they drive right, they pull up and shoot, they can take it to the basket and they can make three's when they're open."
The guards will hopefully be able to contribute early on, giving the team enough depth to move junior Kelsey Deacon over to her natural position of shooting-guard, Mattson said. Deacon has averaged nearly 35 minutes a night, starting the past 40 games at the point-guard spot.
Stoegger, a 5-foot-7-inch guard who played at Fox Valley Lutheran High School, is one of the players Mattson said he envisions seeing a lot of playing time early on. She was a three-time first-team all-conference selection and was named the Post Crescent Player of the Year as a senior. She also averaged a school-record 18.4 points per game her junior year and was an AP and Wisconsin Basketball Association honorable mention all-state selection this year.
"There are a couple of them that have a chance of being seen on the court early and Steffani Stoeger was recruited to play right away," Mattson said. "Her and (sophomore guard) Natalie Larocque will determine who starts and who finishes games and things like that."
Guards Steffani Stoeger from Appleton, Wis., Hillary Bowling from Greenwood, Ind. and Kelly Rietveld from New Lenox, Ill. will join Marquette Senior High center Erin Power as newcomers on the 2007-08 Wildcat squad.
"The three guards are extremely athletic. They can jump, they get after it on defense, they're leaders and they're everything I was looking for in players," Mattson said. "They can do it all. They drive left, they drive right, they pull up and shoot, they can take it to the basket and they can make three's when they're open."
The guards will hopefully be able to contribute early on, giving the team enough depth to move junior Kelsey Deacon over to her natural position of shooting-guard, Mattson said. Deacon has averaged nearly 35 minutes a night, starting the past 40 games at the point-guard spot.
Stoegger, a 5-foot-7-inch guard who played at Fox Valley Lutheran High School, is one of the players Mattson said he envisions seeing a lot of playing time early on. She was a three-time first-team all-conference selection and was named the Post Crescent Player of the Year as a senior. She also averaged a school-record 18.4 points per game her junior year and was an AP and Wisconsin Basketball Association honorable mention all-state selection this year.
"There are a couple of them that have a chance of being seen on the court early and Steffani Stoeger was recruited to play right away," Mattson said. "Her and (sophomore guard) Natalie Larocque will determine who starts and who finishes games and things like that."
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