In its first season as a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and with a new coaching staff, the Pioneer women’s basketball team (8-9, 3-3 WAC) is six games into its conference competition for the 2012-2013 season.

After a 3-1 start to conference play, the Pioneers posted two close losses last week, falling 68-60 to Idaho, currently No. 3 in the WAC, on Thursday and 69-66 to WAC leader Seattle on Sunday. With 12 conference contests remaining in the regular season, however, the WAC title is anyone’s to claim, according to first-year head coach Kerry Cremeans.

“I’m very pleased with where we are right now,” said Cremeans. “Any time you have a coaching change, there’s a change in philosophy and a new way of doing things. The team has responded in a phenomenal way.

“I believe so much in this team, that they have the makeup and the ability to win a championship. Our non-conference [schedule] was tough and it’s prepared us for the conference. This conference is anybody’s to take.”
In pursuing the conference championship, both Cremeans and assistant coach Abby Waner stressed a championship mentality, day in and day out.

“Every day, Coach Kerry talks about a championship mentality, and that means in any way you can get it,” said Waner. “So ‘championship’ being if you’re in practice and there’s a competition, you want to be the team that comes out on top of that. Ultimately, we want to win the conference. Every coach has different philosophies on how they approach the team with that goal. She’s very vocal about it, and I think that’s great, because they hear it every day.”

The Pioneers return a number of key players from last season’s roster, including sophomore guard Morgan Van Riper-Rose, the team’s leading scorer with 236 points, senior point guard Emiko Smith and junior guard Quincey Noonan, all three of whom have boasted starting positions since their respective freshman seasons. Denver lost only two players from last year’s senior class: Morgan Shell and forward Kaetlyn Murdoch.

In her four years at DU, Murdoch tallied 1,810 career points, vaulting her to third all-time at DU and 18th in the Sun Belt Conference, in addition to finishing first in school history and in the SBC in career blocks with 279. By the end of her career, Murdoch had established herself in a strong leadership position for the program.

“She’s hard to replace,” said Cremeans of Murdoch. “I wouldn’t say we replace her. But all 11 [current players] have to do more – whether it’s more points, more rebounds, more minutes played – each and every one of them has to do more to make up for that loss.”

Joining the Pioneer roster for the 2012-2013 season are three freshmen guards: Kailey Edwards and Michaela Neuhaus, both from the Denver area, and Paige Bradley, from Texas.

“Freshman season, you learn so much about yourself as a person and a player, and I know they’ve all seen that,” said Waner. “I think Kailey Edwards is going to be a really special player in that she’s so versatile. She’s athletic, and we know she can defend any guard position if we need her to.

“Michaela Neuhaus just has such balance to her; that’s how she is as a person and a player. When she gets in the game, we know we need to count on her to get defensive stops and to push the ball on offense. Paige Bradley is also going to be a really special player. She is a scoring point guard; she knows how to set up her teammates and how to put them in position to be successful, and at the same time, she’s got a great jump shot, she can get to the basket herself and she has a really nice three.”

Rounding out this season’s roster are juniors Maiya Michel, Allison Janecek and Desiree Hunter, as well as sophomores Jordan Johnston and Theresa Wirth. Michel currently leads the team with 139 rebounds, while Johnston is behind only Van Riper-Rose and Smith in points with 127. Janecek boasts the second-best three-point percentage on the team at .417. In total, six Pioneers have already surpassed 100 points this season.

“We’ve just had so many different players step up, and it’s been awesome to see,” said Waner. “It always starts with your point guard and our senior in Emi Smith, coming back from her knee injury [earlier this season]. She’s just been so solid for us. We’re seeing other players step up in every game, whether it’s Maiya rebounding or [Janecek] hitting threes.”

Adapting to change

With the new coaching staff and the new conference, the Pioneers face a number of challenges, but Cremeans said the team remains focused on its goals and is happy with where the team currently stands.

“It’s not only a new program, but I’m a first-year head coach,” said Cremeans. “The number one goal for me is changing the culture to being my team. I walked into a wonderful situation; [former head coach] Erik Johnson and his staff did remarkable things here, and they were so good to us in the transition; but now, it’s time to put my stamp on it and our stamp as a staff.”

This season, Cremeans said the team is focused on becoming a fast transition offensive team and a high-pressure defensive team on the court, in addition to creating a family environment off the court.

Prior to joining the Pioneer community, Cremeans spent eight years coaching the women’s basketball program at Auburn, in both assistant and associate head coach positions. All in all, she boasts more than 18 years of coaching experience and said she’s thrilled to be at DU.

“I absolutely love it, and I couldn’t be in a better place that expects them to win in the classroom and win on the court,” said Cremeans. “The expectations are great for us to cut down a net, and I want to be in a place that has those expectations. It’s easy to recruit to DU.”

Waner, also in her first year at DU after four years as an analyst for ESPN and The Mountain Network, agreed the Pioneer community provides a good fit for her.

“It’s been nothing short of absolutely fantastic,” said Waner. “Of course, it always starts with your head coach, and I can’t say enough about the type of person and boss and coach that Kerry is. We have an amazing staff to work with, an amazing group of girls to coach, and that’s why I wanted to coach, because of the ability coaches have to impact young women’s lives. I could not have asked for a better situation than the team we have and the program we have at Denver.”

The Pioneers return to the court on Thursday, when they take on San Jose State on the road. The team continues its road trip to Utah State on Saturday.