Grace Hoops Coach Optimistic
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Dale [email protected]
And a big step at that.
Following the program’s third-straight winning season, a campaign in which the Lady Lancers were 19-17 overall and 9-9 in the Crossroads League standings, Grace’s 10th-year skipper thinks this could be the year the Lady Lancers finally play in the NAIA Division II National Tournament.
“I was optimistic after the way we finished last year,” said Blum. “I told the girls in the locker room after our last game that we have the opportunity this year to win the conference and make it to the national tournament for the first time I really believe that.”
Grace was picked to finish third in the Crossroads League this season behind defending national champion Indiana Wesleyan and perennial power St. Francis.
With the return of second-team All-American Juaneice Jackson and the addition of some talented freshmen, Blum is optimistic his team can challenge for the league title.
“We are adding quickness, foot speed and an ability to get to the basket,” said Blum. “There will be more tenacity on the defensive end. With our quickness, we’ll have that special piece that we’ve been missing – that ability to get after people in the fullcourt.”
Jackson, a 5-foot-7 senior guard from Gary, averaged 18.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.2 steals last season.
She set the school record for points in a season with 665, and with 1,244 career points she needs just 388 to break the program’s all-time mark, which is currently held by 2004 graduate Tracie Mezera.
“J.J. is very important,” Blum said of Jackson. “Not every team has a player like her. She’s really shooting the ball well right now. When she shoots a three, you think it’s going in every time. We don’t run every play for her, but everything runs through her. I think all of her teammates would agree, as she goes, so do we.”
Other returning starters from last year include Allison Kauffman and Gabby Bryant.
Kauffman, a junior, averaged 12 points and seven rebounds per game, while Bryant, a sophomore, averaged eight points per game before an injury cut her season short.
Others with experience include junior Lindsey Schaefer and sophomores JoEllen Fickel, Sarah Feasby and Kelsey Sule, each of whom played in at least 25 games last season.
“It takes hard work to buy in as a team on both ends of the court,” said Blum. “If we play both sides of the ball to our potential, though, we can be a scary team. As long as we honor the Lord with our attitudes and work hard for each other, we can reach our goals. When you have a strong, close-knit team, you can overcome a lot of things.”
Grace’s talented freshmen class includes Dariyan Morris, Darian Patton and Chloe Pridgen.
Morris and Patton were teammates at Merrillville High School and led the Lady Pirates to a 23-2 record last season.
Pridgen, a 5-foot-11 poster player, grew up in Warsaw but moved after eighth grade, as her dad is in the military. Her parents currently live in Germany.
The Lady Lancers open the season Saturday at Holy Cross, then host IU-South Bend Tuesday and entertain Trinity Christian on Nov. 2 for homecoming.
Grace opens Crossroads League play on Nov. 26 when it hosts Taylor University.[[In-content Ad]]
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And a big step at that.
Following the program’s third-straight winning season, a campaign in which the Lady Lancers were 19-17 overall and 9-9 in the Crossroads League standings, Grace’s 10th-year skipper thinks this could be the year the Lady Lancers finally play in the NAIA Division II National Tournament.
“I was optimistic after the way we finished last year,” said Blum. “I told the girls in the locker room after our last game that we have the opportunity this year to win the conference and make it to the national tournament for the first time I really believe that.”
Grace was picked to finish third in the Crossroads League this season behind defending national champion Indiana Wesleyan and perennial power St. Francis.
With the return of second-team All-American Juaneice Jackson and the addition of some talented freshmen, Blum is optimistic his team can challenge for the league title.
“We are adding quickness, foot speed and an ability to get to the basket,” said Blum. “There will be more tenacity on the defensive end. With our quickness, we’ll have that special piece that we’ve been missing – that ability to get after people in the fullcourt.”
Jackson, a 5-foot-7 senior guard from Gary, averaged 18.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.2 steals last season.
She set the school record for points in a season with 665, and with 1,244 career points she needs just 388 to break the program’s all-time mark, which is currently held by 2004 graduate Tracie Mezera.
“J.J. is very important,” Blum said of Jackson. “Not every team has a player like her. She’s really shooting the ball well right now. When she shoots a three, you think it’s going in every time. We don’t run every play for her, but everything runs through her. I think all of her teammates would agree, as she goes, so do we.”
Other returning starters from last year include Allison Kauffman and Gabby Bryant.
Kauffman, a junior, averaged 12 points and seven rebounds per game, while Bryant, a sophomore, averaged eight points per game before an injury cut her season short.
Others with experience include junior Lindsey Schaefer and sophomores JoEllen Fickel, Sarah Feasby and Kelsey Sule, each of whom played in at least 25 games last season.
“It takes hard work to buy in as a team on both ends of the court,” said Blum. “If we play both sides of the ball to our potential, though, we can be a scary team. As long as we honor the Lord with our attitudes and work hard for each other, we can reach our goals. When you have a strong, close-knit team, you can overcome a lot of things.”
Grace’s talented freshmen class includes Dariyan Morris, Darian Patton and Chloe Pridgen.
Morris and Patton were teammates at Merrillville High School and led the Lady Pirates to a 23-2 record last season.
Pridgen, a 5-foot-11 poster player, grew up in Warsaw but moved after eighth grade, as her dad is in the military. Her parents currently live in Germany.
The Lady Lancers open the season Saturday at Holy Cross, then host IU-South Bend Tuesday and entertain Trinity Christian on Nov. 2 for homecoming.
Grace opens Crossroads League play on Nov. 26 when it hosts Taylor University.[[In-content Ad]]
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