Playing their second straight game against a Top 25 team, the Illinois State Redbirds seek win No. 1 of the 2004-05 season against No. 16 Kansas State and all-American Kendra Wecker at 5 p.m. Friday in the Junkanoo Jam Tournament at Freeport, Bahamas.
After a season-opening loss to No. 6 Notre Dame and preseason player of the year candidate Jacqueline Batteast, the Redbirds, 0-1, will be facing another ranked team with one of the nations leading players. Wecker, a 5-11 senior, not only is one of the best basketball players in the state, but also a Big 12 track and field champion in the javelin. She also plays the saxophone. Second-year Redbird coach Robin Pingeton remembers recruiting Wecker for Iowa State.
She is an incredibly athletic player, said Pingeton. I remember when we were recruiting her, she won a heptathlon in high school. She is a hard-nosed player who is exceptionally skilled and highly-competitive. Kansas State is a solid national team and has been in that position.
Pingeton respects the Wildcat perimeter game, which also features 2004 CoSIDA Academic All-American Laurie Koehn, who has 296 career three-point field goals, just 96 from breaking the all-time NCAA career record of 391. She had over 100 each of her last two seasons.
With Notre Dame, it was their size and inside game you had to deal with, said Pingeton. K-State has great perimeter players. They will challenge us, but we need this as a team. The more you play great competition, the better.
The other game in Illinois States tournament is No. 9 Duke vs. Stephen F. Austin, so theres a chance the Redbirds could play three straight games against Top 25 teams. Pingeton thinks her team will improve as its health gets betterthree starters (Jaci McCormack, Michele Harakas and Holly Hallstrom) have missed time with ankle injuries and a potential fourth, sophomore guard
Megan McCracken, likely wont play until at least late next week because of a heel injury.
We need to get healthy, said Pingeton, and I think were making progress. Jaci is going to be a lot better. When we played Notre Dame, shed had two practices after sitting out two weeks. We know Jaci is a great player. She has a lot on her shoulders and Notre Dame was frustrating for her, but she will bounce back.
Returning All-Missouri Valley Conference forward Katie Donovan, who poured-in 25 points against Notre Dame to go with six assists and six rebounds, stands as the Valleys top scorer after the first week of playa position she kept all season in 2003-04. Hallstrom, who had rolled an ankle in the second Redbird exhibition game, scored 23 points in her ISU debut, a record for a Redbird player in her first game.
After the tournament, the Redbirds get to come home. They play Ball State Dec. 1 and Oakland Dec. 3 in Redbird Arena.
