Dec. 14, 2005
Normal, Ill. -
The Illinois State women's basketball team will try to end a three-game losing streak this season with a trip to play at Texas-El Paso, where, 40 years ago, one basketball team shed the light to start a new era. The Walt Disney film "Glory Road," to be released in January, chronicles the story of the 1965-66 NCAA Champion Texas-El Paso men's basketball team -- the first to start five African-American players in an NCAA Championship contest. The 2005-06 Redbirds and Miners meet at 3:05 p.m. Sunday at the Don Haskins Center, named for the coach of that historic team.
The Redbirds, 4-3, want to reverse their own recent history. Coach Robin Pingeton is optimistic about her team's chance to get back on the winning track, based on how her young team played in a 73-71 overtime loss last Saturday at Oakland.
"The first 20 minutes against Oakland were the best 20 minutes of basketball I've seen at Illinois State," said Pingeton, in her third year as Redbird head coach. "And that's saying something considering we won the conference tournament last year. After halftime, we played 17 minutes of good basketball and the other eight were not so good. But I feel like this team learned from things like going into overtime and realizing that every possession is important."
Versatile sophomore forward Amber Shelton, who had 20 points, eight assists and eight rebounds, was just a few plays short of a triple-double against Oakland. Pingeton wasn't surprised by the former four-time Illinois prep all-stater's effort. She had a conference with Shelton prior to the game, encouraging her to be more of a take-charge player on the court.
"Amber leads by example from an intensity standpoint," said Pingeton. "She can be more vocal on the court and have more of a leadership role. Unfortunately, I guess, I wasn't surprised (at Oakland) because I expect that kind of effort every night from Amber. She's capable of that."
Shelton's career highs in points and assists showed the kind of versatility Pingeton saw when she recruited the Edwardsville High School graduate, whose steal at the end of regulation time at Oakland extended the game for Illinois State. Pingeton believes that Shelton can lead Illinois State to some glory of its own.
"Amber had the opportunity to do things as a freshman that players in other programs don't have a chance to do," said Pingeton. "She was our first recruit (at Illinois State) and is a pretty important piece of the puzzle because we know she can defend, rebound, pass, score and do a bit of everything."
Shelton is one of the most experienced players on a team which had four freshmen and a sophomore on the court for several minutes at Oakland. She realizes the expectations are high.
"The way I look at it, I have more experience than some of the younger players," said Shelton.
UTEP, 4-4, beat the `Birds last year 72-71 in overtime at Redbird Arena. It was a game Illinois State led by as many as 19 in the first half, but shot just 30 percent after halftime.
"We got a lead on them last year and they came back on us in the second half," said Pingeton. "UTEP has versatility--they play both man and zone defenses. It will be a dogfight, but I believe so much of how we play is about our approach and our toughness."
The Redbird conclude their 2005-06 non-conference schedule with a Thursday (Dec. 22) game at Illinois. The Redbird Arena Ticket Office has a limited number of $7 reserved seat tickets available for the Illinois State game at Illinois. Fans can obtain tickets in the Redbird block by calling (309) 438-8000. All day-of-game tickets at the Assembly Hall are general admission.
