Nov. 13, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

CSU opens season at Wichita State... 
First-year Head Coach Kristen Holt and the Rams women’s basketball team open regular-season play on Saturday in Wichita, Kan., against the Wichita State Shockers. 

The game is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. CT from Charles Koch Arena (10,478) and will feature the debuts of Holt and Shockers’ head coach Judy Adams with their respective programs.   

The game also marks Holt’s return to Wichita State, where she served as an assistant under former head coach Jane Albright from 2003-07. 

Fans in the Fort Collins area can listen to the game on AM 1410 KIIX.  Brian Roth returns for his eighth season calling the action.  Nick Sebesta, the voice of the nationally ranked CSU volleyball program, will provide color commentary the Rams on the road this season.  Fans can also listen to the game streaming online at CSURams.com by signing up for Rams All-Access.   

Live statistics are available on GoShockers.com by clicking on the “Live Stats” icon on the women’s basketball schedule page. 

CSU vs. Wichita State series... 
Saturday’s meeting between Wichita State and CSU will be the first in 22 years.  The Rams and the Shockers have split four previous meetings in the series, with Colorado State taking home the first two games and Wichita State winning the two most recent contests.

About Wichita State... 
The Shockers return six letterwinners and two starters - seniors Daria Frazier and Marcy Sudbeck - from last season’s team that went 9-22, including a 3-15 mark in Missouri Valley Conference play. 

First-year head coach Jody Adams, a former point guard and national champion at Tennessee, enters her second year overall as a head coach, having led the Murray State Racers to a 24-8 record and an NCAA Tournament berth in 2007-08. 

Sophomore guard Val Siemens, a transfer from Tulsa, impressed in the Shockers’ 71-52 exhibition victory over the Oklahoma Flyers.  Siemens led all scorers with 18 points on 7-for-15 shooting. 

The Shockers were selected to finishe last in the 10-team Missouri Valley Conference in the 2008-09 preseason poll released at the MVC Media Day last month. 

CSU vs. WSU comparision*... 

Last time out... 
The Rams closed the exhibition season with a bang last Friday, defeating the Colorado Christian Cougars, 94-68, in front of 1,229 fans at Moby Arena. 

The Rams outmatched the Cougars in nearly every category, shooting 46.7 percent from the floor and holding CCU to just 37.3 percent, while outrebounding the Cougars by a 50-39 margin. 

Senior guard Kandy Beemer (15 points), sophomore guard Bonnie Barbee (13 points) and junior center Devran Tanacan (13 points), led the Rams’ offensive onslaught that featured buckets from all 13 Rams who saw the court.  Beemer (5-for-11) and Barbee (3-for-3) provided a spark from long range, while Tanacan helped the Rams to a 38-26 scoring advantage in the paint.

Colorado State used its rebounding edge and outscored CCU 30-11 in second-chance points.  The Rams defense also converted 19 turnovers into 30 points, while holding the Cougars to just seven points on nine Rams’ turnovers.

Junior forward Juanise Cornell finished just shy of a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds in the contest.

Home sweet home... 
Colorado State will play six of its first nine contests at Moby Arena. Overall since 1974-75, the Rams hold a record of 287-166 (.635) in Moby Arena.  The Rams will play a total of 15 regular-season contests in Moby Arena in 2008-09, the most home dates for a CSU women’s basketball team since the 2004-05 season (16 home games).

Rare road start... 
For the second consecutive season, Colorado State will open the regular season away from Moby Arena.  Prior to last season, however, the Rams had not opened on the road since the 2000-01 season.  Colorado State is 8-7 all time in 15 season openers played away from Moby Arena. 

International flavor... 
Rams fans will notice that the 2008-09 roster features many players - both newcomers and returners alike - who are originally from outside of the United States.  Returning senior Carine Reimink (Reedy Creek, Australia) returns for her second season at CSU along with junior transfer Devran Tanacan (Istanbul, Turkey), who sat out 2007-08 after transferring to CSU from the University at Albany. 

Three freshmen have also travelled quite a long way to join the Rams squad.  Guard/forward Kim Mestdagh hails from Ieper, Belgium, while forward Chatilla van Grinsven (Helmond) and Natalie van den Adel (Barendrecht) are both from the Netherlands.

Homegrown talent... 
In addition to the five international players on the CSU roster, the Rams also feature three players from Colorado.  Junior guard Alison Cheney graduated from Platte Valley High School in Kersey, Colo., and played two seasons at Western Nebraska Community College before coming to CSU.  Freshman forward Meghan Heimstra is a former two-time all-Colorado peformer at Silver Creek High School in nearby Longmont, Colo., and freshman guard Morgan Ackley was a six-sport athlete at Fort Collins High School.  

Holt making Rams debut as head coach... 
First-year Head Coach Kristen Holt will coach her first regular-season game when the Rams open the 2008-09 campaign at Wichita State, Nov. 15, but this is not Holt’s first stint as a head coach.  In 2001-02, Holt took over the reins of Radford University. Holt guided the Highlanders - predicted to finish last in their conference -  to an 11-16 overall mark, including an 8-6 record in the Big South, which earned her conference Coach of the Year honors. 

Colorado State’s 10 previous head coaches compiled an overall record of 5-5 in their first games as coach of the Rams.  The last three, Tom Collen (1997), Chris Denker (2002) and Jen Warden (2005) were all victorious in their debuts on the Rams sidelines.  However, Collen, Denker and Warden all opened at Moby Arena.  Two coaches, Ann Matlock (1977) and Greg Williams (1990) opened with road losses.  Williams, over the next seven seasons, led the Rams to move victories than any other coach in school history. 

Overall, in their first seasons CSU head coaches have compiled a record of 106-122.  Two coaches, Tom Collen (24-6, 1997-98) and Chris Denker (21-13, 2002-03) posted winning marks in their first seasons. 

Worth the wait... 
Three Colorado State players - Devran Tanacan, Chatilla van Grinsven and Natalie van den Adel - will sit out some games to begin this season as part of a penalty from the NCAA, to maintain their amateur status.  All three players are eligible to play in the Rams’ two exhibition contests.  Tanacan will sit ou the season opener at Wichita State, while van Grinsven will miss four games (Nov. 15  at Wichita State, Nov. 19 at Colorado, Nov. 22 vs. Idaho and Nov. 28 vs. Valparaiso).   Van den Adel will be eligible to return to the Rams’ lineup for the first time on Feb. 28 at New Mexico. 

Time changes... 
Two games on the Rams’ schedule have had time changes this season.  The Rams’ Dec. 13 matchup with Northern Iowa has been moved back 30 minutes to a 12:30 p.m. start.  The Rams’ game vs. Utah scheduled for Jan. 17 has also been changed to a 1 p.m. MT tip.  That game was originally scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. MT at Moby Arena.  

Up next... 
The Rams take on in-state rival Colorado on Nov. 19 at the Coors Events and Conference Center in Boulder, Colo.  Tipoff between the Rams and the Buffs is scheduled for 7:07 p.m.  The game will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Net Rocky Mountain. 

Coors Light Coaches’ Show... 
Head basketball coaches Kristen Holt and Tim Miles will make their debuts on the 2008-09 Coors Light Coaches’ Show beginning Monday.  The show, which will air live at 7 p.m. MT from the Stonehouse Grille in downtown Fort Colliins, can be heard on AM 600 KCOL in Fort Collins and AM 560 KLZ in Denver.

Coors Light Coaches’ Show schedule  
 •  November 17 
 •  December  1
 •  December 8
 •  January 5
 •  January 12
 •  January 19
 •  February 2
 •  February 9
 •  February 16
 •  February 23
 •  March 2