Nov. 18, 1999
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- The Wake Forest women's basketball team kicks off
the 1999-2000 season this Friday, Nov. 19th, as the Demon Deacons host the
Lady Stags of Fairfield University at 7:00 p.m. in Reynolds Gymnasium.
Wake Forest returns two starters and 10 letterwinners from last year's 8-20
squad, while Fairfield welcomes back four starters and 10 letterwinners
from a team that went 12-15 in 1998-99. The game marks the regular-season
opener for both teams.
Wake Forest vs. Fairfield
Friday, November 19 * 7:00 pm * Reynolds Gymnasium * Winston-Salem, NC
A Quick Look at the 99-00 Deacs
At the start of the 1999-2000 campaign, the energy surrounding third-year
head coach Charlene Curtis' team is at its highest level yet. Building on
a strong finish to the 98-99 season, the Deacs are hungrier than ever to
turn the corner toward a winning season. With a solid core of young,
talented players returning and some significant additions to the lineup,
that goal seems closer than ever before. Wake Forest lost three starters
to graduation, including the team's leading scorer and rebounder and a
four-year starter at point guard. The Deacs will field an extremely young
team again, with nine of 14 players in just their freshman or sophomore
years of eligibility. This youthful squad will not be lacking in game
experience, however. Curtis has regularly used her entire bench over the
past two seasons, giving the underclassmen a significant amount of playing
time. The 11 returning Deacs have seen time in 98 percent of their career
games, and four of five upperclassmen have played in every game of their
careers (the fifth has missed just one). But while all the returnees have
seen valuable minutes, none is a proven go-to player. Ten of the 11
recorded at least one double-figure outing last year, but no player
averaged in double figures. On the positive side, the Deacs return an
arsenal of outside shooters who proved deadly from behind the three-point
arc last year. Four players return who hit at least 20 threes last year,
and the freshman class brings some new three-point weapons. That outside
shooting will be complemented by a strong inside game and a lot of height
inside the paint. Half of this year's team tops the 6-foot mark, with four
post players who stand 6-4 or taller.
Exhibition Recap
Wake Forest split its two exhibition contests, falling to a very strong
FTC-Diego team of Hungary, 79-48, while defeating the Low Country
All-Stars, 70-69. The game against FTC-Diego was a tough one for the
Deacs, who had learned just that morning of the death of former assistant
coach Stacy Cox. An emotionally-drained squad shot just 32 percent from
the floor and committed 20 turnovers in the loss. Junior forward Olivia
Dardy came off the bench to score a team-high 12 points, while junior
forward Kristen Shaffer added 10. Senior guard Alisha Mosley grabbed a
team-high five rebounds.
On Sun., Nov. 14, the Deacs turned in a much better performance in a 70-69
win over Low Country. Wake fell behind by as many as 13 points early in
the first half, but rallied to within one at halftime, 38-37. After a
tight second half, the Deacons pulled ahead for good as junior guard Janae
Whiteside hit a key three-pointer with 1:11 to go. Redshirt junior forward
Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick led the Deacs with 10 points, 14 rebounds, three
assists and three blocks, while sophomore center LaChina Robinson added 15
points and six boards. Dardy chipped in 12 points, and Whiteside netted
10, hitting 3-of-5 three-pointers.
Scouting Fairfield
Fairfield posted a 12-15 season in 1998-99, finishing fifth in the MAAC
with an 8-10 conference mark. The Stags return four starters and 87
percent of their scoring from last year, including 6-4 junior center Gail
Strumpf. Strumpf earned First-Team All-MAAC honors last year, leading the
Stags in scoring (18.7 ppg), rebounding (9.0 rpg), field goal percentage
(.506) and blocks (2.4 bpg). Junior guard Holli Tapley returns to the
backcourt after averaging 7.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game
and hitting 31 threes last year. As a team, the Stags shot 42 percent from
the floor and 30 percent from three-point range last year, scoring 72.1
points per contest and outrebounding opponents by a +3.5 margin.
Series History
Friday' marks the first-ever meeting between Wake Forest and Fairfield.
1998-99 Season in Review
In its second year under head coach Charlene Curtis, Wake Forest showed
dramatic improvements on the court despite winning only eight games. The
Demon Deacons fielded an extremely young team, featuring 10 freshmen and
sophomores, but were anchored by a trio of seniors. The Deacs relied on
tremendous depth, solid rebounding, and an arsenal of three-point shooters,
but ultimately struggled with poor overall shooting and the lack of a true
go-to scorer. No player finished the regular season averaging in double
figures for the second straight year, and the Deacs averaged just 64 points
per game (59.6 in ACC contests), hitting only 39 percent of their shots
from the floor.
However, Wake did emerge as a dangerous three-point shooting team, leading
the ACC and ranking 19th in the nation in threes per game (6.1). WFU also
outrebounded a majority of its opponents and posted a positve rebounding
margin for the season (+1.9). The Deacs trimmed their turnover average
(19.4) and increased their assist average (15.0) from the previous year,
and the backcourt as a whole recorded a positive assist-to-turnover ratio
on the season (+1.07). WFU also boasted an extremely deep lineup, with the
bench contributing almost half of the team's points on the season. Wake
improved on its 97-98 record by four wins, all against ACC foes, and
climbed two spots in the ACC standings to seventh place.
Preseason Prognostications
Despite their strong finish to the 1998-99 campaign, the Demon Deacons were
selected to finish ninth in the ACC Preseason Media Poll. North Carolina
earned the first-place nod in the poll, followed closely by NC State.
ACC PRESEASON MEDIA POLL
1. North Carolina (22) 320
2. NC State (14) 302
3. Virginia (2) 260
4. Duke 208
5. Georgia Tech 192
6. Clemson 166
7. Florida State 110
8. Maryland 88
9. Wake Forest 64
Deacs Dazzling in ACC Tournament
Wake Forest put on a dazzling show at the 1999 ACC Tournament, turning in
its two best games of the year and setting 12 new tournament records. The
Deacs, seeded eighth, opened the tourney against No. 7 seed Maryland and
put on a shooting clinic in an 83-66 victory. Wake dominated the Terps
from start to finish, shooting a tournament-record 67 percent from the
floor (31-of-46) and from three-point range (10-of-15). The Deacs faced
No. 2 seed (and 19th-ranked) Virginia in the quarterfinals - a team Wake
had not beaten since 1978. The Deacs fell behind early but rallied to make
it one of the most exciting games in recent tournament history. The torrid
three-point shooting continued, as Wake hit a tournament-record 11 treys.
WFU led 67-66 with 1:37 to play, but Virginia scored the game's last five
points to prevent the upset.
Whiteside, Dardy, Robinson Earn ACC Honors
For her performance, Janae Whiteside was named to the 1999 ACC
All-Tournament First Team, becoming WFU's first all-tourney pick since '94
and the first first-teamer since '88. Whiteside was the only player on the
all-tourney teams that did not play in a semifinal game. In two games,
Whiteside shot 15-of-22 from the floor (68%) and 12-of-15 from three-point
range (80%), tallying 44 points, seven rebounds and four assists. She tied
the event record and set a new school mark with seven threes vs. UVa, and
her 12 treys in two games was a new tourney record.
LaChina Robinson and Olivia Dardy also earned postseason honors from the
ACC. Robinson was selected to the 1999 ACC All-Freshman Team, becoming the
sixth Deacon to earn All-Freshman honors and the first since Alisha Mosley
(1996). Dardy was an honorable mention All-ACC pick - Wake's first All-ACC
honoree since Tracy Connor in 1996.
In Remembrance
The Demon Deacons wear black bands on their uniforms this season in
remembrance of former assistant coach Stacy Cox, who died tragically in an
automobile accident on Nov. 8th. Cox, 35, was a 1986 graduate of Radford,
where she played under current Deacon head coach Charlene Curtis. She
served as an assistant coach on Curtis' staffs at Radford and Temple before
rejoining her mentor at Wake Forest in 1997. After two years with the
Deacs, Cox departed in August of '99 to accept a teaching and coaching
position at an elementary school in New Jersey.
Raining Threes
Wake Forest ranked as the top three-point shooting team in the ACC (and No.
19 in the nation) last year, hitting 6.1 threes per game and shattering the
school records for threes made (172) and attempted (502) in a season. This
year, all of Wake's long-range gunners return but one, and eight players on
the roster can legitimately hit the three.
Junior guard Janae Whiteside (36-95, 38%) emerged as a white-hot
three-point shooter late last year, connecting on 50 percent of her threes
(38-76) and averaging 5.4 treys per game in the last seven contests.
Sophomore guard Val Klopfer (23-60, 38%) also emerged as a long-distance
danger last season, while senior guard Alisha Mosley (26-88, 30%) ranks
among the top five all-time at WFU in threes made and attempted. Junior
forward Olivia Dardy (25-83, 30%) is an inside-outside threat who can step
out of the paint and hit a long-range three. Although they didn't shoot
threes often last year, sophomore guard Adell Harris (6-23, 26%) and junior
forwards Kristen Shaffer (3-8, 38%) and Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick (4-17, 24%)
all have three-point range and have improved their outside shooting in the
offseason. In addition, freshman swing player Heather Miller was the
national AAU three-point shooting champion last year, and 6-5 rookie center
Johanna Bjšrklund boasts international three-point range.
1998-99 3-POINT SHOOTING TOTALS
172 3-Pt FG Made*
502 3-Pt FG Attempted*
34.3 3-Pt FG Percentage
6.1 3-Pt FG Per Game (16th NCAA)
* school record
TOP RETURNING 3-POINT SHOOTERS
G Janae Whiteside 36-95 (.379)
G Alisha Mosley 26-88 (.295)
F Olivia Dardy 25-83 (.301)
G Val Klopfer 23-60 (.383)
Reaching New Heights
Upon her arrival, head coach Charlene Curtis made a commitment to improving
the Deacons' inside game. Wake Forest has steadily improved in that area,
boasting more height, better rebounding and greater defensive presence in
the paint. This season, the Deacs have seven players on the roster who
stand 6-0 or taller and four youngsters who top the 6-4 mark. An ACC
All-Freshman pick last year, 6-4 sophomore center LaChina Robinson (5.5
ppg, 4.0 rpg, 0.8 bpg) should be more of an offensive force this year.
Sophomore Elizabeth Biedrycki (2.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 0.3 bpg) and redshirt
freshman LaTisha Pearson, both 6-4, will see time at center and possibly
power forward, giving Curtis the option of a "twin towers" lineup. And 6-5
freshman center Johanna Bjšrklund, the tallest player ever to don a Deacon
uniform, will provide added strength and defensive presence in the paint.
Oh Captain, My Captain
Redshirt junior forward Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick and junior guard Janae
Whiteside were selected as the Demon Deacons' team captains for the
1999-2000 season by vote of their teammates and coaches.
Tip-Ins
Wake outrebounded 17 of its 28 opponents last year...the Deacs grabbed over
20 offensive rebounds six times, including three of the last six
games...Adell Harris' 10-assist performance vs. Georgia Tech last January
marked the first double-figure assist game for a Deacon since Gretchen
Hollifield dished 11 vs. Maryland on Jan. 31, 1996...the Deacs shot 50
percent or better from the floor twice last year, both times vs. Maryland
(51% on Feb. 6th and 67% on Feb 26th in the ACCs)...sophomore point guard
Val Klopfer has yet to miss a free throw in her collegiate career - she was
7-of-7 from the charity stripe last season.
Head Coach Charlene Curtis
Head coach Charlene Curtis is in her third season at Wake Forest, bringing
a wealth of experience, a commitment to excellence, and a drive to bring
the program to new heights. Curtis came to WFU from UConn, where she was
an assistant for two seasons and helped the Huskies to a 67-5 record, two
Big East titles, and a Final Four appearance. Curtis was also head coach at
Temple (1991-95), where she compiled a 41-97 record and coached four
Atlantic 10 All-Rookie players, and Radford (1985-90), where she was Big
South Coach of the Year twice and had a 121-53 record. Curtis has served as
an assistant at Georgetown (1984), Virginia (1982-83), and with USA
Basketball, and was a floor coach for the Olympic Trials. A 1976 Radford
graduate, Curtis was the school's first 1,000-point scorer and was inducted
as a charter member of the Radford Sports Hall of Fame in 1995. She earned
her master's degree from Virginia in 1982. Curtis is currently 12-43 at
Wake Forest (.218) and 174-193 overall (.474) as a head coach.
A QUICK LOOK AT BOTH TEAMS
WAKE FOREST vs. FAIRFIELD
Winston-Salem, NC Location Fairfield, CT
3,836 Enrollment 3,000
Demon Deacons Nickname Stags
Old Gold & Black Colors Red & White
Atlantic Coast Conference Metro Atlantic Athletic
Charlene Curtis Head Coach Dianne Nolan
Radford '76 Alma Mater, Year Glassboro State '73
12-43 (3rd yr) Record at School 333-243 (21st yr)
174-193 (14th yr) Career Record 394-300 (26th yr)
2/3 Starters Returning/Lost 4/2
10/3 Letterwinners Returning/Lost 10/5
PROBABLE STARTERS (WITH 98-99 STATS)
P No Name Ht. Yr. GP/GS PPG RPG Other
F 20 Kristen Shaffer 5-10 Jr. 28/0 2.9 1.5 0.6 apg
F 50 Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick 6-0 r-Jr. 28/1 6.5 4.0 1.0 apg
C 34 LaChina Robinson 6-4 So. 28/28 5.5 4.0 0.8 bpg
G 10 Val Klopfer 5-4 So. 26/0 3.5 0.8 1.1 apg
G 21 Janae Whiteside 5-6 Jr. 28/7 5.7 1.4 1.5 apg
