Women's Basketball Preview: Stout to open Friday at Northwestern

University of Northwestern, St. Paul Tip-Off Tournament: Live Stats | Live Video | UW-Stout Preview

THIS WEEK'S GAMES: The Blue Devils (0-0, 0-0 WIAC) will open the season at the University of Northwestern-St. Paul Tournament where they will play North Central University (0-0, 0-0 UMAC), Friday, Nov. 15 at 2 p.m. and Northwestern (0-0, 0-0 UMAC), Saturday, Nov. 16 at 5 p.m.

MARK THOMAS INTERVIEWS: Throughout the season, Jimmie Kaska of Sports Radio 1400 AM will speak with head women's basketball coach Mark Thomas about the season. Listed are each of the interviews throughout the season. This week's interview  |  Listen to Interviews

WEBCASTS:  All UW-Stout home games will be available in a live video stream by Blue Devil Video, with Adam "Big Country" Lehnertz  on the call. WMEQ 880 Radio, with Jason Kenyon, Rob Silvers, Dan Schultz, Jimmie Kaska or Jake Bostrom, will broadcast and provide a live audio stream of away conference games and all Saturday WIAC doubleheaders. Stout will provide Live Stats for all home games. Check the Blue Devil Webcast page or under details of the schedule page to see broadcasts and Live Stats available when Stout is on the road.

CAREER STATS: Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this page to check out the UW-Stout career highs for points, rebounds and assists of each Blue Devil player.

THIS WEEK BY THE NUMBERS
24	Number of players on Stout's roster
12	Number of freshmen on Stout's roster
2-7-3	Number of seniors - juniors - sophomores on Stout roster
431 - 26	Number of wins for coach Mark Thomas in numbers of years he has been head coach at UW-Stout.

THE BLUE DEVILS (0-0, 0-0 WIAC): The Blue Devils bring a huge roster to the 2013-14 season, a roster tallying 24 players. But of those, 12 are newcomers to the program. But on the flip side, 12 returners have seen time in a Blue Devil uniform. Senior Sami Schoeder returns to lead the Blue Devils and is back to 100 percent, according to 27th year coach Mark Thomas,  since an injury kept her out half of her sophomore season. Even at less than 100 percent, Schoeder caught the attention of conference opponentsand was an all-WIAC honorable mention selection for the second time. Schoeder averaged 8.7 points last year and Thomas said the team will lean on Schoder as a shooter. Brea Boomer brings a tough mentality inside the paint. As a sophomore, Boomer averaged 11.8 poitns and 4.3 rebounds. She also earned all-WIAC honorable mention honors. Katelynn Folkers, who has played the point the past two years, will move to a wing as Kyleigh Hebert, who joined the team after Christmas, gets more accustomed to the Blue Devil system. Folkers averaged 8.6 points and led the team in assists with 55. She was third on the team in rebounds, averaging 5.0 caroms. Hebert, who played in 12 games, averaged 5.6 points and dished off 21 assists. Rachel Hanley and Schoeder are the only seniors on the team. Hanley will come off the bench as a point guard.  | 2012-13 Statistics

STOUT LAST SEASON:  The Blue Devils finished the 2012-13 season with a 10-15 overall record, 4-12 in the WIAC, an eighth place finish. Eleven different players posted starts at one point throughout the season as injury swept through the team. Stout does return three of their four leading scorers from last year in Brea Boomer, Sami Schoeder and Katelynne Folkers. Boomer started 21 games, Schoeder 15 and Folkers 24. Stout was the fourth-ranked team in the conference in scoring (64.0), but was lost in points allowed (68.8) and eighth in scoring margin (minus-4.8). Stout led the league in steals (11.36), was fourth in blocked shots (2.84), first in offensive rebounds (15.28), fifth in defensive rebounds (25.16) and third in 3-point shots made (4.80).

SCOUTING NORTH CENTRAL UNIVERSITY: The Rams last year finished 8-20 overall, 4-10 in the UMAC. The team advanced to the NCCAA Tournament, winning their regional games to NCCAA National Championship where they lost all three games, finishing eighth. The team returns their leading scorer in senior Jorie Grenell, who averaged 14.2 points, and their leading rebounder in sophomore Jamie High, who averaged 7.4 points. |  2012-13 Statistics

SCOUTING THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTHWESTERN, ST. PAUL: The Eagles will be led by their three 2012-13 all-UMAC picks, Chanel Madsen, Molly Sir and Jessica Fife.The Eagles finished with a 16-10 overall record and earned the second seed inthe UMAC Tournament. Sir averaged 15.8 pointsand 4.0 assists. Fife averaged 11.7 points and  pulled down a team-best 8.4 rebounds. Madson averaged 14.6 points. The school changed it's official name over the summer. The former Northwestern College is now known as the University of Northwestern, St. Paul. |  2012-13 Statistics

TRADITION: In 10 of the last 14 seasons, Stout has been either the first or second leading scoring team in the WIAC. In the final team standings, Stout has finished no lower in the conference than fourth in 11 of the last 15 years

JOHNSON FIELDHOUSE: The "cozy confines of Johnson Fieldhouse" has proven to be quite an advantage for the Blue Devils. Since the 2000-01 season, Stout has posted a 122-34 (.784) record at home. In conference games at Johnson Fieldhouse since 2000-01, Stout has a 76-26 (.747) record. Throw in the conference tournament games, and Stout has an 90-26 (.779) overall record against WIAC opponents at home.

THE COACHES: UW-Stout: Mark Thomas (431-260) is in his 27th year as the coach of the Blue Devils. Thomas has led his teams to 10 national playoff berths, nine times in the NCAA. A six-time WIAC coach of the year, the Blue Devils have won five conference titles and four conference tournament championships. His teams have twice been to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. Thomas is the first WIAC coach to have reached 400 career wins. Thomas also has the most wins of any Stout basketball coach, either men's or women's. Dwain Mintz coached the men's basketball program for 27 years and compiled a 385-280 record. North Central University:  University of Northwestern, St. Paul:

THE ROAD TO 400 WINS: Mark Thomas' first collegiate win came the second game of his first season when his Blue Devils, which had won only two games over the previous two years, defeated Mt. Senario, 73-44, in November, 1987. The wins came more often after that. Thomas got his 50th win, Feb. 28, 1991, 71-60, over Cardinal Stritch. The 100th win came Jan. 10, 1994, an 80-59 win over UM-Morris. No. 200 came at UW-River Falls, a 78-74 victory on Jan. 5, 2000. Thomas' 300th win came in overtime, a 76-68 decision over UW-Stevens Point, Jan. 29, 2005. Thomas' 400th win came at UW-Stevens Point, a 90-76 decision, Feb. 3, 2010.

CONFERENCES: UW-Stout is a member of the nine-team Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) along with UW-Eau Claire, UW-La Crosse, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Platteville, UW-River Falls, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Superior, and UW-Whitewater.

UP NEXT: Stout opens at home, Tuesday, Nov. 19, when they host Marian University at 5 p.m. The Blue Devils will then take on a pair of NCAA Division II schools on the road, traveling to Winona State, Thursday, Nov. 21 and to St. Cloud State, Saturday, Nov. 23.

UW-Stout Collegiate Career Highs (Updated Nov. 12, 2013

Kyleigh Hebert - #4
Points: 9 (2x) vs. Oshkosh, Jan. 12, 2013; vs. River Falls, Jan. 23, 2013
Rebounds: 6 (3x) vs. UW-Oshkosh, Feb. 16, 2013; vs. Eau Claire, Jan. 3, 2013; vs. UW-La Crosse, Jan. 16, 2013
Assists: 3 (3x) vs. UW-Stevens Point, Jan. 9, 2013; vs. UW-Superior, Jan. 30, 2013; vs. UW-Platteville, Feb. 2, 2013

Caitlin Coombs - #5
Points: 5 vs. Concordia University Texas, Dec. 29, 2012
Rebounds: 6 vs. Dubuque, Nov. 27, 2011
Assists: 1 (4x)

Rachel Hanley - #10
Points: 12 vs. Martin Luther, Nov. 25, 2012
Rebounds: 4 vs. UW-Whitewater, Dec. 3, 2011
Assists: 5 (2x) vs. Marian University, Dec. 15, 2012; vs. Whitewater, Jan. 19, 2013

Haley Froehlich - #13
Points: 12 (2x) vs. UW-Superior, Dec. 5, 2012; vs. UW-Platteville, Feb. 2, 2013
Rebounds: 7 vs. UW-La Crosse, Jan. 18, 2012
Assists: 3 (2x) vs. UW-River Falls, Jan. 23, 2013; vs. UW-Platteville, Feb. 2, 2013

Brea Boomer - #15
Points: 22 (2x) vs. East Texas Baptist University, Dec. 20, 2012; vs. UW-Stevens Point, Jan. 9, 2013
Rebounds: 13 vs. UW-Platteville, Feb. 4, 2012
Assists: 3 vs. UW-Platteville, Dec. 8, 2012

Maygan Mitchell - #22
Points: 12 vs. Crown College, Nov. 28, 2012
Rebounds: 8 vs. Crown College, Nov. 28, 2012
Assists: 3 vs. River Falls, Dec. 12, 2012

Nikki Alexander - #25
Points: 6 (4x) vs. UW-Platteville, Dec. 10, 2011; vs. St.Scholastica, Nov. 26, 2011; vs. St. Cloud State, Nov. 20, 2012; vs. St. Scholastica, Nov. 24, 2012
Rebounds: 5 vs. St. Scholastica, Nov. 26, 2011
Assists: 2 (2x) vs. St. Cloud State, Nov. 20, 2012; vs. Martin Luther College, Nov. 25, 2012

Sami Schoeder - #32
Points: 31 vs. UW-Platteville, Jan. 8, 2011
Rebounds: 10 vs. Hamline, Nov. 17, 2012
Assists: 4 vs. Hamline, Nov. 17, 2012

Shelby Sterba - #33
Points: 14 vs. UW-River Falls, Jan. 23, 2013
Rebounds: 9 (2x) vs. UW-La Crosse, Jan. 16, 2013; vs. UW-River Falls, Jan. 23, 2013
Assists: 2 vs. River Falls, Dec. 12, 2012

Katelynne Folkers - #34
Points: 16 vs. Hamline, Nov. 17, 2012
Rebounds: 9 (3x) vs. St. Cloud State, Nov. 20, 2012; vs. Concordia University Texas, Dec. 29, 2012; vs. UW-La Crosse, Feb. 6, 2013
Assists: 5 (4x) vs. St. Cloud State, Nov. 20, 2012; vs. St. Scholastica, Nov. 24, 2012; vs. Eau Claire, Jan. 3, 2013; vs. UW-La Crosse, Feb. 6, 2013

Stephanie Kastens - #35
Points: 6 vs. Whitewater, Jan. 19, 2013
Rebounds: 2 (3x) vs. Crown College, Nov. 28, 2012; vs. Marian, Dec. 15, 2012; vs. Whitewater, Jan. 19, 2013
Assists: 1 vs. St. Cloud State, Nov.

Katie Nickles - #44
Points: 9 (2x) vs. St. Scholastica, Nov. 24, 2012; vs. UW-La Crosse, Feb. 6, 2013
Rebounds: 9 vs. St. Scholastica, Nov. 24, 2012
Assists: 2 (2x) vs. East Texas Baptist University, Dec. 30, 2012; vs. UW-La Crosse, Feb. 6, 2013

The Last Time... (Updated Nov. 12, 2013)