MENOMONIE (February 1, 2021) – There are so many things that are different about the world at this time, and the same is true with the UW-Stout women's basketball team.
Hannah Iverson enters her third year with the program and she and her charges have been navigating this pandemic world just like everyone else. School was different. Practices – when there were practices – were different. Socials norms changed.
Plus, the 2020-21 Blue Devils bring a roster that is heavy on the newcomer side, with eight first year players to the program, of which seven are true freshmen players.
One thing that hasn't changed is the level of excitement throughout the program – especially now that games are only a few days away as the Blue Devils travel to UW-River Falls to open the season, Wednesday, Feb. 3.
"We are excited to play and ready to go out and compete," Iverson said. "It is exciting to get back in the gym with each other and put a product on the floor, and now to be able to see someone besides ourselves."
Iverson gave a great deal of credit to her returners and in particular her two seniors –
Liz Oswald and
Lizzy Olsem – who helped pull the team together both last summer and through the fall semester when so much was in doubt.
"Liz and Lizzy showed a ton of leadership and ownership of their team. They reached out to our freshmen (over the summer)," Iverson said. "They started calling trees, they started a book club and they started establishing relationships well before they (the freshmen) stepped foot on campus. And these relationships had to happen like that, hundreds of miles apart, through a computer, not in a locker room or on a court. That can be really, really challenging, but it also takes investment, and that's what they were willing to do."
"We focus every day on our culture," Iverson said. "Our returners do really well in this area and have really bought into the culture.
"We have to have had the mindset of live today, because you don't know about tomorrow. We learned to control what we can control. We have concentrated on relationships. There is not a thing that is guaranteed other than that."
Iverson is excited to get this team onto the floor in a game situation.
"We will be a young team," Iverson said, "but we are really, really excited about this recruiting class. I think we have a lot of talent, and I am excited to see what they can do over the next four years."
Oswald is the only returning starter, and returns as the team's leading scorer, averaging 8.6 points per contest, starting all but one game. Oswald is also the lone player from the top five scorers from last year, and this shortened season will be her third year as a starter.
Olsem made a big jump in playing time last season from the previous year, playing in all 26 games and averaging 5.5 points per game, including a career-best 16-point effort against nationally-ranked Wartburg.
The Blue Devils lost leading scorers and rebounders
Amber Fabeck and Shannen Watkins, both all-WIAC first team picks. Forward Fabeck scored a team-best 12.6 points and recorded 5.2 rebounds. Guard Watkins averaged 11.0 points and led the team in rebounds with 6.0 caroms.
Sophomore
Haylee Yaeger, who averaged 13 minutes per game and scored 5.7 points, sixth on the team last year, and pulled down 3.8 rebounds, fifth on the team.
Other returners include junior forward
Gina Palasz, sophomore center
Erin O'Brien, who saw action in 20 games, and sophomore guards
Paityn Tiefs and
Melanie Carli.
First year players include guards
Sam Schaeffer,
Kenadi Diedrich,
Tess Johnson,
McKenzie Johnson, Laruen Arenz,
Brianna Prieve and
Anna Mutch, and forward
Amanda Giesen. Diedrich is a sophomore academically after transferring to Stout, but did not play college ball.
With only eight regular season games, and all against conference opponents, the team will have to hit the floor running when they open at UW-River Falls Wednesday, Feb. 3.
"There are a lot of question marks heading into the season," Iverson said.
Teams generally have 11 or so non-conference games before hitting the conference part of the schedule, getting to see teams that have similarities to conference foes. That won't happen this year.
"We will have to go into each game as if it is the first game of the season," Iverson said. "There are no bad WIAC teams. So every game will be a dog fight.
"But we will have to get up to game speed. This conference is a dominant conference and we have to be ready to go. Every game is going to have a high level of energy given the situation of this season and a team's ability to be competitively mature will be key."
The WIAC has been divided into two divisions, the East and West. Stout is in the West along with UW-River Falls, UW-Eau Claire and UW-La Crosse. The teams will play each other twice in the same week, in a home-and-home series, then will play one crossover game. Stout will play UW-Whitewater. Regular season games will be on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Each of the limited number of practices the team has had takes on a more significant importance.
"We try to make practice harder than a game," Iverson said. "Our freshmen have a high basketball IQ. I expect a ton of energy from our team."
With no fans allowed in the stands this season due to COVID-19 protocols, the amount of energy produced by each team could be a key factor in the game.
"Playing in an empty gym, having that energy will be important," Iverson said.
"But we are ready and excited to go and compete," Iverson said. "We want to put a product on the floor and be able to see someone other than ourselves. We are grateful for this time together and the opportunity to compete."
