Thanksgiving Weekend - Family Time and a W!

(L to R) Tara Lonergan, Jessie Kaufman, Kayla Grossett
Kelly Guerriero, Ashley Christie, Sandra Andresson

To start off I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and say how honored I was to be chosen to talk about Thanksgiving this year. Thanksgiving means something different to everyone. Thanksgiving is of course my favorite holiday due to the fact I get to spend time with my family and eat as much food as I want. This holiday however means much more then sweet potatoes, turkey and pumpkin pie to me. It is a time to reflect on all the things in my life I am blessed with and thankful for.



I have so much to be thankful for. First off, I am most thankful for my family. They are my strongest support system and are here for me no matter what. They have always supported me throughout my life with ever decision I have made. I love them, and I am truly blessed to have them in my life. I am also thankful for my team here at the Mount. My teammates started out as strangers, became my friends, and will be my family forever. I love each and every one of them and I am very honored to call them my teammates. I am also blessed for my coaches, who have taught me so much here on and off the court. Without them I would not be here today. They gave me a huge opportunity here at the Mount by being able to play for them. I am thankful to be playing for them and I am very happy I chose the Mount. I am extremely blessed and I thank God for giving me everything I have in my life.



This Thanksgiving ended up being a little different then the ones my family has had in the past. Usually my Thanksgiving just consists of my parents and siblings eating a lot of food, fighting over the wishbone, and watching football. However, this year we added a few more guests. My teammates Ashley Christie, Kelly Guerriero, Kayla Grossett, Tara Lonergan, and Sandra Andresson all came to family Thanksgiving this year. For those who do not know, I am one of 6 kids. Therefore there were 13 people here in one household. Needless to say, there was A LOT of food. We continued the day by talking about all the things we were thankful for in our lives. We ate a whole bunch of turkey, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie. We watched the Cowboys win (which my parents were not too happy about), and we all just enjoyed the rest of the day with each other. I am really happy and thankful that I have such close teammates who made this Thanksgiving feel like all the others. Everyone felt right at home. It was a great day and one I will truly remember for a while when it comes to family holidays.

Goofy Pic!

Tip Off Countdown - Selina Mann

I'm excited about the game tomorrow. It will definitely feel good to be out on the court again and see what will come out of our pre-season preparations. I expect a WIN in NY and a good start to the new season.

Practices have been going pretty well and would like to see progress as the upcoming game approaches. It will be interesting to see how we all come together in a game situation. We get along and have been working hard together in practice so hopefully it will show on tomorrow.

Selina at the MSM WBB Banquet last year

Tip Off Countdown - Coach Whitten

I can't believe we tip off our season this Friday at Binghamton.  It feels like school just started, how can we be playing a game already??  Practice has gone by so fast.  This team is full of energy.  I think we have the potential to do some really good things this season.  Our 1st full recruiting class are now juniors and have some great experience.  We are excited about the possibilities that lie ahead of us. 

    Senior Sandra Andresson has been a 2 year starter and is looking at a strong senior year.  Sandra will be playing both guard and forward positions this season.

    Our 2 juniors, Selina Mann and Tara Lonergan, were both recently voted captain by their teammates.  Selina was 6th in the country in steals per game last season and is playing at a very high level.  Tara had a very solid sophomore year and with the graduation of Mary Dunn last year, Tara will be looking to make a greater impact.  Sydney Henderson, a junior with sophomore eligibilty, is coming back after missing last season with an ACL injury.  With continued hard work, Syd has a chance to really impact our team this year. 

    Our sophomore class had the opportunity to get alot of minutes last year as we struggled through injnuries.  Guard Ashley Christie had super breakout season as she averaged 9.6 pts/game and was the 2nd leading freshman scorer in ther NEC.  Forward Jessie Kaufman led the NEC in 3 pt FG% and will be seeing a bigger role this season.  Ceneter Rachel Mathews missed most of last year with compartment syndrome and has shown signs of being an important contributor in the post this season.  Guards Kayla Grossett and Kelly a Guerriero each received solid minutes last year and will be counted on for bigger contributions this season.

    Our incoming freshmen, guard Jenn Carney, forwards Mariah Powell and Mel Mocniak, and post Lindsay Williams, have been working hard and as the season progresses and their comfort level rises, will provide additional depth. 

    I want to give a shout out my coaching staff, who I am blessed to have.  I talk to our team about "being invested" in our program alot, and our assistants are "deeply invested" in our program and players.  Denise King and Lisa Steele are each beginning their 3rd year, while Bri Gauthier is beginning her 2nd year on staff, but 6th overall at the Mount, as she was a 4 year member of the team.  They do an amazing job and have really allowed me to grow as a coach.  I hope they feel they have grown and matured during their time here as well.        

  I hope you will find the time to come out to a game, home or away. Our players have been working hard and are great young women and could really benefit from your support. Alums, students, faculty, and staff are always welcome!!!!  

MOUNT PRIDE!!!!

Coach Whit

Halloween Wrap Up

While everyone is still digesting all of their Halloween Candy (.and still munching on what is left over from Trick-or-Treating), we are going to wrap up all of the shenanigans that went on with our team Halloween Weekend. The weekend was full of candy, cupcakes, birthdays, and of course, basketball.


To start the weekend, the coaches brought in cupcakes for the girls. They were appropriately decorated and made with Funfetti cake batter.

Delicious!

Next, the girls had Halloween parties to attend on campus throughout the weekend. Here’s a look at what some of the girls wore.

Our practices this weekend went well. The girls did not have any “tricks” up their sleeve and it was a “treat” to get some good competition in. The Mount practiced well. We showed some things that everyone liked, and we identified some things we want to work on before our first official game. The big surprised of the day happened off the court. We had our first snow of the school year. It was the first October snowfall in 32 years!

View of Campus From The ARCC in Saturday's Snow

On Sunday, the girls went back to the lab. Practice went well, and the girls had a special guest appear.

Everyone’s favorite Teletubby – Tinky Winky!!!.............

Oh wait, it was just Coach Whitten. He surprised the girls by dressing up and previewing his costume. We also had a pumpkin Decorating contest. The girls were divided into four teams and told to decorate little pumpkins. Below is what we got back....

4th Place

3rd Place

2nd Place

1st Place

Halloween day the girls had off from practice. It was a day to unwind, rest, and catch up on schoolwork. Coach Whitten was able to spend Halloween with his family and got to wear his costume for real this time, and he went trick-or-treating with his two sons, Jamie and Brayden. 

Jamie, Coach Whitten, Coach Whitten's Wife Angie, and Brayden

The assistants did not have any special costumes to wear this weekend, but on Monday they did catch a brief break from being Whit’s Angels : )

Coach Gauthier, Coach Steele, and Coach King in their everyday costumes as Whit's Angels

Don't Call it a Comeback

Last year Junior, Sydney Henderson, tore her ACL in our first game of the season. This Saturday in our scrimmage vs. UMBC she will play for the first time under a whistle in almost a year. Here's what she has to say about the whole process, being back, and how it feels to play tomorrow.

I'm sure everyone has been through an emotional roller coaster before, or stressed out over something. Well my emotional roller coaster is a little different. You are about to read my story of when I  tore my ACL in the very first game of the season last year, November 14, 2011, at the University of Virginia. I remember it like it was yesterday: when it happened, when the doctors diagnosed me with the tear, when I went under for surgery, and when I started rehab. 

Tearing your ACL is such a major injury and I learned a lot throughout the rehab process. I learned to have a lot of patience because it is a very long process and it takes a long time for you to feel almost 100% again. I was stubborn at the beginning of my rehab process once I was released from Physical Therapy because my doctors told me that I was cleared to play June 1, but my athletic trainer wanted to push my date back. I also learned a lot about the injury itself and how serious it is.  Rebuilding the Quad muscle is very important, as well as having strong hamstrings and hips and a lot of other things that go along with the injury.  It really did not take me long to feel like I could start doing stuff on the court again.  I was participating in post-season and being able to do some of the court workouts started to bring my confidence back up.  It was very tough handling the fact that I was cleared to play but I was really not able to play.  My athletic trainer wanted my Quad to continue to rebuild that muscle and to be more stable than where it was when I was cleared to play.  There were a lot of lessons learned in this process because I was not able to completely play until I was nine months out of surgery and I was cleared by my doctors at the 6th month mark.  However, my athletic trainer was really looking out for me and my health because I am more prone to tearing my right ACL now, so she made sure that I was very stable and strong enough.  There were some positives to waiting a while because I now feel like I came back stronger, quicker, and better than before. 

Being back is so much fun.  You really do not realize how much you love the game and have the passion for the game until you have to sit out, and sitting out for a whole year really made me realize how much I do not like sitting.  Being back is such an amazing feeling, I feel like I have so much energy because I was sitting for such a long time it was all bottled up and now I feel like I'm ready to just let it all back out again.  I feel very confident and I also don't feel hesitant at all while I'm on the court.  The first few weeks of practice personally have been great, I've been feeling great.  There are days when my knee is sore because it is not used to me doing so much, however I always play through the soreness and just usually ice after practice.  Also, the first week I got hit in my knee by one of my teammates and it scared me, but that was something that I needed to get the kinks out.  I closed my eyes and fell to the ground and I opened my eyes back up and realized that I AM okay, and that I am fixed (: Haha.  Team-wise I was a little nervous at first because I had to learn to play with the current sophomores, as well is the freshmen, because I didn't really get the play with the sophomores last year.  I felt like I would be kind of left behind chemistry-wise, but it is actually much better than I expected.  Playing with all the girls is so much fun, we have a lot of fun on the court but we also are 'about our business' when it’s time to play and be serious.

My thoughts on the upcoming scrimmage, personally, because I haven't played since November of last year; I am very excited to actually be able to play a game again.  To be in that type of atmosphere because it is different than practice.  I'm anxious and excited but I am not nervous or scared at all, and some people find that weird.  People are always asking me "Syd, are you doing to be nervous first game?" and I always reply, "No, not at all, I'm excited and ready for the games to start."  Team-wise I feel like we are getting there, working out the kinks and for our upcoming scrimmage I honestly believe that we are going to do well.  Everyone is ready to play and ready to beat teams this year so these two scrimmages should really show us where we are and what we need to really work out.

I'm excited for the season with the girls as well as seeing how I will do coming back from such a serious injury.

Stay healthy!!!

New Faces Pt. 2

Mariah Powell

Why did you decide to come to Mount St Mary’s?

I liked the size of the school and the positive atmosphere, everyone was so nice to me. I liked how the classrooms were small so that I could get more individual attention with the professor.

What do you enjoy doing when you aren't studying or playing basketball?

When I'm not studying or playing basketball I enjoy listening to music, hanging out with my friends, and going shopping.

What are your goals for the upcoming season?

My goals for the upcoming season are to stay positive and not let anything get me down. Push through the hard times.

What has been the most difficult part of adjusting to college life?
My goals for the upcoming season is to stay positive and not let anything get me down. Push through the hard times.

What is one thing your teammates would be surprised to find out about you?
My teammates would probably be surprised if they found out that I like to write poetry, sing in the shower and I’m a cheerleader at heart.

If you could script your collegiate debut how would it go?

If I could script my collegiate debut I would want to score the winning basket, get mostly all the defensive and offensive boards, and get a triple double!

How would you describe your game?

I like to drive to the basket; I love to shoot the mid-range jumper. I would like to work on shooting 3's and work on my footwork. My defense could be a little better.

Favorite Quote:

"Commit to the Lord in all you do and you plans will succeed"

Proverbs 16:3

 

Lindsay Williams



Why did you decide to come to Mount St Mary’s?

I chose the Mount because I liked the school, team, and coaches. During my visit I fell in love with the campus - it's so pretty! Also, I decided to come to the Mount because it's great for academics.

What do you enjoy doing when you aren't studying or playing basketball?

I enjoy tweeting, shopping, drawing, hanging out with friends, and having weird text conversations with my father (those are the best).

What are your goals for the upcoming season?

My goals for the season are to help my team out as much as possible. Also, I would like to be more of a threat offensively and be a better rebounder.

What has been the most difficult part of adjusting to college life?
The most difficult part of adjusting to college life is time management.

What is one thing your teammates would be surprised to find out about you?
One thing my teammates would be surprised to find out about me is that I love art.

If you could script your collegiate debut how would it go?

If I could script my collegiate debut we would play the #1 team in the conference and I would drop 25 points and 15 rebounds. That would be siiiiiicccckkkkk.!

How would you describe your game?

I would describe my game as unpredictable. I say this because when I play, nobody knows what to expect from me. In a sense that can be scary, but it all depends on how you look at it. :)

Favorite Quote:

"Always laugh when you can. It is cheaper than medicine."

New Faces

 Jenn Carney

Why did you decide to come to Mount St Mary’s?

I decided to come to Mount St. Mary's because I liked the campus and the team. I also enjoy the small class size and the how close the basketball team is.

What do you enjoy doing when you aren't studying or playing basketball?

When I am not studying and playing basketball, I enjoy hanging out with my friends, going to the mall, and watching movies.

What are your goals for the upcoming season?

My goals for this season are to become stronger, make it to playoffs, and earn the respect of my teammates and classmates.

What has been the most difficult part of adjusting to college life?

The most difficult part of adjusting to college life is trying to manage my time and staying focused.  There is a lot more homework and the basketball is harder, which makes time management difficult.

What is one thing your teammates would be surprised to find out about you?
One thing my teammates would be surprised to find out about me is that my spleen exploded and I was rushed into emergency surgery. 

If you could script your collegiate debut, how would it go?

I would want to get in the game when we’re down 1 with 21 seconds left, I get the ball on the wing, drive, get fouled. I'm on the foul line with 2 seconds left and make both foul shots for the win.

How would you describe your game?

I can shoot and drive, but I have trouble with my defense and my footwork.

Favorite Quote:

Nothing was ever achieved without enthusiasm.

Mel Mocniak

Why did you decide to come to Mount St Mary’s?

I decided to come to the Mount because I loved it was only an hour and a half away from home so my parents and friends could easily come to games and I could go home whenever I wanted. The conference we play in plays a few teams from the Pittsburgh. A bunch of my relatives are from there so they can also attend games. I liked that it was a small school, had small classrooms, and I could easily walk to different places on campus without having to drive everywhere.

What do you enjoy doing when you aren't studying or playing basketball?

I love to shop and go to my beach house in Ocean City, MD.

What are your goals for the upcoming season?

My team goal is to go to the NEC championship and win it. A personal goal is to become a better all-around basketball player, especially with ball handling and defense.

What has been the most difficult part of adjusting to college life?
The most difficult part of adjusting to college life for me is being away from my friends and family who I used to see every day. Not seeing them too much anymore was hard for me to adjust to.

What is one thing your teammates would be surprised to find out about you?
They would probably be surprised to find out that I was on Nickelodeon's Slime Time Live back when I was in fourth grade. My team lost in the first round, but i was able to meet the band O-town.

If you could script your collegiate debut, how would it go?

For my collegiate debut I would love to get a double-double. I know that is going to be hard for me to do as a Freshmen, but it could definitely be possible if I work hard enough and get all the little things down to make it work.

How would you describe your game?

I definitely love to shoot. Whenever I have a good opportunity to shoot the ball, I like to take advantage of it. I’m a tweener, so i play both the three and four.

Favorie Quote:

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matters don’t mind.” Dr. Seuss

Get to Know Our Assistant Coaches - Coach King

    10 Questions for Coach King

1. What is your all- time favorite movie or song?

I have too many movies to choose just 1 so I will give you my top 5:

A League of Their Own, Juice, Bronx Tale, Love & Bball, Breakin

2.  Do you have a Smartphone? If so, what's your favorite app?

IPhone, I don’t have a favorite app but I use the camera a lot!!

3. Who are your mentor(s)?

My mom: she is one of the strongest women I know and doesn’t let anything stand in her way

Jim Stromberg:  my high school coach, because he knows how to be successful and tells it to you honest

Tom Garrick:  my old college assistant coach because he is a player’s coach and he is always there when I need advice about anything

4. What was your very first job?

Besides working bball camps during the summer my first legit job was working part time at two places: Wagner-Lee, Financial Planning Company & a hostess at Red Robin(yummmmm) and in the fall I coached 8^th grade soccer and the winter I was an assistant varsity bball coach.

5. If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?

My hair would be longer

6. What do you consider your greatest success?

Having my nieces and nephew look up to me and the fact that my family is so proud of me

7. Tell us something about you most people don't know?

I played the Oboe since the 5^th grade

8. If you could have dinner with any three people, living or dead, who would they be?

Martin Luther King Jr., Shaka Smart, Pat Summitt

9.      What is in your fridge right now?

Not much bc it’s the end of the week:  Orange juice, turkey bacon, yogurt

10.   If you could have a different career, other then what you're doing now, what would it be?

I would be a gym teacher or working with at risk kids (some type of community outreach)



Coach King with the 2011 MSM WBB Senior Class

Get to Know Our Assistant Coaches - Coach Steele

 10 Questions for Coach Steele

1. What is your all-time favorite movie or song?
Robyn S. – Show Me Love

2. Do you have a Smartphone? If so, what's your favorite app?
Team iPhone! ESPN Score center to get my Phillies and Eagles updates!!! – they have been uninspiring this past week…. But I can’t wait until MLB playoffs : )

3. Who are your mentor(s)?My former coaches Lisa Cermignano, Joe McKeown, and Mike Flynn. I don’t get to talk to these guys that much, but Kevin Lynch, Brian Creech and Dan McGettigan have all played a HUGE part in my life and still influence me to this day.

Of course my parents have been mentors too, but they got stuck with that job lol.

4. What was your very first job?
A soccer referee for TBAA’s 6 year old League.

5. If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?
I would change that I’m a nail biter. I’m working to kick the habit – manicures and moisturizing!!

6. What do you consider your greatest success?
Finishing my MBA in March 2012.

7. If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play the lead role as you?Kim Kardashian

8. If you could have dinner with any three people, living or dead, who would they be?
John Havlicek and both of my grandfathers I never met – Robert Steele Sr. and Robert King Sr.

9. What is in your fridge right now?
Diet Green Tea, Heart Healthy Butter, Milk, Eggs, and Leftovers : )

10. If you could have a different career, other then what you're doing now, what would it be?

I’d be an Epidemiologist studying the risk factors associated with either gun or domestic Violence in the US. (yes, they are public health issues) or studying the risk factors of stress related injuries in collegiate athletes.



Coach Steele, Former Coach Lisa Cermignano, and Best Friend/Former Teammate Lora Mitchell



Alumni Update: Leah Westbrooks

Check out this cool video about Mount WBB Alum, Leah Westbrooks. She is in Africa running basketball camps as a part of the Shooting Touch Grant she was awarded this year : )

Leah Westbrooks' Video Update

Get to Know Our Assistant Coaches - Coach Gauthier

10 Questions for Coach Gauthier

1. What is your all-time favorite movie?           

             My Best Friend’s Wedding

2. Do you have a Smartphone? If so, what's your favorite app?

            YES IPhone!  Groupon / Whatsapp

3. Who are your mentor(s)?

            My parents, Vanessa Blair, Marlin Chinn

4. What was your very first job?

            Arthur’s School Uniforms 

5. If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?

            I would be 2 inches taller!

6. What do you consider your greatest success?

            Being in the 2010-11 Hottest Female Coaches in Women’s Basketball....

 HA ...HA ... but for real... being able to do what I love.

7.    Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play the lead role as you?

            Sandra Bullock: she is so good at her job!

8. If you could have dinner with any three people, living or dead, who would they be?           
                  All separate dinners so each could have my undivided attention: My Dad’s Mother, Sebastiana Orser;  My Bumpa, Jim Beveridge;  My Dad’s Father, Arthur Gauthier. 

9. What is in your fridge right now?

            a whole lotta nothing! today is pay day though!

10. If you could have a different career, other than what you're doing now, what would it be?

            I would be a detective; I am really good at investigating!



Coach Gauthier and her niece, Everly