The Gopher team that takes the floor in 2006 will look very little like any Gopher team of recent memory. Of the players who got significant minutes in 2005, all but one have either graduated or left the team. Pam Borton’s 2006 team will be a mixture of freshmen, players who got little playing time in 2005, foreign players and Kelly Roysland.
Obviously, with that kind of turnover, the only thing certain for the Gophers is that there will be much uncertainty and shuffling of players.
Point Guard: At the close of the season, Borton said that Brittany Davis would start at point for the Gophers this year. Davis has since transferred out of the program. That leaves sophomore Emily Fox as the likely starter at point. Borton’s public endorsement of Davis was surprising because Fox was a Parade All American who appears more than capable of running the team. Fox is athletic and has good court sense. She also can reliably hit a three point shot. In addition she can slash to the basket. Her defense is somewhat weak, but she is athletic enough to improve in that area. One of Borton’s more questionable moves of the 2005 season was her decision to not play Fox more. Borton wanted to play her best defensive players and Fox didn’t qualify. The coach really won’t have that option this season and the Gophers will be better for it.
Backing her up will likely be freshman Brittany McCoy. McCoy is a good ballhandler and scorer who could develop into a good point guard over time.
Wing Players: If there is one thing that should be certain about the 2006 Gophers it’s that Kelly Roysland will be the starting shooting guard. She is the only proven player on Borton’s roster. It was Roysland who almost shot the Gophers to an NCAA win over Washington last season. However, it was also Roysland who was sitting on the bench for much of crunch time because Borton didn’t think she was a good enough defensive player. Borton has consistently said that the five best defensive players will play for her. She simply will not be able to do that this season.
Roysland has to be on the floor. She is the only given on the team.
There is no one else with any experience at either wing position, but there is a player who should be able to step in here and help. 6’1 redshirt freshman Katie Ohm scored over 3,600 points in high school on her way to being named Miss Minnesota Basketball. She played the post in high school, but will move to the small forward spot for the Gophers.
Backing those two up will be freshman Breanne Salley and forward Leslie Knight. Knight is a junior who has played very minimally in her first two seasons. Salley brings good credentials and should contribute
In what will be a season of uncertainty for the Gophers, the wing positions appear to be the most stable.
Posts: No area of the Gophers was hurt worse by the spring defections than the post positions. Jamie Broback, Liz Podominick, Natasha Williams and Lauren Lacey should have been one of the Big 10’s top post groups in 2006. But all left the team. That leaves Borton with no post players who have any significant Division 1 experience. The only player with any experience is Leslie Knight who has played a total of 52 minutes in her first two seasons. Obviously, that is not good.
To bolster her team, Borton looked to foreign players in the spring. She signed 6’1 Tanisha Smith of Canada and 6’3 Zoe Harper of Australia. Foreign players are always iffy, but Harper was sought after by a number of other large Division 1 schools.
Probably the player with the most potential is redshirt freshman Ashley Ellis-Milan. She has a power forward’s body and game and at 6’2 is the right size for that spot. She missed last season with an acl but will be given every opportunity to become a key player for the Gophers. Her combination of strength and athleticism, make this a real possibility.
Those four will have to handle the post duties. Freshman Korinne Campbell could probably play some at power forward, but she is much more suited to playing on the perimeter. This area, even more than the others, is likely to doom the Gophers to a second division finish.
Summary: The 2006 Gophers present little but question marks. There are very few givens with this team. Unfortunately for Gopher fans, that includes the coaching. Pam Borton has dug herself into a huge hole and she will have to figure out a way to get out. Whatever she tries is not likely to lead to many wins in 2006.
The best Minnesota can hope is that the off-court issues settle down and there is enough on-court progress to give fans real optimism for the future.
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