: The 2005 season was going to be a struggle for the Lady Lions. No one really should have questioned it. After another major blow-up in the program, Rene Portland was left with a roster that contained only three players who had ever suited up for PSU before.
And struggle they did. For the first time in her 26 years at Penn State, Portland’s team lost more games than they won. For the first time in PSU history, the team lost more conference games than they won.
The team was very young and it showed. They had no seniors and only two juniors. The juniors did step up to lead the team. Amanda Brown had a very good season in the post. Despite the fact that she had little consistent help inside, she averaged a team high 15.6 points and 7.2 rebounds.
But the key to the team, and to the program’s future, was the play of two newcomers. Portland has always had star point guards. She recruits one to start for four years and turns the team over to her. Over the years, she has produced some great point guards with this system. She appears to have another. Freshman Brianne O’Rouke stepped in and gave every indication that she will be the next exceptional point. O’Rouke suffered a normal amount of learning pangs and she did not shoot well, but she ran the team very well. Her ball-handling and her decision-making were excellent for a freshman.
The second newcomer who made an impact was sophomore transfer Kamela Gissendanner. Gissendanner gave the Lady Lions an athletic perimeter player who could slash or hit a jump shot. She was somewhat inconsistent, but showed promise of making a significant impact in her two final seasons.
For all her weaknesses, and they have been well-chronicled, Portland is an excellent X’s and O’s coach. As she frequently does, she got more out of this particular group than most coaches would.
The biggest weakness on the team was its perimeter defense. They gave up too many three point shots and forced too few turnovers. While the team did not turn the ball over much, they finished with a negative turnover margin due to the lack of forced turnovers.
Portland has put offensive powerhouse teams on the floor in the past. This was not one of them. Adrienne Squire was the only player who could consistently hit a three point shot. When Brown’s 59% field goal shooting is removed from the equation, the team shot barely 40%. O’Rouke had an excellent freshman season, but it was a freshman season and the offense did sputter on many more than one occasion. They never found a way to integrate Gissander’s explosiveness into an offensive set.
This was very much a transition year for the PSU program. A number of young players received valuable playing time. It will pay off in the coming seasons.
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