WINTER PREVIEW-Knappa Girls Basketball
LEAGUE: Northwest League (2A)
Founding NWL members Knappa and Corbett and longtime members Portland Christian and Portland Lutheran join junior member De La Salle in a new league that welcomes Gaston, Nestucca and Faith Bible from the West Valley League. Warrenton, Vernonia, Neah-Kah-Nie, Portland Adventist and Riverdale move up to the 3A Division. Neither league will be split into East and West Divisions as the old NWL was for basketball.
HEAD COACH: Chuck Hagland (1st year current, 9th year overall, )
ASST COACH: James Nichols (JV), Matt Robinson (frosh)
The Lady Loggers will have their third head coach in three years as Chuck Hagland takes over for Matt Robinson, who will remain on the bench in an assistant role. Hagland is no stranger to this program and no stranger to being an interim fix, as he begins his fourth separate stint as head coach of the girls team. Hagland has piloted powerful playoff teams and some less talented groups as well and should be a good steward to get the Lady Loggers through what could be a rough patch after significant graduation losses sapped the program of top talent.
2005 RECORD: 25-7 (13-1 NWL West Division 1st, 2nd in NWL, 4th in state)
LAST PLAYOFFS: 1-2 at state tournament, lost to Central Linn 38-36 in 3rd place final
LAST LEAGUE TITLE: 2003-finished 5th at state
LAST MISSED STATE TOURNAMENT: 2001
CURRENT COLLEGE/PRO ATHLETES:Tracie Nygaard (Jr., Willamette basketball), Nadra Evans (Fr., Lower Columbia basketball)
KEY GRAUDUATES/LOSSES:Evans (2005-06 Oregon 2A Player Of The Year, 3-yr 1st-team NWL, 4-yr starter), Ali Gertulla (3-yr starter), Kasha Klauser (3-yr starter)
RETURNING ALL-STARS: Kirsty Coghill (PG, 5-3, SR-hon. ment. all-NWL)
Coghill and fellow senior Rachele Schuyler (P, 5-9, SR) go from being complementary players to offensive focal points on a team lacking in varsity minutes. Both have three varsity years under their belts and have seen significant action in pressure situations at the state tournament. Coghill deferred to Evans when the going got tough in the playoffs. Now, she must be the one to bring the ball up against the top defensive teams. Schuyler is not the most fluid player and struggled with balance, particularly during the playoffs. Like everybody who has played for Knappa the past few years, she can run the floor well and has surprising range on her shot. Her improvement on offense could be a key to Knappa being competitive this year.
RETURNING STARTERS: 2
RETURNING LETTERMEN: 8
Plenty of players with a modicum of experience return, but the scoring punch lost with the graduation of Evans, Gertulla and Klauser will be impossible to replace. Megan Harn (G, SR) gave Knappa some quality minutes off the bench at the point and off guard positions last year. She and undersized post player Jo Barendse (5-6, SR) have the most experience of the Loggers bench players and will likely be starters in '06-07. Barendse is fearless in the paint, but is not an offensive threat and her minutes have been limited by fouls in the past. Amanda Nichols, daughter of former official now assistant coach James, rounds out a large group of senior returners. Again, most of these players are unproven, having deferred to "The Big 3" when it came to scoring. Nichols will see extended action in the backcourt, which is bolstered by junior McKenzie Cokley, who swung last year, and Brittany Dugan, who saw very limited minutes on varsity. In the post, juniors Alyssa Oja and Christina Kaul will share court time with Kirsty Van Gundy, a senior who did not play last year. Schuyler is Knappa's tallest experienced post player at 5-9. This was not a big team last year and got a lot smaller!
KEY NEWCOMERS: Chelsea Cameron (JR-transfer from California-could have an impact), Cassie West (P, Fr-powerfully built player will likely play significant minutes)
TEAM STRENGTHS: senior experience, some speed, tough-minded, focused group
TEAM WEAKNESSES: not very tall-will have to defend and box out well
TOP NWL CONTENDERS:PORTLAND CHRISTIAN, Nestucca
TOP 2A CONTENDERS: HEPPNER, Central Linn
TOP NWL PLAYERS:KIM HILL(PC-6-4 junior post)
PROJECTED FINISH: should contend for playoff spot
This is Knappa's biggest rebuilding job since Mike Jacobson took over a freshman-dominated team in 1999. The Loggers have not missed the state playoffs in six years, but will have a tough road to return this year. The relative lack of strength in the restructured Northwest League will play in Knappa's favor. Portland Christian should grab the league's top seed and De La Salle will likely be tough. The rest of the league may be up for grabs, however, with newcomer Nestucca a threat to contend. If some new players step comfortably into more prominent roles and holdover increase their offensive production, Knappa could be in the hunt for the league's third seed and keep its state playoff streak alive.
COACH HAGLAND SAYS:"We lost some great talent, but we've got some good kids with experience coming back."
"We're going to try to play uptempo. We like that style. We're so small that I told the girls that we're gonna have to start guarding the other team when they get off the bus and hand them their bags when they get back on it. That's just the style we're gonna have to play and that's for survival."
Founding NWL members Knappa and Corbett and longtime members Portland Christian and Portland Lutheran join junior member De La Salle in a new league that welcomes Gaston, Nestucca and Faith Bible from the West Valley League. Warrenton, Vernonia, Neah-Kah-Nie, Portland Adventist and Riverdale move up to the 3A Division. Neither league will be split into East and West Divisions as the old NWL was for basketball.
HEAD COACH: Chuck Hagland (1st year current, 9th year overall, )
ASST COACH: James Nichols (JV), Matt Robinson (frosh)
The Lady Loggers will have their third head coach in three years as Chuck Hagland takes over for Matt Robinson, who will remain on the bench in an assistant role. Hagland is no stranger to this program and no stranger to being an interim fix, as he begins his fourth separate stint as head coach of the girls team. Hagland has piloted powerful playoff teams and some less talented groups as well and should be a good steward to get the Lady Loggers through what could be a rough patch after significant graduation losses sapped the program of top talent.
2005 RECORD: 25-7 (13-1 NWL West Division 1st, 2nd in NWL, 4th in state)
LAST PLAYOFFS: 1-2 at state tournament, lost to Central Linn 38-36 in 3rd place final
LAST LEAGUE TITLE: 2003-finished 5th at state
LAST MISSED STATE TOURNAMENT: 2001
CURRENT COLLEGE/PRO ATHLETES:Tracie Nygaard (Jr., Willamette basketball), Nadra Evans (Fr., Lower Columbia basketball)
KEY GRAUDUATES/LOSSES:Evans (2005-06 Oregon 2A Player Of The Year, 3-yr 1st-team NWL, 4-yr starter), Ali Gertulla (3-yr starter), Kasha Klauser (3-yr starter)
RETURNING ALL-STARS: Kirsty Coghill (PG, 5-3, SR-hon. ment. all-NWL)
Coghill and fellow senior Rachele Schuyler (P, 5-9, SR) go from being complementary players to offensive focal points on a team lacking in varsity minutes. Both have three varsity years under their belts and have seen significant action in pressure situations at the state tournament. Coghill deferred to Evans when the going got tough in the playoffs. Now, she must be the one to bring the ball up against the top defensive teams. Schuyler is not the most fluid player and struggled with balance, particularly during the playoffs. Like everybody who has played for Knappa the past few years, she can run the floor well and has surprising range on her shot. Her improvement on offense could be a key to Knappa being competitive this year.
RETURNING STARTERS: 2
RETURNING LETTERMEN: 8
Plenty of players with a modicum of experience return, but the scoring punch lost with the graduation of Evans, Gertulla and Klauser will be impossible to replace. Megan Harn (G, SR) gave Knappa some quality minutes off the bench at the point and off guard positions last year. She and undersized post player Jo Barendse (5-6, SR) have the most experience of the Loggers bench players and will likely be starters in '06-07. Barendse is fearless in the paint, but is not an offensive threat and her minutes have been limited by fouls in the past. Amanda Nichols, daughter of former official now assistant coach James, rounds out a large group of senior returners. Again, most of these players are unproven, having deferred to "The Big 3" when it came to scoring. Nichols will see extended action in the backcourt, which is bolstered by junior McKenzie Cokley, who swung last year, and Brittany Dugan, who saw very limited minutes on varsity. In the post, juniors Alyssa Oja and Christina Kaul will share court time with Kirsty Van Gundy, a senior who did not play last year. Schuyler is Knappa's tallest experienced post player at 5-9. This was not a big team last year and got a lot smaller!
KEY NEWCOMERS: Chelsea Cameron (JR-transfer from California-could have an impact), Cassie West (P, Fr-powerfully built player will likely play significant minutes)
TEAM STRENGTHS: senior experience, some speed, tough-minded, focused group
TEAM WEAKNESSES: not very tall-will have to defend and box out well
TOP NWL CONTENDERS:PORTLAND CHRISTIAN, Nestucca
TOP 2A CONTENDERS: HEPPNER, Central Linn
TOP NWL PLAYERS:KIM HILL(PC-6-4 junior post)
PROJECTED FINISH: should contend for playoff spot
This is Knappa's biggest rebuilding job since Mike Jacobson took over a freshman-dominated team in 1999. The Loggers have not missed the state playoffs in six years, but will have a tough road to return this year. The relative lack of strength in the restructured Northwest League will play in Knappa's favor. Portland Christian should grab the league's top seed and De La Salle will likely be tough. The rest of the league may be up for grabs, however, with newcomer Nestucca a threat to contend. If some new players step comfortably into more prominent roles and holdover increase their offensive production, Knappa could be in the hunt for the league's third seed and keep its state playoff streak alive.
COACH HAGLAND SAYS:"We lost some great talent, but we've got some good kids with experience coming back."
"We're going to try to play uptempo. We like that style. We're so small that I told the girls that we're gonna have to start guarding the other team when they get off the bus and hand them their bags when they get back on it. That's just the style we're gonna have to play and that's for survival."
posted by Matt Richert at 2:55 PM
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