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Page 22-Wednesday, January 12, 1983-The Michigan Daily
Women's preview
Soluk rebuilds after best season
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The Michigan Daily-Wednesday
By PAUL HELGREN
Coming off its best year ever, 17-9 last
season, the Michigan women's basket-
ball team entered the 1982-83 campaign
with lofty expectations. Despite losing
All-American and all-time Big Ten
scoring champ Dianne Dietz, coach
Gloria Soluk felt she had enough talent
left to make a run at the Big Ten title
and possibly get into the NCAA playof-
fs.
Soluk may have been over-
enthusiastic in her appraisal, however,
as the Wolverines dropped their first
four games of the season. The slow
start hasn't completely dampered
Soluk's optimism, however.
"I'M STILL very optimistic about our
team," Soluk said. "But we really
haven't been playing that well. We
played with intensity against DePaul,
but we still lack a floor leader.
Someone's going to have to take charge
out there."
The team's lack of floor leadership
may be attributed to the fact that there
are no seniors on this year's squad.
If the team lacks seniors, it certainly
doesn't lack experience. There are four
players on this year's squad that saw
considerable playing time last year. In
addition, Soluk recruited six freshmen
to help fill the remaining gaps.
THE MOST notable of the returnees
is sophomore guard Peg Harte. Harte
played in the shadow of Dietz last year,
but still managed to average 21.2 points
a game as a freshman. She looks to be
the top scorer again this year.
Other players who figure to make a
contribution this year are:
" Lori Gnatkowski: The junior point
guard has been cursed with nagging in-
juries so far this year, but she still
figures to be a deciding factor on the
court. She started 25 out of 26 games
last year, while averaging 9.4 points a
game. She also led the team with 125
assists. Soluk named her one of the
team's three co-captains and credits
Lori for "believing in me, when others
lost their faith," during the losing cam-
paign two years ago.
" Terri Soullier: The "guts and glue"
of the team according to Soluk, Soullier
started ten games last year on her way
to a 5.9 scoring average. The 5-10 for-
ward has been disappointing thus far,
averaging only 2.3 points and 3.8
rebounds per game. Soullier, a junior
and co-captain, will have to contribute
more in order to live up to coach Soluk's
pre-season billing of her as the person
who would "pick up where Dianne
(Dietz) left off."
* Connie 'Doutt: Doutt is a sure-
handed guard who has averaged
slightly less than nine points in the first
Harte look
four games this season. The 5-7
sophomore is a complete ballplayer
who can pass, rebound, and shoot with
equal proficiency. Soluk said Doutt is
very coachable, adding, "I can bitch at
her till the cows come home and she
won't complain."
" Orethia Lilly: The cream of the
freshman crop, Lilly has quickly
become an integral part of the team.
Second on the team in scoring thus far
with a 12.9 scoring average, Lilly will
"probably" start soon, according to
Soluk. The 5-8 guard poured in 21 points
against Cleveland State earlier this
year while hauling down nine rebounds.
1983 Women's Big Ten
Basketball Schedule
Jan. 7 NORTHWESTERN
Jan. 9 IOWA
Jan. 14 at Minnesota
Jan. 21 OHIO STATE
Jan. 23 INDIANA
Jan. 28 at Purdue
Jan. 30 at Illinois
Feb. 6 at Michigan State
Feb.13 MICHIGAN STATE
Feb. 18 ILLINOIS
Feb. 20 PURDUE
Feb. 25 at Indiana
Feb. 27 at Ohio State
Mar. 4 WISCONSIN
Mar. 6 MINNESOTA
Mar. 10 at Iowa
Mar. 12 at Northwestern
,s to repeat
Daily Photo by JEFF SCHRIER
On the way to the basket, Peg Harte puts the ball to the floor.
message.
- p1:1. DJ
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record-breaking year
By PAUL HELGREN This year we have a freshman point
Last year Peg Harte had the kind of guard (Orethia Lily). She's been doing
seson most freshmen can only dream a great job, but you can't replace that
about. experience."
While All-American Diane Dietz was Michigan coach Gloria Soluk at-
getting most of the ink for her assaults tributes much of last year's success to
on just about every women's basketball Peg Harte.
record there is, Harte quietly averaged "She had more to do with last year's
21.2 points per game, only slightly less success (17-9) than anybody," Soluk
than Dietz. The freshman forward also said. "She's a winner and she has a lot
led the team in scoring in 12 of 26 games of pride in her game."
and grabbed 7.0 rebounds per contest. BEFORE THE season began Soluk
Additionally, her 552 points set a predicted Dietz's graduation would in-
Michigan scoring record for freshmen. crease Harte's scoring and improve her
In short, she had quite a year for a overall play. "She'll score more points
player whose only goal was "to make this year," Soluk said confidently. And
the starting lineup. indeed she has so far.
Amazingly, after only one season,
"I KNEW when I came in I wasn't the Harte is fifth ineall-time scoring in
top recruit," Harte said. "All I wanted Michigan women's basketball. If she
was a chance to play. Once I made the . continues at the rate she is scoring, she
line-up things just sort of came. I made could easily break Dietz's Big Ten
it on desire." scoring record. What does she think of
This season offers a new challenge all this?
for Harte. With Dietz gone, Harte is "I don't have any goals like that," she
now the player the Wolverines look to claimed. "Last year I wasn't aware of
first for scoring. And so far she has the (freshman scoring) record until
been producing with similar efficiency, somebody told me. I guess my goal is to
averaging 22.9 points in the first ten maintain my intensity."
games of the season. The team, Intense is the perfect word to
however, has fallen on hard times, describe Harte's style of play. Although
losing its first eight games before not tall for a forward (5-8), she is com-
winning its next two. fortable underneath where she uses her
Harte attributes the team's slow start strength to rebound and score in tight.
to a familiar nemesis for all sports And if, as Coach Soluk claims, Har-
teams-Texperience. te's play "affects" the whole team in a
"LAST YEAR,"arte commented, positive way," the Wolverines can only
"besides Diane we had a senior point get better as the Big Ten season rolls
guard (her older sister K.D. Haite). -along .
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