I November 16, 1998 - SportsMonday - The Michigan Daily - 7 BASKETBALL PRE IEW PART 1 OF THE ' o0 J FRoss ' 4 SERIES Arena The Tea Heather Oesterle - From the family barn to Crisler By Uma Subramanlan Daily Sports Writer Behind most successful athletes lie supportive fami- lies - you know, the kind that go to all the games and cheer even when the team is losing badly. Heather Oesterle's family takes the adjective to a new level. The family's basketball ties date back nearly two generations to the days when Oesterle's father used to ; lay in a barn on the family farm. The present genera- tion of players got their basketball starts in much the same way. "My dad had four brothers and they all played bas- ketball," said Oesterle, who is a 6-foot freshman on the Michigan women's basketball team. "My grandpa built a barn and put a hoop in it. When we were young my dad taught my sisters and I how to play. "When we got older my grandpa built us a barn and put a full-size court with one hoop in it. It was heated too, so we could play in the winter." 0 Because of the convenience of the facility, many days after school Oesterle would come home from basketball practice and shoot around some more. Apparently, the practice paid off. Coming out of Mason high school, Oesterle, a guard, was one of the most highly touted players in the state of Michigan. She was twice named to the Detroit Free Press all-state first team for girl's basket- ball and was named the Lansing State Journal's player of the year. But the motivation to get better was under the same oof. S "My older sister was really good," Oesterle said. "When we were younger we all used to play 2-on-2 with my dad. But she blew out her knee her senior year of high school." However, there is one thing Oesterle doesn't share with her family. Having grown up on a beef cattle farm in suburban Lansing, Oesterle was raised as a Spartan fan. In fact, her family remains Spartan faith- ful. "Everyone in my family is a State fan," Oesterle ;aid. "I knew they kind of wanted me to go there. But they've changed a little bit. There going to root for Michigan women's basketball, but in every other sport they're still going to root for MSU." But Oesterle assures that her loyalties have changed. Though Oesterle was greatly influenced by her Michiga family, this Thanksgiving is one holiday she won't be mates k spending with them. Oesterle and her teammates will be in Cancun for the Torneo Cancun de Basquetbol. "I'm really excited about the trip," Oesterle said. "I went to #ancun for spring break in high school, and I loved it. It should be a lot of fun to go with the team." Until recently, women's basketball was regarded primarily as a collegiate sport - especially within the United States. But with the inauguration of the WNBA and the recent public inter- Te [ourE.ros/ISeries: The 1998.99 season is a time of transition for the Michigan women's basketball team. An experienced backcourt will try and guide an inexperienced frontcourt back to the NCAA tournament. This year's fresh- man class will make a signifi- cant impact on the team. Every player on this team has an interesting story to tell. The Michigan Daily women's basketball writers will feature each freshman once during the season. Katie Dykhow Year: Sopho Position: Fo Fun Fact: Fi third in Miss Michigan Basketball v two years ag and conditioning coach for a college team. But for the time being, Oesterle is focused on con- tributing to Michigan. In high school, she played all five positions on the court. Her.versatility could make her a major threat in the college game. "Heather really could go the 1, 2, 3 or 4," Michigan coach Sue Guevara said. "But I'll tell you something, Heather Oesterle can pass the ball. She can thread the needle just as well as (junior guard) Anne Thorius. I would say that Oesterle is the second-best passer on this team. She's also another one who can shoot the three." But though she hopes to make a statement at Michigan, Oesterle has not set any specific personal goals as yet. "I don't know what to expect," Oesterle said. "I'm just having a lot of fun playing." U.. The midwestern farmer is known for work ethic and strength. A day in the life of a farmer begins at the KIND/Daly crack of dawn and ends long after the sun sets. class- Though by her own admission Oesterle didn't have much of an impact on the family farm growing up, Guevara believes that Oesterle's upbringing will affect her performance. "She comes from Mason, her family owns a lot of acres," E Guevara said. "She's a farm girl and she's a strong girl. She can shoot - I just have to get her to." Oesterle returned the compliment, crediting Guevara and her coaching style in her decision to attend Michigan. So far, she has no regrets. "I really love it here," Oesterle said. "I'm having a lot of fun and everyone's really cool." Even though the barn she plays in now is just a little bit big- ger, she knows the game is still the same. Alayne Ingramr Year: Freshi Positton: Gu Fun Fact: C, score fromP 3-point rang played varsi golf in high school Ingram Ruth Kippinj Year: Freshn Position: Forward Fun Fact:w run like a de Coach Sue Guevara sai Kipping DAVID ROCH an guard Heather Oesterle grew up around basketball. She and her fellowI ook to help the Wolverines return to the NCAA tournament. est in women's sports, the future is promising for talented play- ers. Oesterle is no exception. She, like many others, dreams of playing one day in the premier women's league in the world. "I'm going to see how it goes," Gesterle said. "It'd be a dream to play in the WNBA, but if it doesn't happen, I'm sure I'll find something else to do. The WNBA is great because we have more fans now. People are more interested in women's basketball and it's helped women's sports overall." If her WNBA dreams are not realized, Oesterle - a student in the Division of Kinesiology - would like to be a strength Ann Lemire Year: Senior Position: Gu Fun Fact: Fr Frankenmuth which has th world's large Christmas st m 30 Is. more rward fished voting go 32 1w nan iard rth in ;an t !40 1 man uard ,an NBA e ty 34 9 man 'Can eer, d 33 ard om h, ,e ist ore 25 more iy ;reat r30 e ian and st ry :0 001 ore s h- ake s rd e all last 24 ore rd iy Y;- Y -- r Lemkre e --- i i - Women's Basketball Fast Facts I AP Women's Poll The new Associated Press top 25 women's college basketball preseason poll. First-place votes in parenthe- ses. Team 2997-98 Record Pts. 1. Tennessee (42) 39.0 '1,050 2. Louisiana Tech' 31.4 1000 3. Connecticut 343 9680 4. Duke 248 894 5. Purdue 2310 876 ~6.UCLA 20.9 824 7. Georgia, 17-11 679 8. Virginia 19-10 632 9. Alabama '24-10" 595 10. North Carolina 27-7 567 11. Kansas 23-9 566 12. Rutgers 22-10 527' 13. George Washington 20-10 494 14. Texas Tech 26.5 468 15. Old Dominion 29.3 449, 16. North Carolina State 25.7 - 402 17."Notre Dame 22-10 317 18. Arkansas" 22-11- 294- 19. Stanford 216 248 20. Vanderbilt 20.9 222, 21. Arizona 23-7 208 227. Florida 23-9 160 227. Iowa State 258 160 24. UCSanta Barbara 27-6 148 25. Illinois 20-10 136 ESPNIUSA Today Poll The new ESPN/USA Today women's college basketball preseason poll. First-place votes in parentheses. Team 1997-98 Ranking Pts. 1. Tennessee (40) 1 1,000 2. Louisiana Tech 2 945 3. Connecticut.5 897 4. Duke t7 825 5. Purdue 11 720 6. UCLA 20 678. 7. North Carolina 3 637 8. Texas Tech 10 525 8. Kansas 22 525 10. Georgia NR 518 11. Rutgers 16 516 12. N.C. State 4 488 13. Alabama 13 475 14. Virginia 23 464 15. Old Dominion 6 395 16. George Washington NR 332 17. Stanford i5 324 18. Arkansas - t7 323 19. Notre Dame 17 282 20. Florida 12 263 21. Arizona 9 210 22. Vanderbilt 25 178 22. Wisconsin NR 155 24. Iliinis 14 151 25. Iowa State 24 143 Date 11/18 11/21 11/27 11/29 12/4 12/6 12/9 12/12 12/28 1/3 1/5 1/9 1/10 1/15 1/17 1/22 1/24 1/29 1/31 Michigan Women's Basketball Schedule Opponent DETROIT MERCY COLORADO Coppin State* Oklahoma/Al-Birmingham CENTRAL MICHIGAN Cincinnati Bowling Green Illinois State- Indiana MICHIGAN STATE Illinois LOUISIANA TECH MINNESOTA. Wisconsin PENN STATE Iowa Northwestern OHIO STATE WISCONSIN Time. 7:30 p.m. 5 p.m. 4:30 p.m. TBA 7:30 p.m. 3 p.m. 7 p.m. 2 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 2 p.m. 7 p.m. 1/4p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 2 p.m. 7 p.m. 2 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 2 p.m. Date 2/5 2/7 2/12 2/14 2/19 2/21 2/26 2/27 2/28 3/1 3/12- 14 3/13-15 3/20-22 3/26-28 Opponent Time Minnesota = 7 p.m. Purdue , 5 p.m. ILLINOIS 7:30 p.m. Michigan State 5 p.m. IOWA 7:30 p.m. INDIANA 2 p.m. Big Ten tournament round 1** TBA Big Ten quarterfinals** TBA Big Ten semifinals** TBA Big Ten Championship** TBA, NCAA rounds 1&2# . TBA NCAA rounds 1&2# TBA NCAA regionals# - TBA NCAA Final Four# TBA I I i - a Alison Miller Year: Sophor Forward 'M' playertc play in the g Mstate of Ohi Heather Oestert Year: Freshir Position: Gu Fun Fact: Ju read the stor on the left; tt sum has a c Qesterle grandfather * Tourneo Cancun de Basquetbol ** at Indianapolis, Ind. (RCA Dome) # NCAA championships - locations TBA Home games in CAPS Mandy Stowe Year: Sophom Position: Forward Fun Fact: Has the same birtt day as Ricki L and H.G. Well, ._ rr .r I I 7i OHIO STATE 1997-98 RECORD: 7-9 Big Ten, 192 overall EAD COACH: Beth Bums KEY PLAYERS: Marrita Porter, Mindy Fusetti, Larecha Jones No. OF RETURNING STARTERS: 5 Last year was a layear of first for the Buckeyes. A new coach played a rookie at every pmton. When all was said and done, the results weren't terrible. The team finished eighth in the league. But this year Burns is at the helm of the most competitive team Ohio State has seen in years. It's a team that returns all fve I I IOWA 1 1997-98 RECORD: 13-3 Big Ten, 18-11 overall HEAD COACH: Angie Lee Key Players: Amy Herrig, Cara Consuegra, Rand Peterson No. OF RETURNING STARTERS: 1 What a difference a year makes. Last season, Iowa domi- nated the Big Ten and won the reuarseason championship. This year the team has a com- pletely new look. With only one returning starter and seven fresh- men, Iowa has a major obstacle to overcome in its quest for a second straight title. Herrig - the lone returning I [!] MICHIGAN STATEJ 1997-98 RECORD: 5-11 Big Ten, 11-16 overall HEAD COACH: Karen Langeland KEY PLAYERS: Maxann Reese, Kristen Rasmussen, Pemille Dalgaard No. OF RETURNiNG STARTERS: 3 Last year was the year of inexperience for theSpartans After its first-ever Big Ten title in 1997, M aState entered the 1997-98 wi 11 players, fea- turing five fres en. But this season 10 players are re , and the outlook has chang e two Rs - Reese and 10 NORTHWESTERN . MINNESOTA I 1997-98 RECORD: 3-13 Big Ten, 10-21 overall HEAD COACH: Don Perrelli KEY PLAYERS: Kristina Divjak, Megan Chawansky No. OF RETURNING STARTERS: 3 Last year was a fluke. It was only Northwestern's fourth season finishing under .500. Now the Wildcats are try- ing to recreate the golden days of yore. The team is returning its top duo in school history in Diviak and Chawanskv. who I -1 I 1997-98 RECORD: 1-15 Big Ten, 4-23 overall HEAD COACH: Cheryl Littlejohn KEY PLAYERS: Sonja Robinson, Mindy Hansen No. OF RETURNING STARrERS: 2 The Golden Gophers are a team that's mission is to build - not to rebuild, just build. After last year's disastrous cam- paign, Minnesota is searching for that one element that will turn things around. After al, things re couldn't get much worse. Thereare four freshmen and three junior college transfers that could make a difference in the t t h Stacey Thomas Year: Junior Position: Gua Fun Fact: Member of th USA Basketb Select Team I summer Anne Thorus Year: Sophom Position: Gua Fun Fact: Only player on the team from I ff\ ., - Ill