BYU has lots of court time

PROVO — To understand where the BYU women's basketball team might be headed as it starts the 2003-04 season, one needs to understand where it has been of late.

In his inaugural year as head coach two seasons ago, Jeff Judkins led the Cougars on a Sweet 16 run in the NCAA Tournament. And last year, he returned with a more talent-laden team, featuring four-year standout Erin Thorn.

But BYU faltered in its quest to build upon the previous seasons successes, with a pair of preseason injuries to key players, another lost mid-year to injury and the distractions surrounding Jennifer Leitner, one of the top players in the Mountain West Conference who eventually departed in midseason.

The result was that Judkins was forced to play a lot of younger players en route to a 19-12 season and a first-round appearance in the 2003 NCAAs.

What that means for this season is a team with experienced returning players — seven of the eight returnees started at least three games last season and each posted a season-high point total in the double digits (see accompanying box on this page).

"We have a lot of people who can come in and not lose a beat athletically," said Judkins of this year's balanced and quick squad.

He'll count on 6-foot-2 junior forward Danielle Cheesman as this year's featured player. Her 11.2-point scoring average was second behind Thorn and her 5.4 rebounds a game was tops on the team.

"This is her time to really jell," said Judkins, saying that he has been preparing the junior the past two seasons to be the team leader.

With Cheesman playing the No. 4 forward, 6-4 senior center Ashleigh Chamberlain and 5-10 sophomore forward Jennie Overdiek complete the frontline starters. Five-foot-11 junior Kali Taylor moves from her No. 3 spot to the big-guard position vacated by Thorn, and 5-8 senior Kestlee Nelson Dooley will again start at the point, while 5-8 junior Julie Sullivan — last year's initial starting point guard — expected to return later this month from the knee injury she suffered in January.

First off the bench will be forwards Ambrosia Anderson (6-2, sophomore) and Kristen Kozlowski (6-2, junior) and guard-forward Nancy Seljaas (6-0, sophomore). They'll be joined by a half-dozen new faces, including JC transfer center Mariuam Sy of UVSC and freshman guards Tiari Goold of Oregon, twins Heather and Hollie Hansen of Orem's Mountain View High and Murray High's Melinda Johnsen.

"They can come in and really help us," said Judkins of the Cougar newcomers.

After early exhibitions at Westminster College and UVSC, BYU opens the regular season Nov. 21 at Weber State. A Nov. 29 contest against TCU is the home opener at the Marriott Center, with the Cougars' Mountain West Conference schedule beginning Jan. 15 at Colorado State.

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E-mail: taylor@desnews.com