By: Wichita State
Appalachian State (1-6) vs. Wichita State (4-2)
7:05 p.m. ? Mon., December 8, 2008 ? Charles Koch Arena (10,502) ? Wichita, Kan.
Radio: KFH 1240 AM (Brian Petrotta) Home for the Holidays. For the Wichita State women's basketball team it's more reality than cliche as the Shockers open a seven-game homestand by playing host to Appalachian State at 7:05 p.m., Monday inside Charles Koch Arena. In fact, 10 of WSU's next 12 contests will come in the comfortable confines of home, including five of the Shockers' first seven conference games.
While it appears to be the perfect setup on paper, the span presents a crossroads for the team. A successful run during the homestand in December and early January can act as a springboard for the rest of the season. That is the Shockers' focus heading into a pivotal month-long test of focus and determination that begins Monday night.
"After spending time early this season with the team we have established new roles," head coach Jody Adams said. "We are calling this our 'growth month' where we want to see the team grow on both sides on the ball and not just play in patterns but play together."
The concept of team has been one of Adams' loudest battle cries since arriving on the Wichita State campus in March. That focus has produced a balanced offense and a new defensive mentality that has provided the league's third-best scoring defense and a squad that is improving and defending well, proven by WSU's top-ranked field-goal percentage defense in the MVC.
That's a bonus for a team that hasn't had an abundance of practice time with six games over the first 14 days of the season. WSU has had longer to prepare for Appalachian State than it has any of its previous opponents this season with the exception of the opener, and Adams spent that time breaking things down into individual components for much of the week.
"We spent a lot of time this week on the details we needed to correct," Adams said. "It's been about the little things, whether screens for the posts or getting the guards to work together on the penetration and pitch, its been good to focus on some fundamentals. We have been able to break a lot of this down into individual roles, trying to emphasize that we need to practice like we want to play, at the same speed that we want to play."
If Wichita State is going to have a successful run in late January and February, it will be because of the foundation built over this homestand. WSU can use the 2006-07 team as a case study in foundation building to its advantage.
That squad faced a similar stand in December 2006. Seven straight games at home, including the first two Valley games against SIU and Evansville. Following a 15-13 season, the Shockers entered the stretch 2-3, coming off a heartbreaking loss at the buzzer at San Diego State and desperately needing a positive run in December at home to build confidence for a run at the Valley title after being picked second in the preseason poll.
Wichita State went 3-4 over those seven games, including two losses to open Valley play while losing then-freshman Jacie Hoyt for the season due to injury. The combined package was a devastating blow to the Shockers' psyche, one they would never recover from en route to a 9-20 finish.
Daria Frazier and Marcy Sudbeck were sophomores on that team, and fittingly they now have the opportunity to reverse the trend. In WSU's 'growth month' the Shockers will be tested plenty both mentally and physically. How well they pass the exam could very well determine the fortunes for the rest of this season.
NOTES: A pregame dinner for season ticket holders will be held in the Champions Club at 5:30 p.m. ... Monday night is WSU Faculty and Staff Day, all Wichita State faculty and staff members get in free with their Shocker ID card ... At 4-2, the Shockers have the third-best start to any team in the league. Drake has opened the season 5-2, while Bradley is 6-1 after an 18-point win at Illinois on Saturday ... Monday night's game will be moved to KFH 1240 AM and will not be heard on the internet due to a conflict with the Shocker men's team's game at TCU ... Fans don't forget about the women's basketball interactive gameday blog at the link above. The blog is a great way to interact with press row at Charles Koch Arena, ask questions, vote on polls and be part of all the action as it happens. There is no signup required, just click on the link above around gametime and you are set for a different perspective to WSU vs. Appalachian State Monday night!
