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HuskerFan86
08-10-2002, 10:02 PM
I was at the game Wednesday, and I thought I'd post my observations even if they are a little delayed. Here is a link to the article. http://www.journalstar.com/sports.php?story_id=14696

Here's what I saw:
1. This class of Nebraska seniors is not nearly as deep and talented as next years will be. There are a handful of very good players who will be solid at their respective colleges, but as a whole, this batch of Nebraskans is a little thin on talent.

2. Creighton scored big this year. If there are any Bluejay fans out there, your team got a couple of great players from the Omaha metro. Angie Janis (6'2" Forward from Millard North) is a big time pimp in the lane. She will help solve the size problem at CU in a big way. I bet she will be a starter by mid-season. Janis is tough as nails and is mobile for her size. She scored 14 points and had 6 rebs in the game without really looking for her offense, and she will make a splash in the lane next year for Creighton. I really wish she was coming to Nebraska.

The second of this dynamic duo is Kristi Woodard (5'11" Guard from Bellevue West) aka Christy Neneman II. She reminds me so much of Christy Neneman it's scary. For those who don't know, Neneman is the reigning MoValley POY and will be a junior @ Creighton next year. Woodard is quick, athletic, competitive and tough. She will also make an immediate impact next year at Creighton, backing up Neneman as her heir apparent. The biggest reason she will flourish in the Bluejay system is that she is a tall slashing guard. In the Jays perimeter oriented offense, the lane is open for drives, and Kristi can definately drive. She had 17 pts and 7 rebs in this game, and if she would have stayed in the game she could have had 30 and 10. I really wish she was coming to Lincoln next year. Both of these players were recruited to Creighton by Connie Yori, and I hope she can get a few players of this caliber into Husker uniforms in the near future.

3. Cydney Franklin (6'0" Forward from bellevue East) is a very good player and will be a solid starter for Drake a few years down the road. She scored 11 points for the Red team Wednesday night. Her numbers in high school weren't eye-popping (12 ppg and 10 rpg) but she has a lot of up side. She could have helped the Big Red a lot next year, as she is very well suited to the small forward position where Nebraska has absolutely no one. Franklin is rangy and athletic, and her jump shot has improved every year. She is a joy to watch, and a great young lady. Cydney is another player that I really wish was comng to Nebraska this winter (that makes 3).

4. The fourth and final D1 recruit that played at BDSC was NU signee Jamie Wendelin (5'11" Forward from Gretna). Jamie had a very unremarkable game. She scored 4 points and grabbed four rebounds for the White team. Although all-star games don't mean anything, Wendelin did not impress me a whole lot. She really seems like someone who should be going to UNK rather than NU. She has a nice three point shot, and NU is terribly weak at the 3, but JW has a long way to go before she is ready for the Big 12. She was the fourth or fifth best player on the floor tonight, and that isn't good enough for the Neb. All-Star Game. Maybe in Texas it is, but not in Nebraska. Paul screwed up by not getting at least 2 of the above 4 players, but nothing can change that. On the bright side, Yori got 2 of them before she left Creighton, and she seems to recognize that there are always at least 3 girls in the Cornhusker State who have some game. The key is to figure out which ones are Big 12 material.

5. This year's game was close, but next year's all-stars will be much better. Nebraska's high school class of 2003-2004 is loaded. There will be as many as 12-15 D1 players in next summer's all-star game, and I will definately want a front row seat. Horkey, Andersen, Chapman, Lightfoot, Montgomery, Flynn, Houghtelling, Fries, Ford, Schoepf, Steffan, Gustafson, and Pettijohn are just a few of the names who will be in attendance next year, in what should be an exciting and talent-laden game.

[This message has been edited by HuskerFan86 (edited 08-10-2002).]

[This message has been edited by HuskerFan86 (edited 08-10-2002).]

ChipperF1
08-11-2002, 12:37 AM
"She was the fourth or fifth best player on the floor tonight, and that isn't good enough for the Neb. All-Star Game. Maybe in Texas is it, but not in Nebraska."

You are kidding, right? Just trying to be funny, I hope.

DblT81
08-11-2002, 12:46 AM
I enjoyed reading your report Huskyfan. It is interesting how the numbers of D1 players can change dramatically with each class.

HuskerFan86
08-11-2002, 01:41 AM
Thanks Dblt. I really do think that the upcoming Nebraska senior class will make their mark on the collegiate level.

Sorry Chipper, from what I saw, Wendelin was a little out classed when guarding Franklin, and Woodard and Janis are both great players. I believe that JW was probably the 4th best player on Wednesday. I actually thought that Lincoln Southeast's J.J. Smith (5'11" UNO recruit) was right up there with Wendelin too. You know all-star games though, kids get shuffled in and out of the game so quickly you'd think Paul Sanderford was the coach of both teams. It could be that Wendelin never got into the flow of the game and that's why she looked a little unimpressive.

Who will play the small forward for NU next season? Or will we go with the 3 guard lineup?

On a brighter note for NU, Husker men recruit Wes Wilkinson from Grand Island broke the all-star game scoring record when he tossed in 31 points Wednesday night in the boy's all-star game. That picked me up a little after watching the girl's game. The fact that arch rival Creighton will have Woodard and Janis for 4 more years is depressing to say the least.

[This message has been edited by HuskerFan86 (edited 08-10-2002).]

elfdenmom
08-11-2002, 02:04 PM
Relax Chipper, surely Husker meant that pool in the Texas All Star game is so strong that the fourth or fifth best player is pretty d*** good.

HuskerFan86
08-11-2002, 02:16 PM
Exactly elfdenmom.

ChipperF1
08-12-2002, 11:52 AM
"The fact that arch rival Creighton will have Woodard and Janis for 4 more years is depressing to say the least."

I love Creighton, too. So that is not depressing to me.

And I agree with you on Wendelin. She really should be at UNK not UNL. On the fellas side...Wes will be a little Teenage Ninja Monster next season..I'd suggest going to a lot of men's games next year, they'll actually be competitive, especially if that Nate Johnson can play as well as his fiance does.

"Who will play the small forward for NU next season? Or will we go with the 3 guard lineup?

That's an interesting question. I could see Keasha Cannon moving to the Swing 2-3 spot, which is actually natural for her because it takes advantage of her aggressiveness and her ability to rebound.

It depends on what kind of offense Connie Yori chooses to install. I see her trying to install her three-guard set she had a Creighton, problem is, she lacks a quality outside shooter for the offense. They could go with multiple guard set Amy Stephens used at UNK, but again you run into the problem of lack of outside shooting.

If you had to play a game right now.

PG--Jina Johansen
2G--Shannon Howell
Swing--Keasha Cannon
PF--Alexa Johnson
Center--Katie Morse

I hope the lasses can find some walk ons who can play. Maybe Royanna Bristol will come back next season. She would at least give some depth at the 3-spot.

The nore I think about Nebraska, the more disturbed I get. Thank God for football and volleyball.

HuskerFan86
08-12-2002, 07:31 PM
The word is that Wendelin was actually supposed to enroll at Cloud CC in Kansas this upcoming year and Sanderford would monitor her progress, let her improve and gain some experience, and then she would transfer over to NU for her sophmore year. But with the losses of Blackbird, Jones, Cowgill, and Robinette, the team needed players (whether they were ready or not). I guess Paul was taking the approach that any player is better than nothing, and he could be right I guess. Maybe in a couple of years I will be eating my words and JW will be a quality role player off the bench for the Huskers.