APR. 15 — Growing Up In A Hurry: 2007-08 Season Review

Maple Leafs had just one senior, six first-year athletes

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Adjusting from the high school game to the collegiate level play, in any sport, takes some time.
Despite the recent increase in the number of so-called “freshman phenoms,” it is much more realistic to allow newcomers time to grow into the college game.

Unfortunately, or fortunately in this case, the Goshen College women’s basketball team has had to learn quickly. Saying that this team was young is an understatement considering the six first-year players and only one senior were on the roster.

Adding to the difficulty for a young team was one of the tougher schedules in the nation. “Over half the games on our schedule this year were against teams who were nationally ranked or honorable mention (NAIA DII) sometime this season,” said Head Coach Steve Wiktorowski.

With the odds seemingly stacked against them, the Maple Leafs shrugged off the situation and went to work. After falling 60-72 at Trinity Christian to start the season, Goshen busted out to a 32-17 halftime advantage as they knocked off Indiana Tech 66-50 for their 10th consecutive home-opening win.

Just three games later, the Maple Leafs rallied for a late win on the road against Judson College. After trailing by as many as thirteen in the second half, Goshen pulled within one before freshman Cassie Greives nailed a turn-around jumper as the final buzzer sounded. The basket gave the Maple Leafs a 59-58 win and a 3-2 record five games into the season.

The end of the 2007 calendar year provided the typical ups and downs for a young team. The Leafs defeated a tough Madonna University squad 67-60, but followed it with consecutive two-point games against Warner Southern and Trinity International.

“There were a couple close nonconference games early in the season where I wish we could have played better,” Wiktorowski explained. He added, “It took a little while to find our roles and confidence in each other with that much youth.”

Goshen would move into the bulk of their Mid-Central Conference campaign with a 6-9 record. The Maple Leafs would be thrown into the fire immediately as two of their first four conference games were against squads ranked in the top-15 in the nation.

After picking up just one win in the brutal MCC a year ago, Goshen rallied for five in 2007-08. A pair of outstanding team defensive efforts at home gave the Maple Leafs a 67-52 win over Grace College and a 81-64 decision over Spring Arbor University. Goshen was also able to snatch wins in the final minutes twice on the road with a 66-65 win at Grace and a 70-67 victory at Marian College.

“I thought our biggest improvement really showed at the end of the season when we were so much more competitive overall against teams in our conference than a year ago,” added Wiktorowski.

Going into the final week of the regular season, the Maple Leafs found themselves in a very crowded middle of the pack in the MCC standings. A pair of wins would have placed them as high as fifth place going into the conference tournament.

Instead Goshen dropped a highly-competitve game to Huntington University before getting bruised up in a physical 65-62 loss to Marian. The losses pushed the Maple Leafs to eighth-place and forced a match up at top-seeded Bethel College. It was in Mishawaka where the season would end as Goshen fell in the first round to eventual NAIA national quarterfinalist Bethel.

“I think the season as a whole was satisfying from an overall competitive and realistic standpoint,” said Wiktorowki of his team that nearly doubled its win total from a season ago. “There were a lot of positives to this season and I saw a ton of growth and development.”

Goshen (11-19, 5-11 MCC) showed incredible balance as only one Maple Leafs averaged double-digits in scoring, while seven tallied more than six a game.

Despite the balance and the time it takes most to adjust to the college game, Goshen did have their own “freshman phenom.” Six-foot center Cassie Greieves led Goshen with 12.73 points a night. She shot an incredible 54% from the field, which ranked in the top 15 in the country. The freshman also grabbed a team-high 220 rebounds (7.33 a game), which is the seventh highest single-season total in Goshen history. On way to being selected to the MCC All Newcomer Team, Greives registered seven double-doubles – tied for the most in the MCC.

In her final collegiate season, lone senior Katie Sowers also grabbed a pair of honors. The guard/foward from Hesston, Kansas was recognized for her work off the court as she was named to the MCC All Academic Team and selected as a Daktronics- NAIA All American Scholar-Athlete.