2003-04 Concordia-Moorhead Women's Basketball Preview

2003-04 Concordia-Moorhead Women's Basketball Preview

Concordia Women's Basketball Home Page for 2003-04
See Also: 2002-03 Season Stats | 2002-03 Box Scores

College Information
School: Concordia-Moorhead
Founded : 1891
Location: Moorhead, MN
Enrollment : 2850
President : Dr. Paul Dovre - Interim
Athletic Director: Bob Nick - Interim
Team Nickname: Cobbers
Colors: Maroon and Gold
Logo: The Chicago "C"
Faculty Athletic Rep: Jim Forde
Stadium: Memorial Auditorium (3,150)
Press Box Phone: None

Concordia Women's Basketball History
First year of women's basketball: 1974-75
All-time play-off record: 20-14 (NCAA)
Years in NCAA post-season play: 3
Last post-season appearance: 1995-96 / Result: Lost to Bethel 64-60 in 1st round
All-time record: 587-208

Women's Basketball Staff

Head Coach:
Head Coach: Jessica Rahman
Alma Mater/Year: Concordia College/1988
Record at school (years): 0-0 (0)
Career record: 0-0
Head Coach's office phone: 218-299-4417
Head Coach's e-mail: rahman@cord.edu
Best time/day to reach coach: 10am-2pm

Assistant Coaches:
Bob Kohler (Valley City State â69)

Sports Information
S.I.D: Jim Cella
Office Ph.: 218-299-3194
Home Ph: 218-233-3698
Fax: 218-299-4189
E-Mail Address: cella@cord.edu
WWW Address: www.gocobbers.com

2002-03 MIAC Standings
(Click here for complete game-by-game results)

School      MIACOverall
Carleton     20-2   25-3#%*1
Gustavus     20-2   24-3#*2
St. Ben's    20-2   24-3#*3
St. Thomas   14-8   15-12*4
St. Mary's   11-11 11-15*5
Concordia    11-11 13-13*6
St. Kate's   11-11 14-11
St. Olaf     8-14   8-16
Hamline      7-15   7-18
Bethel       5-17   6-19
Augsburg     3-19   4-21
Macalester   2-20   2-23
# MIAC Regular Season Co-Champions
% MIAC Playoff Champions
* Clinched MIAC Playoff Spot

2002-03 Game-by-Game Results
(Click here for links to box scores)

Date Opponent/Box Score Site Result

Nov. 22-23 Capital Tournament Ohio

Nov. 22 Geneva (PA) Away W 79-73

Nov. 23 Concordia (WI) Away W 84-68

Nov. 30 St. Olaf Away W 74-60

Dec. 2 MSU-Moorhead Away L 72-83

Dec. 7 Gustavus Away L 44-68

Dec. 9 St. Ben's Home L 59-76

Dec. 11 Macalester Away W 74-57

Dec. 14 Carleton Home L 65-92

Jan. 4 Bethel Home W 68-58

Jan. 6 St. Thomas Away L 77-80 OT

Jan. 11 St. Catherine Home W 69-65

Jan. 15 Hamline Home W 69-64

Jan. 18 Augsburg Home W 85-77 OT

Jan. 20 St. Mary's Home L 46-58

Jan. 22 St. Olaf Home W 56-51

Jan. 25 Gustavus Home L 59-71

Jan. 29 St. Ben's Away L 55-83

Feb. 1 Macalester Home W 68-64

Feb. 3 Bethel Away W 59-49

Feb. 5 St. Thomas Home L 56-70

Feb. 8 Carleton Away L 55-69

Feb. 9 St. Mary's Away W 66-65

Feb. 12 St. Catherine Away L 66-74

Feb. 15 Hamline Away L 75-79

Feb. 19 Augsburg Away W 62-53

Feb. 24 St. Ben's (MIAC First Round) Away L 57-74

2002-03 Final Record: 11-11 MIAC/13-13 Overall

2003-04 Schedule

Date Opponent/Box Score Site Time

Nov. 22 Mayville State Away 5:30pm

Nov. 25 UM-Morris Away 7:00pm

Nov. 29 St. Olaf Home 4:00pm

Dec. 3 MSU-Moorhead Away 6:00pm

Dec. 6 Gustavus Away 1:00pm

Dec. 8 St. Ben's Away 7:30pm

Dec. 13 Macalester Home 1:00pm

Jan. 3 Bethel Away 1:00pm

Jan. 5 St. Thomas Home 5:30pm

Jan. 7 Carleton Away 5:30pm

Jan. 10 St. Catherine Away 1:00pm

Jan. 14 Hamline Home 5:30pm

Jan. 17 Augsburg Away 1:00pm

Jan. 19 St. Mary's Home 5:30pm

Jan. 21 St. Olaf Away 5:30pm

Jan. 24 Gustavus Home 1:00pm

Jan. 28 St. Ben's Home 7:30pm

Jan. 31 Macalester Away 1:00pm

Feb. 2 Bethel Home 5:30pm

Feb. 4 St. Thomas Away 5:30pm

Feb. 7 Carleton Home 1:00pm

Feb. 11 St. Catherine Home 5:30pm

Feb. 14 Hamline Away 1:00pm

Feb. 15 St. Mary's Away 1:00pm

Feb. 18 Augsburg Home 5:30pm

Concordia Series Records Against MIAC Opponents:
Opponent      W L   Series Started
Augsburg      44 1   1978
Bethel        37 9   1980
Carleton      36 6   1981
Gustavus      39 10 1974
Hamline       41 2   1979
Macalester    40 1   1976
St. Ben's     17 26 1980
St. Kate's    26 4   1976
St. Maryâs    37 8   1981
St. Olaf      45 7   1975
St. Thomas    23 30 1979

Player & Team Information
Overall record last year: 13-13
Conference record (place): 11-11 (6th)

Letterwinners returning/lost: 7/9
Starters Returning/lost: 3/2

Returning Key Players
- Beth Drager, Center, Sr., 6-3: Averaged 7.7 pts and 3.7 rebound per game in 2002-03
- Mandy Pearson, Guard, Jr., 5-5: All-MIAC in 2002-03; led MIAC in assists per game in 2002-03 (4.81)
- Debbie Slack, Forward, Sr., 5-10: MIAC All-Defensive Team in 2002-03; led MIAC in rebounding in 2002-03 (9.0 reb/game)
- Jamie Visness, Guard, Junior, 5-8: MIAC All-Conference Honorable Mention in 2002-03; second on the team in scoring in 2002-03 (10.5 ppg); set NCAA all division record for most consecutive free throws in 2002-03 (69).

Key Losses (Grad/Transfer/Injury/Misc.)
Kasey Bostow, F/C, 5-8, Graduated: 2-time All-MIAC; 1,311 career points ö 6th on the schoolâs all-time list.

2003-04 Season Outlook:

Debbie Slack #23 (Sr., Evansville, Minn) led the MIAC in rebounding in 2002-03 - she has 446 career rebounds.

When the Concordia administration decided on their third new coach in as many years, they were hoping for a Hollywood ending to the Cobber coaching carousel.

Jessica Rahman was hand-picked among the long list of candidates in hopes that the team could go ãBack to the Futureä.

The Cobbers went with one of the all-time greatest players in the schoolâs basketball history when they picked Rahman to become the teamâs ninth coach in school history. Rahman, formerly Jessica Beachy, was a four-time All-American standout at Concordia and helped the Cobbers win the national championship in the 1987-88 season. She is the school's all-time leading scorer and was inducted into the Concordia Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998. She had been the head girl's coach at St. Cloud Tech High School from 1999-03.

Rahman will be hoping that some of her collegiate magic will rub off on her players, and the Cobbers can get back on the winning track in 2003-04. The team has finished the last two seasons with identical 11-11 marks in conference play. In 2001-02, the Cobbers barely missed out on the league playoffs, while last year they finished in a tie for fifth place and lost in the first round of the MIAC playoffs to St. Benâs.

The biggest hole for Rahman to fill will be the loss of two-time All-MIAC performer Kasey Bostow. Bostow was a one-person, scoring machine the past two seasons for Concordia. She led the team in scoring in both the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons and finished her career with 1,311 points ö sixth on the schoolâs all-time list. She accounted for over 20 percent of the teamâs scoring total and led the team in all major offensive statistical categories except rebounding - which she finished second - and 3-point shooting.

The leading candidates to fill the shoes of Bostow will be the backcourt duo of Mandy Pearson (Jr., Watkins, Minn./Eden Valley-Watkins HS) and Jamie Visness (Jr., Hallock, Minn./Kittson Central HS). Pearson, the teamâs point guard, led the MIAC in assists per game in 2002-03 (4.81) and was seventh on the team in scoring (5.8 ppg). Visness is the squadâs leading returning scorer. She averaged 10.5 points per game last season, which placed her second on the team, and was named to the MIAC Honorable Mention Team. Visness is most noted for her free-throw shooting prowess. Last year she broke the NCAA all-division consecutive free throw mark by sinking 69 straight free throws.

Up front, the Cobbers will have a pair of players that can rebound, and create a strong presence in the middle, but will need to find a way to pick up Bostowâs key points in the paint. Senior Debbie Slack (Evansville, Minn./Evansville HS) led the league in rebounding last season with a 9.0 rebounds per game average and was named to the MIAC All-Defensive Team. She led the team in rebounding in 18 of the 26 games and recorded double-digit, rebound totals in 11 games. She is not noted for her point production, averaging only 4.2 points per game in her first three years at Concordia.

Joining Slack up front will be senior center Beth Drager (Wood Lake, Minn/Lakeview HS). Drager gave Concordia key minutes late in the year, and has the natural ability to dominate the game from underneath the basket. She led the MIAC in blocked shots in 2002-03 (1.88 blocks/game). She also finished last season fourth on the team in scoring (8.0 ppg) and third in rebounds (95).

Finding the elusive fifth player for the quartet of experienced players will be the key for Rahman. She has the option to go to a smaller, quicker lineup or go to a bigger, stronger squad that will try and dominate in the paint.

Concordia will start the year by playing two non-conference road games. The Cobbers will open their 2003-04 campaign by playing at Mayville State on November 21 and then follow up with a game at UM-Morris on November 25. After that, Rahman will have to guide the Cobbers through the tough waters of the MIAC. With more and more teams recruiting quality players, the depth of the league is at an all-time high. After opening the conference season by hosting St. Olaf, Concordia will face two tough road games against two of the three defending MIAC co-champions. They will play at Gustavus on December 6 and then turn around and play at St. Benâs on December 8. If Concordia can stay close until the end of the year, they will be able to close out their regular season with three of the last five games at home.

Jessica Rahman will be hoping that there is enough star quality in this yearâs Cobber lineup to go back to the future and grab another postseason appearance.

2003-04 Preseason Roster
Name             Pos Gr Ht   Hometown/HS
Cristina Aarestad G Fr 5-10 Halstad MN/Oak Grove (Fargo)
Lindsay Benson     F Fr 6-0 Maple Lake MN/Maple Lake
Beth Drager        C Sr 6-3 Wood Lake MN/Lakeview
Tori Ehlert        C So 5-10 Battle Lake MN/Battle Lake
Kari Flaagan     F/C Fr 6-0 Fargo ND/Fargo South
Breanne Gottenborg G So   5-8 Hawley MN/Hawley
Christine Johnson F Jr 5-7 Litchfield MN/Litchfield
Anne Keeley        G Fr 5-5 Grafton ND/Grafton
Amanda Levos       F Fr 6-0 Casselton ND/Central Cass
Kimmy Meyer        G Fr 5-6 Niagara ND/Larimore
Mandy Pearson      G Jr 5-5 Watkins MN/Eden Valley-Watkins
Keri Robideaux     G Fr 5-7 Grafton ND/Grafton
Brianne Schaley    F Fr 5-11 Niagara ND/Larimore
Debbie Slack     F/C Jr 5-10 Evansville MN/Evansville
Karla Solum        G So 5-6 Rothsay MN/Barnesville
Jamie Visness      G Jr 5-8 Hallock MN/Kittson Central
Karie Visness      G So 5-9 Hallock MN/Kittson Central
Leanne White       C Fr 5-11 Eden Prairie MN/Eden Prairie
Melanie Winther    G So 5-4 Evergreen CO/Evergreen

Date	Opponent/Box Score	Site	Result
Nov. 22-23	Capital Tournament	Ohio
Nov. 22	Geneva (PA)	Away	W 79-73
Nov. 23	Concordia (WI)	Away	W 84-68
Nov. 30	St. Olaf	Away	W 74-60
Dec. 2	MSU-Moorhead	Away	L 72-83
Dec. 7	Gustavus	Away	L 44-68
Dec. 9	St. Ben's	Home	L 59-76
Dec. 11	Macalester	Away	W 74-57
Dec. 14	Carleton	Home	L 65-92
Jan. 4	Bethel	Home	W 68-58
Jan. 6	St. Thomas	Away	L 77-80 OT
Jan. 11	St. Catherine	Home	W 69-65
Jan. 15	Hamline	Home	W 69-64
Jan. 18	Augsburg	Home	W 85-77 OT
Jan. 20	St. Mary's	Home	L 46-58
Jan. 22	St. Olaf	Home	W 56-51
Jan. 25	Gustavus	Home	L 59-71
Jan. 29	St. Ben's	Away	L 55-83
Feb. 1	Macalester	Home	W 68-64
Feb. 3	Bethel	Away	W 59-49
Feb. 5	St. Thomas	Home	L 56-70
Feb. 8	Carleton	Away	L 55-69
Feb. 9	St. Mary's	Away	W 66-65
Feb. 12	St. Catherine	Away	L 66-74
Feb. 15	Hamline	Away	L 75-79
Feb. 19	Augsburg	Away	W 62-53
Feb. 24	St. Ben's (MIAC First Round)	Away	L 57-74