Nov. 7, 2001
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JUST AHEAD
Heading into their 28th year, the UNLV women's basketball team commence the 2001/02 season with two exhibition home matches slated this week against Delta Kosice, Slovakia on Thursday, Nov. 8 at 7:35 p.m. and the National Women's Basketball League on Sunday, Nov. 11 at 3 p.m. Both contests to be played in the new, Cox Pavilion.
NOW INTRODUCING...
The Lady Rebels are coming off their best season in seven years, finishing the 2000/01 campaign at 19-10 overall, 8-6 MWC for a tied for third place finish in conference play. UNLV would make its first postseason appearance since 1994 with a berth in the postseason Women's Natonal Invitational Tournament (WNIT), where the Lady Rebels advanced past the first round with a 59-56 win over Loyola Marymount. Their run would later be stopped short with a four-point loss to Oklahoma State (71-67) in the second round. Returning to the lineup are hree starters and six key letterwinners from last year's squad.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
This week's exhibition opponents are on the brink of completing their fall tour of competition against Division I women's basketball teams. Delta Kosice, Slovakia, comes in with a 1-4 record after taking a 74-64 win at Pepperdine and suffering losses at Loyola Marymount (81-50), UC Irvine (87-55), UC Santa Barbara (83-70) and UCLA (83-56). The European traveling team, with players ranging in age from 18-28, compete in the Slovakian First Division, in which they finished second in 1999, third in 2000 and sixth in 2001.
The NWBL, America's largest organized adult women's basketball league, sends its elite team comprised of former collegiate standouts and current WNBA players from the Portland Fire and Charlotte Sting, for competition against the Lady Rebels. They last defeated Boise State 72-67. but took losses versus Nevada, Reno (79-74) and Washington (81-57). The league serves more than 600 members representing NWBL Division I, II and III teams in over 25 cities inhe United States and was created in the summer of 1997 to provide women an opportunity post-college to continue to play and compete on a viable national level in America.
UNLV COACH REGINA MILLER
Regina Miller enters her fourth season as head coach. In the Miller Era, the Lady Rebels have posted three consecutive winning seasons, with last year's team making their first postseason tournament appearance since 1994. Miller has compiled a 53-33 career winning record at UNLV, the best coaching record in the last decade of the program. With the success she has established in a short period of time in Las Vegas, Miller is looking to keep the program heading in an upward direction in 2001/02.
PRESEASON KUDOS
The Lady Rebels received four votes in the first ESPN/USA TODAY Coaches Preseason Top 25 Poll and nine votes in the Associated Press Poll released on Tuesday, Nov. 6. Tabbed as a preseason top 25 team by Street & Smith's College Basketball (22), the Women's Basketball Journal (20) and Women's Basketball Magazine (25), UNLV looks to keep to its preseason billing and climb the polls through the season.
2001 EUROPEAN TOUR
Prior to the start of the 2001/02 school year, the Lady Rebels embarked on a 12-day, five-game tour of Europe. While traveling through Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, UNLV posted a perfect 5-0 record against foreign opponents. The Lady Rebels also had the opportunity to view historical sites and experience European culture. Note: The NCAA allows teams to make an overseas trip once every four years and the Lady Rebels hope to make a return in 2005.
FR?HLICH vs. THOMAS
Senior WBCA/Kodak All-American Finalist and two-time All-American (Honorable Mention) Linda Fr?hlich is on mark to break the UNLV all-time scoring record held by former Lady Rebel Misty Thomas (1982-86). Fr?hlich currently ranks second all-time with 1,761 career points and needs a magic number "132" to eclipse a record that has held up for nearly 15 years. If Fr?hlich continues to average the same 19.4 ppg as she did last year, it will only take her six games into the 2001/02 season to accomplish that feat.
I WANT MY POP HOOPS!
In an effort to increase excitement and interest with the program, the UNLV Sports Marketing department will market the Lady Rebels similar to an MTV pop music group - and this year, "Pop Hoops" is the hottest hit in town. All promotions for the 2001/02 season will be geared around the "Pop Hoops" music theme. Basketball has never sounded this good!
BACK TO THE MACK
Three doubleheaders are on tap this season, in conjunction with UNLV men's basketball games in the Thomas & Mack Center. The Lady Rebels will take on UC Santa Barbara on Dec. 30, BYU on Feb. 28 and Utah on March 2, as part of the return to the Mack. All doubleheader games tip-off at 5 p.m.
SIX FEET AND OVER CLUB
Eight players on this season's UNLV roster are six feet or taller. The newest addition to the added height in the front court, is 6-foot-2, freshman forward/center Sherry McCracklin, who is the younger sister of junior forward Dishawn McCracklin. Last season, the Lady Rebels outrebounded opponents (1,108-965) and outblocked them 78-51.
FR?HLICH TOP RETURNING MWC PLAYER Senior forward Linda Fr?hlich was picked as the top returning player in the Mountain West Conference at MWC Basketball Media Day on Oct. 9 in Denver, Colo. Fr?hlich, a two-time MWC Player of the Year, earned the honor for the third-straight year. She has led the league in scoring and rebounding the last two seasons.
MWC PRESEASON POLL
The Lady Rebels were picked fourth in the 2001 MWC Preseason Media Poll - and, for the first time in league history, Colorado State sat atop the preseason poll after claiming nine of the 14 first-place votes. The Rams finished second in the regular season a year ago, but captured the 2001 MWC Tournament title for the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Utah, defending MWC regular season champion, placed second in the poll with five first-place votes. Both teams were followed by BYU (81), UNLV (68), New Mexico (62), Wyoming (40), San Diego State (35) and Air Force (14).
THE MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE
Ranked the seventh best conference in the women's basketball RPI ratings, the Mountain West Conference has become one of the premier leagues in the sport. Five of its eight teams advanced to postseason play in 2000/01. Colorado State and Utah advanced to the NCAA Tournament, while New Mexico, UNLV and BYU made the postseason WNIT.
LADY REBELS ON THE AIR
The 2001/02 season marks the 18th year and 15th consecutive season that Lady Rebel basketball games will be broadcast over the radio waves. It will also be the third year for all of the Lady Rebel basketball games to be heard over the Internet and throughout the world on www.unlvrebels.com. Bob Blum, the dean of West Coast broadcasters, begins his 15th season calling play-by-play for Lady Rebel Basketball on KENO 1460 AM. Joining him for her fifth season on air will be former Lady Rebel Cheryl Kosewicz. Blum will host the Regina Miller Show 10-minutes prior to the tip for each game.
LADY REBELS ON NATIONAL TELEVISION
The Lady Rebels will enjoy their share of radio and television coverage in the 2001/02 season. An ESPN2 game at New Mexico on Jan. 6, 2001 highlights the schedule, meanwhile KTUD, UPN Channel 25 + Cable 14, will continue their television coverage of Lady Rebel Basketball with Tim Neveritt and Trip Mitchell calling the action for a total of eight games this season (tape delays).
