Sports: Respect for MSU Women Cagers

            Big Ten women’s basketball coaches picked MSU to finish second in the league, showing great respect for Joanne McCallie’s emerging program.  They also picked junior sharpshooter Lindsay Bowen to the pre-season All-Big Ten team.

            Last season, MSU went 22-9 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament.  The Spartans were 10-6 and tied for fourth in the Big Ten.   Guard Bowen notched 66 treys while leading the team with 13.5 points and 2.4 assists per game. 

            Other key players for MSU include senior point guard Kristin Haynie, senior center Kelli Roehrig, junior forward Liz Shimek, and sophomore guard Victoria Lucas-Perry.  MSU alumni will have an opportunity to see MSU’s high octane team, since three of MSU games this season will be broadcast by FSN Chicago and others could be on ESPN or ESPN2.

            McCallie herself received some kudos in being named to the New England Basketball Hall of Fame.  A native of Maine, she enjoyed eight successful seasons as head basketball coach for the University of Maine, going 167-73 with six straight NCAA appearances. 

            Assistant coach Ann Marie Gilbert, former Oberlin standout, returns for her third season at MSU.  Debuting as assistants are Al Brown, who won three national championships while an assistant at Tennessee from 1996-98, and Semeka Randall, a former Tennessee All-American and WNBA player with the San Antonio Silver Stars.  Both Brown and Randall were part of Tennessee’s 1998 national championship team that went 39-0;  Randall started as a freshman, averaged 15.9 points, and earned All-American recognition.