Sports: Freshman Center Emerges as a Force
It didn’t take long for the 2006-2007 women’s basketball team to find their new personality after graduating its two all-time leading scorers in Liz Shimek and Lindsay Bowen.
By Feb. 18, when MSU upset No. 4-ranked Ohio State in Columbus 62-59, the Spartans were going full steam ahead with the new kid on the block—a human fly swatter who set the national, single-season freshman record for blocked shots.
Freshman Allyssa DeHaan, a 6-9 center from Grandville, emerged as a record-setter this season both in scoring and on defense. She capped her debut season with a stunning performance against Buckeye center Jessica Davenport, the league’s dominant figure the past three years. DeHaan not only mustered 25 points and 8 rebounds against the All-American, she also added five blocked shots and, without any trace of nerves, sank two late free throws to clinch a 62-59 upset. MSU ended Ohio State’s 30-game winning streak in the Big Ten.
“She can play against anybody in the country,” says coach Joanne McCallie, who at season’s end left MSU to become head coach at Duke.
With DeHaan patrolling the paint, MSU looked awesome this year during stretches. Despite a tough schedule which included top-ranked Maryland, LSU and other powerhouses, MSU mustered a 24-8 overall record—second winningest alltime—and a 13-3 mark in the conference, good for third place. On Feb. 11, the Spartans staged one of the most memorable comebacks in history by beating Purdue 54-52 after being 17 down with 2:18 left in the first half. MSU became one of only two Big Ten schools to win 20 games in each of the last four years.
MSU’s Breslin Center also served as a venue for the NCAA women’s tournament’s first round, drawing 21,340 fans to lead the eight venues nationwide. MSU drew 8,056 fans to its second round game against Rutgers, a 70-57 loss.
DeHaan was voted the Big Ten Freshman of the Year by both the media and the coaches, an award last won by a Spartan in 2003 when Shimek and Bowen shared it. She also earned two Big Ten Player of the Week honors. She was just the fourth freshman in MSU history to reach 300 points and 200 rebounds. She set the all-time MSU freshman record scoring record, surpassing Bowen’s previous record of 387. She also has more than 200 rebounds and set the Big Ten single season record for blocks and national Division I freshman record with 145—the seventh best in all-time NCAA history.
Seniors Victoria Lucas-Perry and Rene Haynes and sophomore Aisha Jefferson also earned All-Big Ten honors. As a class, Lucas-Perry, Haynes and fellow seniors Katrina Grantham and Myisha Bannister will leave MSU with the most wins by any class in a four-year period (103). Tri-captain Lucas-Perry was also named to ESPN The Magazine’s Academic All-District 4 Second Team and was multi-dimensional, ranking among the Big Ten leaders in seven categories.
In seven seasons as MSU coach, McCallie has taken MSU to five straight NCAA tournaments, including a Final Four appearance in 2005, and four straight 20-win seasons. McCallie has helped raise home attendance to an average of 6,646 this season, second in the Big Ten and ninth in the NCAA. She also earned victories against every Big Ten foe this season.
DeHaan was clearly the epicenter of the team’s offense and defense, providing a presence in the paint. “Don’t mistake her being quiet with her competitive nature,” observes McCallie. “She’s as competitive a player as I’ve coached.”