by Tom Froemming
Issue date: 11/9/06 Section: Womens Sports
Like every other college program, the Minnesota State women's basketball team was faced with the difficult task of replacing talented seniors who graduated. This year, however, MSU head coach Lori Fish also had to fill a spot on her coaching staff.
With the loss of the Mavericks' only two post players, Arin Andrews and Stacy Duarte, the team desperately needed to add size. Luckily for the Mavs, a pair of Division I transfers returned home to Minnesota and enrolled at MSU.
Teresa Parker, a 6-1 sophomore who played at Southern Illinois, and Mari Korton, a 6-1 redshirt freshman who transferred from Bradley, fill the holes for the Mavericks. Parker played her high school ball alongside MSU sophomore Flecia Foster at Pequot Lakes High School. Fish said the two are close friends, a fact that she said definitely didn't' hurt MSU's chances of landing Parker. Korton, who is from Coon Rapids, Minn., is battling a knee injury and hasn't been at full strength yet.
"We are fortunate that [Parker and Korton], for whatever reason, decided to transfer in," Fish said. "It's a blessing for us."
MSU senior guard Alanna Wahl said she feels the addition of Parker and Korton combined with junior Anna Voltmer and sophomore Alex Andrews gives the Mavericks the quickest, most athletic posts in the North Central Conference.
"I think Teresa is awesome," Wahl said. "Everyday I think she gets better and better. She's just a really talented player and she's very quick for a tall post."
Freshman Liz Trauger from Livermore, Iowa is also expected to contribute. Trauger was the leading scorer in Iowa girl's high school basketball as a senior, averaging 30 points per game.
The Mavericks also lost Stacie Johnson and Heather Peterson last year, and while the team was already deep in the backcourt, Fish brought in a pair of players she's excited about.
Freshman Tiffany Moe, who stands 5-9, gives the team size at the point. She carries herself like a player with far more college basketball experience than someone who only has a few weeks of full practices under her belt. Moe is a serious contender to replace Johnson at the point. Fellow freshman Amanda Nygaard shares the same grit and toughness Johnson possessed, but is on a team cluttered with talented guards.
According to Fish, the most helpful off-season acquisition for her has been assistant coach Pam Gohl, who comes to MSU from Briar Cliff where she was the Chargers' head coach.
"It's made a huge difference," Fish said. "I think I've got the best coaches and we work so well together and it's so much fun. Just to have someone who has gone through what I go through everyday, she has made my life simple."
Fish said the coaching staff is like a happy family as her and Gohl were on the same coaching staff at St. Cloud State when MSU graduate assistant coach Jessica Abrahams, the third piece to the coaching puzzle, was playing for the Huskies.
Tom Froemming is the Reporter Editor in Chief
