Jan. 25, 2012
by: Camron Ghorbi
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – It was a tough week for Head Coach Katie Meier. With the No. 10 Hurricanes riding a five-game winning streak into their matchup with Virginia Tech, news broke that All-ACC forward Morgan Stroman would miss the remainder of the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon. Another of Meier’s most reliable weapons, senior guard Riquna Williams, was dealing with personal issues that forced her to miss practice. So for the first time in nearly two seasons, the coach penciled in a new starting line-up for the team’s matchup with the Hokies.
And how did her Hurricanes respond? Simple: a 31-point conference victory that stretched Miami’s streak to 35-straight wins at the BankUnited Center.
“With a lot of change, and you come out with this margin of victory against a team like Virginia Teach that has been holding people in the 50’s…it says a lot for our offensive composure and execution,” Coach Meier said after the game.
With sophomore guard Krystal Saunders and junior center Shawnice Wilson earning their first career starts as Hurricanes, the team didn’t miss a beat. Even with Williams registering a season-low ten minutes, the Hurricanes shot an impressive 54.6% from the field and turned the ball over only 13 times against a stingy Tech defense.
That’s not to suggest losing Stroman won’t hurt the Hurricanes in the long run. Even Shenise Johnson admitted it was an odd feeling not running and gunning with No. 32 on the BankUnited parquet. But for at least one night, Miami demonstrated its frighteningly-deep roster with a relentless press defense and a career night from junior guard Stefanie Yderstrom (22 points).
“It was strange [not having her out there], and we definitely do miss Stro,” Johnson said after the team’s blowout win. “But she’s not gone. She’s still in our ear. She’s still in spirit.”
In light of the news regarding Stroman's injury, an impromptu casting call was set. And though no player can truly replicate the level of energy Stroman provides the Hurricanes, many enjoyed some impressive auditions.
There was smooth-shooting Krystal Saunders, whose importance to team chemistry was emphasized by Meier in her postgame commentary. There was rugged Maria Brown, whose minutes figure to increase down low in Stroman’s absence. And then there was Jessica Capers, who Meier described as a “beast” in practice and whose four rebounds did not adequately measure her invaluable impact on the glass.
“We lose a lot of our length [with Stroman’s injury] but we can go with a little more of a power set,” Meier said. “I think with Maria, Sylvia [Bullock], Pepper and Capers, those are four very strong women. When we go in, you’re going to feel it.”
In the end, Coach Meier knows what it’s going to take from her Hurricanes to overcome such a major speed bump. If every player can rise their game to the occasion, nothing is impossible for this team.
“Overall we knew we could still give a little bit more, just had to give a little more each,” Meier said. “One more rebound for each person, one more tip for each person, and we can handle it. I was very proud, I just thought that was one of our best team games of the year.”
