Injuries pose an early concern
The Ferris State women’s basketball team has many obstacles to overcome and the season has not even begun.
Both injury and the flu have hit the team hard this season. Approximately two weeks ago, the team could hardly practice because it had only four players healthy. Dorow said the team has had several cases of the flu, including the H1N1 virus, causing players to miss precious practice time.
The biggest loss the team has suffered is their only senior, center Andrea Clancy, broke her fibula and will miss the remainder of the year. Head coach Tracey Dorow said the team will miss Clancy’s presence in the paint.
“We are not only going to miss her play, but also her vocal presence and her confidence,” said Dorow.
Junior and co-captain Stephanie DeNoyelles suffered an ACL injury during the summer and will miss the first part of the 2009-2010 season. She is currently rehabbing four days a week and is hoping to get back on the court in January.
Junior Amy Joostberns and freshman Leah Kebler have both suffered concussions and the team hopes they will be able to get back on the court sometime soon.
Going into the season, the team was already very young with only one senior and four juniors on the roster. With the injuries to Clancy and DeNoyelles, the team will have to rely on the younger players to step up. From what the team demonstrated in its exhibition game, Dorow believes they are up to the challenge.
“We have a lot of players stepping up and doing a lot of great things,” said Dorow.
Stephanie DeNoyelles said all the players missing playing time may be at a disadvantage, but now that they are over the flu, the team is starting to find some rhythm.
“We showed in our exhibition game against Oakland that we have a lot of potential to be a great team, given our unusual circumstances,” said DeNoyelles.