AU’s womens basketball team The Eagles aims to earn its first bid to the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament in team history and to place first in the Patriot League.
“I think we have as good of a chance as anybody,” head coach Megan Gebbia said on the prospect of her team winning the Patriot League this season. “The team chemistry has been terrific. Everybody is trying to work together and get it done.”
The Eagles have been predicted to finish second place in the Patriot League preseason poll, receiving one of the 20 first place votes. This is a notable improvement from one year ago when the Eagles were predicted to finish sixth out of 10.
In Gebbia’s first year at the helm of the AU Women’s Basketball program, her team finished third place in regular season play. The team reached the Patriot League semifinals before losing to eventual champions Army. The Eagles earned a bid for the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) and lost in an extremely close first round contest to Seton Hall University.
Players To Watch
Jen Dumiak (Senior Guard)
As a junior, Jen Dumiak ranked third on the team in scoring and second in assists. She has averaged at least 10 points per game in her last two seasons, and with the departure of guard Alexis Dobbs, those numbers are expected to increase. Dumiak also enters her senior year ranked eighth in AU history in assists with 272. If she matches her 133 assists from last year, she will become second in the school’s history. She was also recently selected to the preseason first team all-conference list.
Shaquilla “Girly” Curtis (Senior Guard)
“A spark off the bench,” last season according to coach Gebbia, Shaquilla Curtis will now have to prove herself as a starter. After playing in all 32 games last season, Curtis has the experience that could allow her to make a significant impact this year. Offensively, she can be a huge asset this season for AU. With a limited number of minutes last season Curtis was still able to contribute with her fair share of points, assists and the always dynamic offensive rebounds. Averaging only 16.5 minutes per game, Curtis tallied 41 offensive rebounds per game. She ended last season ranked second on the team for offensive rebounds.
Michelle Holmes (Junior Forward)
An efficient shooter with an eye for the basket, Michelle Holmes will look to keep improving in her junior year. Holmes led the entire conference last season in field goal percentage with 64.3 percent and also led her team in rebounds per game with 4.9. She is another player who mainly came off the bench last season and will likely see more minutes and more starts throughout the season ahead. Coach Gebbia hopes that Holmes will have the opportunity to greatly improve her skills this season with the additional playing time.
Key Non-Conference Games
George Washington, Nov. 17
AU lost only four non-conference games last season; one of those losses came at the hands of GW. This year the Eagles will try to enact revenge when they host their cross-district rivals in their home opener. GW finished fourth in the Atlantic 10 last season with an overall record of 23-11. This will be an important game for the Eagles as they look to start off the season strong.
Gonzaga (South Point Thanksgiving Shootout), Nov. 28
Gonzaga finished last season atop the West Coast Conference and ranked No. 18 in the country. In a preseason poll, the Zags were picked to win their 11th straight WCC title. This game will be a difficult early test for the Eagles and could be a game that stands out on a NCAA Tournament resume.
University of Maryland, Dec. 12
In their first season as members of the Big Ten Conference, the Terrapins are already preseason favorites to win the conference. After an impressive last season in the ACC that was capped off by a final four run, Maryland looks to make it even further this year. Gebbia said that her team has been circling this game since the start of practice this year, but it will be a massive challenge to pull of the upset against the preseason No. 10 team.
Biggest Threats to American in the Patriot League
Army
The Eagles lost their only Patriot League game last season to the Black Knights, and Army also ousted AU in the semifinals of the Patriot League Tournament. The Black Knights finished the regular season second in the conference behind only Navy, but Army ultimately claimed the tournament championship after defeating Holy Cross. Junior guard Kelsey Minato returns for the Black Knights after ranking in the top 20 nationally in scoring, free throw percentage and 3-point field goal percentage as a sophomore. The Patriot League pre-season rankings show Army as the favorite to repeat as conference tournament champions, and the Black Knights will play the Eagles on Jan. 24 and Feb. 21, 2015.
Bucknell
The Eagles defeated Bucknell in both of their meetings last season, but the Bison currently sit in third place with Holy Cross in the preseason polls. Bucknell lost a very important player in guard Shelby Romine, but the Bison have a preseason all-conference selection in senior forward Audrey Dotson and 2013/14 Patriot League Rookie of the Year forward Claire DeBoer who will help fill the void. Bucknell will face off against AU on Dec. 31 and again in the final game of the regular season on Feb. 28
Bottom Line:
Even in such a competitive conference as the Patriot League, this year’s Eagles squad has a legitimate shot at winning their conference and becoming one of the most consistently good mid-major teams. Gebbia has proven that she can consistently earn wins and an experienced team this year has the opportunity to prove themselves as a continual force in the conference.
