Conference and National Respect

The 2011-12 BGSU Women's Basketball Team opens their season this Friday, November 11th, at Dayton

We never have, nor ever will, put much stock into pre-season polls. It’s difficult for us to figure out what our young team will be like tomorrow,  let alone how they’ll do for an entire season! But though pre-season polls mean nothing in regards to how a team will perform in the long season ahead, it sometimes carries a message as to how others perceive your program. That’s why, though we graduated six seniors, four of whom were starters, who combined for over 6,000 points and 2,500 rebounds, we were shocked as two pre-season polls – the MAC Pre-Season Poll and the National Mid-Major Top 25 Poll had us so highly ranked!

In the MAC poll, conducted by the coaches and media representatives of all twelve MAC schools, we were picked to win the East Division. Only going to reinforce further the idea that we have a bulls-eye on our back, it is also a great sign of respect from the rest of the coaches and personnel around the conference.  For your peers to vote your program to the top when it returns just 30% of our scoring and 40% of our rebounding, it says a lot about how much they respect not so much our team but our entire program, and though we will be young, our expectations will not change.

Even more surprising was the recent National Mid-Major Top 25 Pre-Season Poll that was recently released, and had us ranked at #6 in the nation! The panel, made up of 30 coaches from 23 Mid-Major Conferences across the nation, truly honored us with such a great sign of respect, ranking us so highly despite the fact that we are basically an entire new team this year.

For us to be ranked so highly after graduating those six seniors (and all their points and rebounds!) does give us a touch of pride. It is an honor knowing our program is so well-respected by our coaching peers not only in our conference but nationally as well. The only expectations higher than those of the voters is our own! It will take a lot of patience and growing pains to meet the expectations we have for ourselves, but we wouldn’t want it any other way!

In High Demand

Coach Miller is known nationally not only for his ability to teach his players the game, but in assisting fellow coaches as well!

One of the more flattering aspects of being a head coach at the Division I level is that when your peers and colleagues truly respect what you’ve accomplished, you can be asked to speak at coaching clinics. Thus, it’s not a big surprise, but flattering nonetheless, that Coach Miller is asked multiple times a year to speak at clinics all over the country.

Though it is extremely difficult to honor such requests with all the time demands running your own Division I program brings,  Coach Miller recently did find time this past Friday to speak at the University of Indianapolis Coaches Clinic. The clinic’s speakers included among others Matt Painter, Purdue University’s Men’s Head Coach, Rob Senderoff, Kent State’s new Men’s Head Coach, and Sharon Versyp, Purdue’s Women’s Head Coach. Speaking in front of over 100 Indiana High School Boys and Girls coaches, Coach Miller demonstrated some of our secondary breaks and early offenses. Judging by the numerous requests he’s been getting from coaches who attended the clinic asking for more information, and/or to come watch practice and meet with him, it’s a reasonable assumption to think that his topic was well received.

And for fans who worry that Coach Versyp was taking very detailed notes in order to help prepare for our November 17^th game in the first official women’s basketball game in the Stroh Center, Coach Miller wanted everyone to know that he was very informative, but that he didn’t share ALL our secrets!

Though travelling and speaking at various clinics adds more responsibility and time constraints on an already stressful schedule, Coach Miller will continue to go out and speak nationally about our program - both an honor to him personally, and a tremendous way to represent our program and Bowling Green State University.

Coach Miller will continue to go out and speak nationally about our program - both an honor to him personally, and a tremendous way to represent our program and Bowling Green State University.

Community Service at the Black Swamp Arts Festival

Maribeth Giese, Alexis Rogers and Deborah Hoekstra assist with tying shirts.

Shanique Ogle helps kids dye their shirts.

One of our youngest super-fans, Alex Popovich, shows off his newly dyed shirt!

We have a lot of pride in our program – proud of our seven straight championships, proud of our nationally-ranked team GPA, proud of our new home at the Stroh Center – but another area that we take great pride in is our community service.

           

This past weekend our team participated in the annual Black Swamp Arts Festival, a nationally-renowned three-day affair that draws thousands of people from all over the country to Bowling Green. So on Sunday, as most college students slept in, our entire team was up and at it, volunteering to help at the Tie-Dye tent at the festival.

Throughout the morning and well into the afternoon, the team worked through rain and shine, bringing smile after smile to the faces of the hundreds of kids and parents that stopped by to create a shirt. It was a true team effort, as our team had specific responsibilities, including checking kids in, tying shirts up with rubber bands, assisting the kids as they dyed their shirts, and even bagging them up when done. For some of the freshmen it was their first community service event with the team, and quite an eye-opener. Freshman Shanique Ogle said “I was shocked how many people came to the tent just to say hi to us, and how many autographs we signed! I knew the community loved their BG Women’s Basketball, but I didn’t realize how much!” The veterans, too, enjoyed themselves. Junior Co-Captain Chrissy Steffen went on to say, “I’ve volunteered for the Black Swamp every year, and each time I have more and more fun. I’m looking forward to it next year already!”

Judging by the smiles on the kids’ faces, we’re pretty sure the community is looking forward to having us back too!

My First Week as a Falcon

Freshman Logan Pastor, shown above from a high school game last year, was kind enough to share with us how her first week as a BG freshmen went - her blog is below.

On Friday, August 19, 2011, I arrived at BGSU and, with the help of my coaches, family, and teammates, moved into the brand new freshmen dorm, Centennial Hall. After spending the summer in Offenhauer with my roommate Kaila and fellow freshmen Jasmine, Shanique, and Deborah, I didn’t think it could get much better in dorm-life. But wow was I wrong! Centennial Hall is phenomenal. The best part (besides my teammates of course!) might be having our own personal bathroom…(except we have to clean it). Computer labs, flat screens tv’s, free laundry, the community kitchen – there are still things we haven’t discovered yet. The new dorm is simply incredible!

So following a fun opening weekend of hanging out with my teammates, and eating at the brand new dining facilities, I was ready to celebrate my birthday on Monday in style! Unfortunately, that meant it was time for the dreaded Gauntlet. We awoke early on Monday morning (yes, it was my birthday) and made our way to the track, where our coaches watched and supported us as we attacked the Gauntlet, a rugged fitness test we had trained for all summer. I will save you the gory details, but it’s definitely not the most fun way to spend a birthday. However, it was awesome seeing the team support one another the way we did, and it really showed me what being a part of this program is all about. The championships are great, but it is bond we share as friends and teammates that make this place so special.

The rest of the week almost seems a blur, with classes, weights, conditioning, and our first-ever individual workout on Friday. Rather than simply resting up over the weekend, we helped with visits from two really groovy recruits, and also interacted with the community at the Falcon Sports Kickoff on Saturday night. It was great meeting so many people who love and support BGSU Women’s Basketball!

The Gauntlet may not be the most ideal way of spending my birthday, but after my first week of college, I wouldn’t change a thing.

Jill Stein's Blog about her Trip to Guatemala

Jill and her friend Wilson, one of the many new friends she made on her trip to Guatemala.

Recently sophomore Jill Stein returned from her 10 day trip to Guatemala, and was kind enough to blog about her experience for us!

People often hear about third-world countries and the devastation that is taking place, but because we are blessed enough to live in a place where we can go to the sink and get a glass full of clean, cold water or flush our toilet paper down after we’re done (sick, I know!), we often don’t take the time to think of the millions or even trillions of people around the world that don’t (and will probably never) experience these simple things. The past two weeks I have had the opportunity to go on a mission trip in Guatemala through an organization called ‘Champions in Action’. The mission of this organization is to connect “the disadvantaged youth of Guatemala to mentors through premier sports camps”. This means that for a week a group of 100 boys, ages 12-18, came to a premier soccer camp about two and a half hours outside the capital city.

During this time, myself, along with 30 other Americans from the Bowling Green area had the opportunity to teach these boys the fundamentals of the game they love so much. (Just as a side note, I once heard a story that two gangs of boys that were fighting, stopped the fight for a two-hour period just to play soccer. Unfortunately, after the game they continued fighting. But this gives you an idea as to how much these boys love their futbol!) Our typical day while at the camp looked something like this:

-Wake up at 6:15 for a warm-up at 6:30

-Warm-up 6:30-7:30

-Short group time 7:30-8

-Breakfast 8-9

-Devotional time 9-9:45

-Morning session/stations 9:45-12:30

- Swim time 12:30-1:30

- Lunch 1:30 -2:30

- Afternoon session/games 2:30-5:30

- Showers 5:30-6:30

-Dinner 6:30-8

-Down time 8-8:30

-Chapel service 8:30-10:30

-Lights out 10:30

So as you can see, we were working with a very tight schedule.

As important as the soccer was to the boys, our true mission there was to show them love and serve them like they have never experienced before. Most of these boys were from different ‘red zones’ throughout the city. A red zone is an especially dangerous area normally ran by gangs and drug lords. Unfortunately, most of these boys have lost their fathers to gang violence or prison and their mothers to drug addiction. Therefore, these boys have found a false sense of love from a gang leader or drug lord since they don’t receive any love from their families at home. This is another area in my life that I came home especially thankful for. Family is definitely something that many people take for granted (I know I have before), but after seeing 12 year old boys on the streets without a mother or father, you look at your life much differently. We are truly blessed.

So our main job throughout the week was to break down the walls of anger and rejection that the boys have built up their entire lives because they had no other way to cope with their situation. Instead, we replaced that anger and rejection with love, hope, and joy. When the boys would ask, “Why are you here? Why do you love us like this?” We would always reply, “We are just showing you the love the God has shown us” (1 John 4:19). For the first couple days it was hard for the boys to comprehend that they have always had and will always have a heavenly Father that will never leave them like their earthly fathers may have.

There was an extreme shift in all 100 of the boys from the time they arrived at camp on Sunday until the time we left on Friday. It warms my hearth to think of the glow in their eyes when I had to say goodbye knowing that they now know that gangs and drugs are not the only way to live. There is a much better way of life and they can achieve that with Christ by their side (Phil 4:13).

The past two weeks has been one of the best times of my life by far. I not only got to love on boys that needed it more than I could have imagined, but I also grew a lot myself. The Lord showed me all the ways I am truly blessed and that I don’t need all the material things in the world today to be happy. I’ve learned it is much more rewarding to share my God-given gifts, like love and joy, with others than to buy the next generation iPhone for my own personal enjoyment.

So I hope this little excerpt of my trip (I could write another 10 pages!) is encouraging and makes you think about all the blessings in your life you experience every day without even thinking about. I also challenge you to think of the ways you can show love to others around you. It doesn’t mean that you have to go to Guatemala on a mission trip or anything. You can show love to someone by just opening the door for them as you walk into the store or picking up papers that someone has dropped all over the floor. Little things like this may make someone’s day, and you might not even know it. I promise it will change your perspective on things, just as it has changed mine. God Bless!!!! J

Love,

Jill Stein

What BGSU Basketball is All About!

Junior Simone Eli passes to a teammate during the 2010-11 Championship season. Simone, a walk-on her first two years, has earned a scholarship for her remaining two years because of her hard work and dedication to the program.

The following is a story that recently appeared in the Port Clinton News Herald about junior Simone Eli. Written by Matthew Horn, it is a fantastic article not only about Simone, but about what our program is all about, and the biggest factor in our success - team chemistry, and having a team of players and coaches that care for each other. Hope you enjoy the story - I know our staff sure did!

Genoa grad plays role on MAC championship team

Eli awarded scholarship as junior

Simone Eli had one field goal and two free throws for five points in 23 minutes over 13 games as a sophomore wing for Bowling Green State University's women's basketball team last season.

But Falcons coach Curt Miller considers Eli to be a very important piece to a puzzle that includes Mid-American Conference titles and NCAA Tournament appearances each of the last two years.

So what will Eli have as a junior? A scholarship.

"Simone is a feel-good story for our program," Miller said. "It's about her, but also our program. A player who scored one basket from the field last year earned a full-ride athletic scholarship. That tells you that sometimes the good guys are rewarded.

"She has earned a scholarship for a perennial champ because of her character and what she means to the team. That could never be reflected in stats. She understands she won't be a superstar in our program but she holds a valuable place."

Eli, a Genoa graduate, has relished her role simulating the opposition's top shooter in practices.

"She can help us stretch the floor and make 3s," Miller said. "She has a unique ability that many in Division 1 basketball don't -- she can make 3s when closely guarded. She has a quick release she can get off while contested.

"She creates driving lanes. That's more important than any stat. She brings the intangibles you need in a winning program."

Eli, who passed on full scholarship Division II opportunities to be part of the Falcons, takes pride in her role but is not satisfied with her playing time.

"I've accepted that and cherished that role," she said. "Twenty minutes or 20 seconds -- it's been my championship as well as everybody else's on the team. An opportunity has been presented for this season and I plan on earning more playing time.

"I knew when I chose to come to BG I wasn't going to be placed on scholarship till I was a junior and that it wouldn't be given to me. I'll work hard every day in practice and off the court. There is an opportunity for everybody on the team."

The Falcons have only one senior on the roster for the next season.

"We have five young freshmen," Miller said. "There are nine players on the roster in their freshman or sophomore season so it's important to show leadership and help the younger kids understand the championship culture we've created at Bowling Green."

Eli has developed into a bit of a fan favorite, a phenomenon common for some role players in successful programs. The fan base got a kick out of Eli burying a three-pointer for the Falcons' final points at Anderson Arena.

Miller, however, playfully won't let Eli forget she failed to get back on defense in her elation and also gave up the final basket.

Eli was second-team all-Ohio, Northwest District co-player of the year and Suburban Lakes League player of the year as she averaged 20.6 points, 4.6 assists and 2.8 steals as a senior for the Comets. She was part of two SLL championship teams, scored 1,000-plus points and established a program record with 176 threes in her career.

"Coming out of high school and having the success I had, it grounds you," she said. "It's been a humbling experience, but I haven't just sat back and waited. I had a great opportunity to watch Lauren Prochaska play and learn that position where she dominated for four years."

Eli, who plans to become a sports broadcaster, is in line to graduate a year early and pursue a master's in media communications. Her work ethic extends off the court as she's currently an intern at FOX Toledo and will be sports director for BG-24, the television station at BGSU, next semester.

Eli is liked and respected by teammates.

"Championship programs are built in the locker room," Miller said. "We've had the best team chemistry and cohesiveness of any team in the MAC. We work very hard to bring in high-character kids."

The Falcons have a familial bond as a team that even includes the community.

"It's my best friends," Eli said. "I couldn't ask for a better coaching staff. My teammates mean the world to me. We support each other in success and failure. Luckily, there aren't too many failures to talk about.

"(Winning is) the cherry on top of the cake."

Eli has experienced what she considers to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity advancing to the NCAA Tournament twice. She hopes to become a more integral part of the Falcons' formula the next two seasons.

"I'm honored to play for such a great program and community," she said. "There's been nothing as rewarding than to wear a Bowling Green jersey. My dad (Art) played baseball in the early 80s. To follow in his footsteps and make my family proud ... they've supported me all the way, and it's meant the world to me to represent Genoa.

"We expect to be successful and win the MAC."

Email Matthew Horn at mhorn@gannett.com.

Number 11 in the Nation!

Few things get Coach Miller as excited as his team being nationally ranked for their academic success!

Recently I talked about how proud we were of our academic accomplishments, and we can add one more to the list – while the staff and I were on the road recruiting, the WBCA came out with the Top 25 GPA’s in Women’s Basketball, and for the 3^rd consecutive year, we were in the Top 25! This year, with our team GPA of 3.433 we came in ranked #11 nationally – an honor that I am so, so proud of! These young women epitomize the best of what it means to be a “student-athlete”. They not only balance workouts, practice, games, and road trips with their education, but they excel at it! What a way to cap off a tremendous year for our program – a 7^th straight championship, another trip to the NCAA Tournament, and a GPA ranked 11^th in the nation – doesn’t get much better than that!

I would be remiss, too, if I didn’t give a shout out to our Director of Academic Services, Ashley Baker, and Kerry Jones, who works directly with our team. Thank you for all your help!

Below is the final list of the Top 25 GPA’s in Women’s Basketball:

The 2011 WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll for NCAA Division I is as follows:

	Institution	2010-11 Head Coach	Team GPA
1	South Dakota State University	Aaron Johnston	3.666
2	Bucknell University	Kathy Fedorjaka	3.632
3	DePaul University	Douglas Bruno	3.582
4	Creighton University	Jim Flanery	3.527
5	Utah Valley University	Cathy Nixon	3.524
6	Indiana State University	Teri Moren	3.518
7	University of Hartford	Jennifer Rizzoti	3.456
8	University of New Mexico	Yvonne Sanchez	3.454
9	University of Dayton	James Jabir	3.445
10	Canisius College	Terrence Zeh	3.441
11	Bowling Green State University	Curt Miller	3.433
12	Montana State University-Bozeman	Tricia Binford	3.419
13	University of Montana	Robin Selvig	3.411
14	University of Akron	Jodi Kest	3.405
15	University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee	Sandy Botham	3.402
16	Oakland University	Beckie Francis	3.399
17	Youngstown State University	Robert Boldon	3.395
18	University of South Dakota	Ryun Williams	3.390
19	University of Wisconsin, Green Bay	Matthew Bollant	3.378
20	University of Maryland, Baltimore County	Phil Stern	3.374
21	Lipscomb University	Frank Bennett	3.373
T22	University of North Dakota	Gene Roebuck	3.358
T22	University of Northern Colorado	Jaime White	3.358
24	University of Evansville	Oties Epps	3.340
25	University of Denver	Erik Johnson	3.335