Challenges await: Youthful NMU women face early-season gauntlet away from home
Northern Michigan University head coach Casey Thousand signals to the Wildcats during a GLIAC women’s basketball game played against Michigan Tech at Vandament Arena in Marquette on Feb. 19. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)
Northern Michigan University’s Sydney Whitehouse, right, goes up for a shot and is fouled during a GLIAC game played against Purdue Northwest at Vandament Arena in Marquette on Jan. 22. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)
From left, Northern Michigan University’s Jordyn Schmittdiel gives Megan Marta a high-five with teammate Ava Bates watching after Marta sank a shot during their GLIAC game played at Vandament Arena in Marquette on Jan. 3. Marta is a Westwood High School graduate. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)
Northern Michigan University head coach Casey Thousand signals to the Wildcats during a GLIAC women’s basketball game played against Michigan Tech at Vandament Arena in Marquette on Feb. 19. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)
Northern Michigan University’s Sydney Whitehouse, right, goes up for a shot and is fouled during a GLIAC game played against Purdue Northwest at Vandament Arena in Marquette on Jan. 22. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)
From left, Northern Michigan University’s Jordyn Schmittdiel gives Megan Marta a high-five with teammate Ava Bates watching after Marta sank a shot during their GLIAC game played at Vandament Arena in Marquette on Jan. 3. Marta is a Westwood High School graduate. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)
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MARQUETTE -- The women's basketball team at Northern Michigan University will be challenged trying to duplicate its past three seasons under fifth-year head coach Casey Thousand this fall.
The Wildcats have won at least 22 games each of the past three seasons, which also netted NMU an NCAA Division II Tournament appearance each time.
But this fall's Northern squad returns without a player in the senior class after five of them graduated from last year's 25-8 team that marked its most wins since the 1999-2000 campaign.
However, one underclassman who is back is 5-foot-8 junior guard-forward Sydney Whitehouse, who was named the Sixth Woman of the Year in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference last spring.
As the coach played a set starting lineup for every game last season, Whitehouse came off the bench for all 33 games and still averaged nearly 19 minutes per contest while scoring 9.6 points and grabbing 4.3 rebounds per game. She shot 43.1% overall from the field, including 35.2% on 3-pointers while sinking 19 of them.
The Wildcats just released their season schedule on Tuesday, which includes 10 home games among 30 in all in the regular season.
In a rather unusual twist, NMU not only opens the season on the road, but won't play a home game until early January, Thursday, Jan. 7, to be exact, when the Wildcats host Upper Peninsula rival Michigan Tech at 5:30 p.m. at Vandament Arena.
Before that, this Northern team will likely feel that the Justagame Fieldhouse in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, is like a second home considering NMU will play six of its first eight games there in late October through November.
With those considered neutral-site games, that narrows the home-road gap considerably to 10 home games and 14 true road encounters.
Thousand should be up to the challenge of coaching her relatively young charges away from home, considering she's compiled an 85-40 overall record, a .680 winning percentage, and 53-23 GLIAC mark (.697) in her first four seasons at the Wildcats' helm.
On the Northern athletics website, she is listed as without any assistant coaches at this time.
Northern finished at 15-5 in the GLIAC this past spring, good for fourth place as only four league teams finished with a winning record in the top-heavy conference.
The Wildcats won their GLIAC tourney opener at home vs. MTU, 74-66, then lost to eventual national champion Grand Valley State 66-38 in the tourney semifinals at the Lakers' home court in Allendale.
That was enough to draw NMU an NCAA at-large bid as the Wildcats then lost to another GLIAC foe, Wayne State, 77-61, in the Midwest Region opener back in Allendale.
GVSU not only ran through the field to capture the national title, it won every tourney game but one by at least 20 points, including a 72-49 thumping of Indiana (Pennsylvania) in the finals. The Lakers' only relatively close tourney game was a 69-59 win over former GLIAC member Northwood in the Midwest Region finals.
Last season's successful Northern team was anchored by seniors Jacy Weisbrod and Sarah Newcomer, both of whom were named to the GLIAC First Team.
This year's 17-player squad includes four juniors, six sophomores and seven freshmen, including redshirts.
The schedule opens at the Midwest Tip-Off Challenge at Wisconsin Dells with three nonconference encounters on consecutive afternoons. Central Missouri is the first foe on Friday, Oct. 30, followed by Truman State (Missouri) on Saturday, Oct. 31, and Minnesota State-Mankato on Sunday, Nov. 1.
After the Wildcats return home, they turn right around to go back to the Dells for two more nonconference games vs. Lewis (Illinois) on Friday, Nov. 13, and Upper Iowa on Saturday, Nov. 14.
Three more nonleague road games follow during the week around Thanksgiving, which is Nov. 25 this year. They'll be at St. Cloud State (Minnesota) on Friday, Nov. 20, at Minnesota-Duluth on Saturday, Nov. 21, and in Wisconsin Dells again to face Winona State (Minnesota) on Saturday, Nov. 28.
Then Northern jumps into the GLIAC schedule for just two games in early December, traveling to Chicago to face Roosevelt on Thursday, Dec. 3, and at Kenosha, Wisconsin, to square off vs. Wisconsin-Parkside on Saturday, Dec. 5.
With the league slate not picking up again until New Year's Eve, the Wildcats in the meantime travel south for their final pair of nonconference games, going to Ashland (Ohio) on Thursday, Dec. 17, and to Midland to take on Northwood on Saturday, Dec. 19.
After that, the schedule is all conference games. Still remaining away from Marquette, NMU travels to Grand Rapids to face Davenport on Thursday, Dec. 31, and to Big Rapids to take on Ferris State on Saturday, Jan. 2.
Then finally comes the first home game vs. the Huskies the following week, which opens an avalanche of games at Vandament -- 10 of the final 16 to be exact.
After the home game vs. the Huskies on Thursday, Jan. 7, the Wildcats host Wayne State on Saturday, Jan. 9, another U.P. rival in Lake Superior State on Thursday, Jan. 14, and Saginaw Valley State on Saturday, Jan. 16.
After that, the Wildcats alternate pairs of road games and home games the rest of the way.
A quick trip puts Northern at Grand Valley on Saturday, Jan. 23, and in Hammond, Indiana, to face Purdue Northwest on Saturday, Jan. 23.
They host Ferris on Thursday, Jan. 28, and Davenport on Saturday, Jan. 30, the second game marking a milestone -- that's the sixth game at Vandament this season to match the half-dozen played in Wisconsin Dells.
The next road trip is at University Center to play SVSU on Thursday, Feb. 4, and at Sault Ste. Marie to face LSSU on Saturday, Feb. 6.
After that is home games vs. GVSU on Thursday, Feb. 11, and vs. Purdue NW on Saturday, Feb. 13.
Then comes the final road trip in Houghton against Tech on Thursday, Feb. 18, and in Detroit vs. Wayne State on Monday, Feb. 22.
And the regular season ends at Vandament vs. Parkside on Thursday, Feb. 25, and vs. Roosevelt on Saturday, Feb. 27.
With 11 teams in the league, NMU is able to play each of its 10 GLIAC opponents twice for 20 league games.
The GLIAC Tournament is scheduled to open on Wednesday, March 3, with the quarterfinals hosted by the top four teams against seeds 5 through 8. Then come the semis and finals on Saturday and Sunday, March 6-7, at the highest remaining seed.
The full Northern schedule, including all game times, is available at the NMU athletics website.
Story contents based on a Northern Michigan University Sports Information press release previewing the schedule. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee's email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.