Women's basketball Coach Chris Wielgus has gone and done it again. Much to the dismay of Ivy League opponents, the Big Green's lineup will boast four more blue chippers in the 1996-97 season.
Olivia Britt, a 6'4" center from Hoover, Alabama comes in with high praise from Wielgus.
"She's the missing link," Wielgus said. "She's not a finished product, but she has good mobility for her size, runs the floor well and is a great shot-blocker. She just needs to be more offensive minded."
The Big Green coaching staff went back to Michigan to find their next gem.
Last year Wielgus and company went to Cardinal Mooney High School in Michigan to find Erin Rewalt '99. This year they traveled to Maple City-Glen Lake High School on the Leelanau Peninsula in northern Lower Michigan to nab 5'9" Liz Martin.
"She's one of the best players they have had at a very good basketball school," Wielgus commented. "She has ice-water in her veins."
Highly touted Jessica Veysey is another six-footer who chose Dartmouth over a host of other offers. A native of Pepperell, Mass., Veysey stands 6'2" and according to Wielgus, she can go to both her left and her right very well.
"Jessica is very strong with her back to the basket and a good rebounder. She is a fine athlete and physically very strong," the coach said.
Finally, the staff headed down the road a short distance to Souhegan to find Courtney Banghart. The 5'5" point guard will be expected to step in to help fill the void left by the departure of Jen Stamp '96.
"She's a real quick point guard with three-point range, a good passer and penetrator," Wielgus said. "She's an excellent athlete and very, very competitive."
The coach also compared Banghart to Betsy Gilmore '95, a former All-Ivy guard.
The team is optimistic when looking ahead to next year.
"We learned a lot this year. We had a lot of freshman and they got a lot of experience," Bess Tortolani '98 said. "It should be a really good season next year."
Erin Rewalt '99 agreed with Tortolani. She said that the team will be satisfied with nothing less than an Ivy League Championship and a strong showing in the NCAA tournament.
"I think our main goal for next season is to come together as a team and play really aggressive basketball. I guarantee that we will be a very intense and exciting team to watch," she said.
With the combination of experience and talent from last year added to the four gems Wielgus will bring in from the Class of 2000, Rewalt and Tortolani have reason to be enthusiastic about the 1996-97 season.
