Basketball team seeks players
for next season
By Anne McLaren
Assistant
Sports Editor
Although the women’s basketball team is in
the midst of a seven-game winning streak, the coaching staff is looking
ahead to next season in terms of recruiting.
Seniors Katie Douglas, Camille Cooper, Shinika
Parks, Candi Crawford and Mo-nique Langston will have exhausted their
four years of eligibility at the conclusion of the season. Junior shooting
guard Kelly Komara and transfer forward Laura Meadows will comprise
next year’s senior class.
Sophomore Mary Jo Noon, who is out for the rest
of the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee,
will be the lone junior. This season’s freshman class of point
guard Erika Valek, shooting guard Beth Jones and forwards Shereka Wright,
Shalicia Hurns and Lindsey Hicks round out next season’s roster.
"As far as positions, we just need depth,"
said assistant coach Kelly Curry. "We feel good about who’s
coming back."
Purdue signed just one player for next season in
the early signing period — forward Emily Heikes from Palos Hills,
Ill.
Women’s basketball has 15 scholarships as
compared to 13 for men’s basketball. Thus, if the Boilers wanted,
they could sign up to six additional players for next season.
Coaches are prohibited from commenting on potential
recruits by the NCAA until the recruits have signed.
Therefore, the coaching staff can comment only
on Heikes. Coach Kristy Curry watched Heikes’ high school team
compete in a tournament on Monday in Chicago.
Kelly Curry did highlight one area of concern for
next season, however.
"Obviously a concern is the center position
because you lose Camille and right now Mary Jo is out with a knee injury,"
he said. "It’s tough to go through the Big Ten season or any
season with only one true center, anyways."
At the forward and guard positions, he said, the
Boilers are just looking for backups.
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