Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/121281
Bentley, Greene await WNBA draft think she���s going to step up for us now that she���s going to be the point guard on the team. It���s going to be fun.��� The Lady Lions don���t have their nonconference schedule set for next season, but they do know they will be hosting Connecticut and Texas A&M, as well as a game in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Washington said the schedule might be even tougher than the one Penn State played this past season, which was rated sixth-best in Division I. ���We���re going to challenge ourselves as a program,��� she said. ���We���re going to challenge these freshmen.��� As for the postseason, any decision about whether Penn State will bid to host a subregional in the NCAA tournament will have to wait until the NCAA decides what type of format it wants to use. Under the current system, the 16 subregional sites are determined before the season begins; that���s why the Lady Lions ended up playing LSU on the Tigers��� home court this year even though they were the higher-seeded team. The selection committee���s decision to send Penn State to LSU for the second season in a row drew some media criticism, with ESPN blogger Charlie Creme calling it ���a raw deal.��� Washington said the NCAA is looking at a variety of formats for hosting first- and secondround games. Asked if she preferred any particular format, the Lady Lions��� sixth-year coach shook her head. ���I don���t care,��� she said. ���I just want to be in it.��� Tradition Forward! Tradition Forward! The loss ended Penn State���s season, as well as the careers of Alex Bentley, Nikki Greene, Mia Nickson, Gizelle Studevent and Marisa Wolfe. Bentley and Greene were four-year starters, while Nickson started three years after transferring from Boston College following her freshman year. Before the class arrived, Penn State had suffered four consecutive losing seasons. But with Bentley, Greene and Nickson leading the way, the Lady Lions improved their record each of the past four seasons. ���It���s really amazing, and it warms my heart,��� Washington said, ���just [to see] the growth over the past four years that this program has seen, and it���s directly because of the seniors and what they brought to this team and this program ��� the attitude, the work ethic. When I look at it like that, I���m extremely proud of what we���ve been able to accomplish. I���m really thrilled at the legacy that our senior class will leave behind.��� ���The last game we played was really hard,��� added Nickson, who struggled against LSU, finishing with two points and three rebounds. ���But we had a great run as a team, especially the five of us who���ve been here the past four years. It���s been a great time, a great experience and I���ll always cherish it and keep in contact with these girls.��� Next season, the Lady Lions will build around their backcourt, with leading scorer Maggie Lucas returning for her senior year after averaging 20.1 points a game this past season and winning second-team AP All-America notice. She���ll be joined by fellow senior Dara Taylor, who will move to the point as Bentley���s replacement. In the frontcourt, forwards Ariel Edwards and Tori Waldner and centers Talia East and Candice Agee are back. After that, Penn State���s roster will be made up entirely of freshmen. ���It���s definitely going to be weird,��� Lucas said. ���I���ve had fun playing with Alex. It���s been such an honor to play with her these past couple of years. But we���re so lucky, because Dara steps right in. She���s incredibly talented and brings a whole different skill set. I���m used to playing with her, because I���ve played with her since AAUs, and I Two of Penn State���s five graduating seniors ��� point guard Alex Bentley and center Nikki Greene ��� are hoping to hear their names called when the WNBA holds its draft April 15. ���All indications are that they���re going to be drafted,��� coach Coquese Washington said. ���Where they���ll be drafted, you never know. But they���re looking forward to getting the opportunity to get into training camp and competing on that level. It���s a tremendous honor. They���ve both worked so hard in their careers here. So I���ll be excited to watch the draft and see where they���re going.��� Bentley, the Lady Lions��� starting point guard the past four seasons, is a potential first-round pick. In a mock draft at draftsite.com, she was seen going to the Minnesota Lynx with the 12th and final selection in the first round. On wnbadraft.net, she was predicted to go to the Los Angeles Sparks with the 10th overall pick. 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