11/14/2008
Win Now Or Else For Blazers
Reprinted with permission from The News Dispatch

Nick Dettmann
The News-Dispatch

MICHIGAN CITY - This year is all or nothing for the Marquette Blazers.

With only 11 girls out for the 2008-09 season, and eight of them being seniors, first-year head coach Rob Smith sees this season as a must-win-now campaign.

"Short-term, we want to win now," he said. "I have eight seniors and it's their last chance at it. Long-term, we want to show the community that this program is going to be competitive and going to be something people are going to want to be a part of."

Leading the way out of those seniors will be Janie Welsh.

Welsh was the top scorer for the 7-14 Blazers last season, averaging 12.8 points per game. And at just 5-foot-7, Welsh consistently grabbed 10 rebounds per game last year.

She will easily be the go-to player this season for the Blazers, who open the season Monday night when they host La Lumiere.

Joining Welsh this year are seniors Nora Wall, Jen Igra, Caitlin Cavanaugh, Shannon Mussa, Michelle Rowley, Tess Filipowicz and Emily Cogswell.

Mussa was the team's third-leading scorer from a year ago (7.8 points per game). Igra averaged 6.4 points a game, and Cogswell averaged 5.4.

Gone from last year are Patty Merrion, the Blazers' second-leading scorer at 9.6 points per game, and Christine Kolodziejski.

So why the win-now attitude?

Well, the future of the program could rest solely on this year's success or failure.

Do well and Smith hopes that will attract more girls to next year's team and the program can grow from there.

Do bad and the future of the Blazers basketball program could be in real trouble.

This year, the Blazers won't even have a junior varsity team.

"If we don't show some signs of success," Smith said, "the program's dead. We have to win now so people will see we're going to be competitive and be good.

"... There is no tomorrow for this program if we don't have success now."

Smith hopes the desire of the senior class wanting to go out strong will be what carries this team.

And he hopes having players such as Welsh and Cogswell who have been a part of four state volleyball championships, will help teach the others within the program how rewarding hard work can be.

"Anytime you can get a state champion on your team, it can't hurt you," Smith said.

Being able to achieve any basketball success at Marquette has been a problem of late.

Not since the 2000-01 season have the Blazers reached double figures in the win column. Since then, the Blazers are 41-106. In addition, the Blazers haven't gotten beyond the first round of the sectional since 2002.

So what are the expectations for this team? The goal is to win at least 15 games.

"First and foremost, we want to win conference; we want to have a winning record, and we want to perform our best at the end of the season," Smith said. "... The expectations are a lot higher than they have been."

Is it possible?

"These girls are working very hard," Smith said. "They're already better than they were last year."

Smith, who said he feels and thinks about the pressure to do well often, comes to the basketball program as he is already the school's track and cross country coach, and is an alumnus. Both successful programs at the school.

"I'm going to build it the same way I've built all my other programs," he said. "Every program I've touched at Marquette has shown signs of improvement the first year."

Contact sports writer Nick Dettmann at ndettmann@thenewsdispatch.com or 874-7211, Ext. 447.