Time after time, the Xavier women sprinted back and fourth down the Schmidt Fieldhouse floor. It’s not unusual for a basketball team to condition like this. But the Musketeers spent 10 minutes doing it after a practice of nearly three hours.
Several members of the XU men’s team had assembled courtside waiting for their practice. They sat in awe as the women kept running. ‘‘That’s more than we did in conditioning,’’ one of the men’s players said.
The Xavier women play hard and fast for 40 minutes a game. The Musketeers were third in the nation last year with a 50.6 field-goal percentage and averaged 75.6 points a game, thanks in large part to their transition game.
‘‘We like to get the ball up and down the court,’’ senior Kim Hotz said. ‘‘We don’t have to run an offense every time, because we get the ball up the court and we have open people.’’
‘‘We’re not going to change,’’ coach Melanie Balcomb said. Well, maybe one slight change: ‘‘We’re hoping to just get faster.’’
After closing last year’s 24-9 season with a heartbreaking loss to Connecticut in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, the Muskies aren’t satisfied. They want to improve on the 11-5 conference mark that was good for third in the Atlantic 10 West Division.
With four returning starters, Xavier has a solid foundation upon which to build. Juniors Jen Phillips and Nicole Levandusky, preseason all-conference first- and second-team selections this fall, are the top players back.
Phillips is Xavier’s best post presence. She averaged 14.2 points and 6.8 rebounds last season. When Xavier isn’t in transition, Phillips is key to the inside-out halfcourt offense. To complement her post play, Phillips worked on her outside shot over the summer.
Levandusky led Xavier with 15.8 points a game last season. Her 42.9 3-point field goal percentage helped XU lead the nation in that category at 40.1 percent. She averaged 2.8 3-pointers a game, 10th in the country, and her total of 94 3s on the season shattered the school record.
With 85 steals last year, Levandusky topped her own single-season record. She again will be asked to guard the opponent’s top outside threat.
Hotz and junior center Taru Tuukkanen also return. Both averaged around 11 points and six rebounds a game last year as starters.
Sophomore Katie Griggs gives Xavier another perimeter scorer, and was XU’s top reserve last year, but she has been battling a back injury for much of the preseason. Forward Erin Senser will come off the bench to play in the paint.
Point guard is the only spot without a returning starter, but freshman Amy Waugh had 11 assists in the team’s first exhibition game. She probably will be the opening day starter. Freshman Reetta Piipari will provide backcourt depth.
The Musketeers feel defense will be the key this year. ‘‘We decided that we needed to play better defense ... really shut people down,’’ Balcomb said. ‘‘That’s the only way we’re going to win a championship.’’
