By Neil Schmidt
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Michelle Cottrell left a legacy in Northern Kentucky University basketball without actually leaving.

The two-time Division II national player of the year exhausted her eligibility last season. But she's now a student assistant for the Norse, so the shadow she casts on her successors is both literal and figurative.

In trying to create their own identity in the post-Cottrell era, the current players can aim to get better by battling Cottrell in the post.

"When she plays on the practice team, that's awesome competition for us," senior forward Kristin Polosky said. "You don't get a better player to work on your offense against."

Cottrell set the school scoring record of 2,241 points, leading NKU to three Elite Eights and the 2000 national championship. Though she was beloved by her teammates, her absence from the lineup could become a motivating factor.

"Teams think that now that we don't have Michelle, we're going to suck," senior guard Bridget Flanagan said. "We want to prove to them we can do it without her, too."

The nation's coaches haven't seemed to sour yet, voting NKU No.6 in the Division II preseason poll. The Norse are also picked first in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Yet just two starters return from a 26-7 team. Of the national ranking, Flanagan said, "I'm kind of surprised."

If that ranking is based on reputation, NKU coach Nancy Winstel doesn't downplay it. Her daily mantra to this group has been, "Tradition doesn't graduate."

Certainly, these Norse know the road to a championship. Seniors Flanagan, Polosky and Amy Mobley all played in the 2000 national title game.

"We three have won it all, and the rest of the team has been to the Elite Eight," Polosky said. "We've tasted it. We want more of it."

Those seniors, who for the third year are rooming together, are a tight-knit group and the obvious leaders.

Flanagan, a Mercy grad, averaged 12.8 points per game last season and made a school-record 81 3-pointers, earning second team all-GLVC honors. Mobley, a 5-foot-11 forward from Harrison, averaged 11.5 points and 6.4 rebounds. Polosky, a 6-1 forward who can play any position, averaged 9.4 points and 5.2 rebounds.

The new starter in the post will be 5-10 sophomore Connie Myers, who played eight games last season (5.0 ppg) before a season-ending knee injury. The new point guard is sophomore Elizabeth Burrows (2.6 ppg), an Eastern Brown grad who averaged nearly two assists per game last year as a reserve.

"We have a lot of versatility in our lineup," Winstel said. "We've got size at our guard spots. And in some ways, we're more experienced than we were last year (with eight of 11 players back)."

The most ballyhooed newcomer is 5-11 forward Sharell Snardon from Louisville Male, likely the first sub off the bench. "I believe she could be the next Michelle, if she works at her game," Flanagan said.

The big key is defense. Last year, NKU held opponents to 39.4 percent shooting, including just 29.9 percent on 3-pointers. Winstel said much of that was Cottrell's doing and that this group has been inconsistent in defending.

Yet beating Division I Morehead State in a scrimmage gives NKU great hope entering its opener Friday against Grand Valley State.

"This team plays well together and has a lot of pride," Winstel said.

E-mail nschmidt@enquirer.com

NKU women's basketball schedule