Sports
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Sports Jan. 21-Feb. 3, 2015 Page 8 Despite the struggles of the women’s basketball team, Web- ster University junior Ashley Brooks has proven she can be a reliable option for the squad. She has improved in nearly ev- ery statistical category. In just her second season at Webster, Brooks says she has a high level of confidence in herself and her teammates. “I don’t think about any- thing except the game when I’m out there on the floor,” she said. “I have the confidence in myself and my teammates to take control of the game and do whatever we need to do to help us out on the floor.” The team has a losing re- cord of 6-9, they have lost eight of their last ten games and they have suffered three losses by 20 or more points. Last season Brooks aver- aged 6.8 points and 3.5 re- bounds per game and started 10 of 27 games. This season however, she is averaging 10.7 points per game along with 5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and has started in all 15 games. Most of her offensive pro- duction comes from behind the 3-point line. Last season she was 15th in Webster’s all- time single-season rankings as she made 29 three point field goals. Brooks credits her shoot- ing success to the work she puts into her shot to make sure she’s sharp when game time comes around. “I just try to get into the gym as much as possible and get shots up,” she said. “Get- ting shots up really improves the percentage that I’m able to shoot in games.” This season she has con- nected on 17 three point shots and is on pace to better her mark from last year. Head Coach of the women’s bas- ketball team Jordan Olufson spoke about Brooks’ talent and level of progression. “This year I think (Brooks) realizes she’s a lot faster and she’s more comfortable playing with us now,” he said. “I think she’s a completely different player than what she was when she first got to Webster.” However, Brooks nearly did not arrive at Webster in the first place. Coach Olufson and his staff tried to recruit her when she was coming out of high school, but she had al- ready committed to Maryville University. But after a year of dealing with playing time and injury issues at Maryville, she knew she needed a new start and she looked again at Webster. “I just didn’t like the strengths of the team (at Maryville University), it wasn’t what I was looking for,” she said. “I wanted to find some place that would help build my potential as an athlete and I definitely thought that Web- ster was that place.” This season, She scored 25 points in a win over MacMur- ray College on Nov. 29 and in the team’s regular-season opener on Nov. 15, she scored 20 in a win over Dominican University. Brooks’ contribu- tions are also catching the at- tention of teammate Cassie Endicott. Endicott is the team’s only senior and she leads the team in rebounds and blocks. She may be looked upon to be the leader of the team this season, but she says she is confident that Brooks will be able to fill her void next year when she becomes a senior. “I think (Brooks) will be able to be a leader for the team next year,” Endicott said. “With the leadership qualities that she already brings to the team this year, I think she’ll be able to transition and capital- ize off of that next year.” Enduring tough times Despite the obstacles, the women’s team has faced so far, Brooks has confidence that the team will bounce back from this difficult stretch. The team defeated Fontbonne University in their most recent game, 52- 47 on Jan. 17. “I definitely think the team can rebound from this,” Brooks said. “It’s not going to be just one individual person, it’s go- ing to take everybody coming together as a team. If I had to go through a losing streak, I wouldn’t want to do it with any other team besides this one.” Coach Olufson stressed that continuing to play hard and staying calm in the face of calamity is key. He says he has faith in Brooks to play a huge role in the effort moving for- ward. “We’ve had some injuries and some setbacks but with (Brooks’) talent and leadership potential, I think she’s going to have a huge impact on us,” Olufson said. JORDAN PALMER / e Journal Ashley Brooks looks to find a teammate in Webster’s 52-47 victory over Fontbonne on Jan. 17 at Grant Gymnasium. Ahmad Smith has racked up a long list of record setting statistics during his career at Webster. Smith is eighth on Webster University’s all-time scoring list with 1,138 points, and he is fifth in all-time field goals made with 424. Though these statistics are noteworthy, Smith is not con- cerned about individual statis- tics much this season; instead he wants to win important games when the postseason comes around. In Smith’s most recent game against Fontbonne Uni- versity, he suffered a sprained ankle after making a driving layup. After the injury oc- curred he stayed on the ground for about five minutes and he appeared to be in a great deal of pain. Smith was eventually helped off of the floor and did not return for the remainder of that game. He is now confined to crutches and Head Men’s Basketball Coach Chris Bunch said that he will be out for at least the remainder of the week. Before the injury, Smith had been focused on helping the Gorloks reach postseason play again. “I just want us to win the conference and division III NCAA tournament,” Smith said. “I don’t have any personal expectations or goals for my- self; I just take one game at a time.” Smith first gained notori- ety in his high school career. In his senior year at Clayton High School he led his team in scoring with 21.3 points per game. He was also 10th across St. Louis high schools in scor- ing, trailing standout players who would eventually go on to play for division-I colleges like Cameron Biedsheid, BJ Young and Bradley Beal, who plays for the NBA’s Washing- ton Wizards. Smith characterized his scoring ability as something that comes naturally to him, and he said he’s always had a knack for scoring. Clayton finished with a re- cord of 22-7 that season and Smith’s skill set was enough for Bunch, to go after him in re- cruitment. “At first he was going to walk on at (Western Illinois University), but that ended up not working out for him and he decided to come here to Webster,” Bunch said. Smith’s career at Webster During Smith’s freshman season Coach Bunch was will- ing to let him play despite his youth and inexperience by playing him 19.3 minutes per game. Coach Bunch said he saw many intangibles in Smith’s game that convinced him that he could be the future of the team. “He was very efficient his freshman year, he shot 50 per- cent (in field goal percentage), he shot 40 percent from the 3-point line and he didn’t take a lot of bad shots,” Bunch said. “He seemed to do more with less, we had other scorers on our team too so he had to be a good role player for us.” Smith is currently in his senior season and says he is determined to get his team to win even more games in the postseason. So far he leads the team in scoring, averaging 16 points per game, and he is the third leading rebounder, aver- aging just about 6 per game. He has also had his fair share of high scoring games including 25 points in an over- time win against Loras College on Nov. 29 and a season high 33 points against Washington University on Dec. 10. Over the past four years, Smith says his game has come full circle and he feels he’s grown as a player. Smith is also looked upon as a role model figure for some of the younger players now. Sophomore teammate CJ Moore is the fourth leading scorer for the team and he says he tries to implement char- acteristics from Smith’s game into his own. “Last year I pretty much learned after him,” Moore said. “He’s a great player to model your game after; you can learn a lot from a guy like him with him being here for four years.” WU junior makes big impression One of Webster’s best injured in win over Fontbonne By Rodney Humphries Contributing Writer By Rodney Humphries Contributing Writer JORDAN PALMER/ e Journal Ahmad Smith falls to the floor in pain aſter he suffered a sprained ankle in Webster’s win over Fontbonne on Jan. 17. He is expected to miss at least a week. Contact the writer: [email protected] Coach wins 3rd SLIAC award Webster University men’s soccer coach Mike Siener de- scribes himself as a player’s coach. He holds the accom- plishments of the players above those of the coaches, but that has not kept him from piling up awards. Seiner won the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Con- ference (SLIAC) Coach of the Year in men’s soccer, the third sport he has won the award with while at Webster. He was the SLIAC Men’s Tennis Coach of the Year in 2013 and he has also won the award with the women’s tennis team. He is the second coach in SLIAC history to win the award in three differ- ent sports. Webster Men’s Basketball Head Coach Chris Bunch, who had Siener as an assistant coach for 10 years, said the connec- tion Siener has with his athletes is one reason Siener has won SLIAC Coach of the Year in three different sports. Siener started as a Webster student and athlete, and earned a spot on the SLIAC all confer- ence team three times in both soccer and tennis. He knew he wanted to coach as a career so he got a bachelor’s degree in history, political science and secondary education. When he graduated he was the assis- tant basketball coach, and even coached the guys he had once played alongside in basketball. Siener said the transition from player to coach was not too hard; he thought the players re- spected him enough to take his advice and criticism. Siener served as an as- sistant coach for the men’s By Becca Doran Contributing Writer Mike Siener. Photo contributed by Andrew Belsky/ Webster Athletics. Page 7 Siener Contact the writer: [email protected] Jordan Olufson Women’s Head Basketball Coach I think she’s a completely different player than what she was when she first got to Webster. “ ”
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SportsJan. 21-Feb. 3, 2015 Page 8
Despite the struggles of the womens basketball team, Web-ster University junior Ashley Brooks has proven she can be a reliable option for the squad. She has improved in nearly ev-ery statistical category.
In just her second season at Webster, Brooks says she has a high level of confidence in herself and her teammates.
I dont think about any-thing except the game when Im out there on the floor, she said. I have the confidence in myself and my teammates to take control of the game and do whatever we need to do to help us out on the floor.
The team has a losing re-cord of 6-9, they have lost eight of their last ten games and they have suffered three losses by 20 or more points.
Last season Brooks aver-aged 6.8 points and 3.5 re-bounds per game and started 10 of 27 games. This season however, she is averaging 10.7 points per game along with 5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and has started in all 15 games.
Most of her offensive pro-duction comes from behind the 3-point line. Last season she was 15th in Websters all-time single-season rankings as she made 29 three point field goals.
Brooks credits her shoot-ing success to the work she puts into her shot to make sure shes sharp when game time comes around.
I just try to get into the gym as much as possible and get shots up, she said. Get-ting shots up really improves the percentage that Im able to shoot in games.
This season she has con-nected on 17 three point shots and is on pace to better her mark from last year. Head Coach of the womens bas-ketball team Jordan Olufson spoke about Brooks talent and level of progression.
This year I think (Brooks) realizes shes a lot faster and shes more comfortable playing with us now, he said. I think shes a completely different player than what she was when she first got to Webster.
However, Brooks nearly did not arrive at Webster in the first place. Coach Olufson and his staff tried to recruit her when she was coming out of high school, but she had al-ready committed to Maryville
University.But after a year of dealing
with playing time and injury issues at Maryville, she knew she needed a new start and she looked again at Webster.
I just didnt like the
strengths of the team (at Maryville University), it wasnt what I was looking for, she said. I wanted to find some place that would help build my potential as an athlete and I definitely thought that Web-
ster was that place.This season, She scored 25
points in a win over MacMur-ray College on Nov. 29 and in the teams regular-season opener on Nov. 15, she scored 20 in a win over Dominican
University. Brooks contribu-tions are also catching the at-tention of teammate Cassie Endicott.
Endicott is the teams only senior and she leads the team in rebounds and blocks. She may be looked upon to be the leader of the team this season, but she says she is confident that Brooks will be able to fill her void next year when she becomes a senior.
I think (Brooks) will be able to be a leader for the team next year, Endicott said. With the leadership qualities that she already brings to the team this year, I think shell be able to transition and capital-ize off of that next year.
Enduring tough times
Despite the obstacles, the womens team has faced so far, Brooks has confidence that the team will bounce back from this difficult stretch. The team defeated Fontbonne University in their most recent game, 52-47 on Jan. 17.
I definitely think the team can rebound from this, Brooks said. Its not going to be just one individual person, its go-ing to take everybody coming together as a team. If I had to go through a losing streak, I wouldnt want to do it with any other team besides this one.
Coach Olufson stressed that continuing to play hard and staying calm in the face of calamity is key. He says he has faith in Brooks to play a huge role in the effort moving for-ward.
Weve had some injuries and some setbacks but with (Brooks) talent and leadership potential, I think shes going to have a huge impact on us, Olufson said.
JORDAN PALMER / The JournalAshley Brooks looks to find a teammate in Websters 52-47 victory over Fontbonne on Jan. 17 at Grant Gymnasium.
Ahmad Smith has racked up a long list of record setting statistics during his career at Webster.
Smith is eighth on Webster Universitys all-time scoring list with 1,138 points, and he is fifth in all-time field goals made with 424.
Though these statistics are noteworthy, Smith is not con-cerned about individual statis-tics much this season; instead he wants to win important games when the postseason comes around.
In Smiths most recent game against Fontbonne Uni-versity, he suffered a sprained ankle after making a driving layup. After the injury oc-curred he stayed on the ground for about five minutes and he appeared to be in a great deal of pain.
Smith was eventually helped off of the floor and did not return for the remainder of that game. He is now confined to crutches and Head Mens Basketball Coach Chris Bunch said that he will be out for at least the remainder of the week. Before the injury, Smith had been focused on helping the Gorloks reach postseason play again.
I just want us to win the conference and division III NCAA tournament, Smith said. I dont have any personal expectations or goals for my-self; I just take one game at a
time.Smith first gained notori-
ety in his high school career. In his senior year at Clayton High School he led his team in scoring with 21.3 points per game. He was also 10th across St. Louis high schools in scor-ing, trailing standout players who would eventually go on to play for division-I colleges like Cameron Biedsheid, BJ Young and Bradley Beal, who
plays for the NBAs Washing-ton Wizards.
Smith characterized his scoring ability as something that comes naturally to him, and he said hes always had a knack for scoring.
Clayton finished with a re-cord of 22-7 that season and Smiths skill set was enough for Bunch, to go after him in re-cruitment.
At first he was going to
walk on at (Western Illinois University), but that ended up not working out for him and he decided to come here to Webster, Bunch said.
Smiths career at WebsterDuring Smiths freshman
season Coach Bunch was will-ing to let him play despite his youth and inexperience by playing him 19.3 minutes per game.
Coach Bunch said he saw many intangibles in Smiths game that convinced him that he could be the future of the team.
He was very efficient his freshman year, he shot 50 per-cent (in field goal percentage), he shot 40 percent from the 3-point line and he didnt take a lot of bad shots, Bunch said. He seemed to do more with less, we had other scorers on
our team too so he had to be a good role player for us.
Smith is currently in his senior season and says he is determined to get his team to win even more games in the postseason. So far he leads the team in scoring, averaging 16 points per game, and he is the third leading rebounder, aver-aging just about 6 per game.
He has also had his fair share of high scoring games including 25 points in an over-time win against Loras College on Nov. 29 and a season high 33 points against Washington University on Dec. 10. Over the past four years, Smith says his game has come full circle and he feels hes grown as a player.
Smith is also looked upon as a role model figure for some of the younger players now. Sophomore teammate CJ Moore is the fourth leading scorer for the team and he says he tries to implement char-acteristics from Smiths game into his own.
Last year I pretty much learned after him, Moore said. Hes a great player to model your game after; you can learn a lot from a guy like him with him being here for four years.
WU junior makes big impression
One of Websters best injured in win over Fontbonne
By Rodney HumphriesContributing Writer
By Rodney HumphriesContributing Writer
JORDAN PALMER/ The JournalAhmad Smith falls to the floor in pain after he suffered a sprained ankle in Websters win over Fontbonne on Jan. 17. He is expected to miss at least a week.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
Coach wins 3rd SLIAC award
Webster University mens soccer coach Mike Siener de-scribes himself as a players coach. He holds the accom-plishments of the players above those of the coaches, but that has not kept him from piling up awards.
Seiner won the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Con-ference (SLIAC) Coach of the Year in mens soccer, the third sport he has won the award with while at Webster. He was the SLIAC Mens Tennis Coach of the Year in 2013 and he has also won the award with the womens tennis team. He is the second coach in SLIAC history to win the award in three differ-ent sports.
Webster Mens Basketball Head Coach Chris Bunch, who had Siener as an assistant coach for 10 years, said the connec-tion Siener has with his athletes is one reason Siener has won SLIAC Coach of the Year in three different sports.
Siener started as a Webster student and athlete, and earned a spot on the SLIAC all confer-ence team three times in both soccer and tennis. He knew he wanted to coach as a career so he got a bachelors degree in history, political science and secondary education. When he graduated he was the assis-tant basketball coach, and even coached the guys he had once played alongside in basketball. Siener said the transition from player to coach was not too hard; he thought the players re-spected him enough to take his advice and criticism.
Siener served as an as-sistant coach for the mens
By Becca DoranContributing Writer
Mike Siener. Photo contributed by Andrew Belsky/ Webster Athletics.
Page 7Siener
Contact the writer: [email protected]
Jordan Olufson
Womens Head Basketball Coach
I think shes a completely different
player than what she was when she
first got to Webster.
