The Michigan State women's basketball program has been in the doldrums lately. Only one winning Big Ten season in the past five. No postseason. Waning motivation.
Fast forward to this season, one in which the Lady Spartans may finally take that elusive step upwards in the conference standings.
Consider that Coach Karen Langeland has three returning starters, including her top two scorers, as well as the most heralded freshman class in school history joining the team. In return, there is renewed life in the women's basketball program at East Lansing.
"The year before I came here, the team was good, but it went down," junior forward Kisha Kelly said. "We look good this year as opposed to last year. We have a lot of new players and everyone has a different attitude. People seem more dedicated in practice and more focused."
Good thing for Kelly, who had to handle much of the load for Michigan State last season. She averaged 15.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game while playing nearly every position for the Spartans.
Key returnees include junior guards Christine Powers and Tanya Place, who averaged 9.4 and 12.0 ppg, respectively. With Kelly, this trio will provide the nucleus that Langeland has been lacking for some time now.
"We have three sophomores that are now juniors that led the team in almost every category," Langeland said. "This team has improved, is hungry and is ready to win."
How successful this team will be remains to be seen. Granted it will improve upon last year's eighth-place conference finish, but how much is the big question. The coaches' preseason poll picked the Lady Spartans to finish seventh, but some feel that could be a worst-case scenario.
Kelly, for example, said that Michigan State could finish as high as third or fourth, a tall order considering the quality teams the Big Ten has. Langeland added that, "I think seventh is realistic but I feel we will finish higher than that."
Despite the depth the team has, Michigan State isn't without its weaknesses. The Lady Spartans have been thin in the post for several years, and they know that work needs to be done in the blocks.
"We need to play better in the post and rebound more," Kelly admitted. "Our biggest concern is at center. We have a lack of height so we're going to have to step up."
The new blood that has been injected into the program should help, however, in this dilemma. Transfer Danika Kelley is an accomplished center from the community college ranks and should be able to hold her own in the lane.
But Langeland does have that supposedly outstanding freshman class that she's waiting to spring on her opponents.
"We look decent now and we need to stay positive," Kelly said. "Teams don't think we're as good as we are. They don't know how well our freshmen are, like we do."
