Ball State University Athletics
Women's Hoops Opens Exhibition Play Tuesday
October 31, 2005 | Women's Basketball
SCOUTING BALL STATE: The Cardinals return nine letterwinners plus add four newcomers to this year's squad, whose immediate task will be filling the void created by the graduation of 2005 Mid-American Conference Player of the Year Kate Endress . . . Five of the nine returnees have starting experience . . . Heading the list is junior guard Tina Bolte, who is the leading returning scorer after averaging 11.2 points per game a year ago . . . Bolte and junior guard Kelsey Corbin started all 29 games last season . . . Corbin brings back an 8.3 scoring average and 4.6 rebounding mark from last season . . . Sophomore guard Julie DeMuth returns after a stellar campaign, which concluded with her being named to the MAC All-Freshman Team . . . DeMuth topped the team last season with 7.2 rebounds per game, while adding 7.4 points each outing . . . Senior Raechelle Hampton and junior Becca Bajorek are both back with starting experience in the post position . . . Hampton started 24 games and averaged 7.0 points and 4.8 rebounds last year . . . Bajorek was a starter in 17 contests . . . She averaged 6.4 points and 4.8 rebounds . . . The list of returning players is rounded out by seniors Krista Stewart and Erica Cotton -- both juniors eligibility-wise, plus sophomores Brandy Ross and Lisa Rusche .
A QUARTET OF NEWCOMERS: Four newcomers join Ball State's 2005-06 roster . . . Junior guard Stephanie Douglas comes to BSU after playing last season at Meridian Community College, where she averaged 16 points, six rebounds and two assists per game . . . Freshman guards Porchia Green and Kiley Jarrett both ended their prep careers as Indiana High School All-Stars . . . Freshman guard/forward Dana Moorman rounds out the list of newcomers.
HEAD COACH TRACY ROLLER: Head coach Tracy Roller begins her fifth year as head coach of Ball State's women's basketball program . . . She spent two years as assistant coach before taking over the head spot prior to the 2000-01 season . . . Roller is the winningest coach in the program's history with her 74-47 overall record for a .612 rate of success . . . The 2002 MAC Coach of the Year, Roller has led BSU to a 43-21 league ledger, two runner-up finishes in the Mid-Am Tournament and two appearances in the postseason WNIT.
REMAINING COACHING STAFF: An original member of Tracy Roller's staff, Lisa McDonald returns for her fifth season at BSU -- this year in her newly minted position of associate head coach . . . Jeanette Gray is back for her third season . . . Mike Geary joins the staff this year as an assistant after 17 years as head coach at Northern Michigan University . . . Monique Govan is in her first season as director of basketball operations.
RADIO COVERAGE: The Ball State - Ohio Legends game will be broadcast live by WCRD FM 91.3 . . . BSU's student-run station will carry both exhibition contests, 24 regular-season games plus all postseason competition . . . Sports director Nathan Rausch is in his second full season as a part of the broadcast team and will handle play-by-play duties this year . . . Joel Nickels will provide color commentary, while Kyle Trompeter will do sideline reporting . . . The WCRD broadcasts can be heard via the internet at the official web site of Ball State athletics: www.ballstatesports.com.
MORE RADIO: Besides the 26-game WCRD package, Ball State will have 15 regular-season games carried by Muncie's WXFN 1340 AM . . . All tournament games will also be carried by the station . . . Kevin Lee will do play-by-play for the fifth season, while Jay Garrison will provide the color commentary or play-by-play when Lee is unable to for the fourth season . . . Former BSU basketball standout Julie Just is slated to join the broadcast team six times iin 2005-06.
TV TIME: Ball State is scheduled to have two games aired by the Ball State Sports Network -- Jan. 18 vs. Eastern Michigan and Feb. 4 against Buffalo . . . In addition, the Cardinals will appear on FSN Ohio Jan. 31 at Ohio and on Comcast Local Feb. 28 versus Northern Illinois.
ABOUT THE LEGENDS: The Ohio Legends -- sponsored by the Ohio Girls Basketball Report -- will bring an 11-person roster to Muncie for Tuesday's game against Ball State . . . The roster is comprised of former collegiate players who hail from the state of Ohio . . . The most familiar face on the roster is Nicki Motto, a native of Dayton, Ohio, who played at Miami . . . The roster also includes two players apiece from Central State (Ohio), Cincinnati and Ohio State plus one each from Butler, Indiana, Georgia Southern, Miami and West Virginia State . . . The team is coached by JayBee Bethea and directed by Tom Jenkins.
BSU CAPTAINS: Juniors Tina Bolte and Kelsey Corbin plus sophomore Julie DeMuth will serve as tri-captains of the 2005-06 squad . . . Corbin is in her second season as a captain for the Cardinals . . . All three players were regular starters on last season's team, which posted a 16-13 overall mark and an 11-5 MAC slate.
MEET THE CARDINALS IN PERSON: The Muncie Community will have a chance to meet Tracy Roller's 2005-06 team this Thursday at the Muncie Mall . . . Ball State athletics in conjunction with the Muncie Mall will present the second-annual BasketMALL . . . The event -- free to the public -- will take place from 6:30 - 8 p.m. in the Center Court area . . . Both the women's and men's teams will be in attendance to meet and greet fans . . . In addition, the BSU Cheerleaders, Code Red Dancers and Charlie Cardinal will provide entertainment.
IT'S ACADEMIC: The spring 2005 grading period marked the fourth-straight semester, the Ball State women's basketball team has combined for a better than 3.00 grade-point average . . . The 11-member squad tallied a 3.10 GPA for the 2005 spring semester, a 3.02 for the 2004 fall semester, a 3.18 GPA for the 2004 spring semester and a 3.30 GPA for the 2003 fall semester . . . The 2004-05 team boasted an overall cumulative GPA of 3.17 with eight members netting 3.0 or higher marks . . . Kate Endress topped the team with a 3.96 GPA after posting a perfect 4.0 mark her final two semesters . . . Kelsey Corbin was second with a 3.67, followed by Tina Bolte at 3.37, Becca Bajorek at 3.36, Julie DeMuth at 3.30, Lisa Rusche at 3.20, Brandy Ross at 3.16 and Raechelle Hampton at 3.10.
