Warhawk men open season Saturday night by hosting Beloit College

Darnell Harris (6'8 Freshman)

Reggie Hearn (6'5 Junior)

 

Men’s basketball fever is alive for UW-Whitewater fans. A full house was on hand at Thursday evening’s Tip-Off Club meeting at Saxe’s Lone Star Inn.

I was fortunate to have highly touted Warhawk freshman Darnell Harris sit at my table at last night’s dinner meeting.

Harris played his sophomore and junior season’s at Milwaukee Vincent High School. The 6’8 forward transferred to Christian Life Academy Prep in Humble, Texas for his senior season. It was a prep program that played all over the country.

Harris was recruited to Whitewater by UWW assistant coach Lou Chapman who was Harris’ coach as a freshman in Milwaukee.

It was interesting to hear Darnell talk about the difference of playing Milwaukee City League high school basketball on a powerhouse team at Vincent and then stepping up to play prep ball for a national program based in the Houston, Texas area.

“Darnell is a little like Chris Davis who helped lead us to the national championship last March,” Hawk head coach Pat Miller told Gary Douglas this (Friday) morning on KOOL 106.5 Radio. “He (Harrris) has the capability to score down low at 6’8, but also has the ability to step our and hit 3’s. He is getting better each day in practice and he is going to be fun to watch.”

Another new player this year is Reggie Hearn, a 6’5 junior transfer from Iowa Lakes Community College. Hearn was a first team all-conference player as a senior at Milwaukee Marshall High School.

Miller says he loves Hearn’s blue collar approach to the game.

“Reggie is a defensive specialist, very long and active an a very good rebounder. He’ll provide us with valuable minutes this season.

Miles Chamberlain (Madison Memorial), K.J. Evans (Beloit Memorial) and Patrick Souter (Racine St. Catherine) are three other transfers that are key additions for Miller’s 2012-13 Warhawks.

They and a solid nucleus of returning starters will open the season Saturday night when they host Beloit College in a 7 p.m. tipoff at the newly renovated Kachel Gym.

WIAC Scoreboard/Today's Games

 

In WIAC men’s basketball Thursday night….

UW-Stevens Point 72, Lawrence 64 
 St. Norbert 79, UW-Oshkosh 49

Northland 51 UW-Superior 80

Platteville 88, Emmaus Bible 35

In WIAC men’s basketball tonight……

Emmaus Bible (IA) vs. UW-Eau Claire (at Platteville)

Goshen (IN) at UW-Platteville 

Edgewood vs. UW-La Crosse (at Wisconsin Dells, WI)

 Ripon vs, UW-Oshkosh (at Wisconsin Dells, WI)  

St. Scholastica (MN) vs. UW-Stout (at Bethel, MN) 

                                                     

In WIAC women’s basketball tonight…..

Carthage vs. UW-River Falls (at St. Norbert)

DePauw (IN) vs. UW-Stout (at Wis. Lutheran)

UW-Stevens Point at Millikin (IL)

Northand at UW-Eau Claire

Simpson vs. UW-La Crosse (at Eau Claire)

UW-Superior at Ripon

UW-Platteville at Loras (Iowa)

Coach Carollo: I’m glad we could squeak out the win. I’m happy!

(Head Coach Keri Carollo)

 Despite being ranked 8^th nationally and being called a prime contender for a WIAC title, the UW-Whitewater women’s basketball team was fully tested Thursday night in its 70 to 60 win over Carroll University in the season opener in Waukesha.

“I knew Carroll was going to give us a game and they did,” Warhawk head coach Keri Carollo indicated on the KOOL 106.5  Postgame Show. “We were not ready for their zone, trapping style of defense.”

‘We were atrocious defensively in the 1^st half,” Carollo said. ‘We didn’t do a good job with helping, boxing out, and our rebounding was not good.” 

“I’m just glad our girl’s were able to hang in there and squeak out the win against a really solid Carroll team.”

Whitewater trailed by 10 points in the second half but finished a monster run outscoring the Pioneers 22 to 2 over the final nine minutes of the game. The spark was lightning quick point guard Kaitlin Thill who scored 12 points in the second half including three three-pointers late in the game to prove to be a dagger in Carroll’s hopes of winning the game.

“None of our girls were hitting perimeter shots and Kaitlin was able to come through down the stretch – that was big,” Carollo said.  Thill’s 20 point effort included 4-5 from three point range and 8-10 from the line, also adding seven steals and four assists for the mercurial guard.

Emily McCullick finished with nine points on four of five from the floor.

“Emily made some big plays tonight,” Carollo indicated. “We needed her scoring because we just weren’t getting the outside scoring needed from a number of players tonight:

Cortney Kumerow was big inside for much of the night finishing her night with 18 points on 5 of 8 from the floor, 8 if 9 from the free throw line, and six rebounds.

“She (Kumerow) really stepped up for us offensively as she adjusted to that tough Carroll zone very well,” Coach Carollo said.

It might not have been the prettiest win but make no doubt Coach Carollo and her team will take it.

“You know, first games are sometimes ugly,” Carollo indicated on the postgame show. “I’m glad we could squeak out the win. I’m happy!

Next up for the Warhawks will be a weekend trip to Monmouth, Illinois to participate in a four-team, early season tournament. The Hawks will open vs. Wartburg College Saturday evening at 5 p.m.

Warhawks beat Carroll 70-60 in season opener in Waukesha



Kaitlin Thill (5'5" Junior (Ozaukee High School

The UW-Whitewater women’s basketball team stormed back from a 10 point halftime deficit to defeat Carroll University 70-60 Thursday evening in the Hawks season opener at Van Male Field House in Waukesha.

Whitewater came out of the gate to take a 9-0 lead with 16:52 remaining in the first half. Carroll bounced back, eventually taking a 30-29 lead at 4:17 on two free throws by junior guard Emily DeNoyer.  The Pioneers' 40-36 lead at halftime was their largest of the first twenty minutes. UWW’s Cortney Kumerow led both teams with 11 points in the half.

The Pioneers' momentum carried over into the second half.  Carroll built its lead to 58-48 with two free throws by Corrine Engels at 9:12. 

Carroll did not score again until Breann Maryanski hit two free throws with 3:40 left --- and those would be the only points for the Pioneers the rest of the way. 

While the Pioneers went cold the Warhawks heated up by outscoring Carroll 22-2 over the last nine minutes of the game.

UW-W junior Kaitlyn Thill hit back to back threes in the Warhawks' run to give the Hawks the lead for the first time in the second half. A third Thill three pointer 1:30 left “sealed the deal.”

Thill was the game's leading scorer with 20 points, 12 in the second half.  She went 4-5 from three point range and 8-10 from the line, also adding seven steals and four assists.  Kumerow chipped in with 18 points, on 5-8 shooting from the field and 8-9 at the stripe, with six rebounds. Emily DeNoyer led Carroll with 16 points, hitting six of 18 field goals.  Breeann Maryanski contributed a double-double for CU with 14 points and a game high 11 rebounds.

Whitewater, ranked No. 8 in the D3hoops.com Preseason Top 25, will travel to Monmouth, Illinois for a four-team weekend tourney. The Hawks will open play Saturday evening at 5:00 p.m. vs. Wartburg College (Iowa). Iowa Wesleyan and Monmouth play in the other first round game Saturday evening.

Cortney Kumerow looks to take next step

The UW-Whitewater women/s basketball team opens the season tonight at Carroll University in Waukesha. The Hawks are ranked No. 8 in the D3hoops.con Preseason Top 25.among the starters returing this year is Cortny Kumerow.

Whitewater returns a veteran lineup including First Team All-WIAC selrctions Cortney Kumerow. The 6'1 senior out of Elgin, Illinois has started since her freshman season.  She has shown steady development in each of her f  four seasons and enters this season as one of the top players in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Cortneyaveraged 11.3 points and 5.2 rebounds last season and will anchor the middle for  Coach Keri Corollo again this season.

Earlier this year David Folz wrote an excellent feature article on Kumerow for WordPress.com.

To view Folz's article click on the following..

http://davidfolz.wordpress.com/2012/08/21/kumerows-career-has-seen-strength-in-herself-and-team/

Warhawk women's basketball team opens season Thursday night at Carroll University in Waukesha

The UW-Whitewater women's basketball team opens the season Thursday night by traveling to Waukesha to take on the Carroll University Pioneers.

 

The Pioneers are picked to finish 6th in the preseason poll after coming off a 13 & 12 mark last season.  The Warhawks were picked last week to capture the WIAC title this season.

 

Last year Whitewater and Carroll opened the season at Kachel Gymnasium. The Hawks opened the second half on an 18-0 run on the way to an 82-68 victory

 

Tip-off Thursday night at Van Male Gymnasium in Waukesha is set for 7 p.m

If you can't make it to Waukesha you'll be able to listen to the game on KOOL 106.5  or online at http://www.940wfaw.com/. Airtime will be at 6:45 p.m.

Hawk men in final preparations for Saturday's season opener vs. Beloit College

The UW-Whitewater men’s basketball team parlayed intense defense, the Player of the Year in Division III and great balance into the programs third NCAA Division III national title in school history.

With six of the top eight players back along with a solid recruiting class head coach Pat Miller has designs of capturing the WIAC title this season and making another run in the playoffs. It all begins Saturday night when the Warhawks open the season by hosting Beloit College in a 7: p.m. start at Kachel Gymnasium.

The Hawks are coming off a solid scrimmage last Friday vs. Elmhurst College out of the always tough College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.

“It was a very physical scrimmage,” Miller told KOOL 106.5’s Gary Douglas on Monday night’s Warhawk Weekly radio show. “The play was much like what we’ll see in our conference this season.” 

“I’m happy where we are going into the season with our inside game,” Miller said.  “I think Darnell Harris and Reggie Hearn have both progressed very well.  Miles Chamberlain and K.J. will get some time at the 4 (power forward) and those guys are all new to our program.”

“One of the strengths of our program is that we do a lot of different things – we show a lot of things offensively,” Miller said. “The guys that are new to the program are doing well but they still are in the process of getting a firm grasp on the system.”

According to Miller much in this week in practice will focus on getting the newcomers and returning veterans on the same page heading into Saturday night’s season opener.