WBB: Landmark Conference

[Tim the Enchanter]

https://x.com/barstoolsports/status/1902783462139974023


Be better Scranton! LOL

Considering the Lady Royals were hosting, that would have been a very short flight. 

[Augie2020]

41-20 NYU watching it on ESPN+.Just watching NYU just taking it to Stout and pressure defense.Biggest difference NYU has the bench to do it. Like I said speed helps and everyone of those kids are not sucking air and not losing players.Another thing Stout 0-7 from 3s.

[Augie2020]

Wow Smith wins a close one 49-47  repeat of last years Finals NYU vs Smith. How does this Coach get it done?She loses players and still makes it back to back and we can not get out of the Elite Eight.Whhhhhhhyyyyyyyy??

[NEPAFAN]

Would have been cool to be on ESPN +

[Augie2020]

So I found my answer through NYU Natalie Bruns statement. I think alot of teams can come out and give us a punch,but with the way we've trained and the amount of time we've given to this great program to where it is ,it's hard to keep up with us for 40 minutes.Perfect statement 👍

[saratoga]

I'm going to apply the Pappa John's principle to NYU & Smith...
Better ingredients = better pizza.   

[Tim the Enchanter]

Pellecchia and Bruns (both first team All Americans) are definitely better ingredients, and that pizza they made last night and all year was mighty fine.  Congrats to NYU on their back-to-back unbeaten seasons.

Congrats, too, to Kaci Kranson on being named 2nd-team all American!

[saratoga]

Agree Tim...
This was NYU's tournament all the way...everyone else was playing for second place.
Hopefully, after doing the Elite 8 thing for 2 straight years, Ben has gotten a real good sense of what type of players it takes to hit the next level.
Congrats to Kaci as well.
Also, if Kaci is allowed to play more than 20 mpg, she has an outside shot at becoming the Lady Royals all time scoring leader. 

[scottiedawg]

Scranton WBB preseason #1 maybe??? (just started looking at Rosters)

[saratoga]

They do have quite a bit of talent returning & incoming.
Should be another deep run.

[NEPAFAN]

Scranton WBB preseason #1 maybe??? (just started looking at Rosters)

Why did you wait so long? 

[saratoga]

Well, Moriah Murray has entered the transfer portal at Penn St.
Is she coming home to play for Ben once again this time at the UofS ( ) or heading to UConn to play alongside Azzi Fudd in the backcourt??
Another possibility is North Carolina.
She would be reunited with former HS team mate Ciera Toomey & the Tar Heels need serious help in perimeter scoring which Moriah can provide with ease.
Should be a fun month as kids find their new homes.
Meanwhile, Kreiger is killing the Penn St. program one player at a time.
Every day someone new is departing & it's not going to get better.
No idea why they are sticking with her.

[Augie2020]

This is probably the best recruiting class(2025) i have seen coming into the UofS in 40 years plus. With that said and Coach Obriens returning players it  should be another great year  for the Lady Royals.The caliber of players coming in could be a starting 4 or 5 on any other team! Keep it up would be nice to get a 6 ft 3 player like Ashley Sofilkanich from Bucknell. Transfer portal i guess is the new way.They said 1400 men have already entered the portal, Wow that is alot.Carl will pick up zero lol.

[saratoga]

Augie, I hope you're right about this incoming class.
However, as we all know, the ability to put up great high school numbers does not always translate to the college game.

Just took a look at Lady Royal rosters going back 40 + years to see which years brought in at least 2 players that made a significant impact.

Here we go...

1983/84'
Patty Fulton
Shelly Ritz
Grace Hickey
Sharon Barone
Una Espenkotter
This group got great experience as freshmen & then the following year, aided by transfers Shelly Parks & Deanna Kyle went on to win the National Championship.

1989/90'
Another great year adding future stars:
Jackie Dougherty
Katie Geiger
Anne Gooley
Lynn Kempski (Mom of current Lady Royal Liz Halligan)

1995/96'
Erin Hurleman
Kate Dougherty #1

1996/97'
Kelly Halpin
Shannon Milder

1997/98'
Lisa Harris
Jaime Eilbacher

2000/01'
Katie Dougherty #2
Kate Pierangeli

2001/02'
Eileen Webster
Tara Gemmel

2003/04'
Taryn Mellody
Allison Matt

2007/08'
Jenn King
Courtney Roselle
Megan Kopecki

2011/12'
Lindsey Fluehr
Meredith Mesaris

2012/13'
Noelle Alicea
Jackie Gantz

2013/14'
Sarah Payonk
Alexix Roman
Denise Rizzo

2014/15'
Katie Broderick
Katie Feehery

2016/17"
Sophia Recupero
Mackenzie Mason
Lily Warhaftig
Emily Sheehan...(by their junior year, the class was in the Final Four)

2018/19'
Danielle McCurdy
Emily Shurina

2019/20'
Hannah Angelini
Bridget Monaghan
Kyra Quigley

2020/21'
Maddie Hartnett
Maddy Ryan
Jenna Larrabee

2022/23'
Kacy Kranson
Jenna Sloan

2023/24'
Katie Gorski
Elizabeth Bennett
Megan LaManna
Natalie Stoupakis

The 2024/25' kids all played about as expected but thus far, no one has emerged as a dominate player from that class.

A number of years there were multiple incoming freshman but only 1 emerged from the group as an impact player.

Those would be, as an example, the following years:

1992/93'-Mary Strasser
1993/94'-Current All-Time leading scorer Jen Nish
1998/99'-Gillian McGovern
1999/2000-Ann Marie Russo
2002/03'-Kelly Lewendowski
2005/06'-Kathleen Daly
2010/11'-Allison Sweeney
2015/16'-Bridget Mann

I'm sure there are others I may have missed but I think this gives Royal fans a trip back in time to the kids that made this program one of the most consistent Top 20 teams in the nation year in and year out.

What this next group brings to the table is yet to be seen but chances are, at least one of them will will make some serious contributions and keep the deep runs coming.

[ronk]

Augie, I hope you're right about this incoming class.
However, as we all know, the ability to put up great high school numbers does not always translate to the college game.

Just took a look at Lady Royal rosters going back 40 + years to see which years brought in at least 2 players that made a significant impact.

Here we go...

1983/84'
Patty Fulton
Shelly Ritz
Grace Hickey
Sharon Barone
Una Espenkotter
This group got great experience as freshmen & then the following year, aided by transfers Shelly Parks & Deanna Kyle went on to win the National Championship.

1989/90'
Another great year adding future stars:
Jackie Dougherty
Katie Geiger
Anne Gooley
Lynn Kempski (Mom of current Lady Royal Liz Halligan)

1995/96'
Erin Hurleman
Kate Dougherty #1

1996/97'
Kelly Halpin
Shannon Milder

1997/98'
Lisa Harris
Jaime Eilbacher

2000/01'
Katie Dougherty #2
Kate Pierangeli

2001/02'
Eileen Webster
Tara Gemmel

2003/04'
Taryn Mellody
Allison Matt

2007/08'
Jenn King
Courtney Roselle
Megan Kopecki

2011/12'
Lindsey Fluehr
Meredith Mesaris

2012/13'
Noelle Alicea
Jackie Gantz

2013/14'
Sarah Payonk
Alexix Roman
Denise Rizzo

2014/15'
Katie Broderick
Katie Feehery

2016/17"
Sophia Recupero
Mackenzie Mason
Lily Warhaftig
Emily Sheehan...(by their junior year, the class was in the Final Four)

2018/19'
Danielle McCurdy
Emily Shurina

2019/20'
Hannah Angelini
Bridget Monaghan
Kyra Quigley

2020/21'
Maddie Hartnett
Maddy Ryan
Jenna Larrabee

2022/23'
Kacy Kranson
Jenna Sloan

2023/24'
Katie Gorski
Elizabeth Bennett
Megan LaManna
Natalie Stoupakis

The 2024/25' kids all played about as expected but thus far, no one has emerged as a dominate player from that class.

A number of years there were multiple incoming freshman but only 1 emerged from the group as an impact player.

Those would be, as an example, the following years:

1992/93'-Mary Strasser
1993/94'-Current All-Time leading scorer Jen Nish
1998/99'-Gillian McGovern
1999/2000-Ann Marie Russo
2002/03'-Kelly Lewendowski
2005/06'-Kathleen Daly
2010/11'-Allison Sweeney
2015/16'-Bridget Mann

I'm sure there are others I may have missed but I think this gives Royal fans a trip back in time to the kids that made this program one of the most consistent Top 20 teams in the nation year in and year out.

What this next group brings to the table is yet to be seen but chances are, at least one of them will will make some serious contributions and keep the deep runs coming.

 Saratoga,
  Nice effort on Lady Royals' history. I began my evaluation of prospects when nobody of note showed up to complement Megan Kopecki during her next 3 years.