Coming off of its first postseason appearance since 1976-77, coach Cheryl Reeve and her Indiana State University basketball team are looking to build off of its third-consecutive winning season.
    With the graduation of one of the best players to play at ISU in years, Amy Amstutz, along with Jennifer Goetz, Leigh Ellis and Amber Guinn from last year’s team, the general consensus could be that of a down year for the Sycamores.
    That’s fine, according to Reeve. Just don’t expect her or her players to think that.
    “The first thought I have is the expectations for the 1999-2000 team will be higher internally than they will be externally,” Reeve said. “We realize that we have graduated some senior players that were very much a part of our success the past three seasons.  But, competing on a national level in the WNIT was very exciting for our younger players. They felt good about being able to extend our season beyond the MVC tourney.  I know postseason play is something is they would like to do again - perhaps on a higher level this time (in the NCAA tournament).”
    When Reeve refers to the “younger players” for the Sycamores, she is referring to over half of the squad. In fact, center/forward Missy Stringham will be the lone senior on this year’s team. The rest of the team will be made up of four juniors, four sophomores and three freshmen. Two of the juniors, though, are transfers that haven’t played a minute of Sycamore basketball.

Key Losses
    Duplicating that success, however, will be tricky after graduating guard Amy Amstutz. All the 5-10 perimeter player did while in Terre Haute was earn a spot on the first-team All-MVC squad for three years in a row and earned the MVC Defensive Player of the Year honor last season.
    Amstutz also led the Sycamores in scoring and rebounding the last three years, including in 1998-99 when she averaged 13.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.  Those numbers place her at 10th on the ISU all-time scoring list with 1,274 career points.  Also absent from last year’s 18-11 team are post players Jennifer Goetz (8.1 ppg., 4.7 rpg.), Leigh Ellis (3.5 rpg.) and forward Amber Guinn.
    “Statistically, we aren’t going to be able to replace Amstutz, Goetz, Ellis and Guinn with one player,” said Reeve. “Our philosophy has always been that we will carry on being successful by members of a committee.”
    Unlike the last three years, there won’t be one head of the committee that stands out. Reeve will look to several players to lead ISU into the new millennium.

The Perimeter - Point Guard
    This should be a very solid position for the Sycamores with all three players that saw time at this position returning.  Two-year starter Shameka Robinson will be the incumbent heading into the year after appearing in all 29 games last season, starting 28.  Robinson averaged 5.2 points per game while leading the team with 92 assists.
    “She’s very anxious to have a breakout season,” said Reeve.  “She does a nice job of understanding our offense and getting players in the right position.  What we hope she’ll do as a junior is recognize the best opportunity for our team, whether it be driving all the way to the basket or her drawing defenders and passing the ball to the low post.”
    April Kirby will compete with Robinson for the starting job at this position after playing every game last year as a true freshman.  She started one game and averaged four points per game with 53 assists and 32 steals.  Her quickness and shooting ability will be a key for Reeve’s offense.
    “Shooting the basketball is her forte,” said Reeve.  “When we saw zone defenses, April was our point guard of choice in terms of being able to recognize openings and get in seams for three-pointers.  I think you will see her become more aggressive and try to get to the basket and make plays with our post players,” said Reeve.
    Also contributing to this position will be junior Cristalle Shelton, the top returning scorer from last year (10.7 ppg.).  Shelton was originally brought in from Iowa State as a point guard and saw time in the postseason last year in the spot when Kirby was sick.
    “She is a mature player that is very unselfish, and I would be very confident to have her as our point guard,” said Reeve.

The Perimeter - Two and Three Guards
    Shelton has a starting spot sealed at the shooting-guard  position after nailing 52 of 149 three-pointers (.349 percent) last season and averaging over 30 minutes per game, which was the most minutes by any Sycamore.  She was the top ISU scorer seven times and reached double digits 19 times in her first year in the Missouri Valley Conference after transferring from Iowa State.
    “Cris is one of our best leaders on the team,” said Reeve.  “She will probably be the most intense player we have on the court.  Cris understands the intensity it takes to play at this level.  Her consistency is what we are looking for her to be able to pick up as a junior.”
    Backing Shelton up will be sophomore Danielle Evans, who appeared in the first three games last season before a broken bone in her left foot kept her out the rest of the year.
    “She had the opportunity to sit and observe,” said Reeve.  “She was like a sponge last year.  There was a big difference between her fall workouts and spring workouts.  For her, more than anything, getting game experience will be key.”
    Freshman Kourtney Mennen could also see time in this position after a stellar prep career at Clinton Prairie High school.
 “She is a player that I think, if she can adjust to collegiate basketball, can pick up where (Amy) Amstutz left off,” said Reeve.  “I believe Kourtney’s contributions will be key to our perimeter.  She has the ability to score and her instincts are unbelievable.”
    The other perimeter player that can help in several positions will be sophomore Shana Sparks.  Her 5-11 frame allows her to play a small-forward role and her shooting ability give ISU another threat on the outside.  Sparks shot a team-high .358 percent (19 of 53) from behind the three-point arc, while hitting over 70 percent of her foul shots.  Reeve is hoping that off-season surgery on her shin will be fully healed by the start of the season.

Post Players
    Coach Reeve will have several players to choose from in this position with the addition of two freshmen and a junior college transfer, all 6-0 tall or better.  And each, said Reeve, will bring something different to the table.
    The first choice, though, that Reeve has will be senior Missy Stringham.  The senior knows the system like the back of her hand after being one of Reeve’s first signees at ISU.
    “Mentality-wise, Missy’s done a great job of understanding what we as a staff want and are working for,” said Reeve.  “We’ve sort of climbed the ladder together and she’s never been involved in a losing season.
    “What’s going to be key to her season is how well she can do in the post.  She know’s what’s supposed to happen and Missy has the intelligence for the game of basketball.”
    The only other returner in the post position is sophomore Abbe Brauman, who was named to the MVC All-Freshmen Team last season.  Brauman averaged 7.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game as a frosh, and was a major factor for ISU down the stretch in the MVC race and in the postseason.  Her 13 starts came in the second half of the season.
    “She was the key to our season, I believe, in the last 10-11 games,” said Reeve.  “We looked at the success we had in the last 10 games of the year, the success we had in February, and Abbe was directly correlated to that success.
    “I think this is a big, big year for her.  Without putting too much pressure on her, she is very capable of being one of the dominating post players in the Missouri Valley Conference.”
    Two transfers will see the court this year for the Sycamores, one from Seton Hall and the other from Northeastern Oklahoma Junior College.
    Kim Allen will see action after sitting out last year due to the NCAA Division I transfer rule.  Allen will be the tallest player to ever put the blue and white jersey on for the women’s basketball program, standing at 6-5.
    The other transfer is Kiwana Battle, who may be the most athletic Sycamore on this year’s team.
    “Kiwana gives us an element of athleticism that we don’t have in the post,” said Reeve.  “We think she has a chance to be successful in the MVC, even though she won’t be one of the taller posts in the league.
    “What we’re really impressed with is her ability to score on bigger post players.  She competed against pretty good junior college post players and had a lot of success.”
    Two freshmen, Erin Rhodes and Kristin Stewart, round out the lineup for Reeve.  Rhodes, who averaged over 16 points and 10 rebounds as a senior, brings the ability to “step away, read, and make decisions,” said Reeve.  For Stewart, her strength is around the basket.