2008-09 SCIAC Women’s Basketball Preview

2008-09 SCIAC Women's Basketball Preview

Occidental College, who won their first title since 1980, was picked in the SCIAC coaches' preseason poll to repeat as league champions in the 2008-09 season.  The Tigers will return under new leadership in Heidi VanDerveer and open their season on Friday, Nov. 21 when they host day one of the Tip-Off Classic.

Head coach Julie Kline and the University of La Verne Leopards were picked to finish third in the league after claiming the inaugural SCIAC Women's Basketball Tournament Title last year. SCIAC Head Coaches selected California Lutheran University and new head coach Roy Dow as the "dark horse" for the season.

2008-09 players to watch include: LaVerne - Trenecca Jones, Emily Carillo; Oxy - Brianne Brown, Stephanie Babij; Redlands - Meghan Yetman, Allie Bueno;  Whittier - Kourtney Zilbert, Essence Scott;  CMS - Cameron Hansen, Jennifer Osgood;  Pomona-Pitzer - Dierdre Chew, Rosa Lee;  Caltech - Lisa Yee, Jessica Roberts;  Cal Lutheran - Maggie Neville, Nita Simms. 

The complete 2008-09 SCIAC Women's Basketball Coaches' Poll is as follows (along with last year's record): 

1. Occidental College (21-6, 12-2 SCIAC)
2. University of Redlands (17-9, 10-4 SCIAC)
3. University of La Verne (20-8, 11-3 SCIAC)
4. Whittier College (12-13, 7-7 SCIAC)
5. California Lutheran University (13-12, 8-6 SCIAC)
6. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (4-20, 3-11 SCIAC)
7. Pomona-Pitzer Colleges (4-21, 3-11 SCIAC)
8. California Institute of Technology (4-21, 2-12 SCIAC)