PU women’s basketball opens at Pittsburgh today
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
Mariah Smith missed all but seven games last year with a variety of lower leg injuries, and her loss showed more at the defensive end than anywhere.
The Princeton University women’s basketball team still led the Ivy League in scoring, but it only translated to a second-place finish behind Penn. Improving the Tigers defense has been at the forefront of pre-season preparations this year, and getting Smith back in the lineup should help.
”I tried to put my input in at halftime with my team,” Smith recalled. “I think it was a big loss not having me out there. At the beginning of the year, I gave myself the defensive captain mindset. To not be out there and only be able to yell from the end of the bench, it makes a big difference. Even though Blake (Dietrick) was our leader last year, she can’t do everything by herself.
”This year, there’s been a strong emphasis on defense, which I’ve been happy about. I think it’s going to show. They’ve made tremendous strides already this year with that. I think it’ll be exciting. We’ll love to play some defense. It’s going to be a good year with that.”
It was frustrating for Smith to watch from the sidelines last year as the Tigers gave up too much to opponents. She could do nothing on the court to help, and she was injured sophomore year as well.
”My role shifted from being a team leader on the court to being a team leader off the court,” Smith said. “I tried to be the best cheerleader I could be, like stomping with the boot on, all that type of stuff. That all builds up. I have two years of energy stored up and ready to go. It may have a strong impact on the court for definitely this year.”
Smith and Dietrick are captains for the Tigers, who open the season at Pittsburgh at 11 a.m. today. They will play at Duquesne 2 p.m. Saturday to finish their Pittsburgh-area swing as they begin to gear up for Ivy play with their non-conference schedule.
”We lost the Ivy title last year,” Smith said. “That’s a big stab in the heart to be two-time champs and lose it. We have no other option, that’s how we see it — there’s only winning at this point.”
Princeton had won four straight Ivy crowns before last season. To win back the Ivy title, Princeton believes it will have to be much improved at the defensive end first.
”I think defense is so collective, and that’s where we weren’t good enough last year,” said PU head coach Courtney Banghart, whose team had its fifth straight 20-win season last year. “We were too concerned with our own. And we are doing what you learn in second grade and that is the only thing that can hurt you is the ball. In that sense, it is more collective than individual, but the focus of your leaders matters.
”Mariah is healthy for the first time in three years and she is a special defender as a senior. Blake is buying into that end. Michelle Miller, our scorer, is a much better defender than she has ever been. I think partly if our leaders are committed to it, the whole team will follow.”
Smith is confident that she can help the Tigers improve at that end if she can stay on the court. Last year Princeton got away from its total commitment at the defensive end.
”I have always been a defensive-minded coach who happens to have figured out how to get these guys to play good offense,” Banghart said. “And I don’t think last year I got them to play good enough defensively so I have focused only on that end. I don’t what we look like on offense, and I don’t care. We are going to get stops this year.”
Returning Smith should help. Last year, her injuries kept her away from the action. It began with a stress fracture in her leg, it was followed by a badly sprained ankle on her other leg. An MRI eventually revealed it was a bone bruise, and it cost her six more weeks. It was then that doctors discovered that her stress fracture hadn’t yet healed. It still isn’t perfectly healed, but Smith has had enough of the sitting.
”Right now it’s a game of managing pain and playing at the same time,” Smith said. “I practice and everything though.”
Smith gets to work every day against her fellow Tigers. Princeton has good balance offensively, and with so many players capable of scoring, it gives the Tigers defense plenty to work against in practice.
”We have no option but to get better defensively, 1 through 15 or whoever is available that day,” Smith said. “Offensive, we’re better than we’ve been in the past, so our defense has to catch up.”
The Tigers have come back hungrier to return the Ivy title to Old Nassau. They lost a key showdown to Penn to end the regular season last year, but did secure a WNIT bid and won their first-round game.
”I think having a one and done environment and having had success,” Banghart said, “it is the first time we have done that in the postseason in this program’s history so there is a takeaway from that of the one and done mentality and the level of focus that entailed. And we did that with four sophomores and a junior in the starting lineup so a lot of those kids will be back. And our hope is that pays off. It doesn’t matter if we don’t get a chance, so we’ve got to earn it first.
”I think they have never lacked effort,” she added, “but you get numb to winning — like that’s what we do here. And we have proven it’s not what we do here, it is what we earn here. And we didn’t earn it last year.”
The Tigers are ahead of pace from last year when they spent so much of the early going figuring our personnel after replacing most of their regular starters. They have been more focused at the defensive end and worked at adjusting their play offensively as well.
”We’re certainly ahead of where we were,” Banghart said. “I don’t know if we will be where we need to be, but we are certainly ahead of where we were in a lot of facets.”
Princeton has a lot back from last year. They graduated just two seniors, and this year’s team expects to see its freshmen contribute early.
”We are making it an obligation of our upperclassmen to ensure that our freshmen help us,” Banghart said. “We tried last year to play without freshmen and it didn’t go so well. If we want to be as good as we can be those freshmen need to help us. The seniors and juniors have been doing a really good job if bringing them along.”
Add it as another task that Smith wants to follow through on this year. She is hoping that Princeton will have the right formula to bring back an Ivy crown.
”Just staying together the entire season, constantly keeping that defensive mindset,” Smith said. “That’s why we lost last year — because of our defense. We have to stay accountable. We have tremendous accountability. We have tremendous trust, which leads to accountability.”
The pieces are in place to contend for the Ivy championship. The Tigers’ first intrasquad scrimmage gave them a taste of what will be expected of this group.
”I saw a lot of good things,” Banghart said. “Our focus on defense is better, it is not good enough yet. Offensively this team is just gifted. It is a team that really knows how to play together, they share the ball. There were kids that were highlights. There were kids that were tough. Toughness 1 through 15 is going to be critical.
”I like the energy of this group,” she added. “They are always in the gym. They want that title. They know where their weaknesses are and they are willing to work on them. It is a different positive energy this year but I am excited about it.”