Jimmies yet to play best ball
Record-wise it’s hard to argue against what the Jimmie women’s basketball team has done so far this season. At 16-3 and ranked 17th going into this weekend’s Dakota Tip Off Classic at the Jamestown Civic Center, clearly they’ve done a lot of things right. But coach Greg Ulland agrees with the notion that his team is yet to put everything together.By: By Dave Selvig, The Jamestown Sun, The Jamestown Sun
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Record-wise it’s hard to argue against what the Jimmie women’s basketball team has done so far this season.
At 16-3 and ranked 17th going into this weekend’s Dakota Tip Off Classic at the Jamestown Civic Center, clearly they’ve done a lot of things right.
But coach Greg Ulland agrees with the notion that his team is yet to put everything together.
“I don’t feel like we’ve played up to our full potential. Is that because I set the bar too high? I?don’t know, but I think high expectations for this team were justified,” he said. “I think that’s good because I honestly believe we can play better. But on the other side, when are we going to play up to where I think we can be? Hopefully soon, because it needs to be soon.”
Ulland was very pleased with his team’s win against South Dakota Mines last Saturday in Rapid City. He also said the team has practiced well the past two weeks, which is important with a pair of challenging games this weekend, particularly on Sunday. If the Jimmies beat Dakota State (5-10) today at 5 p.m., they’ll likely play 13th-ranked Valley City State (16-3) on Sunday.
“It should be fun. Good teams, good competition. We all know each other pretty well, so we’re going to have to play well because there isn’t going to be much room for error,” Ulland said.
The Jimmies’ formula has been the same as it has been the past three seasons. They’re outscoring their opponents by nearly 18 points per game, which ranks them in the top 10 in the NAIA. They’re also in the top 20 in scoring (76) and defense (56). Only Bridget Schuneman (11) and Carly Jensen (10) average over 10, but nine girls are scoring five or better.
Injuries have been a theme since practice started back in September and continue even now. Junior Casey Geffre sustained her second major knee injury in less than a calendar year and is out for the season.
“It’s extremely unfortunate for Geff because she was getting there,” Ulland said. “On the play she was injured in practice, she made an explosive move and looked like her old self. It’s a tough deal, because everyone who saw her play when her first two years knows what kind of player she is.”
Otherwise, they’re pretty healthy, though, and for the first time all season, really, they’ll be able to close the regular season with some consistency in their schedule. Seven of their last 10 games are at home and against teams they know well.
“We’re all creatures of habit to some degree. It’s definitely good to have a consistent routine we can be in now the rest of the way,” Ulland said. “We don’t have any excuses. We just need to play good basketball from here on out.”
Sun sports editor Dave Selvig can be reached at (701) 952-8460 or by e-mail at dselvig@jamestownsun.com
Tags: sports, jimmies, basketball
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