After finishing 28-5 last season and winning both the KJCCC Div. I and Region VI titles with a trip to the national tournament, the Butler Grizzly women's basketball will look to carry over that success and build off of it but with a very different looking roster.
"Loved our team last year but we have to create our own identity with this team," said head coach Mike Helmer. "New year, new team, new goals."
The Grizzlies return only four players from last year's roster in Camille Downs, Dana Johnson, Jelesa Gross and Jaelynn McLaurian.
Camille Downs, sophomore guard from Fredricksburg, VA saw the most time of the four returners as a freshman last season appearing in all 33 games and getting the start in eight. She averaged 9.0 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in her freshman campaign while playing 14.4 minutes per game. She had a season high 18-points twice during the season once against State Fair and the other against Cowley.
Jaelynn McLauiran averaged 8.3 minutes per game last season while averaging 3.0 points per game with her best offensive game of the year coming against Allen where she scored 16 points. Dana Johnson saw action in 28 games averaging 6.7 minutes per game and 1.9 points per game while teammate Jelesa Gross appeared in all 33 games with one start and averaged 4.0 points per game during her freshman campaign.
"Yes, we lost a lot of our team from last year, but we bring in a new group that is going to be able to contribute immediately," said Helmer. "We added one division 1 transfer who had a great freshman year at northwestern state. Extremely talented and a really good scorer. I like our freshman class, it's a good blend of local kids and out of state students that we have high expectations for. I am really looking forward to seeing how the freshmen blend with our returners and if we can all 'gel' together."
Butler returned to the NJCAA Division I National Tournament for the second time in school history after going for the first time in 2013-14. The Grizzlies finished with 28 wins, giving them the third most wins in school history and finished a perfect 14-0 in home games.
The 62-54 win over Seward in the Region VI Championship game was the first Region VI Championship for the women's basketball program in school while they won their third KJCCC title in school history.
Butler started official practices on October 1 and have had four scrimmages throughout the month in preparation for the upcoming season. Although scores and stats aren't recorded from pre-season scrimmages, the women's team went 4-0 in the scrimmages they played.
"We didn't play that well in our scrimmages in Texas early, but I was really pleased with how we played and look in Lawrence a few weeks later," commented Helmer.
With a 20-game conference schedule, that leave 10-games for non-conference opponents and coach Helmer and the staff put together a good lineup of teams for non-conference action. They open up the year on November 1st against NJCAA Division II Kirkwood. They turn around the next day and play a tough State Fair team. They host Bethany JV in their home opener on November 5, but then make the trek to Texas for a three-game stretch where they will play Jacksonville, Midland and Air Force Prep. A home and home with Northern Oklahoma Enid and home games with Bethel and Tabor round out the non-conference schedule.
"We have a tough non-conference schedule, which can only help us for conference play," mentioned Helmer on the importance of the non-conference games.
The Grizzlies went undefeated last year in non-conference play defeating Kirkwood and State Fair in the first two games of the year. They rattled of twelve-straight wins to start the year before suffering their first loss of the season on the road at Hutchinson.
Butler will open up conference play on Tuesday, November 26 when they travel to Seward who is preseason ranked No. 6 in the NJCAA. Butler defeated Seward 65-54 in the regular season and then turned around and defeated them 62-54 in the Region VI tournament to advance to the NJCAA National Tournament.
Helmer and crew only lost four conference games last season, all coming on the road. The Grizzlies won all 14 home games last season and have won their last 19 home games. Their last home loss came on January 20, when they fell 74-53 to Seward in El Dorado.
The Grizzlies are ranked No. 18 in the NJCAA Div. I Preseason poll behind conference opponents Seward (#6) and Hutchinson (#9).
"It is just a daily reminder on how tough our league is," said Helmer. "We will use this as motivation to continue to work and try to chip away at the top ten as we move through the season."
The Grizzlies open up their season on the road at the McDonalds Classic on Friday, November 1 when they play NJCAA Division II No. 2 Kirkwood at 1:00pm.
