December 15, 2010
HCV Preview: Secaucus
Andrea Innis is one of two four-year starters as Secaucus returns all five starters.
Click Here for Secaucus girls basketball photos
By Jason Bernstein
Editorial Director
For the Secaucus girls basketball team, this season represents the kind of opportunity which rarely comes along.
While others teams throughout the area have the challenge of replacing key components from last season, the Patriots have no such worries. Secaucus returns its entire starting lineup and the top eight scorers from a team which went 21-5 a season ago and looks poised to be one of the premier Group I schools in the state.
“It’s always a nice luxury to have,” Patriots head coach John Sterling said. “We hope that experience will give us a head start in the beginning of the season.”
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Experience is hardly the only area where Secaucus will be at an advantage as few teams can match the 1-2 combination of Shannon Waters and Andrea Innis.
Waters and Innis are both four-year starters who are capable of a triple-double whenever they step on the floor. Despite similar results, these talented 5-foot-8 seniors have different on-court styles.
“Shannon runs the floor very well,” said Sterling of her guard/forward. “She plays good defense, she always gets to the ball. She’s just so aggressive on the court.”
While Waters, who averaged 17.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and three steals per game uses her hustle and aggressiveness, Innis a small forward who has since shifted to point guard is an incredibly skilled and polished talent who can play virtually anywhere on the court.
“Andrea is just a year-round player,” Sterling said. “She’s constantly fine-tuning and improving her game. She’s done a much better job of rebounding and boxing out.”
The thought of an improved Innis is a scary thought for coaches. Last season she led the team in scoring (18.4 points per game), rebounding (9.1 per game), assists (5.0 per game) and steals (3.8 per game).
The Patriots hope to assist Innis’ point guard responsibilities with junior Alyssa Lyngholm, a three-year starter.
The biggest source of improvement Secaucus hopes will come from the talented sophomore trio of Ariana Simon, Danielle Roesing and Lauren Guillen. All three were pressed into big-minute role immediately as freshmen and showed growth as the year went on.
Simon, a 5-foot-8 forward has the length to be a difference maker on the glass as she continues to develop her offensive game. Roesing, a 5-foot-6 guard/forward is a strong defender with the ability to hit from the perimeter. The 5-foot-5 Guillen has shown the ability to provide an offensive jolt off the bench and defend both guard spots.
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