CLARION – Like a new Golden Eagle hatching out of its egg, the Clarion University women's basketball team will start anew in 2010-2011 with the youngest team in head coach Margaret “Gie” Parsons 22 years at the school.

 

Clarion enters the new season with 14 players, only two of whom have ever suited up for the Golden Eagles – juniors Courtney Healy and Joanna Catalano – and the roster contains 11 freshmen/first-year players.

 

“This is the youngest team I've had here,” Parsons said. “That's good and bad. There's a lot of teaching and a lot of learning going on. It's a challenge for us as coaches. Every other team in the conference has to plug in one or two players, but we have one player left with a lot of game experience at Clarion.”

 

Healy is the only returning starter for the Golden Eagles starting the first 19 games last season before a shoulder injury sidelined her for the rest of the season. She averaged 6.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game while blocking 30 shots, which tied for the 12^th most in a season in school history (she also had 30 blocks as a freshman). She had a career-high 21 points Jan. 3 at Kutztown and twice recorded a season-high eight rebounds.

 

“Courtney was really starting to play well when she got injured last year,” Parsons said. “She is slowly gaining confidence back in her injured shoulder, and she has been doing a nice job as a captain talking to the players and helping them.”

 

But with Healy being the only player with a lot of experience back for Clarion, Parsons and assistant coach Justin English are stressing patience in the early going.

 

“We have to me more patient,” Parsons said. “We are doing fewer things and trying to perfect fewer things. But the team is picking things up fast. Our core is really enthusiastic and coachable.”

 

Even with a young team, Parsons believes Clarion be successful if its plays to its strengths.

 

“We want to try to run people on offense and put an emphasis on defense,”
 Parsons said. “We're not going to have a team with an-outscore-them mentality. We want to pressure teams on defense. We can put five solid defensive players on the court at one time.”

 

One player who should make an immediate impact with Parsons' philosophy is red-shirt freshman point guard Raven Jones. Jones was an All-Public league player at Philadelphia's Prep Charter High School.

 

“Raven's an impact player,” Parsons said. “She is a combo point guard who can beat you with dribble penetration but can also shoot the ball and pass it. She will draw other teams' attention, which should open things up for our other players.”

 

One of the freshmen who should benefit from Jones ability is 6-foot-1 forward Ann Deibert, who was a 2^nd team York Daily Record player while at West York last season where she averaged 8.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.

 

“Ann is capable of taking over a game,” Parsons said. “She could be a double-double player. She is a tough, physical, strong player who is a finisher. She has a nice jump hook, and she is a lefty who uses both hands well.”

 

When teamed with Healy, Deibert gives the Golden Eagles a tough inside presence that will be made better with a guard corps that runs as many as five deep.

 

In addition to Jones, Clarion's coaching staff is also excited about junior Miranda Payne, a transfer from Hagerstown Community College, as well as freshmen Emma Fickel, Mackenzie Clark, Lauren Savulchak and Jennifer Linkchorst.

 

Payne, who will miss the early part of the season with an illness, was a standout at Hagerstown last season averaging 18.2 points, 5.6 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game while being named first-team All-Conference and first-team All-Region. In high school, she scored nearly 2,500 career points for Cumberland Valley Christian and was the 2008 Chambersburg Public Opinion Player of the Year.

 

“She is an experience guard who can play all three guard positions,” Parsons said. “She is a penetrator and slasher who is also a good defender.”

 

Fickel is a shooting guard who will help the Golden Eagles offset the loss of 1,000-point scorer and first-team PSAC-West performer Lizzie Suwala to graduation. Fickel from Carlisle averaged 11.5 points per game for Cumberland Valley last season.

 

“Emma is a tremendous shooter,” Parsons said. “She also has great anticipation and is a good on-ball defender.”  

 

Clark from Mentor, Ohio, averaged 17.8 points and 10 rebounds per game while helping her team to a district title and the Ohio Elite 8 last season

 

“She is a complete player,” Parsons said. “She is a triple-threat guard who can shot, slash and play good defense.”

 

Savulchak is from a strong high school program at Pittsburgh's North Catholic and had an opportunity to red-shirt last year while learning Clarion's system.  

 

“Lauren is an extremely athletic player who can jump out of the gym,” Parsons said. “She could be a major factor if she applies her self, but she knows she needs to keep motivated.

 

Linkchorst from Barnesville and Marian Catholic High School was a member of the 2008 PIAA Class A champion Fillies and was a Times News Honorable Mention player last season.

 

“She's a diamond in the rough,” Parsons said. “She is an extremely fundamentally sound player who is a dream to coach.”

 

With a deep backcourt, the Golden Eagles are still looking for some players to step up and provide depth in the front court to join Deibert and Healy.

 

The 6-foot-4 Catalano has the experience having played in 22 games last year and scoring 20 points to go with 10 rebounds and four blocked shots. In her career, she has appeared in 48 games with 73 points, 57 rebounds and 14 blocked shots.

 

“Jo needs to use her height to her advantage,” Parsons said. “She does bring experience inside and she is a decent finisher.”

 

Red-shirt freshman Michaela Hardy, who also plays tennis at Clarion, are also options inside.

 

 “Michaela is my pick for surprised of the year,” Parsons. “She's an enthusiastic player who is very athletic and is a great finisher from 8 to 10 feet.”

 

With such a young team, Parsons said expectations are hard to pin down.

 

“Expectations change daily,” Parsons said. “With such a young team, you don't want to get too high or too low.”

 

NOTES – Healy's 60 career blocked shots ranks seventh in school history. She also has 225 career points and 191 career rebounds … Parsons is the winningest coach in school history with a record of 314-267. She is slated to coach her 600^th game at Clarion when the Golden Eagles travel to California Feb. 2 … Parsons is a four-time PSAC-West Coach of the Year (1991, 1992, 2005, 2008) and two-time Regional/District Coach of the Year (1991, 2005) and has guided the Golden Eagles to 11 PSAC Playoff berths and six NCAA Division II playoff appearances including an unbelievable five-year run from 1991-95 when Clarion went 117-33 overall (78 percent) and 50-10 (83.3 percent) in the PSAC-West. That stretch included five straight PSAC-West crowns, three PSAC titles (1991, 1993, 1994), two NCAA Division II East Region titles (1991, 1994), two trips to the NCAA Division II Elite 8 (1991, 1994) and a No. 2 ranking in Division II in 1993-94 … Clarion starts the season Nov. 13 when it hosts East Stroudsburg. The PSAC-West season begins Jan. 12 at Slippery Rock with the home PSAC-West opener slated for Jan. 15 vs. Edinboro.