By Avanti Chajed
Gargoyle staff reporter
Posted Thursday, Nov. 16, 2006, The OG, sports

Aran Yoo (click to enlarge)

THE 2006-07 UNI GIRLS basketball team will begin its season tonight against Atwood-Hammond at Kenney Gym. Tip-off is 6 p.m. for varsity action (the JV game was canceled). Last year the Illineks won their opener against the Rajenes 45-36, with 14 points from Rachel Skoza, then a freshman making her varsity debut. To get you ready for the new season, here's a quick look at this year's Illineks, starting with a little history.

— 2005-06 varsity recap: Last year's team was plagued by inconsistency and injuries, ultimately placing third in the East Central Illinois Conference. The girls finished 8-16 overall and 5-5 in ECIC play. The conference record, though a respectable .500, was disappointing for many team members, since they entered the season aiming for a third consecutive ECIC title.

— Head coach: Rebecca Murphy has returned for her 14th year.

— Key returning players: Although six of last year's seniors — including MVP Al Johnson — have graduated, a new generation of talented players has emerged. These include senior Mandy Grill, junior Aran Yoo (who led the team in steals last year with 2.4 per game), junior Samantha Nguyen (who tallied the most assists with 2 per game), and sophomores Rachel Skoza and Jessi Sullivan. Yoo, Skoza, and Sullivan were each chosen for ECIC all-conference honorable mention last year.

— From the coach: “With only two seniors, our squad is a little young,” says Murphy. “But several of these younger players played on varsity last year, so hopefully that year's worth of experience will pay off this season.”

— Outlook: If the performance of last year's underclassmen was any indication, the team should have a solid season. After tonight's game the team will play in the Oakwood/Westville Thanksgiving Classic tournament. The team went 1-3 at last year's tournament, beating Chrisman and losing to Hoopeston, Oakwood, and Georgetown-Ridge Farm.

— Quoteworthy: “As of now we're a pretty scrappy team. I'm anxious to see how we'll turn out.” — Rachel Skoza

“We have potential. It's just a matter of if we decide to really focus and work together as a team.” — Aran Yoo