The Webster University women’s basketball team was anything but a picture of stability last season.
The team routinely started three freshmen, with a bevy of starting combinations.
Once on the court, the team appeared even more disheveled, as it averaged more than 23 turnovers per game as it waded through an 11-14 season.
Much of that was from what is supposed to be the most reliable position on the court with regard to ball security – the point guard.
But the Gorloks took the first step in amending that problem in their 67-52 win over Dominican University to open the 2009-2010 season.
That step comes in the form of freshman point guard Maggie Zehner.
In her collegiate debut, Zehner played 27 minutes, scored 14 points, dished out five assists, and racked up a grand total of zero turnovers.
That’s right. Bagel. Goose egg.
It’s exactly what you want from a point guard. Not only did she produce offensively, but by retaining control of the rock, Zehner was able to prolong possessions and prevent odd-man rushes for Dominican.
Last year, the Gorloks were so cavalier in terms of handling the basketball, they had 11 games in which they allowed at least twice as many turnovers as assists.
The team nearly reached that dubious distinction for the season last year, with 590 turnovers to 326 assists.
Even more indicative of the team’s ball-handling woes is the fact that not a single player on last year’s roster posted more assists than turnovers.
Providing an antidote to the other bane of the team’s existence, Zehner was nine for 12 from the free-throw line. The rest of the team sank just nine of 19 attempts from the stripe.
Zehner’s performance is only a start. I must temper my enthusiasm by mentioning that the DU Stars are no world-beaters and the Gorloks will have many more tests in the weeks to come.
The team’s issues do not reside solely in the team’s backcourt.
There is much more to be accomplished. The aforementioned free-throw shooting is nearly a team-wide problem.
The Gorloks shot only 31 percent from the floor, on 22 of 70 shooting – many of which were from point-blank range.
But without stability in the backcourt, it would be difficult to get started on any of the team’s other shortcomings.
Zehner proved she is able to carry the load as a Division III point guard right away. Her assertiveness in running the floor was unseen by any of the Gorloks’ guards last year.
Zehner’s new challenge will be living up to her initial performance, and she’ll have about 100 more games as a Gorlok to prove it was no fluke.
But it sure is a great start.
