FROM THE BENCH A NOTE FROM HEAD COACH AARON ROUSSELL CAN YOU HELP US IMPROVE OUR TECHNOLOGY? Women s Basketball Office

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1 FROM THE BENCH THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE WOMEN S BASKETBALL PROGRAM DECEMBER 2016 VOL. 5, NO. 1 LEWISBURG, PA A NOTE FROM HEAD COACH AARON ROUSSELL Hello Bison Fans! It s finals week in Lewisburg which means the staff has been out on the road recruiting while the players are able to turn their full focus to their studies. We still get the group to practice a few times over the break, but it is for shorter stretches and the focus is more on player development. We also use this time to self-assess where we are as a team and pick a couple areas where the team needs to improve for the rest of the season (which every coach will always say defense and rebounding!). The schedule that we put in front of this group has been incredibly challenging, which was done deliberately. In addition to traditional women s basketball powers North Carolina and Rutgers, we also loaded up on some regional mid-major elite that have tested this group and will prepare us for the Patriot League portion of our schedule. If you were to tell me that we would be 6-3 at this point, knowing who we were going up against, I would have been very pleased. Of course, as a coach you always think about the ones that you may have let slip away. We had our chances to win each of the three games that we lost; if it weren t for a rough start at Big Ten-foe Rutgers we may have been able to snag the program s first-ever win against a school from that league. Additionally, watching a 13-point lead evaporate against a very good Elon team is still hard to stomach. Nevertheless, this early part of the season has seasoned this group and made us even better; the fact that seven of the first nine have been on the road makes the record even more impressive and will bear fruit at season s end. We have had some outstanding individual performances in this young season. Senior Sune Swart began the year with back-to-back 25-point efforts and has been a force inside ever since. Sophomore Kaitlyn Slagus has followed up her Rookie of the Year campaign with a strong early showing and currently sits in the top three of the conference statistics in both scoring and rebounding. Preseason Patriot League Player of the Year Claire DeBoer has lived up to the billing and been outstanding on both ends of the floor; DeBoer recently became only the seventh player in program history with 1200 points and 700 rebounds. In addition to current players having great starts to the season, we recently added what we feel is an impressive haul of talent for the future. The class of 2017 was an important one for this program and we are excited about the four student-athletes we have joining our program next season. You can read about the members of the class inside this newsletter. One new event we are exceptionally excited about is the addition of an end-of-the-year team banquet. The Bucknell Women s Basketball Banquet will be held on Sunday April 9th at 12:00 p.m. in the Walls Lounge of the ELC. The event is open to the public with tickets to be made available at a later date. The banquet will also be held in conjunction with this year s alumni weekend, with the alumni game slated for a 10:30 a.m. tip that morning. We welcome all alums to join us for a reception on Saturday April 8th at Branden s Towne Tavern Shanty as well. Hope to see you in a gym soon, Go Bison! Aaron Roussell Head Women s Basketball Coach CAN YOU HELP US IMPROVE OUR TECHNOLOGY? We recently purchased two software programs that will allow us to easier manage our recruiting and dramatically improve the scouting of future opponents. New technology will allow us to show film clips to our players while traveling and put highlight packages together for our players as well. However, in order to best utilize these new programs we need to purchase IPADs and additional software valued at $6,000 that were not originally in our budget. If anyone is interested in assisting us with this important need, please contact Todd Newcomb at or tnewcomb@bucknell.edu. Head Coach: Aaron Roussell Phone: aaron.roussell@bucknell.edu Assistant Coach: Mike Lane Phone: mike.lane@bucknell.edu Women s Basketball Office Asst. Coach : Carissa Nord Phone: cmn009@bucknell.edu Assistant Coach: Martina Wood Phone: maw042@bucknell.edu Manager of Basketball Operations: Lindsey Burke Phone: lindsey.burke@bucknell.edu Fax: Web Site:

2 RESULTS Date Opponent / Event Time / Result 11/11/16 at Binghamton W, /13/16 at Saint Joseph s W, /17/16 vs. NJIT W, /20/16 at North Carolina L, /22/16 at Elon L, /27/16 vs. Drexel W, /30/16 at Akron W, /03/16 at Rutgers L, /06/16 at St. Bonaventure W, /18/16 vs. Cleveland State 2:00 p.m. 12/20/16 vs. Manhattan 6:00 p.m. 12/30/16 vs. Navy * 6:00 p.m. 01/02/17 at Army West Point * 7:00 p.m. 01/05/17 vs. American * 11:00 a.m. 01/08/17 vs. Holy Cross * 2:00 p.m. 01/11/17 at Lehigh * 7:00 p.m. 01/14/17 vs. Colgate * 2:00 p.m. 01/18/17 at Loyola (Md.) * 7:00 p.m. 01/21/17 at Boston University * 2:00 p.m. 01/28/17 vs. Army West Point * 6:00 p.m. 02/01/17 at American * 7:00 p.m. 02/04/17 at Holy Cross * 12:00 p.m. 02/08/17 vs. Lehigh * 6:00 p.m. 02/11/17 at Colgate * 2:00 p.m. 02/15/17 vs. Loyola (Md.) * 6:00 p.m. 02/18/17 vs. Boston University * 2:00 p.m. 02/22/17 at Lafayette* 7:00 p.m. 02/25/17 at Navy * 7:00 p.m. 03/01/17 vs. Lafayette * 6:00 p.m. Patriot League Tournament Higher Seed 03/04/17 First Round TBA 03/06/17 Quarterfinal TBA All games at highest remaining seed 03/10/17 Semifinal TBA 03/12/17 Championship TBA Home games in BOLD type * - Patriot League contest FORMER STANDOUT VICKI QUIMBY 02 INDUCTED INTO ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME Former standout forward Vicki (Quimby) Nigrini 02 was inducted into the Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame at a ceremony during Homecoming weekend. One of the finest post players in Bucknell women s basketball history, Quimby was a four-time All-Patriot League selection, twice earning First Team honors. As a senior in 2002, Quimby captained Bucknell s first-ever NCAA Tournament Team. Quimby led the Bison in rebounding three times and graduated as Bucknell s all-time leading rebounder (902, which today ranks second to Hope Foster). Quimby also graduated with 1,570 career points, which ranked No. 2 at the time and is fourth today, and she also ranks fourth in steals (231), fourth in free throws made (380) and attempted (585) and fifth in scoring average (13.5). Last year, she earned a spot on the Patriot League 25th Anniversary Team. TEAM VISIT TO CLIMBucknell CHALLENGE COURSE The women s basketball team started off the school year with a trip to the CLIMBucknell challenge course at the Forest Brown Convention Center in Lewisburg. This outdoor education initiative embodies the idea of a classroom without walls. The team participated in many leadership and team building activities while on the course. From low to high ropes, challenges on the round and balance activities challenged the team s ability to work together towards a common goal. Communication, coordination and a team effort proved to be successful for all who participated. The Official Newsletter for Bison WOMEN S BASKETBALL Alumni, Friends & Supporters Pg. 2

3 ALUMNI WEEKEND --- APRIL 8-9, 2017 Join us April 8-9, 2017 for a special weekend here on campus. On the 8th, we will welcome all alumni back for a reception at Brendan s Towne Tavern Shanty from 8:00-11:00 p.m. On Saturday, April 9th, we will begin the day with the annual Alumni Basketball Game in Sojka Pavilion at 10:30 a.m., and then celebrate the current team and the season at the team s year-end banquet in Walls Lounge (Langone Center). Please mark your calendars - we hope you will join us. APRIL 8, ALUMNI RECEPTION, BRENDAN S TOWNE TAVERN SHANTY, 8:00 p.m. APRIL 9, ALUMNI GAME, SOJKA PAVILION, 10:30 a.m. APRIL 9, TEAM BANQUET, WALLS LOUNGE - LANGONE CENTER, 12:00 noon LINDSEY BURKE JOINS TEAM AS MANAGER OF BASKETBALL OPERATIONS Lindsey Burke has begun her first season as the manager of basketball operations for the Bucknell women s basketball team. Burke joined the Bison after spending the past three seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Burke had numerous responsibilities during her time with the Eagles, including basketball operations, camp operations, player development, scouting, and recruiting. Prior to taking the position at Mary Washington, Burke was a four-year player at Division II Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania, where she graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor s degree in strategic communication. While a student-athlete with the Lakers, Burke was a Dean s List student while being named a Mercyhurst Scholar-Athlete and a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Scholar-Athlete. Additionally, she was president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Burke is a member of the Women s Basketball Coaches Association. In addition to her work at Mary Washington, she has worked camps at the University of Virginia and Daemen College. BISON WOMEN S BASKETBALL IN THE COMMUNITY Bucknell Women s Basketball Visits Lewisburg s Kelly Elementary School As part of the WBCA s (Women s Basketball Coaches Association) commitment to service in local communities, September 28 was named the WBCA s Day of Service and Bucknell s women s basketball team answered the call. The group went to Kelly Elementary School in Lewisburg and volunteered playing various games with a kindergarten class. Players spoke to the elementary students about the importance of sportsmanship, and playing and working together. Bucknell Women s Basketball Visits Elmcroft Senior Living Center in Lewisburg Over the fall break when many students leave campus, the Bucknell Women s Basketball team was on campus practicing and gearing up for the new season! During this time, the team visited the residents of Elmcroft Senior Living Center in Lewisburg. The team spent the afternoon playing games with the residents and interacting with members of their living community. The Official Newsletter for Bison WOMEN S BASKETBALL Alumni, Friends & Supporters Pg. 3

4 BISON ADD FOUR PLAYERS DURING EARLY SIGNING PERIOD Fifth-year head coach Aaron Roussell has announced the signing of four student-athletes to the women s basketball program for the season. Tessa Brugler, Autumn Ceppi, Ally Johnson and Abby Kapp all signed their national letters of intent to join the Bison and will make up the team s class of Our staff is thrilled with what we are gaining in this class, said Roussell, who had coached three straight Rookie of the Year winners in the Patriot League. From a basketball standpoint they bring size and each one is versatile with regard to their skills and positions on the floor. This will allow us to do a lot of different things with our lineups, as well as find ways to get them all on the floor and make an impact early in their careers. They are phenomenal young women of great character, as well as outstanding students. They already get along exceptionally well and both they and their families will greatly enhance the entire Bucknell community in multiple ways. The following is a closer look at each future Bison player: Tessa Brugler 6-1 Forward Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth AAU (Lehigh Valley Fever) Brugler was a third team all-state selection and the MVP of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference after leading Nazareth to its second consecutive District 11 Class AAAA title last season. She led the team in points with 432 and in both rebounds and assists. A team captain for Nazareth, Brugler has been named First Team All-Area by both the Morning Call and the Express-Times, and is a two-time First Team Eastern Pennsylvania Conference All-Star. She has started varsity in each of her first three seasons, totaling 899 points with a single-game career high of 31. Autumn Ceppi 6-1 Forward Bedford, Mass./Dana Hall AAU (Bay State Jaguars) Ceppi is a three-time NEPSAC Class B All-Star, as well as a three-time all-league selection for Dana Hall School. A twotime team MVP and a team captain, she has averaged 17.8 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists. She has scored 30 or more points on three occasions, including a career high of 35. Ceppi also excels in AAU play, helping the Bay State Jaguars win the Massachusetts Division I state title and the AAU Showcase title. Ally Johnson 5-9 Guard Fort Mitchell, Ky./Beechwood AAU (Cincy Swish) Johnson has played varsity basketball at Beechwood since seventh grade at Beechwood High School and has been a starter since eighth grade. A three-year team captain and the Preseason Player of the Year in the Ninth Region, she has already eclipsed 1,000 points in her career and is on pace to pass the 2,000-point plateau. Johnson was a First Team All-Ninth Region selection last season and is a four-time all-division honoree. As a junior, she posted the highest free throw percentage (89.2) and the highest 3-point percentage (43.3) in the state. Abby Kapp 6-0 Guard Barto, Pa./Boyertown AAU (Lehigh Valley Fever) Kapp was named the Mercury All-Area Player of the Year and the Tri-County Player of the Year after leading Boyertown High School to the league title. She has eclipsed 1,000 career points while leading her team to a record through three seasons and is on pace to become the school s all-time leading scorer. A three-year captain and three-time team MVP, Kapp has been named first team all-area in each of her first three seasons. She has 37 career double-doubles and has averaged 9.3 rebounds per game. The Official Newsletter for Bison WOMEN S BASKETBALL Alumni, Friends & Supporters Pg. 4

5 PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: SENIOR SUNE SWART By Mathew Jackson, Asst. Dir. of Athletic Communications Home is an indefinite term for Suné Swart, a senior on the Bucknell women s basketball team. Carved out by a journey most won t experience in a lifetime let alone before their 21st birthday, Suné s interpretation of the word has transcended a physical address, a city, or even a country for that matter. It s not cliché to say, because it s only the truth, that for her home has become wherever she is surrounded by family. For the past few years, that family has been her Bison teammates and coaching staff. Home has been the Bucknell campus, the basketball court at Sojka Pavilion, the locker room and the team bus. It s not uncommon for college athletes to form a lasting bond with their teammates, but life-altering events have strengthened those relationships for Suné. Sadly, it was the loss of an immediate family member that had Bison players, many that have now graduated, rallying around the one player known for keeping up the spirits of those around her. In 2014, Suné s father, the man who instilled in her the character traits that have made her so popular not just on the team, but all around campus, passed away unexpectedly. There is a reason Suné s definition of home is different from that of others. Her life has been divided by two countries, numerous cities, multiple schools, and even now an uncertainty of what comes next. But to understand why that is, you have to go back to the beginning. Suné was born in South Africa and lived there until sixth grade. Her father was a pastor in the country that was still trying to find its footing in a post-apartheid climate. Segregation laws began to be repealed in 1991, but 50 years with a culture and system built around racial separation put the country s population in an emotional state that may take many more years from now to straighten out. Suné s father, Jannie, was there to do his part. Faith and teaching went hand-in-hand for Jannie, which is what brought the Swart family to the United States. He wanted to pursue his dream job of combining the two. That journey took the family to Minnesota, where he spent four years achieving a PhD. The plan was to return to South Africa, but at the last second, Jannie was offered a position to be a pastor in a small town in northwest Pennsylvania. Jannie s new job was in Oil City, Pennsylvania, and Suné s new school was Cranberry High School. She wasn t there long before her height stood out. It was actually the school principal that first suggested she join the basketball team, and the coach at the time, Chrissy Schumacher, was certainly intrigued by the idea, as well. While with the Berries, Suné earned All-KSAC and All-District 9 honors. She helped lead the team to two district titles and an appearance in the quarterfinal round of the state tournament. Her time at Cranberry, as well as her short time playing with a local AAU team, helped her catch the eye of a few Division I coaches. She initially offered a verbal commitment to a different school, but quickly realized it wasn t for her. She made a visit to Bucknell and knew that was where she wanted to be. Meanwhile, Jannie quickly achieved his own goal. He was offered a position at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary as the associate professor of world mission and evangelism. The hard work and risk of moving to a new country had paid off. A 6 3 forward, Suné arrived at Bucknell still relatively new to team basketball. The Bison had an established frontcourt, so she says she took on the role as the player that would provide energy from the bench while she waited for her time to come. But then as her sophomore year approached she realized she still hadn t made the progress that she would have hoped. She will felt like she could make it happen during that season, though. But in September of that year, the horrible news came. On the first day of the academic year at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Jannie was taking the time to get to know some of his students with a game of Frisbee on campus. He suddenly collapsed and died instantly of a heart attack at the age of 51. That s just the kind of guy he was, Suné says. He loved his students. His way of communicating with them included more than just the time in the classroom. Suné admits that the rest of that season was kind of a blur. She went on pretending to be the jovial and happy person that she had always been, but this time it was a façade covering the pain and possibly hints of regret that she felt inside. That s when basketball became more to her, not so much because of the game itself, but because of those around her. In addition to her mother, Mari, and her brother, she turned to her teammates in her time of need. She cites former players Micki Impellizeri and Claire Maree O Bryan as a couple of players she really leaned on, but it was the entire squad and coaching staff that kept her afloat during the harrowing experience. I couldn t have asked for better people around me during that time, Suné said. My coaches, my teammates, everyone. This team is my family. I can t imagine any place I would rather be. I ve gone through some of the hardest times of my life with this group of people. But the pain eventually began to lessen, and at the same time, Suné s mindset toward basketball began to change. She no longer wanted to be just the high-energy player that cheered from the bench. She wanted to make an impact on the court. With two forwards graduating, including a First Team All-Patriot League player in Audrey Dotson, it was now or never. Prior to the summer before her junior year, Suné set out on a dual-purpose search around campus, trying to find any department that would let her spend the summer in Lewisburg in a research role. It would allow her to further her studies in computer science, while also having access to the gym and tutelage of assistant coach Mike Lane. She was successful in her search, and those that came back to campus in the fall may have been surprised to see the progress she made. Not only did she dramatically increase her basketball skills, but she completely transformed her body. Suddenly, she was one of the most athletic players on the team. We had more of a long-term plan for Suné from the beginning, said Bucknell head coach Aaron Roussell. We were hoping that she could progress and really turn into a force by her junior year. She was already going down that path, and then she made a huge jump with her See SWART, back page The Official Newsletter for Bison WOMEN S BASKETBALL Alumni, Friends & Supporters Pg. 5

6 Bucknell University Women s Basketball Lewisburg, PA SWART... Continued from page 5 training during the summer before her junior year. Looking back at the player she was four years ago and the transformation to what she has become today, I don t know that I ve ever seen anything like it at this level. There was no question that the offseason work paid off. Suné was still looked to for her energy, but now it was as the first forward off the bench. She was often just the spark the team needed, doing the dirty work inside fighting for rebounds and providing a matchup nightmare for most of the league s defenders. That was never more evident than in Bucknell s 17-point, fourth-quarter comeback in an overtime win over Lehigh, part of an 8-0 start to league play. Suné finished with 10 points and nine rebounds in the win over the Mountain Hawks. The game was played in front of the biggest home crowd of the season, a crowd that included her mom and brother. It was also the last time the two would see her play in person that season. The Swarts were in the country on a work visa that was contingent on Jannie s employment. Already a junior at Bucknell, Suné was able to remain in the United States, but it was determined that her mom and brother, Janco, who was in his first semester at Slippery Rock, would have to return to South Africa. It was another setback for the family, and again Suné felt fortunate to have her basketball family for support. Mari and Janco continued to follow the team through the online broadcast of games, watching as Suné helped the Bison capture a share of the regular season title with a 17-1 league record. Suné played in all 33 games, finished sixth in the Patriot League with 34 blocks, and averaged 5.4 points and 4.0 rebounds. She came up big again in the win over Akron in the WNIT, recording a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds in just 15 minutes on the court. Suné has high hopes for her senior season after a breakout junior year. She again stayed on campus in a research role and again put in the extra work to improve as a player. With her continued improvement, as well as the return of senior Claire DeBoer, a First Team All-Patriot League selection, and sophomore Kaitlyn Slagus, the reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Year, the Bison hope to have both the best and deepest frontcourt in the league. And on a positive note, Janco is back to being just across the state instead of across the ocean. He was able to return to Slippery Rock, and Suné expects he will be at numerous games this season. She is unsure of what will follow after graduation. She may pursue basketball at the professional level, including the possibility of playing with O Bryan in a league in Australia. She also sees the sport as a vehicle to get somewhere where she can make a difference off the court. While her faith has always been a part of her life, it has become more important to her over the past couple of years. Along those lines, Suné is considering continuing her father s legacy of mission work. I need to take some time to figure out exactly what my father was doing and what his ultimate plan was, because I think it kind of came to The a halt, Official Suné says. Newsletter I would like for to revive Bison his plan WOMEN S in some way. BASKETBALL We can all be missionaries Alumni, Friends in some way. & Supporters It doesn t have to be anything extreme, but we can do our part to make the world a better place.