| Jasmine Hardy went from one
minute of play in last year's semifinals to a starting role and 33
minutes per game this season. Amherst athletics photo |
By Brian Falzarano
D3sports.com
Amherst found itself at one of those crossroads that defines and often redefines a program, having graduated six seniors who played on four Final Fours in an as many seasons and needing to start fresh in pursuit of a fifth trip to the national semifinals.
For as much as GP Gromacki questioned how it could all come together just as it did during four previous marches through the March brackets, several of his players who played minimal roles on those squads maintained a steadfast belief.
Among many reasons, perhaps this is why we are still talking about the Lord Jeffs entering this weekend’s national semifinals at Hope College, where they are two wins away from a second national championship in three years and one victory from a third championship-game appearance in four seasons entering Friday night’s tip-off against No. 22 UW-Whitewater.
“This group,” Gromacki said, “they never wavered on what they thought they could do.”
At a crossroads that defines and often redefines a contending program, No. 6 Amherst (30-1) turned to fresh talent this season out of sheer necessity. Six seniors graduated from a squad that defined one of the finest eras in NCAA Division III women’s basketball history, thrusting Savannah Holness and several of her previously unknown teammates into the spotlight.
“Everybody had to find their role pretty quickly,” said Holness, a sophomore forward.
When we last saw Amherst in Holland, Mich., last March, the six seniors who knew nothing but Final Fours across their four years of mostly dominating the Division III landscape were playing their final games. Current senior captain Marcia Voigt and sophomore low-post standout Megan Robertson saw significant court time during the Lord Jeffs’ two national-semifinal losses.
Holness? Before averaging 7.1 points and 5.0 rebounds as Amherst’s top reserve this season, she saw only six minutes in last year’s Final Four -- all during an 87-60 loss to St. Thomas in the third-place game.
Senior guard Jasmine Hardy? She played only one minute in the 76-69 semifinal setback against George Fox before starting all 31 games this season, averaging 9.2 points and 4.6 rebounds.
Senior forward Bridget Crowley? From a reserve who averaged a little more than 11 minutes per game, she is averaging 10.1 points and 7.2 rebounds while starting every game.
“We definitely had a lot of talent,” Gromacki said. “Those kids were talented that graduated. I heard from a couple of coaches that a couple of (those players) could have played Division I. So it was tough to get playing time.”
Although they saw scant time on the court, Holness and her teammates believed because they competed, day in and day out, against All-American Caroline Stedman and All-NESCAC performer Lem Atanga McCormick, nothing that those outside of Amherst’s ranks “didn’t see the kind of talent we had last year. We were able to keep up with everyone in practice.”
| Bridget Crowley's move into
the starting lineup has been a success for
Amherst. Amherst athletics photo |
As Gromacki reconstructed another championship contender with only a 10-player roster, he let Holness play herself into a bigger role off the bench. He allowed Crowley and Hardy to earn spots in the starting lineup. And he created an environment where freshman guard Cheyenne Pritchard became a full-time starter and another rookie backcourt player, Haley Zwecker, averages 17 minutes a game.
Although the coach would not quite let himself believe another Final Four was in the offing, the rookies and returnees alike sensed the Lord Jeffs could make yet another run at the Walnut and Bronze.
“I’ve never had a doubt,” Pritchard said. “The moment we started practice, we knew we had a chance and it just all fell into place.”
As for Gromacki, his moment of clarity about this squad came Dec. 28 against No. 10 Simpson at the Land of Magic Classic in Daytona, Fla. After holding a comfortable lead, Amherst used a late Voigt jumper and a defensive stand in the waning seconds to win 62-60 and display the resolve that has become a benchmark of each recent edition of the Lord Jeffs.
Of the previously unsung, Hardy scored 12 points, Crowley contributed nine points and 12 rebounds, Holness chipped in eight points and six rebounds, and Pritchard finished with five steals.
“I knew coming into the season this year I wanted to establish a position on the team,” Holness said. “Right away coming into (preseason) practice, I was ready to go. I pushed hard to get that spot.”
And now, Holness and several of her teammates find themselves in an unfamiliar, but not uncomfortable spot: Playing bigger roles and bigger minutes at this year’s Final Four. Pritchard is starting her career much the same as the six seniors who graduated, getting to play in the national semifinals in her first collegiate season.
“I expect an unforgettable experience, first off,” the rookie guard said. “We have two games left. Every team has to believe going in they’ve got a shot.”
Of the teams remaining, Amherst is only outranked by No. 1 DePauw -- which faces No. 15 Williams in the other semifinal.
However, none of the four teams gathering this weekend at Hope College needed to redefine themselves as the Lord Jeffs have.
“It’s just great to see this group have the opportunity for themselves to really win a national championship, get to the Final Four,” Gromacki said. “It’s their time to shine. It’s great to see them in that role.”