"14 in 14" Preview #4: Saint Louis BIllikens

Just on the cusp of the nine-team race in the upper echelon of the Atlantic 10 standings last season were the Billikens of Saint Louis.

Finishing .500 at home in conference play (4-4) hurt, but veteran head coach Lisa Stone, starting her third season with the Billikens, enjoys a full returning starting lineup, on top of five exciting freshmen. Saint Louis is positioning themselves for a winning season in the A-10, and maybe more.

TEAM: Saint Louis Billikens
HEAD COACH: Lisa Stone (3rd season, University of Iowa '84)
2013-14 RECORD: 12-18 (7-9 in A-10)
RETURNING STARTERS:
--Erin Nelson (5' 10" sophomore forward): 14.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg
--Desirae Ball (5' 9" redshirt senior guard): 12.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg
--Denisha Womack (6' 1" junior forward): 10.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg
--Jamesia Price (5' 7" redshirt junior guard): 7.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg
--Olivia Jakubicek (5' 10" sophomore forward): 6.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg

RVA Sports Network spoke with Stone about the Billikens' hopes for 2014-15.

1) What are your expectations for the freshman this season?

Stone: "I'm really excited. It's the first ranked recruiting class Saint Louis has ever had for women's basketball. Jackie Kemph (5' 7" guard) and Jenny Vliet (6' 2" guard) are teammates from high school (Rolling Meadows, Arlington Heights, IL) who played for two state championships their junior and senior year. Kemph was recruited by a number of major, major schools, chose Saint Louis with Vliet, a three-point shooter and great, great player. Both have tremendous instincts and should see significant time their freshman year.

Maddison Gits grew up in my hometown (Fitchburg, WI) and is actually best friends with my niece, so I've known her a long time. She has an unbelievable up side; she's got great size, was a tremendous volleyball player, great basketball player, averaging over 20 and 20 in high school. When she gets it, it's going to be special. Aaliyah Covington is a guard whose sister played for me at Wisconsin, so I know her family, their work ethic, and what they stand for. She's a tremendously gifted player, still working on the adjustments, but is going to give us some minutes hopefully, particularly by conference time. Then Shea Shipman, you've got to kick her out of the gym. A 6' 1" guard from Kansas City, in the gym, all the time. She'll need to pick up on defense. Overall, a nice freshman class."

2) Right now, though, does the world revolve around the likes of Ball, Nelson, and Sadie Stipanovich?

Stone: "It does. Right now, Desirae (Ball) is coming off a summer recovering from some knee clean-out at the end of last season, so she's got fifth-year senior knees, but is a player that when the lights go on, she'll be there. I trust her, I respect her, she's a leader. Nelson and Stipanovich are both from Saint Louis, so it's always great when your local players do well. Nelson was our leading scorer, Sadie was a part-time starter, and really wants to be in the mix this year, both have had good off-seasons, and they're just sophomores.

Denisha Womack is a player people kinda forget about. She had a 20 and 20 game against UMass at season's end, and is probably our most gifted player. She'll give us versatility and athleticism both in and out. And there's Jamesia Price, a three-ACL surgery girl. She's back, and is such a tough kid. You've got to be tough to blow your knee out three times, two on one, one of the other, and return. She's the one in there taking charges, grinding away, gives us an identity of toughness."

3) How do you make sure the Billikens reach the top half of the conference this year after knocking on the door last season?

Stone: "We went through a period last year when we lost a bunch of games in the middle of the season, then all of a sudden won eight of our last twelve. We got hot at the right time, but we didn't finish at the conference tournament the way we wanted to, so that stings. With young players, that's still fresh in their mind, because they want to win. Competitive practices have helped because everyone is battling for playing time. If we can take that same hunger and desire and put it on game day against a Saint Joe's, Saint Bonaventure, Fordham, Dayton, whatever, the floodgates could open. But it's a one-game-at-a-time deal. The coaches in this league are too good to know that you can't take a day off. The parity is at, I believe, an all-time high this year. It's time that A-10 women's basketball rises to the same notoriety as A-10 men's basketball."

OUTLOOK: Saint Joseph's and Saint Bonaventure can both attest to the talent at Saint Louis, as both lost to the Billikens late in the regular season. The five returning starters gave Saint Louis 50 points per contest last year. Add to them a year's experience, and an impressive crop of new players, and the Billikens, under the veteran leadership of Stone (527 career victories), could make their mark much, much higher than last year's tenth place finish.

They'll get battle tested on non-conference trips to Vanderbilt, Tulsa and Missouri, then open A-10 play on the road at George Mason January 4th, then to UMass January 7th. A road win or two early, then a victory over VCU in their home conference opener January 12th could propel them into the race. Late January presents a gauntlet, with home games with Fordham and Saint Joseph's before a trip to preseason favorite Dayton January 31st.