By COURTNEY LEWIS
Last year, with the help of some promising young players, Plattsburgh State had its best season since 2002-03. The Cardinals felt they had something to build on.
Then they lost three of their top four scorers, just one of whom was a senior, and they're heading into the 2009-10 campaign with a retooled roster.
But the Cardinals think they can be better than last year.
"We have a lot of different weapons, and it's going to be interesting to see," Plattsburgh State coach Cheryl Cole said. "There's a load of potential. More than there was last year.
"We've shown a lot of promise in our two scrimmages, and we're farther along than we were last year at the beginning of the year. We want to pick up where we left off, knowing how to win games and expecting to win games."
Plattsburgh State opens the season today at Norwich and makes its home debut next week, when it hosts the Cardinal Classic. The Cardinals will begin the SUNY Athletic Conference season Dec. 4 at New Paltz.
Sparked by a six-game winning streak in January, Plattsburgh State finished 12-14 last season, and its 8-8 SUNYAC record was good enough to make the conference tournament.
The Cardinals knew they were losing third-leading scorer and senior Vanessa Arthurton. But guard Erin Silberberg, who helped rejuvenate the offense as a freshman and was second on the team with a 12.5 points-per-game average, elected not to return, as did would-be senior guard Shoshana Harris (fourth, 7.6 ppg).
Plattsburgh State also lost floor leader Megan Lynch to graduation. The roster holes have been filled with four recruited freshmen, one walk-on and two junior transfers.
"I'm impressed with our team so far," junior Taylor Amarando said. "We're a completely new team, so we're still getting more chemistry and learning about each other. But right now we've had a very good start, and this is the happiest I've been so far in three years."
Nora Campbell, a 6-foot-2 forward who transferred from Suffolk Community College, gives the Cardinals some much-needed size, and 5-foot-9 freshman Caitlin O'Keefe can play three-guard or in the post. Amarando and senior Molly Harte are the returning forwards.
"We're definitely deeper in the post," Cole said. "Our No. 1 goal was to get Taylor some help. Nora, she's going to help a lot. Molly's back for her senior year and more driven than ever. So we feel good about our inside game."
Cole said leadership was one of her biggest concerns after losing Lynch, a three-year captain, and two-year captain Arthurton. Cole said Harte and Amarando have done a good job so far, and their leadership will be key all season.
Amarando had a breakout season as a sophomore, leading the Cardinals with 13.2 points per game. She also averaged 7.2 rebounds per night.
"This year I want to be better than what I was last year," Amarando said. "I want to be stronger. I want to be quicker. I want to be able to finish more shots, keep my percentage high and just stay focused."
Two new players will share point-guard responsibilities: freshman Catherine Cassidy from Brooklyn and Lyndsey Moore, who transferred from St. Michael's. Kerri Salisbury and Stephanie McCoy will be two key returners at shooting guard, although Salisbury is out with an injury today.
With more than half of the roster made up of newcomers, the Cardinals will expect them to have an impact right from the start.
"We didn't recruit them to sit on the bench," Cole said. "In the first two scrimmages, the four freshmen impressed the coaching staff in a number of different ways. Different ways than we even anticipated. And we need them all to contribute right away.
"And the two transfers ... they have some experience. We expect them to help with leadership because we are young."
Cole said with more depth at forward, she hopes Plattsburgh State's rebounding will improve this season. That will be one focus against Norwich today — Cole said the Cadets had a big advantage on the boards when they beat the Cardinals 62-55 in last year's season-opener.
Plattsburgh State has also been working on its transition defense.
"We want to have a complete game," Cole said. "We want to play good, solid defense. We need to hold our own on the boards. We need to be fundamentally sound, play our game and get a good start on the road."
E-mail Courtney Lewis at: clewis@pressrepublican.com
