Freshmen Bring Added Depth to Post for Women’s Basketball

Height and depth­—the two aspects of the women’s basketball team that were left in question once the season finished last February. In Megan Griffith and her two fellow seniors, the Lions had versatility in the guard and post positions, as well as centralized, though top-heavy, leadership. Their graduations stripped head coach Paul Nixon of part of his security blanket—the definites could no longer be counted on.

But with the three freshman additions to the Lions squad the team has not only recovered some of its lost security, but also has added insurance for the season to come.

It was during Nixon’s first summer with the team, now two seasons past, that the coach met two of his three latest recruits for the first time. Lauren Dwyer and Meghan Harker had come from Reno, Nev., and New Jersey, respectively, to attend “Big Girls in the Big Apple,” a post players’ basketball camp under Nixon’s direction.
“They got to know us, we got to know them, and that was the beginning of the recruitment process,” Nixon said.

Dwyer and Harker, both centers standing at 6-feet-3-inches, caught the attention of Nixon because of their physical stature and their distinct styles of play. Nixon saw the potential for a formidable 4-5 duo down below the basket. He secured their commitment this year. In spite of the obstacles—Dwyer would have to move a long way from home, and Harker would have to turn down multiple scholarships as well as her entrenched legacy at Penn—Nixon acquired the height and depth in the post that his team desperately needed.

Kathleen Roehrkasse, a 5-foot-10-inch guard from Valley Center, Calif., was not a guard at all in high school—she was a forward/center at the Bishop’s School. The transition was not anticipated to be a difficult one for Roehrkasse. A court chameleon, her dual threat as an outside shooter and post player was what attracted Nixon to her in the first place. But her ability to quickly adapt to the Columbia game has surprised even her new coach.

“We knew some of the things we were getting [from her] coming in, but now having been in practice with her, I didn’t realize she was going to be as ready as she was, from a skills standpoint, to make that transition to guard,” Nixon said. “She really got excellent ball-handling skills, she has three-point range on her shot, she’s a very good passer, she’s an outstanding perimeter defender. So I’m thrilled.”

Nixon expects a more typical freshman season for the three recruits than has been the norm in the last two seasons. Most likely none of the three will be thrust into a starting position, but their roles as Nixon envisions them guarantee, barring injury, that they’ll see a lot of playing time.

The older players have taken to the new recruits. Sophomore center Chelsea Frazier should have some support in the low post. The guards also have some extra support with Roehrkasse, and, with starting guard Katrina Cragg out for at least the first game of the season, the freshmen should be able to provide some relief. The inside/outside play option, which found only limited success last season, may actually provide options on the court now that the freshmen have added depth down-low and up-high on the roster.

As Nixon has noted, there has been a “changing of the guard” that has brought a more collaborative form of team leadership. Whereas last season’s senior co-captains were the team’s undisputed leaders, this year even the freshmen are showing a willingness to take charge on the court.

“Last year the leadership was definitely more individual-oriented,” Nixon said. “It was difficult, especially for some of the first-years, even when it was their turn, to step up on the court because they were very used to deferring to the senior leaders. This year the group is taking a little bit different approach.”

It is an approach that has the three freshmen players excelling. Roerhkasse, Harker, and Dwyer join the team bearing a new sense of energy while widening Columbia’s court. They supplant the departed seniors at a time when the Lions face new demands on their physicality and endurance. Perhaps more than ever before, the program can see the future in its latest generation.