Don’t Tell Mom: Women’s basketball mid-season grades

Junior Lauren Lenhardt. The Broncos fell to Colorado State with a final score of 60-52 at the Taco Bell Arena. (Cody Finney/ The Arbiter)

Most college students dread the arrival of midterm assessments. Unfortunately for the Boise State women’s basketball team, the feeling is unbelievably mutual.

Despite an optimistic transition into the Mountain West Conference from the Western Athletics Conference, Gordy Presnell’s squad is facing a daunting realization: living down to expectations.

The Broncos (11-10, 2-4) were predicted by coaches to finish last in the Mountain West in their first season and currently ranked sixth, above New Mexico and Air Force. Obviously there will be a learning curve when entering a new conference, but Boise State is undoubtedly unfit to compete in the MW.

Coaching: B-

All that can be said about Coach Presnell is that he is doing the best with what he was given. The speed and athleticism for which he recruited current classes to compete in the WAC does not stack up against longer, taller opponents like UNLV and San Diego State. The Broncos have lost four straight, including two back-to-back double digit losses to the Rebels and University of Wyoming. They face first place San Diego State on Wednesday, Feb. 1.

Offense: C

Though the Broncos began the season atop the Mountain West statistical rankings for scoring, three-point shooting and field goal percentage, they have fallen to sixth or seventh in each of the categories. Early success overshadowed Boise State’s poor shot selection and inability to make smart choices. In their 84-64 loss to fifth place Wyoming, the Broncos essentially sealed their fate as a Mountain West bottom feeder if changes are not implemented into the game plan.

Lauren Lenhardt: A

One of the few bright sides to an otherwise turbulent season has been junior post Lauren Lenhardt, who is leading the Mountain West in scoring with 20.2 points per game and three point field goal percentage at .556. Even with the size disadvantage in the MW, no one can seem to find an answer for Lenhardt. Unfortunately, she is the only true low-post threat that the Broncos possess on offense. For the majority of the season Lenhardt has been recovering from a knee injury that sidelined her for the entire off-season and made a return to form questionable in 2011-12.

Even though midterm grades can scare many students, the Broncos do have what it takes to make a push for success late in the season. With strong efforts on homework, studying and finals Boise State can change their destiny in a matter of weeks.

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Posted by John Engel on Feb 2 2012. Filed under Sports, Sub Feature. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.