Nov. 9, 2007

NEWARK, NJ - The new-look Highlanders women's basketball team will open the 2007-08 campaign on Sunday, November 11, when NJIT heads to Brooklyn, NY for a 2 pm game at St. Francis (NY).

NJIT, which is beginning its second season of NCAA Division I competition, has a new head coach, Margaret McKeon, who is installing a new system for the program. In addition to the coaching change, fully half of the 12 active players on the 2007-08 roster did not play a year ago.

The Highlanders, who will play at Saint Peter's next Wednesday, will open their home schedule on Saturday, November 17 at 2 pm against another local foe, Fairleigh Dickinson.

Ticket prices for all on-campus basketball games in the Fleisher Athletic Center are: $10 for adults; $5 for faculty/staff, non-NJIT students and children; and, admission is free for NJIT students with valid ID.

Here is a preseason look at the 2007-08 Highlanders:

A year ago, NJIT women's basketball experienced its first season of NCAA Division I competition, reclassifying after nine seasons in Division II.

With a new coach and six players who did not play on last year's team, 2007-08 looms as another transformative season for the Highlanders.

Margaret McKeon is the new head coach. A native of Queens, NY, and a former star player at St. John's, McKeon took the helm at NJIT in July 2007, having previously guided Boston University to unprecedented success in a five-year tenure as head coach there.

Taking over a BU program that had just five wins the season before she became head coach, McKeon led the Terriers to their first-ever NCAA postseason tournament bid in her fourth season (2002-03) and then came within a game of returning to the Big Dance in 2004.

Before that, she was a top assistant coach at high-level programs, including George Washington, which made the NCAAs three times, advancing to the 1997 Elite Eight. Before GW, she coached at Arizona State and then Houston.

At NJIT, she takes over a program that won four games in 2006-07, its Division I debut season.

Nine of the 11 players who represented NJIT a season ago were first or second-year players. This year, only one player--senior Erika Velez--has more than two years collegiate experience. But all of her experience is at the Division II level, as she missed the first Division I season due to injury.

Six players who competed in the first Division I season are slated to do so again. And they are joined by four freshman and the veterans Velez and Jackie McCaffrey, who are back in action after missing last season.

"Our philosophy is basically that hard work pays off," said McKeon. "We teach fundamentals on a daily basis and encourage individual talents. A good program is built on team work, commitment and work ethic."

On offense, NJIT, which averaged 52 points in a halfcourt-oriented offense last year, will have a new willingness to shoot early in the possession. "We try to play in an up-tempo style and give each player an opportunity to be a scoring threat," said McKeon.

A visit to preseason practice reveals a team that is responding to the new regime. "They trust my experience," said the coach. "And they have begun to understand that the lessons they are learning on the basketball court will prepare them for life after basketball. That's all a coach can ask of her team."

If things go as planned, the regular Highlander playing rotation will include nine or 10 players, none of whom will be asked to play much more than 30 minutes. With 12 players slated to begin the season in uniform, nearly everyone has a shot at making that rotation.

The top two returning scorers are junior guard Jill Dickinson (9.4 ppg) and sophomore guard Katie Piekielski (7.9 ppg). Dickinson was NJIT's top scorer in 2006-07 and Piekielski finished third. This season, they will have the opportunity to showcase their abilities.

Dickinson, who scored in double-figures 11 times last season, produced the team's best individual scoring game in each of her first two seasons. Her 31 points off the bench as a freshman were the most in the team's final Division II season and her 22 points at Lafayette last year were the most to start the Division I era.

Two other sophomore guards were regulars as freshmen. Alison Miller was in 25 games with one start and Colleen Vogel was in all 28 games, starting five.

Vogel will not play this season due to injury, but Miller is in the mix for 2007-08. "Alison will get playing time. She's strong, she works hard and she competes," said McKeon.

Two players who shared point guard during the program's successful last two Division II seasons (combined 35 wins, including a program-best 18 in 2004-05) are back after a year away.

Jackie McCaffrey, a junior, started 56 games and produced over 200 assists those two seasons before spending a year away from basketball. Velez, this year's only senior, was injured in the 10th game of 2005-06 and hasn't played since.

"Jackie has an opportunity to make an impact for us as a point guard or off guard," said McKeon. "She should make her presence known."

Sophomore twins Taiwo and Femi Oyelola appeared in 25 and 26 games, respectively, a year ago in reserve roles.

"For the twins, it's going to be a coming out year," McKeon predicted. "Taiwo has the potential to be someone who can give us a double-double and Femi has the potential to be a low-post scorer and defender and she can be one of our leading rebounders."

Athletic wing players Jessica Gerald and Keri Washington, along with post player Maya Al-Shingieti will be counted on from the first day.

Underlining their athleticism on the basketball court, Gerald and Washington were high school track and field stars. Gerald was all-South Jersey and Washington was all-New Jersey prep in track and field. Washington was also an all-state soccer player.

Gerald was an accomplished scorer (1,720 points), while Washington was an all-around contributor on teams that played in four straight state Prep A title games.

On the offensive end, Gerald combines the speed to score in the open floor with an explosive first step and both rookies have the ability to be among the team's top defenders. "Jessica has quick hands and quick feet," said McKeon.

Washington will produce defensive deflections and score on putbacks off of offensive rebounds. "Keri is someone who will get a lot of her points off her defense and rebounding," McKeon said. "A team needs someone like that."

Al-Shingieti is a mobile post player who will help with defense and rebounds. "Maya should be our best low post defender and shot blocker," said the coach. "She'll make her presence known inside."

Sophomore center Kathryn Wighton played in 22 games as a freshman. "Kathryn has the potential to be a shot blocker and she has a presence because of her size," said McKeon. "I'm expecting some big things for her."

Adriana Johnson, a quick freshman point guard with good court vision, is competing for playing time in that spot. "Adriana is a floor general," said the coach, "and will have an opportunity to play at point guard."

The 2007-08 schedule is full of exciting opportunities and challenges.

The Highlanders will host two home games in the newest major indoor sports arena in North America--the Prudential Center, the state-of-the-art downtown Newark home of the National Hockey League New Jersey Devils.

"The Rock" will be the site of January home games against Cornell (Jan. 15 at 6 pm) and against Chicago State (Jan. 26 at 3 pm).

The slate of opponents is impressive, too. In addition to the 14 foes back from last year's schedule, there will be six new opponents, which will yield at least three and perhaps four new games against teams that won between 19 and 23 games apiece last year.

Three of those potential opponents will come in the Hawks Classic December 28 and 29 at Saint Joseph's (PA) in Philadelphia. NJIT's first opponent will be host Saint Joe's, a 19-game winner in 2006-07.

The next night, NJIT will face either Davidson (23 wins last year) or Auburn (21 wins) from the Southeastern Conference, which is likely the country's top women's basketball conference.

Cal State Bakersfield, a new Division I Independent a year behind NJIT in the Division I reclassifying process, won 23 games a year ago in Division II. NJIT and CSUB will meet at least once and could meet twice.

The teams will play on January 11 in a neutral site game at Texas-Pan American and they could meet again in the season-end Division I Independent tournament, also at UTPA (March 6 to 8).

There's no question that these Highlanders are something of a blank slate. Only one player has more than two years of college experience, none have more than one year of Division I experience and four players will make their collegiate debuts.

Looking at the big picture, McKeon said: "It's a challenge we can meet. We will try to play mistake free and become a better team in each game."