Last season’s top scorer on the Rainy River Community College women’s basketball team has departed as only one player returns from the squad that finished 11-15 overall and 7-5 in the Minnesota College Athletic Conference’s Northern Division.
Gone is guard LaNae Rash, a first-team NJCAA All-American selection who led the MCAC North in total points, despite having only played after the semester break.
Rash, who is from Milwaukee, Wis., and transferred to Bemidji State to play Division II basketball after using her sophomore year of eligibility at RRCC, scored 469 points in 16 games last season for a 28.7-points-per-game average and also averaged more than 10 rebounds per game.
Other players of note gone from the Voyageurs include post player Deanna Reed, forward Haylee Gates and guard Heaven Grinsell.
RRCC’s only returning player is sophomore Joscelynne Alvarez, a guard from Buckeye, Ariz., who averaged 8 points and 4 rebounds per game in 2011-12.
The team’s list of top incoming players include: Alvarez’s sister, Jessica, also a guard; two forwards who were part of the Voyageurs’ 2012 volleyball team, Mariah Childs of Milwaukee and Casey Evans of St. Cloud; forward Alisha Brinker of Holdingford; and center Teaira Martin of Milwaukee.
RRCC head coach Dieter Humbert, who is beginning his 21st season leading the women’s team, said the strengths of this year’s squad include “good balance of positional talent and depth” along with “strong perimeter play and shooting” with “good team chemistry and commitment.”
“We have good depth and the potential to be an up-tempo team,” Humbert said.
Joscelynne Alvarez is a captain on this year’s team, as is another incoming freshman who was part of the Voyageurs’ volleyball team, Kai Washington of St. Paul.
“I definitely came here for basketball,” Washington said. “Coach Dieter (Humbert) played a pretty big part of me coming to this school,”
While this year’s squad has a dozen freshmen and is inexperienced playing at the collegiate level, Humbert said the team goals include being able to “compete well against everyone” and “find the will to win.”
Compared to last season when injuries took their toll on the number of available players, Joscelynne Alvarez said “this year we’ve got a real full squad of girls and lots of talent on the team.”
“I can see us going really far,” she said.
RRCC placed fourth last season in the MCAC North and qualified for the regional tournament before losing to Northland.
Absent having “an amazing player” like Rash, who “carried us really far,” Joscelynne Alvarez said the team should be more balanced on offense this season.
Humbert said he is the most concerned about injuries this season, for which he is looking forward to “having the depth to compete hard in practice and games.”
He said the teams to watch out for this season include Northland, Mesabi Range and Itasca.
The Voyageurs begin the season Friday at the Mesabi Range Tourney in Virginia. Their first home game is Nov. 30 against Ridgewater.
