Bears working hard for McInerney

ORONO – The University of Maine women’s basketball team is pretty much getting a makeover this season.

First-year head coach Ann McInerney and her staff are implementing a new system while working with a roster that features only two seniors and five upperclassmen among its 11 players.

Some of those transitional challenges were evident Wednesday afternoon as the Black Bears went through their fourth full preseason practice.

McInerney was a stickler for detail in the players’ execution as she put UMaine through a nearly three-hour workout in Memorial Gymnasium.

“It’s been very interesting,” said the affable McInerney, who left Division II Merrimack College in May to replace Sharon Versyp, who became the head coach at Indiana.

“I like their attitude,” she said. “The kids are working hard and learning to play like a team. It’s a new system and our motto has been, get better as an individual and we’ll get better as a team, every day.”

The Bears seemed a bit sluggish after having Tuesday off, especially early in the practice. After two subtle early stoppages and one tongue-lashing from McInerney, the players took a brief break and then returned with renewed intensity.

“One of the biggest things that I’ve always been about is communication,” said McInerney, who has been demanding of the players, but fair.

“We still don’t know her completely, because every time we make a mistake we look at her and we head for the baseline thinking we have to run,” junior Bracey Barker of Bar Harbor said with a nervous laugh.

“I think we’re improving a lot,” she added. “We’re starting to learn the system right now, so we’re starting to get settled in. [Coach] is very patient… right now, anyway.”

One of the main elements McInerney is looking for is leadership. With four-year starters Kim Corbitt (now a UMaine assistant coach), Missy Traversi and Monica Peterson gone, other veterans need to pick up the slack.

“We need to have the upperclassmen push the younger kids and that’s my role right now is to be vocal and try to help some of the younger kids,” Barker said.

UMaine is somewhat short on experience as senior Abby Schrader joins Barker as the only returning starters. Junior Ashley Underwood of Benton has been a key contributor, while junior Lindsey Hugstad-Vaa, senior Katie Whittier and sophomore point guard Margaret Elderton (who is coming of a knee injury) have been backups.

Everybody else, including three freshmen, has seen little or no playing time, making leadership even more important.

“I think consistently from the beginning of preseason to now, from the beginning of practice to the end of practice, Bracey has definitely stepped up and emerged as a leader,” McInerney said.

UMaine clearly has a tremendous amount of work to do if it hopes to maintain its status as one of the top teams in America East.

“We’ve been trying to stress teamwork and getting back to the fundamentals of the game,” McInerney said. “It’s teaching the game right now, teaching our system, what we want, our fundamental approach to things.”

The Bears, who play New Brunswick in a Nov. 7 exhibition game at Alfond Arena, open the regular season Nov. 18 at Rider.