It's time.
No more games against Eastern-bloc globetrotters. Enough of the talk about the new coach. After many intersquad scrimmages, it's time for some real competition.
The Michigan women's basketball team will begin its 1996-97 campaign by traveling to Kalamazoo to participate in the Western Michigan Invitational. The Wolverines will face Kentucky on Friday night at 6 p.m. in the first round of the four-team tournament.
Western Michigan and Northeastern Illinois round out the invitational and face each other Friday night at 8 o'clock, following the Michigan-Kentucky matchup.
Saturday's games will pit the winners of Friday's contests against each other at 4 p.m., with the losers preceding at 2 p.m.
The Wildcats, unlike their male counterparts, are nowhere near championship-contending form. The team is coming off a 8-19 season, in which they were 2-9 in the Southeastern Conference.
Northeast Illinois is the only team competing in the Invitational coming off a winning season. The Golden Eagles finished 16-12.
Throw the Broncos into the mix with their 13-14 record from a year ago, and you have a pretty mediocre field.
Regardless, after Michigan's 7-20 record from last season, a number of teams should pose welcome challenges to the Wolverines this year.
Friday night's game will be Sue Guevara's first regular-season game as Michigan coach. However, the task isn't quite as daunting to fiery coach as it once was.
"I am not quite as nervous as I was for that exhibition game (against the Slovaks)," Guevara said. "I am going to be into the game as much as I was (Friday night), so I just hope the outcome is the same."
For that to happen, the Wolverines are going to need more offensive support from mainstay Pollyanna Johns. The junior center was unstoppable against Slovakia, scoring 27 points on 9-of-11 shooting.
Guevara, however, knows that the Wildcats will be on Johns like glue. What will be key is if the outside players can provide enough of a balance to give Johns some breathing room underneath.
"Kentucky got that film (from the Slovakia game), so you can bet that our perimeter game is going to have to be on this week," she said. "I would think they would double- and triple-team in the post, so we need to get much more offensive power from our perimeter game."
And after a so-so performance against Slovakia on Friday night, the Michigan guard trio of Jennifer Kiefer, Ann Lemire and Stacey Thomas will need to show more poise, in Guevara's eyes.
"I expect better outside shooting from (Kiefer and Lemire)," Guevara said. "They got good looks at the basket, (the shots) just didn't go. It's just a matter of being consistent.
"I just want Stacey to be much more aggresive on the perimeter than what she was. To only take one shot and not even go to the free-throw line is not the Stacey Thomas I know."
Amy Johnson was the only force at guard for Michigan in its exhibition game, and Guevara expects more of the same this weekend.
"Amy Johnson was the sparkplug; she was the lift coming off the bench," Guevara said. "I was very, very pleased to see that."
MARGARET MYERS/Daily
Catherine DiGiacinto and the Wolverines jump it up for the first time in the regular season this weekend at the Western Michigan Invitational at Kalamazoo. Sue Guevara will coach her first regular-season game for the Wolverines.