PREP BASKETBALL ‘92-’93 / EMPIRE LEAGUE

El Dorado

1991-92 RECORDS OVERALL: 19-7 LEAGUE: 7-3

COACH: RECORD AT SCHOOL

Gary Raya: 19-7

RETURNING STARTERS YR. HGT. P Jody Caruso Sr. 5-8 G-F Jamie Sweet Jr. 5-9 G Shanna Renken So. 6-1 C-F Nicole DeBruijn Sr. 5-10 C-F

TOP RETURNERS YR. HGT. P Angie Conley Sr. 5-6 G Michelle Lucas Jr. 5-10 F

TOP NEWCOMERS YR. HGT. P Michelle DeBruijn So. 5-10 F Kim Korsmeier So. 5-9 G Kelly Galang Sr. 5-9 F

OUTLOOK

The Golden Hawks return four starters from last year’s team that reached the Division III-AA semifinals. Raya led El Dorado to a second-place league finish in his inaugural season last year and the Golden Hawks are again expected to provide the strongest competition for two-time defending Empire champion Cypress. All-league guard/forward Caruso returns with her 12.8 scoring average and El Dorado will look to her to provide outside scoring punch along with Sweet, another all-league selection. “We’re counting on Sweet and Caruso to develop our inside game by being hard to defend outside,” Raya said. The Golden Hawks have eight players on the roster 5-9 or taller, which should take some of the pressure off the inexperienced guards. Raya expects Conley’s play at point guard to be “crucial” to El Dorado’s success. Players from El Dorado’s league champion freshman/sophomore and junior varsity teams should provide the Golden Hawks with additional depth, but Raya says El Dorado needs to improve its rebounding and ability to handle pressure defense. Raya lists the fast break and overall team quickness as strengths of the team.