PROVIDENCE COLLEGE FRIARS

Providence Prepares for Rhode Island

PROBABLE STARTERS       Pts/Reb     Ht  Yr. Hometown
G   34  Julie Wheeler   10.7/3.1    5-7 Sr  Morgantown, WV
G   3   Mandy Saunders  7.4/3.1(ast)5-5 Sr  Richmond, VA    
C   45  Dani Trippany     --        6-5 Fr  Massena, NY
F   20  Jennifer Gombotz  --        6-0 Fr  Southington, CT
F   13  Kerri Chatten   15.8/8.2    6-1 Sr  Hopkinton, MA       
OFF THE BENCH           Pts/Reb     Ht      Yr. Hometown
F   14  Meghan HInds    10.6/3.5    5-10    So  Perrysburg, OH
F   15  Monika Roberts  --/--       6-2     Fr  Antioch, CA
F   22  Amy Drechsler   --/00       6-2     Fr  Rochester, NY
C   33  Kerri Sullivan  2.0/3.0     6-1     So  Walpole, MA
F   50  Zahra Williams  --/--       6-0     So  Hyattsville, MD

TONIGHT'S OPENER: The Providence Friars open their season this evening in the Providence Civic Center versus the University of Rhode Island. It is the first time in the 28 game-series with URI that the Friars open the season playing the Rams. It is game number two for the Rams as they lost to Vermont in the season opener last Saturday, 77-63.

All-Time OPENERS: Providence is 16-7 in all-time opening games. The Friars have lost their last two openers - an 81-58 home loss to Stanford in 1995 and an 83-78 home loss to Ohio State in 1996. In all-time HOME openers, PC stands at 8-3 overall.

THE PC-URI SERIES: In a series that began in 1975, the Friars have won 24 of 29 games played between the two schools. The Rams last win came on November 29, 1995 as they hit a desperation jumper as time expired to take the 78-77 victory. Last season, under Jim Jabir the Friars won in Keaney Gymnasium, 82-67. The teams have played four games in the Providence Civic Center. URI won the first game played - an 82-55 victory on February 3, 1977. The Friars have won the last three games including a 103-66 victory on December 8, 1990.

HEAD COACH JIM JABIR: The Friars are coached by Jim Jabir who begins his second year with Providence. Last season Jabir directed the Friars to a 13-14 overall tally. Jabir spent the previous six seasons at Marquette and has an overall 11-year record of 171-135. For more detailed information on Jabir - look on the following page.

THE LAST TWO GAMES: The Friars split the two preseason exhibition games in early November. PC defeated Nor'Easter Storm, 95-87 and lost to Uralmash, 93-80. Against Nor'Easter Storm, senior Kerri Chatten tallied a game high 25 points (8-16 FG) while pulling down eight boards and tallying four steals. Freshman Jen Gombotz recorded 20 points while senior Mandy Saunders recorded 14 points and 10 assists. The Uralmash Russian Team took a 56-36 lead at the break after taking a commanding 19-3 lead in the first four minutes of the game. The Friars were led by senior captain Julie Wheeler who sank eight three-pointers and recorded 26 points in 28 minutes. The guard was 8 of 14 from three-point territory. Freshman Monika Roberts tallied 13 points and Chatten chipped in 11 points.

CHATTEN LEADS FRIARS AND BIG EAST PLAYERS: Senior forward Kerri Chatten is the only returning BIG EAST player to finish among the top 10 in scoring (15.8 ppg) and rebounding (8.2 rpg) last season. She also ranked ninth in free-throw percentage (.754) and 11th in field goal percentage (.458) en route to All-BIG EAST Third Team accolades.

COUNTING ON MANDY: Senior guard Mandy Saunders has started 74 of her 84 career games played and begins her fifth season of eligibility. Saunders had reconstructive knee surgery as a sophomore and played in only two games. Saunders not only is counted on as a starter, she is also counted on when on the charity stripe. Saunders is third all-time in the BIG EAST in free-throw percentage as she has hit on 189 of 219 attempts for a .863 percent. She has taken double the amount of FT's than the athletes ranked first (59 FT) and second (97 FT's) in the BIG EAST. Saunders is also ninth all-time in 3-pt field goal percent in the BIG EAST shooting at a 37% mark.

SIMONELLI TOURS DENMARK AND SWEDEN WITH BIG EAST: Junior Dana Simonelli was Providence College's representative last summer as the BIG EAST All-Star toured Denmark and Sweden. The squad finished with a 2-4 overall record.

FRESHMAN GOMBOTZ RECOGNIZED IN CONNECTICUT: Freshman Jennifer Gombotz (Southington, CT) was recognized in October,1997 as the Connecticut State Athlete of the Year.

Captains: Serving as 1997-98 captains are Kerri Chatten, Mandy Saunders and Julie Wheeler.

GTE ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA CANDIDATE: Sophomore Meghan Hinds carries a 3.3 overall grade point average and will be Providence's nominee for GTE Academic All-America honors.

RECAPPING 1996-97: The Lady Friars finished a season filled with streaks - winning streaks midseason - and losing streaks at the end of the season. Under the direction of first year head coach Jim Jabir, PC tallied a 13-14 record and an 8-10 mark in the BIG EAST. Leading the squad in scoring was two-time BIG EAST scoring champion, Nadine Malcolm. Malcolm finished her career at Providence ranked fourth all time in scoring which included a 20.1 scoring mark last season. In BIG EAST scoring , Malcolm tallied 19.1 points which earned her the conference scoring title for the second consecutive year. A second team All-BIG EAST performer, Malcolm chipped in with nine double-doubles throughout the season. Juniors Kerri Chatten and Julie Wheeler aided in PC's wins. Chatten led the team in scoring on eight occasions and finished the season scoring 15.8 points while grabbing a team best 8.2 boards. A third team All-BIG EAST performer, Chatten led the team in rebounding in the last 10 of 12 games. Wheeler played a major role throughout the season at the point guard spot as she chipped in with 3.7 assists per game while dropping in 10.4 points. Phenomenal from behind the long range arc, Wheeler became the all-time three-point shooter at Providence as she connected on her 183rd career trey at Pittsburgh. Senior Mandy Saunders continued her impressive career as she started 21 of 27 games and finished with 7.6 ppg. Third all-time in the BIG EAST in free-throw percentage (80.3), Saunders connected on 86% of her free-throws which was tops on the team.

Overall Record:     171-135, 11 seasons
Birthdate:  August 12, 1962
Education:  B.S. in English from Nazareth College, 1984
M.A. is Student Personnel from Buffalo State, 1987
Coaching:   Assistant Coach, Nazareth College, 1984-85
Assistant Coach, Buffalo State, 1985-86
Head Coach, Buffalo State, 1986-87
Head Coach, Siena College, 1987-90
Head Coach, Marquette University, 1990-96
Season By Season
Year    School  Record  Post Season
1996-97 Providence  13-14
1995-96 Marquette   8-20    
1994-95 Marquette   19-12   NCAA Bid
1993-94 Marquette   22-7    NCAA Bid
1992-93 Marquette   22-9    WNIT Bid
1991-92 Marquette   16-13   
1990-91 Marquette   7-20    
1989-90 Siena   18-11
1988-89 Siena   16-8
1987-88 Siena   16-10
1986-87 Buffalo State   14-11   NCAA Bid
11 Seasons  Overall 171-135 3 NCAA/1 WNIT

HINDS RETURNS FROM ACL INJURY: Sophomore Meghan Hinds returns to the lineup after missing the final seven games of her freshman campaign. Hinds had started 14 of 20 games before tearing her ACL in her left knee. She underwent successful surgery and returns to the lineup tonight. Hinds was averaging 28.6 minutes and 10.6 points per game at the time of her injury. In her last five games, she was averging 14.6 points including an 18 point performance against Boston College. Hinds was third on the team in scoring at the time of injury.

WHEELER LOOKS TO BREAK ANOTHER BIG EAST RECORD: Senior Julie Wheeler needs 27 three pointers this season to break the all-time BIG EAST record for three-pointers in a career. Wheeler has made 128 going into her senior season and needs 27 to break Wendy Davis' (UConn '95) mark. Wheeler broke the all-time record for three-pointers attempted (398) in the BIG EAST last season.

INJURY REPORT: Providence begins the 1997-98 campaign healthy.

SITTING THIS ONE OUT: Junior Dana Simonelli will sit out tonight serving a one-game suspension by coach Jim Jabir. Junior Tavia Horton will also sit out tonight for the third game (incl. two exhibition games) of a three-game suspension by coach Jim Jabir. Both players broke a team policy. The suspensions by the players were unrelated to each other.

FRIAR EXPERIENCE
GAMES PLAYED AND STARTED
Player           1993-94      1994-95   1995-96 1996-97 1997-98
Abby Charbonneau    --          --        --      --
Kerri Chatten       --         31/21    20/18    26/26
Amy Drechsler       --          --        --      --
Maureen Fitzgerald  --          --        --     3/0
Meghan Hinds        --          --        --     21/15
Tavia Horton        --          --      26/0     15/9
Monika Roberts      --          --        --    
Mandy Saunders      28/24       2/2     27/27    26/21
Dana Simonelli      -           -       27/0     25/5
Kerri Sullivan      --          --       6/0     24/3
Julie Wheeler       --          29/16   24/21    27/27

Providence College will host two games at the Providence Civic Center this season. The season opener against state rival University of Rhode Island on November 18 and the University of Connecticut at the Providence Civic Center on Feb 7, 1998. The Friars have played at the Civic Center 12 times with the last one being December 8, 1990 vs Univ. of Rhode Island. The first game took place against Brown on December 14, 1974 during the first official season of varsity basketball for PC. THe Lady Frairs (then the Friarettes) lost the game, 71-40. Their overall record at the Civic Center is 8-4.

Games Played at the Providence Civic Center
Overall Record 8-4
1974-75 (0-2)
12/14   vs. Brown               L   40-71
 3/3    vs. SE Massachusetts    L   52-76
1976-77 (2-1)
1/22    vs. Worcester State     W   67-60
2/3     vs. Rhode Island        L   55-82
2/9     vs Brown                W   61-49
1977-78 (1-0)
2/21    vs Rhode Island         W   62-50
1978-79 (0-1)
12/20   vs Maryland             L   49-67
1979-80 (2-0)
1/11    vs Monmouth             W   59-48
1/12    vs Cheyney State        W   50-46
1981-82 (1-0)
2/10    vs New Hampshire        W   71-56
1989-90 (1-0)
12/9    vs Rhode Island         W   88-59
1990-91 (1-0)
12/8    vs Rhode Island         W   103-66
Most Points by Providence:  103 (12/8/90 vs URI)
Most Points by an Opponent: 82 (2/3/77 by URI)
1997-98 BIG EAST PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
BE 7    BE 6
1.  Rutgers 1.  Connecticut 
2.  Georgetown  2.  Notre Dame
3.  Miami   3.  Boston College
4.  Providence  4.  West Virginia
5.  Seton Hall  5.  Villanova
6.  Syracuse    6.  St. John's
7.  Pittsburgh

Preseason All-BIG EAST Selections
First Team
Octavia Blue, Miami
Kerri Chatten, Providence
Talisha Hargis, WVU
Kym Hope, Miami
Nykesha Sales, UConn

Second Team
Cal Bouchard, BC
Usha Gilmore, Rutgers
Paige Sauer, UConn
Maria Tchobanova, WVU
Rita Williams, UConn
Tomora Young, Rutgers

BIG EAST Women's Basketball 
Championship
February 28- March 3, 1998
Louis Brown Athletic Center
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
Piscataway, NJ
First Round - Saturday, February 28
#4 vs #13   Noon
#5 vs #12   2 p.m.
#8 vs. #9   4 p.m.
#7 vs #10   6:30 p.m.
#6 vs #11   8:30 p.m.
Quarterfinals - Sunday, March 1
Winner #4/#13 vs Winner #5/#12  Noon
#1 vs Winner #8/#9          2 p.m.
#2 vs Winner #7/#10     6 p.m.
#3 vs Winner #6/#11     8 p.m.
Semifinals - Monday, March 2
Afternoon Quarterfinal winners  6 p.m.
Evening Quarterfinal winners        8 p.m.
Championship - Tuesday, March 3
Semifinal winners           7:30 p.m.

1997 BIG EAST Championship
March 1-4, 1997
Harry A. Gampel Pavilion, University of Connecticut
First Round - Saturday, March 1
#4 Miami 64, #13 Pittsburgh 50
#5 Boston College 65, #12 St. John's 58
#9 Villanova 66, #8 Providence 54
#7 West Virginia 73, #10 Seton Hall 66
#6 Rutgers 68, #11 Syracuse 67 (OT)
Quarterfinals - Sunday, March 2
#4 Miami 63, #5 Boston College 48
#1 Connecticut 63, #9 Villanova 45
#2 Georgetown 79, #7 West Virginia 60
#3 Notre Dame 86, #6 Rutgers 58
Semifinals - Monday, March 3
#1 Connecticut 98, #4 Miami 71
#3 Notre Dame 83, #2 Georgetown 43
Final - Tuesday, March 4
#1 Connecticut 86, #3 Notre Dame 77
All-Tournament Team
Carla Berube, Connecticut
Katryna Gather, Notre Dame
Beth Morgan, Notre Dame
Desma Thomas, Miami
Kara Wolters, Connecticut

Tournament Most Outstanding Performer
Nykesha Sales, Connecticut