Nov. 8, 2006

DAVIS, Calif. - The 2005-06 season provided many highlights for the UC Davis women's basketball team during its continuing preparation for life as an NCAA Division I member beginning next season.

The Aggies, featuring a lineup that returned all five starters, posted a 16-12 overall record and an 11-5 mark against teams in the Big West Conference, which will become home for UC Davis next season. That record would've tied it for the regular-season conference title and given the Aggies a top-three seed at the Big West Conference Tournament.

Along the way, UC Davis beat every team in the league including perennial power UC Santa Barbara, Long Beach State and eventual conference champion and NCAA Tournament qualifier UC Riverside.

The 2006-07 season provides a new set of challenges for the Aggies who hope to continue to build confidence for the future but do it with a lineup that does not benefit from the experience of having any returning starters. Three players off last year's team - post Lara Gray (9.9 ppg), and guards Jackie Turpin (12.3) and Kimberly Smith (10.8) - graduated while the remaining two starters - wing Jessica Campbell (12.2) and P Ellen Porshneva (11.8) - will redshirt.

UC Davis will open the 2006-07 on the road with games on Friday at Boise State and Gonzaga on Saturday. The Aggies, who went 1-1 during their exhibition season, will play their first home game on Nov. 20 against San Francisco State.

Campbell was a planned redshirt for this season while Porshneva was forced to the sidelines after a severe knee injury prior to the start of preseason drills but both will be around the program throughout the year to provide leadership to a squad that returns six letterwinners and welcomes a talented group of newcomers.

Ninth-year head coach Sandy Simpson, who is within one win of tying former coach Pam Gill-Fisher for the No. 2 spot on the program's all-time wins list with 164, will look to this year's squad to continue to build a foundation for the future while making some noise in the rugged Big West Conference.

GUARDS
Sophomore Kirsten Commins (5-8, San Clemente, Calif.) returns to the guard position where she will assume point guard duties for Turpin. Commins, who averaged just 2.5 ppg but finished the season with 40 steals and 51 assists, is similar to Turpin in that she plays with relentless energy and is a tenacious defender. Last season, she tied a school record when she had seven steals against Cal Poly and two other times had five in a game.

Another sophomore guard, Genevieve Costello (5-5, So., Spring Valley, Calif.) also gained significant experience last season while learning the Aggies' difficult Princeton-style offense. Costello averaged 2.6 ppg, highlighting her season with a 13-point effort at Portland early in the season, a game in which she converted 3 of 4 three-point attempts.

Lindsey Jones (5-5, Pleasanton, Calif.) is the veteran of the group and after playing in a reserved role during her first three seasons, should provide leadership and see an increased role during her senior season.

Simpson will look to some exciting freshman to round out the guard contingent, a group that includes Angela Franklin (5-10, Vacaville, Calif.), Anna Harp (5-8, San Jose) and Corey Ankele (5-8, Santa Cruz, Calif.).

Franklin was the Capitol Valley Conference MVP during her senior season at Vanden High School after averaging 14.7 ppg and dishing out a league-best 107 assists. She helped lead her team to a 49-7 record during her final two seasons as Vanden won consecutive league titles.

Harp was a member of the Cal-Hi Sports Div. III All-State team at Gunderson High School last season after averaging 17.9 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 5.3 apg and 4.9 spg. She scored 20 or more points 14 times last season, including a career-high 40.

Ankele (5-8, Santa Cruz, Calif.) comes to the Aggies after earning All-Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League honorable mention as both a junior and senior at Santa Cruz High School. She helped her team to a 28-3 record and a share of the SCCAL championship.

WINGS
UC Davis returns three letterwinners to this shooting position, including senior Heather Bates (5-11, Madera, Calif.), who appeared in 22 games while making 29 three-pointers, third-most on the team. Bates, who missed the first six games because of injury, came on strong at key times throughout the season, scoring a season-high 20 points against visiting Cal State Northridge during midseason before coming back two days later with a 17-point effort against Pacific, performances that earned her Division I Independent Newcomer of the Week honors. Bates also made 5 of 6 treys while scoring 17 points against highly regarded Auburn earlier in the season.

Senior Laura Thomas (5-7, Bakersfield, Calif) is a three-point specialist for UC Davis, having made 54 treys during her previous three seasons. She saw limited action last season but enjoyed two solid seasons her first two years, making 22 three-pointers as a freshman and adding 30 more the following season. She is another player with an understanding of the Aggies' complicate offense who will be looked to for floor leadership.

Haylee Donaghe (5-10, Atascadero, Calif.) is a freshman in eligibility for the Aggies despite being in her third season with the program. She redshirted her first season in 2004-05 and played just five games before being sidelined with an injury and later gaining a medical redshirt. Donaghe averaged 19.8 ppg as a senior at Atascadero High School in 2003-04, earning All-San Luis Obispo County accolades.

POSTS
The Aggies were hoping to rely on the presence of Porshneva to provide an anchor on the inside but will instead look to a trio of newcomers to gain the necessary experience for UC Davis to have a balanced offense.

Paige Mintun (6-2, Valley Center, Calif.) was a two-time All-San Diego Section honoree who also was named the North County Player of the Year and to the All-Valley League first team. She averaged 15.0 ppg, 15.0 rpg and 6.0 bpg for Valley Center High School after averaging 15.0 and 18.0 rpg as a junior.

Ashley Currey (6-1, McKinleyville, Calif.) is another talented freshman to join the Aggies, coming to the program after being voted her McKinleyville High School's team MVP and twice earning All-Humboldt Del Norte League MVP honors. Curry, like Harp, was recognized on the Cal-High Sports All-State team, earning Div. IV honors for a season which included a 16.0 ppg scoring average.

Tatiana Armstrong (5-11, San Mateo, Calif.) will add depth to the position after transferring from the College of San Mateo where she averaged 13.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg and 2.0 bpg last season.