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By Steve Carpenter
HCC Sports Information Director
The name John Ontjes is synonymous with
Hutchinson Community College basketball.
A member of the Blue Dragons’ 75th
Anniversary team, Ontjes was a part of some of HCC best men’s basketball
teams in 1992 and 1993. He is the team’s career leaders in assists and
steals.
Now 14 years after thrilling Blue Dragon fans
as a player, Ontjes returns to the HCC family as the women’s basketball
program’s sixth head coach.
“I’ve always had great memories of Hutchinson
Community College,” said Ontjes, who replaces Nathan Daume, who left after
five seasons to take at Division I assistant’s position at Florida Gulf
Coast University.
“The people have always been great, the
community, the faculty, the administration. It’s a great place to coach. I’m
looking forward to coaching the girls and being a part of the Dragon
community again.”
Despite getting hired in late August, Ontjes
takes over a program that went 21-11 last season and advanced to the Region
VI quarterfinals. Three starters and five letter winners return from a team
that was ranked No. 3 in the nation in defense.
Defense is something that Ontjes predicated
his Hutchinson High programs on – the 2007 HHS women’s team finished third
in the Class 5A state tournament. Don’t expect defense to take a backseat
with Ontjes at the helm.
“We don’t want to change our philosophy with
defense,” Ontjes said. “Under Coach Daume, they were very successful
defensively, but we want to create more offensive chances with our defense.”
The 2007-08 Lady Dragons will not be tall.
Sophomores Amber Schroer and Brooke Thennes will be the tallest players on
the roster. But last year’s HCC women’s team wasn’t tall either and that
team outrebounded opponents in 26 of 32 games.
“People will look at us as being a short
team,” Ontjes said. “The post people that we have are skilled and have a lot
of desire. Desire and being fundamentally sound at this level can overcome
some of that height disadvantage.”
Ontjes will have a solid group of sophomores
to lean on during his first season.
Amanda Fessenden was HCC’s second-leading
scorer last season at 12.2 points per game. She was a 31-percent 3-point
shooter and an 82.3 percent free-throw shooter, which was 14th in the NJCAA
last season. Schroer averaged 6.6 points and 6.0 rebounds as a freshman and
shot 44.5 percent from the field.
Also back is starter Hailey Purcell (2.4
points, 3.9 rebounds), Fairen Lepaio (4.6 points, 38 percent 3-point
shooter) and Julie Richardson (1.3 points, 1.0 rebounds).
Amongst a talented freshman class are two
players who played for Ontjes at Hutchinson High. Guards Kiley Naccarato and
Morgan Leatherbury will also be counted on to help the rest of the team
learn Ontjes’ system.
“With them coming over and being comfortable
with me, they can help the sophomore understand how I am and how I like
things done,” Ontjes said. “I want those two girls to be leaders, too, but
they understand that there are sophomores on the floor and they have to gain
knowledge from them as well.”
The Lady Dragons will be deep at guard this
season.
At the point, Ontjes will look at freshmen
Kylie Shepard, Lanikia Lawrence and Lauren Sparks. All three have different
elements to their game that makes the point-guard position strong.
Buhler graduate Brittany Hines, one of the
top scorers in that program’s history, Leatherbury and Naccarato will all
see time at the shooting guard. Fessenden, Richardson, freshman Briyana
Evans and Naccarato will work at the three-guard spot.
“At this point, we are very deep at the guard
position,” Ontjes said. “They all have skills and qualities that can help
the team be very successful. We have shooters. We have girls who can get the
basketball to the rim. It’s a good feeling, a positive feeling, that we have
some depth in that area.”
Lepaio and Purcell will work at the power
forward position. Lepaio is a solid shooter who can spread defenses out.
Purcell isn’t the offensive threat that Lepaio is, but is a terror on the
boards and defensively.
In the post will be Schroer, freshman Shannon
Haug and third-year sophomore Brooke Thennes, who returns after missing last
season because of injury.
“(Amber’s) been tremendous for us,” Ontjes
said. “She’s gotten stronger, more physical and really has improved her
skills. She’s a threat in the post area. She’s our best post defender and
it’s going to be critical for her to stay out of foul trouble.
“The post position is going to be critical
for us. We have to get production from them or our perimeter game will
struggle to be effective.” |
