ISU women seniors hoping to leave mark

AMES - For every senior Bill Fennelly has coached, his message is the same entering the final season. In his 20th season at Iowa State, he isn't about to change now.

'I've always said ‘Leave a piece of you behind,'” Fennelly said Thursday at media day. 'And some of them have left body parts behind, some of them have left a way to do things on a daily basis.”

With the graduation of All-American Hallie Christofferson, guards Nikki Moody and Brynn Williamson and forward Fallon Ellis will be searching for ways to leave a mark on the program. What Fennelly hopes to see is the willingness to play with commitment to the team.

Williamson tried to spend a lot of the offseason in the gym shooting. A season ago, she averaged 9.4 points and shot 32.5 percent from the 3-point line, a statistic she wants to improve. The Kansas City, Mo. native knows there is pressure on her to be a leader but wouldn't have it any other way.

'It means people expect a lot out of you and people know what you're capable of,” Williamson said. 'So one thing I've had to reevaluate is this year it's not about pressure being put on me or anything, it's about leading in the right way and that's on and off the court. That's making shots, that's cheering for my teammates, that's listening to what (Fennelly) says and reiterating it to the girls, so I think that's just going to be the biggest thing is building a sense of trust with them.”

Having strong senior leadership will perhaps be even more important this season with five freshmen on board. After a six- or seven-player rotation a year ago, Fennelly expects the number to go up with possibly four out of the five freshmen getting playing time.

Iowa State is also likely to run with five guards with lack of returning depth at the post. That's going to make Moody's role - when she has the ball in her hands - even more important as a vocal leader.

'I have to start speaking up,” she said. 'I have to start being more vocal on the court. Because I have one-on-one conversations with people and when we do something wrong in practice, I'll try to walk up to Jadda (Buckley) and say something one-on-one. I'm just that kind of vocal person, but I think I need to start trying to get it out there to the team.”

Fennelly knows leaders have to build trust with players and even the coaching staff. He said how players see seniors conduct themselves with the media, fan base and on the court is what can ultimately endear them to the team.

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