University Southern California Trojans
Women's Basketball Opens against Boise State
June 21, 1999 | Women's Basketball
November 17, 1998
Tonight's Game: The Women of Troy will open the regular season on Thursday (Nov. 19) against with Boise State at 7:30 p.m. in the Lyon Center. USC is 2-1 in the all-time series with Boise State. The Broncos finished the 1997-98 season as the Big West Eastern Division Champions with a 19-11 overall record.
Last Week: USC defeated the Riverland Raiders on Sunday night, 82-49. The Women of Troy were led by freshman guard Tiffany Elmore, who posted 23 points and seven rebounds. Senior center Adrain Williams added 16 points and eight rebounds, while junior forward Tiffany Washington contributed 13 points. The Women of Troy won its exhibition opener, 89-65, against Slovan Bratislava on Thursday (Nov. 12). Sophomore forward Tashara Carter lead the team with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Williams and Elmore each added 13 points.
Preseason Schedule: USC will travel to Fresno State on Sunday (Nov.22), at 12 p.m. and will return to host Drake on Wednesday (Nov. 25). The women's basketball team will head to Cancun, Mexico to play in the Torneo Cancun de Basquetbol, facing Old Dominion on Friday (Nov. 27), at 9 p.m. CST and Southwest Missouri State on Saturday (Nov. 28), at 6:30 p.m. CST.
1997-98 Recap: The women's basketball team, under head coach Chris Gobrecht, finished 12-15 overall and 7-11 in the Pacific-10 Conference in 1997-98. The team returns nine letterwinners, including four starters. The Women of Troy will look to senior guard Kristin Clark and senior center Adrain Williams to lead the team. Clark earned All-Pac-10 first team honors in 1997-98 and was USC's leading scorer. Williams earned All-Pac-10 honorable mention honors and was the team's leading rebounder and was second in scoring.
NCAA Women's Basketball West Regionals: The way to San Jose is through L.A. See who marches on to the Women's Basketball Final Four at the 1999 NCAA West Regional hosted by USC, March 20 & 22 at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.
Notes: USC returns nine players from last years squad that finished (12-15 overall, 7-11 sixth in the Pac-10). The Women of Troy return their entire front court for the 1998-99 season and is bolstered by a pair of newcomers, freshman Carmen Krause and junior transfer Aimee Copp. Junior guard Kim Clark, a midfielder for USC's soccer team, broke her leg in a soccer game (Nov. 1) and will be out indefinitely. Junior guard Kiyoko Miller, who underwent reconstructive surgery on her right shoulder, is practicing with the team and may join the squad later in the season. Returning to the lineup for USC is junior guard Erica Mashia. Mashia, who was forced to miss the 1997 and 1998 seasons with a career-threatening hip injury, was a Pac-10 freshman team selection in 1996 and is known for her abilities behind the three-point arc and free throw line.
Chris Gobrecht: Twenty years after graduating from USC in 1977 to embark on a coaching career, Gobrecht returned to campus to take the helm of the Women of Troy basketball program. On May 8, 1997, she replaced Fred Williams, who left after two years as USCs coach. Gobrecht, 42, who played basketball and volleyball while at USC, has been a head coach at the Division I level for 20 years, having guided programs at Cal State Fullerton (six years), Washington (11) and Florida State (one). She was a two-time Pacific-10 Coach of the Year (1987-88) with the Huskies and has amassed a 332-208 career mark. She reached the 300-victory plateau on Jan. 19, 1995, at the age of 39, making her one of the youngest coaches to do so in America. Gobrecht is the second winningest coach in the Pac-10 after 12 years in the conference with a record of 149-77. She has also coached at the national and international levels. She was an assistant for a 1990 USA Basketball select team which traveled to Czechoslovakia and Italy. In 1989, she led the East Team to a silver medal in the U.S. Olympic Festival. Under her maiden name of Chris Geiger, she was a three-year starter on USC's basketball team. She also played volleyball for the Women of Troy for two years. She received her bachelor's degree in public affairs from USC in 1977. Gobrecht has also had success sending her players to the next level. Five of her former players at Washington are competing professionally in the United States. Four are in the ABL: Traci Thirdgill (1990), Colorado Xplosion; Karen Deden (1991), New England Blizzard; Rhonda Smith (1995) and Tara Davis (1994), Seattle Reign. Laure Savasta (1997) played for the Sacramento Monarchs of the WNBA.
Gobrecht's thoughts: "My years of experience tell me there is something there. The question is, how long it will take to find it. We have a lot of excitement about having a full squad this year. At this point everything is relative. Compared to a year ago, it's heaven."
