Backcourt promises to have strength in numbers

With a number of capable players in the women’s backcourt entering the 2004-05 season, depth… With a number of capable players in the women’s backcourt entering the 2004-05 season, depth at the guard positions will not be a problem for the Panthers. Figuring out who will be on the court will be the tricky part.

“Everyone is working really hard,” head coach Agnus Berenato said after her team’s practice on Monday. “It’s all up for grabs right now.”

Perhaps the most intriguing opening is the battle for the starting point guard position

“It’s between Amy [Kunich] and Karlyle [Lim],” Berenato said.

Lim, a 5-foot-6 true freshman from Chapel Hill, N.C., is one of Berenato’s prize recruits, and she is pressing incumbent starter Amy Kunich, a senior from Monroeville, Pa., for the point guard job.

Kunich, who missed half of last season because of a stress fracture in her left foot, has already been named the team’s lead captain by her coach. And whether she is the opening night starter or not, Berenato expects a major contribution from the 5-foot-6 senior.

“She is taking on the role of a leader. The point guard is an extension of the coach on the court, and she’s done a phenomenal job of becoming more vocal,” Berenato said, praising Kunich. “She’s naturally an introvert, and she’s come out of her comfort zone to become that vocal leader.”

Aside from the point guard battle, the two swing positions are open, and Berenato mentioned two names when asked about the position.

“Katie [Histed] and Vika [Sholokhova] are both really working hard at the three,” Berenato said.

The decision on a starter at the small forward position could hinge greatly on what style of play Berenato is looking for.

Histed, a 5-foot-10 junior from Waverly, N.Y., played much of last season off the bench, coming on strong toward the end of the year. By season’s end, she was in the starting lineup, and had established herself as the team’s primary perimeter threat, shooting 37 percent (22-for-59) from behind the arc in Big East play.

Sholokhova, another Berenato recruit, is a 6-foot-4 true freshman from St. Petersburg, Russia, by way of Vineland, N.J., where she played her final two years of high school.

The decision at small forward will go a long way to deciding the look of the team. Should Histed start, Pitt will have more of a three-guard lineup on the court, whereas Sholokhova would bring more of an inside presence to the small forward position.

Berenato did make clear that both players are capable of playing the shooting guard position, so the two of them on the court together would not be an unlikely scenario.

Also returning to the Panthers’ backcourt this year are sophomores Brooke Hughes and Danielle Taylor and senior Jessica Allen. Allen, who can be a perimeter threat when healthy, is trying to come back from a stress fracture that ended her 2003-04 season early.

Hughes, a starter last season during Kunich’s injury, can play both guard positions, and has the ability to knock down jump shots from anywhere on the court.

Taylor, a 6-foot guard who only played in 16 games last season, brings more size to the guard position and should see more minutes off the bench.

Friday’s exhibition against the Russian National Team should give the coaches a better idea of who will start and play in the regular season.

“We’re going to try to use our options, rotate players in and out, and see who performs in game situations,” Berenato said. The game is Friday at 7 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center.