TTN: Peddy goes pro

http://temple-news.com/sports/2012/04/16/peddy-goes-pro/

(April 16, 2012)
The Chicago Sky select Shey Peddy in the second round. 

KATE McCANN TTN file photos Senior guard Shey Peddy becomes the women’s basketball program’s third player to be drafted into the WNBA.

A nervous Shey Peddy played on her phone and pretended not to have the Women’s National Basketball Association’s Draft on her mind.

Peddy told The Temple News that she knew the WNBA’s Chicago Sky had been taking a look at her. When the 23rd overall pick in the second round came up, the former guard for the Owls became the third player in program history to join a WNBA team yesterday, April 16.

“I worked so hard throughout my career and even just here at Temple, and just to know that it paid off and I made history at Temple as well is definitely an indescribable feeling,” Peddy said.

The Atlantic Ten Conference Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year recorded 1,045 points (1,899 career points) and 206 steals, which ranks ninth in program history. Peddy said she can’t wait to start training with her new team.

“I’m really excited to join Chicago,” Peddy said. “Coach Pokey Chatman’s definitely one of the most well-respected coaches in the league, and even throughout basketball. Just to have the chance to play with these legends almost, it’s definitely a great feeling for me.”

Peddy joins former forward Candice Dupree, drafted sixth overall in 2006 by the Sky before being traded to the Phoenix Mercury in 2010, and Kamesha Hairston, taken 12th overall by the Connecticut Sun in 2007, as the only Owls drafted by the WNBA.

Texas A&M guard Sydney Carter was also drafted by Chicago, who finished 14-20 last season.

“We’re all really happy for her,” coach Tonya Cardoza said in a press release yesterday. “I know how much she wanted this.”

“[Sky coach] Pokey Chatman is a great coach and there’s lots of good talent there,” Cardoza added. “They are looking for guards, they need guards, and this is a great opportunity for [Peddy].”

Peddy ranks first in program history with 3.1 steals per contest and is ranked third all-time with a career average of 15.8 points per game.

The Wright State transfer also posted the following career numbers, which all rank second in school history: 79.8 percent free throw percentage, 3.6 assists per game and a 37.4 percentage from behind the three-point line.

Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu.

TTN: Impact Ace

http://temple-news.com/sports/2012/04/02/impact-ace/

(April 3, 2012)


ABI REIMOLD TTN Redshirt-senior Capri Catalano winds up to pitch in her first season with the Owls.

Redshirt-senior pitcher has helped the Owls get off to a 4-0 A-10 start despite disability.

Sophomore catcher Stephanie Pasquale called timeout and walked out to the mound in the Owls’ doubleheader sweep against La Salle on Friday, March 30. The mound visit was not used to calm down her pitcher, redshirt-senior Capri Catalano, but Pasquale needed to relay a message from coach Joe DiPietro.

“When [Catalano’s] on the field I can’t yell from the dugout to her,” DiPietro said. “I have to get our catcher to get her attention to look at me.”

That’s because Catalano is almost completely deaf. Just before her fourth birthday she contracted bacterial meningitis and slipped into a coma for three weeks. Her parents were told she had a slim chance of making it.

“[My parents] were very upset,” Catalano said. “They didn’t know if I was going to live, but they were happy that I fought it through and it’s bringing me to here, where I am today.”

After she came out of her coma, Catalano spent years relearning how to walk, talk and find her balance. But her hearing didn’t make a full recovery and she was granted one of the first cochlear implants for a child to help her hear.

“I had a lot of therapy to help me to be able to walk straight and sit up instead of falling down,” Catalano said.

When Catalano was 7 years old she picked up softball, and shortly after that, began pitching. Catalano quickly became one of New Jersey’s most dominant pitchers, graduating high school in 2007 with 1,346 strikeouts, which set a state record. From there she went to the University of South Florida and posted a 17-1 record as a freshman in 2008.

“I really wanted to go to school in Florida,” Catalano said. “I thought it was a good school, but it was far away from home. I was homesick for a while.”

But Catalano redshirted her sophomore year due to a shoulder injury. She never regained a foothold in the rotation the next two years and decided to come back closer to home, which was a lot easier on her father.

“He’s able to make most of the games now,” Catalano said. “He’s really happy that he’s able to come to more games.”

Catalano has made an impact on and off the field for the Owls (16-11, 4-0 Atlantic Ten Conference).

On the mound Catalano’s 4-5 after a slow start recovering from an off-season injury. But in her past two starts she allowed six hits, struck out five and went 2-0 with two shutouts, including taking a no-hitter into the fifth in a win against Wagner on Tuesday, March 27.

“She’s a rise-ball pitcher,” DiPietro said. “When she stays the way she needs to stay, her rise really jumps. Plus she does have good velocity and she’s around the plate a lot, she doesn’t walk a lot of people usually.”

“But the thing is she’s had four years of college experience, so she has the experience factor, which really helps us,” he added.

Catalano also has positive work ethic during practice, DiPietro said.

“I think in spite of her handicap that she has, she works her butt off, she really does,” DiPietro said. “She spends a lot of hours pitching.”

Off the field, she’s developed relationships with her new teammates, who have learned how to sign to their pitcher.

“She’s taught us some things,” Pasquale said. “She’s taught a lot of the girls the alphabet so now they can spell things out to her. It’s cool because you have to learn different ways of speaking without talking.”

But there has also been some challenges. Catalano can hear but needs to be facing the person as they’re talking to understand them, or at least to read their lips. She can talk on the phone, but only if she knows the person well enough.

“I can hear a lot, but it doesn’t mean I understand what they’re saying,” Catalano said. “If you’re talking behind me I hear something but I don’t know that the voice is coming directly at me.”

She also has trouble hearing if she’s surrounded by a lot of loud noise, like cheering teammates. That hasn’t stopped the coach from getting through to her, though.

“[Catalano] and I really didn’t have much of an issue communicating, plus I have a big mouth so I’m able to get through to her,” DiPietro said.

But Catalano also uses her deafness to an advantage, something that could help in the remainder of the Owl’s A-10 season.

“I think it’s an advantage because I don’t hear other teams,” Catalano said. “So I’m more focused.”

Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu.

TTN: End of an era

http://temple-news.com/sports/2012/03/27/end-of-an-era/

(March 27, 2012)

The women’s basketball team lost its WNIT Sweet 16 matchup to Syracuse, 82-68, on Thursday, March 22 at McGonigle Hall.

ABI REIMOLD TTN Junior forward Victoria Macaulay is one of two returning starters next year. 

Seniors Shey Peddy, Kristen McCarthy, BJ Williams and center Joelle Connelly never got the swan-song season they were looking for.

The women’s basketball team’s 6-2 run with five minutes left in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament Sweet 16 game against Syracuse, losing 82-68 to the Orange, was the Owls’ last chance to extend their season.

It was the last breath the Owls could muster, as their run brought them down to 68-62, before the Orange made four quick points. The 72-62 Syracuse led with three minutes and 31 seconds remaining signaled the end for the Owls’ seniors.

“As the time was winding down I was kind of shocked just to think I’d never wear a Temple jersey again,” McCarthy said.

“It’s a disappointing feeling, just knowing that as the time winds out there’s nothing else you can do and this will be the last time we wear a Temple jersey,” Peddy said.

And with 47 seconds remaining the trio of Williams, Peddy and McCarthy walked off the court in McGonigle Hall for the last time to a roar of applause, but solemn looks on their faces.

Coach Tonya Cardoza now leads the Owls into what feels like uncharted territory, replacing key seniors.

“Obviously, we’re losing one of the best senior classes ever so it’s going to be hard to replace them,” Cardoza said.

McCarthy has been the face of the program for four years, winning a number of awards in the Atlantic Ten Conference including Rookie of the Year in 2009 and A-10 First Team in 2010. In the Big 5 she earned Player of the Year in 2010 and two first-team selections in 2010 and 2011.

McCarthy finished in the Top 10 in Temple history in points per game (12.9), field goals (626), field goal attempts (1,610), three pointers (128), three-point attempts (389), rebounds (713) and steals (209). She also ranks fourth all-time with 1,619 points, trailing only Pam Balogh, Candice Dupree and Marilyn Stephens.

Peddy stepped in last year after transferring from Wright State and made an impact in the A-10 immediately. She won A-10 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year this season and first-team selections both years.

She also ranks in the Top 10 in school history in three’s (128), steals (206), single-season points (17.6 per game), single-season assists (4.2 per game last year), three’s (77) and free throws (111). Peddy is also the only player to have at least 100 steals in a single season, which she did in both of her past two seasons.

“What these guys have been able to do over the number of years that they’ve been here, it’s going to be hard to replace them, more importantly the effort and the passion that they play with,” Cardoza said.

Connelly transferred from Hofstra and played the past two years on North Broad. The center struggled to grab a starting spot and was suspended the past three games for academic reasons. She averaged 2.9 points and 3.2 rebounds per game with 24 starts as an Owl.

Williams has been the “unsung hero,” Cardoza said. While Williams doesn’t have the accolades of her backcourt mates, she still ranks fifth in career assists at Temple with 367. She also finished with the third most assists in a season with 157.

“[Williams is] probably the one that doesn’t get as much credit as [Peddy and McCarthy], but she’s been the glue to really hold us together this year,” Cardoza said.

The quartet helped Temple make back-to-back NCAA tournament second rounds for the first time in Temple history. The one thing missing from their résumé is an A-10 Championship. They also weren’t able to win the WNIT, something they expected after missing the NCAA tournament this year.

“I definitely enjoyed my time here at Temple and I learned so much,” McCarthy said. “I took a chance coming all the way from [La Puenta, Calif.] It’s once in a lifetime and I’ve enjoyed it and I’ll miss it as well.”

For Peddy it was a little more difficult to say goodbye to Cardoza, who she grew up idolizing. Peddy was born in Roxbury, Mass., a short distance from Cardoza. The two knew each other well before their time at Temple together.

“It hurts, it’s somebody you look up to all your life,” Peddy said. “I definitely appreciate everything that she’s done for me. I’m going to miss coming here every day, joking around with her, yelling at me and learning.”

Junior forward Victoria Macaulay now emerges as the likely focal point of a suddenly young Owls squad. Peddy is being looked at by the Women’s National Basketball Association, McCarthy may find a place to play professionally, if not in the WNBA and Williams wants to become a coach.

“I don’t know how much it’s really hit me yet,” McCarthy said. “I’m done with college. That moment, you never really think that it will come.”

Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu.

TTN: Women’s basketball comes up short in WNIT Sweet 16

http://temple-news.com/sports/2012/03/22/womens-basketball-comes-up-short-in-wnit-sweet-16/

(March 22, 2012)

The women’s basketball team said goodbye to one of the most talented senior classes in school history as the Owls’ dropped their Women’s National Invitational tournament Sweet 16 match against Syracuse.

Despite getting 20 points from senior guard Shey Peddy and a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds from senior guard Kristen McCarthy Temple couldn’t pull out a win, falling 82-68 at home.

“We expected to go all the way and win this thing,” coach Tonya Cardoza said in an emotional postgame press conference. “They were just too much for us to handle, especially inside.”

The Orange were led by All-Big East Second Team junior center Kayla Alexander’s 29 points and 10 rebounds. Alexander dominated the front court in the second half, scoring 18 of her points and grabbing seven rebounds.

“[Alexander’s] a handful when she gets the ball in the paint,” Syracuse coach Quentin Hillsman said.

“Their big girl was just a lot for us tonight and we tried and we did what we could and [Alexander] was just tough to handle,” McCarthy said.

Syracuse also got a huge boost from junior forward Carmen Tyson-Thomas, who scored 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, as three players had double-doubles in the game.

The Owls led for much of the first half after taking a quick 10-5 lead, but the Orange slowly chipped away. Senior forward Iasia Hemingway nailed a three with 3.6 seconds left to put them up 33-29. But Peddy answered with a prayer three from just inside half court that hit off the backboard to bring Temple back within one going into the locker room.

“That was a good shot as far as momentum-wise because we hadn’t really gotten anything going,” McCarthy said.

But Temple was unable to capitalize on their newfound momentum. Behind Tyson-Thomas’s 10 points to open the half Syracuse jumped out on a 23-14 run to lead 56-46 with 10 minutes remaining.

Temple was never able to recover and the closest they got the rest of the game was down six. The Owls forced shots late to try and make a run but couldn’t find success.

“I’m just very happy,” Hillsman said. “I just thought that we came out and played hard, and we competed and we had a chance to win the basketball game.”

For Temple’s seniors—Peddy, McCarthy, guard BJ Williams and center Joelle Connelly (who didn’t suit up for academic reasons)—it was the final time they walked off the court in McGonigle Hall.

“It’s a disappointing feeling, just knowing that as the time winds out there’s nothing else you can do and this will be the last time we wear a Temple jersey,” Peddy said.

Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu

TTN: Owls await WNIT Sweet 16 opponent

http://temple-news.com/sports/2012/03/19/owls-await-wnit-sweet-16-opponent/

(March 19, 2012)


Women’s basketball defeats Harvard and Quinnipiac in WNIT. 

The women’s basketball team has reached the NCAA tournament in each of the previous eight years.

But when the tournament committee didn’t call Temple’s name on March 12 during the Women’s NCAA tournament Selection Show, things got a whole lot different for the Owls, and coach Tonya Cardoza.

Cardoza is in uncharted territory coaching the team in her first Women’s National Invitational tournament appearance since she was hired four years ago. In her 14 years as an assistant at Connecticut and her first three at Temple, Cardoza never once coached a WNIT game.

“It’s different,” Cardoza said after the Owls’ opening round, 75-60, victory against Quinnipiac on Thursday, March 15. “But again, you just have to adjust and adapt. I ask my players to do it all the time, to adjust and adapt to situations, so as a coach you have to do the same thing.”

The WNIT poses challenges for the players and especially the coaches. The location, date and time of each game isn’t determined until the round before it ends, meaning teams have two to three days to prepare for the next matchup.

And games aren’t hosted at neutral sites or at the home team’s court. It’s all dependent on which school offers to host the game first, if at all. Temple decided to host the opening round game against Quinnipiac and the second round match if Harvard beat Hofstra, which they did.

For the players, the tournament can take a toll physically, as they could play three games in less than a week.
“It’s a little challenging,” senior guard Shey Peddy, said after the 64-59 win against Harvard on Saturday, March 17. “But we just have to buckle down and step it up.”

For Peddy, who’s averaging 22.5 points in the last two games, it’s even more challenging as she’s battling a broken nose that she suffered in the Owls’ Atlantic Ten Conference Tournament quarterfinal victory against Duquesne.

For the coaches it means using different game plans to rest their players and not overworking the team during practice.

“We just decided to work on our zone [against Quinnipiac] ‘cause we know that down the stretch we’re probably going to need to, instead of resting people on the bench, you can rest them in the zone,” Cardoza said after the Quinnipiac game.

“We have to make sure that what we’re doing on our off days are productive, and not getting a lot of wear and tear,” Cardoza said following the Harvard game. “We’ve been playing [our starters] a lot of minutes so we’ve got to make sure we’re keeping them rested.”

Cardoza is without senior center Joelle Connelly, and freshman guard Tyonna Williams didn’t suit up against the Crimson on Saturday, March 17, because she forgot her uniform. Connelly’s absence especially leaves the Owls with a short bench.

“She just needs to focus on her school work, and making sure she’s handling her business in the classroom,” Cardoza said of Connelly after beating Quinnipiac.

Cardoza has to find a way to get her freshmen guards – Monaye Merritt, Williams and Rateska Brown – extra minutes to spell seniors BJ Williams, Kristen McCarthy and Peddy. She called her decisions on who’s likely to sub in first a “crapshoot.”

“We just pay attention to what’s going on in practice and basically what happens the couple of days leading up to the game, that’s basically who we go with,” Cardoza said after the Harvard game.

But the biggest challenge facing this team may be recovering from the disappointment of not making the big dance for the first time in nine years.

After being one of the favorites to win the conference before the season the Owls were upset by Dayton in the A-10 semifinals. The Flyers went on to win the conference and earn a No. 11 seed in the NCAA tournament.

“This is where we’re supposed to be,” Cardoza said Thursday. “We’re just hoping that we can get ourselves in a position to try to win it all.”

“We’re not on the committee,” she added. “Obviously, if we were on the committee we would have selected ourselves and gave ourselves a really good seed. But we’re not and you live with it.”

The seniors appeared visibly disappointed on the night of the NCAA tournament Selection Show when Temple was left out of the Big Dance. They earned the WNIT appearance, after failing to win the A-10 and earn one more NCAA tournament bid in their final year.

Junior forward Victoria Macaulay was also hit hard by the missed opportunity, as she had a chance to win the Dayton game in the final seconds but missed a layup. Even though the team has stated far more went wrong in the game than that shot, Macaulay is determined to avenge the missed shot. She’s averaging 13.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in the first two games of the WNIT.

“The past two games, it’s just like we have to win it,” Macaulay said Saturday. “We have to win this whole thing to prove to the NCAA that they should’ve picked us. That one game, or that one layup, shouldn’t determine whether we made the NCAA [tournament].”

And that’s where this team’s mindset is: to win at all costs and prove to the committee that they should have made the big dance by walking away with a WNIT title.

“Now there’s an opportunity to win this championship,” Cardoza said.

Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu.