Emily Menendez
  • Mathematics
  • Class of 2018
  • Shelton, CT

Eastern Connecticut State University's Emily Menendez Joins the Women's Basketball Team in the Kick Off Tournament

2014 Nov 13

Emily Menendez '18, of Shelton majoring in Exploratory Prof. Studies, is part of this years women's basketball team.

The senior class for the Eastern Connecticut State University women's basketball team has had its ups and downs.

Kristina Forsman (Newington), Taylor McBride (Willimantic), Shannon McCourt (New Fairfield), and Danyelle Rodriguez (Willimantic) came to Eastern as freshmen in 2011, expecting to maintain a successful program that was coming off its eighth 20-wins season and seventh NCAA appearance under head coach Denise Bierly.

As it turned out, they became the cornerstones of a program which suddenly found itself rebuilding following a mid-season off-court incident which led to the expulsion of several starting players.

Their freshmen year was tough. The team finished with eight wins and 17 losses, 4-10 in the Little East Conference. The 2012-2013 season brought signs of improvement as it added a talented freshman class which included Jill Ritrosky (Pittsfield, MA) and Erin Brooks (Billerica, MA). The Warriors finished 10-16, 8-6 in the conference.

Last season, the Warriors continued to grow. Notwithstanding a season-ending ACL injury to Forsman and an early-season rotator cuff injury to McCourt (both have since had surgery), the team won 18 of 27 games overall and captured its first LEC tournament game in the career of its four seniors.

This year, Bierly and her team plan on taking the next step: winning the conference and reaching the NCAA tournament.

Bierly expects her senior class to be a big part of the team's success. She has been impressed with how both Forsman and McCourt have performed in the first two weeks of practice. "We're looking for them to come back and resume the form that they had before they got injured," Bierly said. "I think Kristina (Forsman) is someone that is a barometer of how this team goes."

Forsman has shown her leadership on and off the floor throughout her career at Eastern, being named a team captain this year for the second straight season. " She's the type of player you want with the ball at the end of a game," says Bierly. "Shannon (McCourt) is a spark kind of player, high-energy, and high athletic ability. She can score points in bunches, and that's what we're looking for her to do,"

She also points McBride as another high-energy player. Bierly said McBride changes the tempo and speed of the game and is a lockdown defender on the opposing point guard. Bierly also praises Rodriguez (who has two seasons of eligibility remaining) as having the ability to shoot at a high percentage from beyond the arc.

This season gives Bierly one of the most experienced teams she's had in many years. However, it's not just the experience that has her excited. "If you look at the roster, I can go through about ten kids that I can vividly recall them helping us win basketball games last year," she said.

With so many pieces to the puzzle provided by a 17-person roster, Bierly singled out two post players who may open some eyes; Brooks and sophomore Lexis Foster (Groton). Bierly describes Brooks as a player who plays much bigger than her size and that she has the ability to be a top scorer on a deep team. In Foster, Bierly sees a player who has returned to the team in improved shape. "Both were more defensive stoppers and rebounders, but I think maybe they can be that fourth scorer."

At only 5-foot-9, Ritrosky was a rebounding machine last year, averaging 10.7 rebounds (second-best in the conference), a conference-leading 7.7 on the offensive glass. She joined Jordyn Nappi (Southington) as a first-team all-conference selection. A guard, Nappi was named to the All-Rookie Team after leading the balanced Warriors with a 12.9 scoring average.

Guard Julia DePoi (Brookfield) should earn quality minutes after a solid freshman season which included 26 three-point field goals and a team-high 13 blocked shots. Junior guard Victoria Pfohl (Trumbull) can play either the point or wing.

Sophomore post player Lindsay Langenauer (Cromwell) returns to the team, while junior guard Megan Cardarelli (Manchester) hopes to return to the mix after the holidays as she continues to rehabilitate from a knee injury which cost her most of last year.

This year's five freshman should see a range of minutes, with all having been afforded the luxury of learning the game under experienced upperclassmen this season.

With experience and depth a bonus this year, Bierly feels that the Warriors can regain the stature which had them winning nearly 20 wins per season and contending every season for a conference championship and post-season appearance.

"Our non-conference schedule this year is very challenging, but on paper, our goal is to win the regular season in the conference and make a run in the conference tournament and get the an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. For me, it's all about the seniors this year. They stuck with the program and went through a turbulent time. They've evolved, and I want them to have that moment when they can win a championship."

Eastern opens its 21st season under Bierly Saturday when it faces Newbury College in the opening round of the Eastern Tip-Off Tournament at Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium.

If further information or photographs are requested, please contact Sport Information Director, Bob Molta at, 860-465-5172, molta@easternct.edu.