Sports

Jan. 21-Feb. 3, 2015

Page 8

WU junior makes big impression

I think shes a
completely
different

By Rodney Humphries
Contributing Writer

Despite the struggles of the

womens basketball team, Webster University junior Ashley
Brooks has proven she can be
a reliable option for the squad.
She has improved in nearly every statistical category.
In just her second season
at Webster, Brooks says she has
a high level of confidence in
herself and her teammates.
I dont think about anything except the game when
Im out there on the floor, she
said. I have the confidence in
myself and my teammates to
take control of the game and
do whatever we need to do to
help us out on the floor.
The team has a losing record of 6-9, they have lost
eight of their last ten games
and they have suffered three
losses by 20 or more points.
Last season Brooks averaged 6.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game and started
10 of 27 games. This season
however, she is averaging 10.7
points per game along with 5
rebounds, 3.3 assists and has
started in all 15 games.
Most of her offensive production comes from behind
the 3-point line. Last season
she was 15th in Websters alltime single-season rankings as
she made 29 three point field
goals.
Brooks credits her shooting success to the work she
puts into her shot to make sure
shes sharp when game time
comes around.
I just try to get into the
gym as much as possible and
get shots up, she said. Getting shots up really improves
the percentage that Im able to
shoot in games.
This season she has connected on 17 three point shots
and is on pace to better her
mark from last year. Head
Coach of the womens basketball team Jordan Olufson
spoke about Brooks talent and
level of progression.
This year I think (Brooks)
realizes shes a lot faster and
shes more comfortable playing
with us now, he said. I think
shes a completely different
player than what she was when
she first got to Webster.
However, Brooks nearly
did not arrive at Webster in
the first place. Coach Olufson
and his staff tried to recruit
her when she was coming out
of high school, but she had already committed to Maryville

player than what

she was when she
first got to Webster.
Jordan Olufson

Coach
wins 3rd
SLIAC
award

Womens Head Basketball

Coach

University. Brooks contributions are also catching the attention of teammate Cassie
Endicott.
Endicott is the teams only
senior and she leads the team
in rebounds and blocks. She
may be looked upon to be the
leader of the team this season,
but she says she is confident
that Brooks will be able to fill
her void next year when she
becomes a senior.
I think (Brooks) will
be able to be a leader for the
team next year, Endicott said.
With the leadership qualities
that she already brings to the
team this year, I think shell be
able to transition and capitalize off of that next year.

JORDAN PALMER / The Journal

Ashley Brooks looks to find a teammate in Websters 52-47 victory over Fontbonne on Jan. 17 at Grant Gymnasium.

University.
But after a year of dealing
with playing time and injury
issues at Maryville, she knew
she needed a new start and she
looked again at Webster.
I just didnt like the

strengths of the team (at

Maryville University), it wasnt
what I was looking for, she
said. I wanted to find some
place that would help build
my potential as an athlete and
I definitely thought that Web-

ster was that place.

This season, She scored 25
points in a win over MacMurray College on Nov. 29 and
in the teams regular-season
opener on Nov. 15, she scored
20 in a win over Dominican

Enduring tough times

Despite the obstacles, the
womens team has faced so far,
Brooks has confidence that the
team will bounce back from
this difficult stretch. The team
defeated Fontbonne University
in their most recent game, 5247 on Jan. 17.
I definitely think the team
can rebound from this, Brooks
said. Its not going to be just
one individual person, its going to take everybody coming
together as a team. If I had to
go through a losing streak, I
wouldnt want to do it with any
other team besides this one.
Coach Olufson stressed
that continuing to play hard
and staying calm in the face of
calamity is key. He says he has
faith in Brooks to play a huge
role in the effort moving forward.
Weve had some injuries
and some setbacks but with
(Brooks) talent and leadership
potential, I think shes going
to have a huge impact on us,
Olufson said.

Contact the writer:

websterjournal@gmail.com

Mike Siener. Photo contributed by

Andrew Belsky/ Webster Athletics.

By Becca Doran
Contributing Writer

Webster University mens

soccer coach Mike Siener describes himself as a players
coach. He holds the accomplishments of the players above
those of the coaches, but that
has not kept him from piling up
awards.
Seiner won the St. Louis
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) Coach of the
Year in mens soccer, the third
sport he has won the award
with while at Webster. He was
the SLIAC Mens Tennis Coach
of the Year in 2013 and he has
also won the award with the
womens tennis team. He is the
second coach in SLIAC history
to win the award in three different sports.
Webster Mens Basketball
Head Coach Chris Bunch, who
had Siener as an assistant coach
for 10 years, said the connection Siener has with his athletes
is one reason Siener has won
SLIAC Coach of the Year in
three different sports.
Siener started as a Webster
student and athlete, and earned
a spot on the SLIAC all conference team three times in both
soccer and tennis. He knew he
wanted to coach as a career so
he got a bachelors degree in
history, political science and
secondary education. When
he graduated he was the assistant basketball coach, and even
coached the guys he had once
played alongside in basketball.
Siener said the transition from
player to coach was not too
hard; he thought the players respected him enough to take his
advice and criticism.
Siener served as an assistant coach for the mens
Siener Page 7

One of Websters best injured in win over Fontbonne

By Rodney Humphries
Contributing Writer

Ahmad Smith has racked

up a long list of record setting
statistics during his career at
Webster.
Smith is eighth on Webster
Universitys all-time scoring
list with 1,138 points, and he
is fifth in all-time field goals
made with 424.
Though these statistics are
noteworthy, Smith is not concerned about individual statistics much this season; instead
he wants to win important
games when the postseason
comes around.
In Smiths most recent
game against Fontbonne University, he suffered a sprained
ankle after making a driving
layup. After the injury occurred he stayed on the ground
for about five minutes and he
appeared to be in a great deal
of pain.
Smith was eventually
helped off of the floor and did
not return for the remainder of
that game. He is now confined
to crutches and Head Mens
Basketball Coach Chris Bunch
said that he will be out for at
least the remainder of the
week. Before the injury, Smith
had been focused on helping
the Gorloks reach postseason
play again.
I just want us to win the
conference and division III
NCAA tournament, Smith
said. I dont have any personal
expectations or goals for myself; I just take one game at a

JORDAN PALMER/ The Journal

Ahmad Smith falls to the floor in pain after he suffered a sprained ankle in Websters win over Fontbonne on Jan. 17. He is expected to miss at least a week.

time.
Smith first gained notoriety in his high school career.
In his senior year at Clayton
High School he led his team
in scoring with 21.3 points per
game. He was also 10th across
St. Louis high schools in scoring, trailing standout players
who would eventually go on
to play for division-I colleges
like Cameron Biedsheid, BJ
Young and Bradley Beal, who

plays for the NBAs Washington Wizards.

Smith characterized his
scoring ability as something
that comes naturally to him,
and he said hes always had a
knack for scoring.
Clayton finished with a record of 22-7 that season and
Smiths skill set was enough for
Bunch, to go after him in recruitment.
At first he was going to

walk on at (Western Illinois

University), but that ended up
not working out for him and
he decided to come here to
Webster, Bunch said.
Smiths career at Webster
During Smiths freshman
season Coach Bunch was willing to let him play despite his
youth and inexperience by
playing him 19.3 minutes per
game.

Coach Bunch said he saw

many intangibles in Smiths
game that convinced him that
he could be the future of the
team.
He was very efficient his
freshman year, he shot 50 percent (in field goal percentage),
he shot 40 percent from the
3-point line and he didnt take
a lot of bad shots, Bunch said.
He seemed to do more with
less, we had other scorers on

our team too so he had to be a

good role player for us.
Smith is currently in his
senior season and says he is
determined to get his team to
win even more games in the
postseason. So far he leads the
team in scoring, averaging 16
points per game, and he is the
third leading rebounder, averaging just about 6 per game.
He has also had his fair
share of high scoring games
including 25 points in an overtime win against Loras College
on Nov. 29 and a season high
33 points against Washington
University on Dec. 10. Over
the past four years, Smith says
his game has come full circle
and he feels hes grown as a
player.
Smith is also looked upon
as a role model figure for
some of the younger players
now. Sophomore teammate CJ
Moore is the fourth leading
scorer for the team and he says
he tries to implement characteristics from Smiths game
into his own.
Last year I pretty much
learned after him, Moore said.
Hes a great player to model
your game after; you can learn
a lot from a guy like him with
him being here for four years.

Contact the writer:

websterjournal@gmail.com