PSU centers standing tall for Portland

By BRAD STRATTON
Collegian Staff Writer

In her career playing center for the Penn State women's basketball team, Andrea Garner has tallied some impressive honors.

She was named to the first-team All-Big Ten team, to the WNIT All-Tournament squad and a GTE Academic All-American nominee, just to name a few.

Maybe this season, she can win a 3-point shooting title.

Garner will be part of an experimental three-post system this year developed by Lady Lions coach Rene Portland, where Garner will be moved out from the post to a guard position at times.

Portland said the three-post brainchild comes from her exposure to the WNBA and USA Basketball.

"I think I get paid to think of those kind of things," she said. "We spent a lot of time talking about basketball. You see it at a different level and say, 'Can we try that too?' "

Garner got a taste of the new system during the summer, stepping out to play as a guard during the European Exhibition Tour, a 10-day journey through France, Switzerland and Monaco.

"It's something new and I think everybody's open to it," Garner said. "I think me, Maren (Walseth) and Rashana (Barnes) really worked on shooting the ball and handling the ball."

Despite the new system, Garner still will be asked to perform her duties at center, where she excelled in the past.

Garner's career has been one of consistency, averaging a team-best 14.4 points per game last season while connecting on half of her shots. She has averaged 8.6 rebounds per game the last two years.

One noticeable omission from her statistics is the long shot. Garner's never attempted a 3-point shot in her three years of competition. Portland said Garner has worked at that during the summer and should add another dimension to her game.

"She has a nice 15-foot jumper," Portland said. "She's not afraid to shoot the 3, and she worked very hard on that this summer. It does cause matchup problems for the other team."

As one of three seniors on the team, Garner will be expected to take more of a leadership role this season.

"I think I became more consistent and I try to be a little bit more vocal," she said. "I'm not usually the vocal one."

Backing up Garner this season will be freshman Nicole Anaejionu, a two-time Street & Smith's Basketball All-American at Marian High School in Southfield, Mich. In her junior year, she averaged 12 points and 3 blocks per game.

"One day, when she was playing a pickup game, someone actually quit because she was blocking too many shots," Portland said. "She has long arms and likes to block shots, and I really think she's going to be a presence for us."

Anaejionu seems to have a definite plan for herself and her team this season.

"Everything is just so new, it's neat a little bit," Anaejionu said. "I want to contribute as much as I can and hopefully we can go all the way."