Mount Rushmore of ISU WBB Program

[CyclonesFan4ever]

The same idea came up to me when I read this thread in another forum. How about we discuss the Mt. Rushmore candidates for our WBB program?

Here are mine.

1. Coach Bill Fennelly

This should be unanimous. Without him, ISU WBB wouldn't have had the level of success we are having right now.

2. Angie Welle

All-time career leading scorer and record holder of many statistical categories, one of the best players in the most glorious period in ISU WBB history (three Conference Champions, one Elite Eight, two Sweet Sixteens), 3-time AP All-American, had her jersey retired.

3. Bridget Carleton

Second all-time career leading scorer, current WNBA player and member of Canadian women's national team, Cheryl Miller Award winner, 2-time AP All-American, the only Big12 Player of the Year in ISU history.

4. Alison Lacey

One of the best players in the second golden period of ISU WBB history (one Elite Eight, one Sweet Sixteen), AP All-American, highest WNBA draftee in ISU history (10th), the only player in school history with 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists, married to the right man who is our current MBB head coach.

My honorable mentions:

Stacy Frese, Magen Taylor, Tanya Burns, Chelsea Poppens, Jayme Olson, Lindsey Willson, Lyndsey Medders-Fennelly, Rich Fellingham, etc.

Note: I'm not putting Ashley Joens on it yet because her career isn't over. I will in a heartbeat if we do it again in the future.

 

[I-stateTheTruth]

I have a bias toward Tanya Burns, I have to admit. She was terrific on some teams that were terrible. I think she's overlooked for that reason.

 

[BryceC]

Poppens and Megan Taylor are just two of my favorite players to ever watch.

 

[acoustimac]

Megan Taylor would be at the top of my list of players followed by Welle and Pop.

 

[stateofmind]

Erica Junod? One of the foremothers? I was a friend of her late dad, so I may be a bit biased.

 

[Okoboji Musky]

1. Ashley Joens - Will shatter most ISU records. Hardest working player I have watched in 40 years. Great shooter , rebounds from all over the court, clutch under pressure, great attitude even when being hacked all game.

2. Angie Welle - Reasons stated by OP. If she was on this years' team, Final 4 potential. Lethal under the basket.

3. Bridget Carlton - Great rep for ISU , tenacious scorer. Opened up the Canadian recruiting pipeline, Pro!

4. Alison Lacey - Great scorer but also able to find the open player. Pro! Clutch gene which she will be passing on to future Cyclones !

 

[Macloney]

Poppens and Megan Taylor are just two of my favorite players to ever watch.

Megan probably doesn't belong on the monument, but she was also one of my faves.

We used to see her on Welch sometimes and we always got a thrill. I considered her to be easy on my eyes.

Love this pic:

 

[CycloneRulzzz]

Welle's biggest asset was her speed. She was a post with the speed of guard and more often than not would beat the other team's posts down the floor.

 

[acoustimac]

I’m thinking there are a few posters on here that weren’t around to see the Welle, Taylor, Frese teams.

 

[CyclonesFan4ever]

Welle's biggest asset was her speed. She was a post with the speed of guard and more often than not would beat the other team's posts down the floor.

I have only been following CycloneWBB since the Alison Lacey era and I could only see Angie Welle's plays from very few highlight videos posted online. Could you please tell us younger fan what you think about Ashley Joens compared to Angie Welle? Is Joens (when playing at the post position) the shorter version of Welle? Thanks.

 

[mplueg]

When it’s all said and done, I think at least two are on the current roster

 

[CycloneRulzzz]

I have only been following CycloneWBB since the Alison Lacey era and I could only see Angie Welle's plays from very few highlight videos posted online. Could you please tell us younger fan what you think about Ashley Joens compared to Angie Welle? Is Joens (when playing at the post position) the shorter version of Welle? Thanks.

Well they are 2 different positions. Angie was 6'4 and a true post. Ashley is only 6'0 and more a pf than a true post.

They both kind of share a unique ability to score down on block.

Ash has a big advantage in that she can score inside and from the perimeter.

 

[fcclone]

The same idea came up to me when I read this thread in another forum. How about we discuss the Mt. Rushmore candidates for our WBB program?

Here are mine.

1. Coach Bill Fennelly

This should be unanimous. Without him, ISU WBB wouldn't have had the level of success we are having right now.

2. Angie Welle

All-time career leading scorer and record holder of many statistical categories, one of the best players in the most glorious period in ISU WBB history (three Conference Champions, one Elite Eight, two Sweet Sixteens), 3-time AP All-American, had her jersey retired.

3. Bridget Carleton

Second all-time career leading scorer, current WNBA player and member of Canadian women's national team, Cheryl Miller Award winner, 2-time AP All-American, the only Big12 Player of the Year in ISU history.

4. Alison Lacey

One of the best players in the second golden period of ISU WBB history (one Elite Eight, one Sweet Sixteen), AP All-American, highest WNBA draftee in ISU history (10th), the only player in school history with 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists, married to the right man who is our current MBB head coach.

My honorable mentions:

Stacy Frese, Magen Taylor, Tanya Burns, Chelsea Poppens, Jayme Olson, Lindsey Willson, Lyndsey Medders-Fennelly, Rich Fellingham, etc.

Note: I'm not putting Ashley Joens on it yet because her career isn't over. I will in a heartbeat if we do it again in the future.

Agree with all of these. Would also put Seanna Johnson on the honorable mention list. Always seemed to be in the right place at the right time, doing the dirty work.

 

[mred]

Well they are 2 different positions. Angie was 6'4 and a true post. Ashley is only 6'0 and more a pf than a true post.

They both kind of share a unique ability to score down on block.

Ash has a big advantage in that she can score inside and from the perimeter.

Welle could hit unguarded threes from the top of the key to keep defenses honest, but yeah you'd never call her a perimeter shooter.

No two players in ISU history have had post moves like Welle and Joens. But while Joens has moves, counter moves, counter counter moves, etc, Welle was good at using her size to her advantage. She loved to catch the ball near the right block and then used her huge strides to cross all the way over past the basket for a left - handed layup. Opposing fans called it the "Welle Waltz" with both admiration and derision (since they usually wanted her called for traveling).

She was also good at absorbing contact (she wasn't big, but she wasn't rail-thin), beating opponents down the court (she wasn't super fast, but she was smart about when to book it down the court), and playing effective defense without fouling much. Her senior season she fouled out five times, but you have to keep in mind she averaged nearly 35 minutes per game, which is insane for a post player.

 

[CyclonesFan4ever]

Welle could hit unguarded threes from the top of the key to keep defenses honest, but yeah you'd never call her a perimeter shooter.

No two players in ISU history have had post moves like Welle and Joens. But while Joens has moves, counter moves, counter counter moves, etc, Welle was good at using her size to her advantage. She loved to catch the ball near the right block and then used her huge strides to cross all the way over past the basket for a left - handed layup. Opposing fans called it the "Welle Waltz" with both admiration and derision (since they usually wanted her called for traveling).

She was also good at absorbing contact (she wasn't big, but she wasn't skinny), beating opponents down the court (she wasn't super fast, but she was smart about when to book it down the court), and playing effective defense without fouling much. Her senior season she fouled out five times, but you have to keep in mind she averaged nearly 35 minutes per game, which is insane for a post player.

Thank you for a great breakdown of Angie Welle's game. I'm thirsty for more about that most glorious period in ISU WBB history. If you have time, could you give us younger fans detailed breakdowns of Stacy Frese and Magen Taylor's games? Which recent players, in your opinion, are similar to those two legends? I appreciate all long-time WBB members on this forum for sharing your memories and stories of that golden age.

 

[mred]

For starters, I highly recommend this video:

This is one of the best overall games ISU WBB has ever played, and it's more than just a few highlights -- it's a half-hour cut.

Megan Taylor:

• Her signature move was ALWAYS going after offensive rebounds on her own shots. She was a 5'10" guard who ended her career as ISU's leading rebounder, and it's easy to see why.
• She did weird scoop shots on her layups. You'd think that would make them easy to block, but it allowed her to keep the ball away from the defender.
• Best comparison to a recent player might be Bridget Carleton. Megan was shorter, less efficient (worse pure shooter) and a worse defender, but she had a very high motor (Poppens-level) and was absolutely fearless. Fennelly once said she could have been 0-fer her last 10 shots and she's still the person you want taking the game-winning shot.

Stacy Frese:

• Despite being a skinny-looking 5'8", she was sneaky good at driving to the basket. She was a very good FT shooter and got fouled a lot doing this.
• But she's best known for being the best 3pt shooter in ISU history. In her 3-year career (she played a season at Iowa and then transferred) she shot an incredible 45.3% behind the arc in over 600 attempts. She was not afraid to let a 26-footer fly if she was open. She hold's ISU's top 2 single-game 3pt percentage performances (8-8 and 7-7, and the 8-8 was and maybe still is an NCAA record).
• She was also a very good passing PG (although she had the benefit of having a ton of offensive weapons on her team)
• There's no good comparison for her among anyone else in ISU history.

 

[Buster28]

Thank you for a great breakdown of Angie Welle's game. I'm thirsty for more about that most glorious period in ISU WBB history. If you have time, could you give us younger fans detailed breakdowns of Stacy Frese and Magen Taylor's games? Which recent players, in your opinion, are similar to those two legends? I appreciate all long-time WBB members on this forum for sharing your memories and stories of that golden age.

I would put Frese on the wbb Mount Rushmore, for sure. I don't think Iowa State rises as far and as quickly as it did without her arriving for her sophomore year. She had the ability to take over a game when everything else was not working. In 1999 at Drake, she went 10-18 from three, scoring 34 points. ISU lost 90-86, but Frese was the only reason ISU was even close at the end.

Also from that same season, there is an old ISU production highlighting the 2000 NCAA 2nd round against Illinois at Hilton (which remains the loudest I have ever *personally* heard Hilton for a men's OR women's basketball game). Once Desiree Francis hit her third consecutive three to bring ISU to within a point of the Illini after trailing by double digits (I believe) earlier, 13,400+ fans absolutely roared. Frese didn't have her best game (4-12 from the floor), but she led that squad to a big win, advancing to ISU's second straight Sweet 16. That game remains my most favorite ISU wbb memory of all, mostly because of the atmosphere, the sheer number of people who were in the building (which was actually 200 less than the 1st round), and the way the team came back after a really poor first half. I just wish the video quality was better on this clip.

 

[mred]

This is only tangentially related, but I stumbled on these old pre-Fennelly ISU WBB videos. Very high quality (the videos, not the basketball).

 

[mred]

I would put Frese on the wbb Mount Rushmore, for sure. I don't think Iowa State rises as far and as quickly as it did without her arriving for her sophomore year. She had the ability to take over a game when everything else was not working. In 1999 at Drake, she went 10-18 from three, scoring 34 points. ISU lost 90-86, but Frese was the only reason ISU was even close at the end.

I was there, and I will never forget this game. NOTHING was working offensively for ISU except getting the ball to Stacy, and we ended up losing at the end when even that started to fail -- she was something like 8-10 to start and 2-8 to finish.

That was an important game because Welle, who had high expectations after great freshman and sophomore years, was quite ineffective (and had been ineffective for a few consecutive games). After the game, I believe she said she had a talk with Fennelly about it and he emphasized his "find a way to positively affect the game" philosophy -- if your scoring isn't working, you need to find a way to affect the game with defense, rebounding. etc. After that game, she started her ascent from "Angie Welle, very good post player" to "Angie Welle, all-american".

 

[Buster28]

This is only tangentially related, but I stumbled on these old pre-Fennelly ISU WBB videos. Very high quality (the videos, not the basketball).

The person who does the digitizing of old ISU videos for the SCUA youtube page does an excellent job.