Plenty of options

** Editor’s note: This is the first of a series of stories previewing the 2007-08 4A prep basketball season. See future editions of the Frontiersman for profiles of the Palmer, Colony, Houston and Wasilla boys and girls basketball squads.

PALMER — Last season, there were times when it was hard to differentiate Palmer’s first unit from its second.

Palmer head coach Paul Reid could substitute an entire platoon of players without the Moose missing a step on the court.

While that may not be entirely true this year, Palmer — once again — is expected to boast one of the deepest programs in Alaska’s 4A class.

Reid said when looking at who could make up the first five and who could make up the second tier of players, there is not as much parity as there was last year.

“But my second five might be a little quicker; could apply a little more defensive pressure,” he said.

Palmer returns nine of 12 members of the 2007-08 squad that finished third in the Northern Lights Conference Championship Tournament and fourth at the ASAA/First National Bank 4A State Championships.

Back are six seniors — forwards Ashley Swetzof, Geneva Ratcliff, Amy Tzou and Sunni Danielowski; and guards Mattie Cox and Kattie Stratton — and three juniors —guards Kelsey Campbell, Mikaela Bolling and Juliana Mangelsdorf.

“We can still definitely rotate pretty deep on the bench, deeper than most years,” Reid said.

Palmer only lost three members of the 2006-07 team.

Stephanie Houser, Palmer’s standout in the post, has graduated and is now playing college basketball at Mesa State in Colorado.

Seniors Nicole Kenney and Sarah Svedin have decided not to hit the basketball court for their

senior season, Reid said. Instead, Kenney and Svedin — two players who helped the Moose volleyball team win a conference title last month — have chosen to focus on securing an opportunity to play college volleyball.

Reid obviously expected to lose Houser. Reid admitted he was disappointed that Kenney and Svedin opted to skip their senior season of basketball, but understood about their desire to pursue college volleyball.

“Nicole brought a ton of intensity to the team, and was a defensive stopper,” Reid said. “Sarah added depth to the perimeter shooting.”

Kenney and Svedin each had important roles on the Palmer squad, but Reid said his team’s abundance of depth helps ease the loss of the two seniors.

“It definitely would have hurt more other years,” Reid said.

With their depth the Moose have talent ready to fill the void left by Houser, Kenney and Svedin.

Reid said Mangelsdorf is a player who can step onto the court and do many of the similar things that Kenney did, most notably play solid defense.

“Juliana is an up and coming junior,” Reid said. “She’s really good defensively with a solid mid-range jump shot. She’s got a great attitude, and is a player you want to reward.”

With her 6-foot frame, Houser was Palmer’s go-to player in the paint last year. Even though the Moose don’t currently have a player taller than 5-10 on their roster, Reid feels he has a handful of athletes who play much bigger than their size.

Among them are Tzou (5-10), Swetzof (5-9) and Ratcliff (5-8).

Reid said Tzou didn’t get a significant amount of minutes during the 2006-07 season.

“But the minutes she had were real high quality,” he said.

Reid called Tzou’s offensive style unorthodox, but said his senior forward always finds a way to score.

“Unorthodox with her shooting,” Reid said. “A very difficult shot to block.”

Swetzof is a player, Reid said, who can hurt opponents both inside and out. Swetzof has seen the bulk of her playing time at the small forward position, and that’s the spot Swetzof would like to play at the college level, Reid said. But Reid said Swetzof can also be a strong presence in the paint, and the Moose will need her inside.

“I’ll have to be creative to find ways to get her looks on the perimeter and in the inside game,” Reid said.

Ratcliff is just 5-8, but Reid said her wingspan is what makes Ratcliff such a good inside player.

“She plays much bigger than her size,” Reid said. “She’s as strong a girl as you’re going to find.”

The Moose also have 5-10 sophomore Jaime Cox, who Reid expects to use in a utility role. Cox, the younger sister of Palmer senior point guard Mattie Cox, could see time in the front court and the back court.

Also at forward for the Moose is Danielowski. Reid said he sees Danielowski as one of the most important pieces of the Palmer puzzle.

“She’s the glue that holds this whole team together,” Reid said. “She’s inspirational, and you won’t find a harder worker.”

In the back court, Reid has two seniors and three juniors at his disposal.

Leading the group is Mattie Cox, who recently signed a National Letter of Intent to play college basketball at Davenport University in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Cox is Palmer’s general on the court, a player who will push the ball up the floor and lead the pressure on defense.

Also returning is Stratton, another player Reid feels can bring a spark to the squad and provide scoring ability from the outside.

Also in the back court are Campbell and Bolling.

Campbell started all but three games during her sophomore season and established herself as one of Palmer’s top scoring threats. Bolling started seven games during her sophomore campaign.

Reid said both juniors have developed into much stronger players, with Campbell showing improvement with her speed and footwork and Bolling evolving into a more versatile player.

The Moose begin the 2007-08 on Dec. 13 in the Palmer Elks Showdown at PHS. Later in the month, the Moose will travel to Seattle, Wash., to compete in the Roosevelt Hoopfest.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.