'99-00 SCHEDULE

Dec. 3 -- West Middlesex       6 -- at Hickory       8 -- Lakeview       11 -- at Sharon       13 -- at Commodore Perry       17 -- at Franklin       20 -- at Grove City       23 -- Sharon Jan. 3 -- Slippery Rock       5 -- Hickory       6 -- at West Middlesex       10 -- Commodore Perry       13 -- Grove City       17 -- at Slippery Rock       20 -- Sharpsville       24 -- Kennedy Christian       27 -- at Reynolds       31 -- Wilmington Feb. 3 -- Greenville       7 -- at Sharpsville       10 -- at Kennedy Christian       14 -- Reynolds       17 -- at Wilmington       21 -- at Greenville

By The Herald Sports Staff

There aren't many coaches who would return to the bench after a decade away from the game.

Gary Sansom is one who did.

After a 10-year hiatus, Sansom was named as the Lady M's head coach only two weeks ago when four-year coach Mike Cominos resigned for what Mercer said was "a career changing opportunity."

Cominos finished 39-56 in his four years at the helm, including 9-15 overall and 5-5 in MCAC-AA play a year ago.

"It was a very sudden thing and it's going to be a very difficult transition," said Sansom. "And it's definitely a little advantage to have had some experience."

In addition to serving as what might almost be considered an emergency replacement, Sansom cited the kids as another reason for his return.

"I looked at the kids we have, and I'm not talking talent per se, but the type of kid I get to work with," he said. "This is a great group of kids to work with and that's very important. This group is a great group and they're working very hard, and we need to because we have a lot of catching up to do."

With Sansom at the helm, that "catching up" might go a little smoother than expected. Sansom's squads enjoyed one of the most successful runs in program history during his tenure, reaching the District 10 playoffs seven times while winning one championship and finishing second three times. But Sansom knows full well to expect to see a changed game.

"The major change is we didn't have the 3-point shot when girls like Sandi Bittler played for me," Sansom said.

"We were shooting the three, but not getting three points for it," he added with a laugh.

As for Mercer County basketball, Sansom said one big change he has seen is the number of quality teams that take the court every season.

"There were always two or three teams year in and year out that were going to be powerhouses," Sansom said. "Now you look across the league and you have to have a lot of respect for almost every team. There seems to be more of a balance."

As for individual athleticism in the league?

"I was fortunate when I was here," Sansom said "We had some tremendous athletes who went on to play college ball. So I haven't seen as much as a change in that vein, but it seems there are more (talented players) across the league."

As for talent, the Lady M's lost Leslie Shepherd (188 points), Liza Guyton (186) and Kelly McConnell (61) to graduation, but Sansom does have a nice nucleus returning.

He will need it on a team that features only one senior, five juniors, four sophomores and one freshman on its varsity roster.

"That's a major point of concern," Sansom said of his squad's youth. "These kids have worked hard, but you just can't substitute for experience. We're just going to have to go out and learn and hopefully progress as the year goes on. It's great to start underclassmen, but the fact still remains that seniors are more experienced and their level of play is a little different. And obviously when you lose three seniors, you've lost a great deal of leadership and experience."

Sansom does, however, return a couple of key cogs from the '98-99 squad that he'll be counting on to provide that leadership and experience. Among them are: 5-foot-8_ junior guard-forward Valarie White, who led the Lady M's with 270 points, and 5-9 senior forward Amber Whenry, a two-year starter who pumped in 121 points last season.

"These two are going to have to step up and take up a leadership role in a lot of areas and the first one is just at practice," Sansom said. "You never play any better than you practice and it's leadership in that area that's very important. And I believe these girls are capable of doing that."

Other returning letterwinners are: 5-4 junior guard Susan Ellis (89), 5-5 junior forward Sarah Bolyard (33) and 5-8 junior forward Courtney Shepherd (28).

Others expected to dress varsity are: junior -- 5-3 guard Jessica Peters; sophomores -- 5-7 forward Candice Anderson, 5-4 guard Alicia Krummert, 5-8_ forward Shelley Struthers and 5-7 guard Callie Creasy; and freshman -- 5-8 forward Shelah Bolyard.

Assisting Sansom in the high school is junior varsity coach Jenny Selders and part-time assistant Susan Schreck.

As for the AA race this season, Sansom said all the teams "scare me. I'm not quite sure what to expect."