T-Wolves’ defender expands game

By Jeff Letofsky, Pueblo Chieftain

T-Wolves' defender expands game
Junior Jonnie Draper is now more an offensive threat.

The reigning defensive player of the year has added a bit of offense to her repertoire.

Colorado State University-Pueblo women's basketball player Jonnie Draper has become one of the top all-around players in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference this season. Always a defensive stalwart, the 5-foot-10 junior guard from Dakota Ridge High School has expanded her game on the offensive end.

Draper, a 30 percent shooter as a freshman and sophomore, is shooting better than 44 percent this season from the field and is making 36 percent from 3-point range. Combined with a 70 percent mark from the free-throw line, Draper is scoring 9.9 points a game for the ThunderWolves, third on the team.

"Jonnie has always been a great defensive player," CSU-Pueblo coach Kip Drown said, pointing to her West Division player of the year award last season. "She's really stepped up and played at a high level this season. She really worked on her shot this past summer. It's all coming together for her now."

When Draper was first recruited by Drown three years ago, she was brought in for her ability to run the floor and play defense. Offense was never a strength. Draper averaged 1.6 and 4.3 points a game her first two seasons. Her role was a more of a defensive specialist.

This season, Draper's game has flourished.

A half-time starter as a sophomore, Draper is one of three players who has started every game for the Pack this season. The numbers she's posted has made her a stalwart.

She's currently second on the team in field-goal percentage, second in assists, second in rebounding, second in minutes played, third in steals and third in scoring (28th in the conference).

Draper said hard work in the offseason and a different mindset has led to her success this season.

"Last year in our postseason meetings with coach (Drown), he told me one of the things that was missing was points from the position I played," Draper said. "So, I worked hard last summer trying to get my confidence in shooting and I worked hard on driving to the basket.

"I haven't been offensively-minded in the past but now I'm thinking to score more."

This past weekend, Draper tallied a career-high 19 points with a career-tying six field goals made and three 3-pointers made in a 61-51 loss to Metro State.

"Jonnie's confidence has gone way up at the offensive end," Drown said. "She started making some baskets and is seeing some success.
"The No. 1 thing is that she's always been able to guard people. She's got a long reach and loves it when we turn her loose on our press. A lot of kids don't like to press because it takes so much effort. But when she plays defense, she brings energy to the whole team."

Draper, who is majoring in business marketing and minoring in public relations, and wants to own or co-own a design company someday, said she has plenty of room to improve her game.

"My biggest goal now is to lead the team in offensive rebounds," she said. "Sometimes you have to be in the right place at the right time. But I want to go in there every time and odds are that I'll run into a rebound once in a while."

So far, the improvement has been a big plus.

Men's basketball

The Pack has a chance to head into the holiday break on a positive note when it takes on UC-Colorado Springs in a non-conference game at 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Colorado State Fair Events Center.

CSU-Pueblo is riding an ugly five-game losing streak and has lost seven of its past eight games. That has left the T-Wolves at 2-8 overall, 0-4 in the RMAC, tied for the worst league start in program history. The 2001-2002 team started 0-4 before winning a game, then was 1-8 before finishing the season 11-15.

CSU-Pueblo and UC-Colorado Springs played Dec. 8 in Colorado Springs with the Mountain Lions posting a 72-65 win in overtime.

UCCS leads the Steel and Silver Series between the schools this season 11-6. The series was established in the summer of 2005 to recognize and celebrate the natural rivalry that exists between UCCS and CSU-Pueblo. Not only are the schools affiliated with the two largest university in the state but they also have a 25-year history of head-to-head competition.

Following Wednesday's tilt, the Pack is off for the holidays, returning to conference play Jan. 3 at Nebraska-Kearney and Jan. 5 at Chadron State. Both games tip off at 7 p.m.

Women's basketball

The women conclude a two-game road swing in Omaha, Neb., today when they meet Newman University in the University of Nebraska-Omaha Classic. That will conclude the 2007 portion of the team's schedule.

The Pack split of pair of RMAC home games this past weekend, defeating Colorado Christian 70-58 before dropping a 61-51 decision to Metro State. That leaves CSU-Pueblo at 2-2 entering the holiday break.

The T-Wolves resume conference play in January with a pair of road games, traveling to Nebraska-Kearney Jan. 3 and Chadron State Jan. 5. Both games tip off at 5 p.m.