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Richard Stevens: Coach wants Superwoman to get a move on

By Richard Stevens
Thursday, February 1, 2007

To grab lots of rebounds, you have to do at least two things.

Move.

Jump.

The University of New Mexico's Dionne Marsh has always favored the latter.

Jumping is a natural gift. At times, the 6-foot-1 junior looks like she is springing off a mini trampoline or maybe a diving board.

She is Superwoman leaping into space to chase a basketball.

The moving part doesn't always come as naturally for Marsh.

However, Lobos coach Don Flanagan has a solution for when Marsh wants to rest and not move.

She takes a seat over by coach.

"If I don't take her out a little bit, she'll rest on the court," said Flanagan.

"I'm trying to give her quality time on the court. I want her to rest over by me, not out there on the court."

Marsh got to rest next to Flanagan for 12 minutes in UNM's 76-46 romp over San Diego State Wednesday night in The Pit.

The other 28 minutes were spent jumping over the Aztecs.

Marsh paced the UNM win with 21 points and 11 rebounds. She had 21 rebounds Saturday against UNLV.

That's 32 rebounds in two games. In the previous seven games, Marsh had 28 rebounds.

If there is anything ironic about all these rebounds coming to Marsh on the defensive end, it's that the movement is carried over from the offensive end.

That's where Flanagan really wants Marsh to move her feet.

"Dionne used to be just a specialist on offense," said Flanagan. "She did her thing and we kept her block-to-block (close to the basket).

"Now, she has to expand her game a little bit and she has to go inside and out because otherwise teams just sit back and double team her.

"We are getting her to cut, to set screens, to catch and reverse, to flash post."

In other words - to move.

Marsh wasn't the only Lobo getting to move against SDSU. Flanagan played 13 Lobos with 10 of them scoring.

Katie Montgomery and Julie Briody each scored 13 points.

The Lobos took a 15-point halftime lead, 36-21, and simply ran away from the poor-shooting Aztecs in the second half.

SDSU shot 32.7 percent from the floor and 20 percent from 3-point range. UNM outrebounded SDSU by 12 and had 12 more points from the free throw line.

"We gained more confidence today," said Flanagan.

The Lobos (14-7, 4-4) just might need that extra mental edge.

The romps over SDSU and UNLV (77-56) were over two of the four teams below UNM in the Mountain West Conference standings.

Wyoming, which visits The Pit at 1 p.m. Sunday, is one of the four teams ahead of UNM in the race. Utah (7-0 MWC) is at Wyoming (5-2 MWC) tonight.

After Wyoming, UNM takes a two-game road swing to Utah and Brigham Young - both teams with Pit wins over the Lobos.

The Lobos are 1-27 in Salt Lake City and 4-22 in Provo.

"We don't win up there very often," said Flanagan. "It's important we beat Wyoming."