After reconstructive surgery sidelined her last season, Cathy Joens is back and adds a shooting dimension the Colonials offense lacked last season. Joens is widely regarded as a top shooter in the conference, but the talented two-guard from, Irvine, Ca., also plays tough defense.
Poor outside shooting was the team’s Achilles heel last year, as the Colonials averaged about 46 percent from the floor and 32 percent from limited shooting beyond the arc. Head coach Joe McKeown said he is happy to have Joens and her outside jumper back in the line-up.
“Had we had her offensive firepower, we would have won four or five more games than the 22 that we did (last season),” McKeown said. “I think she means that much to us right now, so we’re real happy to have her back.”
The shooting guard’s offensive threat will bring other benefits, too.
“(Having Joens on the court) makes people have to guard her so far away from the basket, and that opens things up for other players,” McKeown said. “Even when she’s not scoring, she’s so dangerous out there that they have to keep the defense on her. It helps people that are attacking the basket, because they are not going to get double-teamed.”
Six Colonials averaged nine points or better last season.
Joens’s scoring potential also lightens the load for low-post players. Without strong outside shooting last season, the Colonials relied heavily on a pair of six-foot-four centers Elena Vishniakova, who averaged 10.5 points a game, and A-10 Rookie of the Year Ugo Oha.
Opening up the low post game and adding to the outside game with her shooting, Joens provides a balanced offense for GW in the front and back court.
“I think it will help, and having people like Ugo and other post shooters, will open the outside up more, so now there can be an inside and an outside game,” Joens said.
Freeing up the inside game will also free up the back-court, giving Joens and two of last season’s leading scorers, many more opportunities.
Junior Erica Lawrence was the leading scorer for the Colonials last season, averaging 13.6 points per game while shooting.548 from three-point range. Junior Lindsey Davidson is also dangerous behind the arc, sinking 102 three’s last season, shooting .385 percent and averaging 9.5 points per game. If defenders had trouble guarding that dangerous twosome, the addition of Joens won’t make things easier.
“Last year, Lindsey was our main outside (shooter), and Erica was our main driving,” Joens said. “So now, with all three of us on the outside, it will be a benefit.”
Adding Joens to the mix gives the women a variety of scoring options, assuming the 5-foot-11 guard/forward from Irvine, Ca., plays like she did overseas this summer.
Joens, who averaged 12 points a game this summer, helped the Colonials nearly double their opponents during a 5-game European tour. Joens had two 12-point games, including one in GW’s 91-47 win over Bellizona Aug. 18.
As a freshman, Joens averaged seven points a game and was the fifth-leading scorer on the team while only averaging 16.4 minutes. Her ability to hit critical shots helped the Colonials in close games, like the nine-foot jumper she hit as the shot clock expired to give GW against Santa Clara University. She earned two Rookie of the Week honors and had a career-high 22 points in a game against University of Maryland-East Shore.
Joens expects to improve dramatically from her freshman year after a season watching from the sidelines. She said she has learned a lot by watching the coaches and is anxious to take this new knowledge back to the court.
“As a freshman, you just come in and don’t know what to expect. I’m a junior now, so this is my third year, and I know what’s going on,” Joens said. “It’s different now. I’m more confident in the game,” she said.
While McKeown has a lot of confidence in Joens, he noted that it would be hard for her to come back after a year off from a torn ACL.
“I think it’s hard, anytime you come back from a year off,” McKeown said. “It’s hard getting back into a playing situation. Practice is one thing, but games are different. I think by January we’ll have a better idea of where she is.”
In her first game back at the Smith Center this season, Joens scored 14 points in 32 minutes of play. Although she went 3-of-13 from the field, her free throws were solid as she connected on all eight attempts. Her knee did not seem to bother her, as she was quick up and down the court.
Joens is ready to lift the Colonials offense this season. Named team captain, her coach and teammates see her as a leader on and off the court.
“She brings a lot, she’s a mentally tough kid, her preparation for basketball, the amount of time she puts in, and her work ethic,” McKeown said.
