This season the Sacramento State women?s basketball team has put its mark on the NCAA, it has set the record for most turnovers in a game with 47 and is currently the only Div. I school without a victory.

When Carolyn Jenkins took over the job two years ago she knew she had a difficult task of trying to turn around the struggling program, but she could have never imagined how difficult it would actually be.

Jenkins, a former Stanford and Michigan State assistant coach hadn?t really experienced losing posting a 190-68 combined record at the two schools.

That?s until taking the job as the Hornets head coach. Over Jenkins first two seasons, the Hornets have compiled a 3-45 record with only one Big Sky Conference win.

If Jenkins ever forgets what winning is like all she has to do is look on her wall in her office where she hangs the newspaper cutout of the Stanford University?s 1991-92 women?s basketball national championship game victory.

Stanford has not always been a national powerhouse though. In the 1976-77 season the Hornets defeated Stanford twice, both times by double-digit margins.

Since that time Stanford has gone on to turn around it?s program and is one of the nations elite. The Hornets on the other hand have struggled to stay over .500 and are now struggling to win a game.

HISTORY

In 1992 the Hornets joined the Division I ranks and had a promising start, with a 31-22 record. Since that time the program has seen a sharp decline and has not had a winning season.The problems for the Hornets have especially became apparent since it entered the BSC in the 1996 season. Since joining the conference the Hornets have averaged only four victories per season posting a 24-127 record overall.

In the conference alone the team has compiled an 11-60 record and has never beaten conference opponents, Idaho State or Montana.

Sac State has only made it to the BSC post season tournament (composed of the top six teams in the conference) once the lowest among the nine teams in the league (Cal- State Northridge left the conference after last season).

Each year the conference names twelve players to its All-Conference team. The Hornets have only been able to get three players (Michelle St. Clair, Sephora Scoubes, and Julie Wastell twice) named to the team since it?s acceptance into the conference.

JENKINS HIRING/FIRST SEASON

After former coach Susan Huffman retired, because she lost interest in continuing to coach, Athletic Director Debbie Colberg was in charge of the task of looking for a new coach. Colberg said that the school sent out a search committee that did a national search to find a new coach, choosing Jenkins.

“She had the past experience,” Colberg said on the decision of hiring Jenkins. “There?s no doubt in my mind that she knows the game of basketball.”

In Jenkins first season as head coach for the Hornets the problems happened both on and off the court.

The Hornets struggled to a 3-23 record overall and a 1-15 record in the BSC. The Hornets had the third lowest scoring average and lowest scoring defense in the conference.

“We had talent if everyone stayed healthy and eligible,” Jenkins said.

The problem was that everyone didn?t stay healthy and eligible. The Hornets had three starters injured and lost multiple players due to academics. The lack of players became such a problem that midway through the season the Hornets were forced to add their student manager to the roster.

THIS SEASON

With the loss of the two seniors, one of them St. Clair an all-conference first team selection, and the loss of players due to academic issues the Hornets were forced to add 10 new players for the 2001-2002 season.

“We came into the season fully expecting eight or nine returning players and adding to that,” Jenkins said. “It?s kind of like we are starting from scratch.”

Even when it looked like the problems had been fixed they continued before the season began with the loss of guard Dolores Olivarez to injury and forward Tola Tallmann to personal reasons. Olivarez looked to be the Hornets starting point guard while Tallmann, who was returning after averaging 7.4 points and 5.8 rebounds a season before, looked to be the teams starting forward.

“I really didn?t see those things happening and they?re not under my control,” Jenkins said of the problems of the last two years.

From the first game of the season the young Hornet squad has struggled and is currently 0-22 and is looking for its only victory. The Hornets have lost by an average of 31.5 points and has turned the ball over 589 times.

This season the Hornets have either competed for one half of the game or haven?t competed at all.

In the Hornets closest margin of defeat a 64-59 loss to Army it had a one-point halftime lead. In the Air Force game it was tied at halftime before the Hornets went on to lose 72-48.

Then there are the other games where the Hornets haven?t even competed. The team has had two 72-point road losses at Colorado State and Northern Arizona.

“I don?t know what the problem is,” guard Sydney Gatson said. “We?ve evaluated everything; offense, defense.”

Forward Alyson Thurman said that the team has the players needed to win games but has lacked chemistry.

“We have the players but were just not connecting,” Thurman said. “I think we have improved over the season but not to the point we want to be at. We still have a lot too work on.”

FUTURE

Jenkins thinks that the future for the Hornets looks bright despite all of the problems of the past two seasons.

Next season the Hornets should get ten returning players, including Olivarez and Tallmann.

“With the kids now and the help of recruiting it will get us where we want to be,” Jenkins said. “I think we have the core group but we need to add to that.”

Jenkins said that the Hornets will also add new recruits to the roster next season.

“We?ve got some great prospects that will be on next years team,” Jenkins said. “I think that we have done a good job but it will take one or two years to see the improvement.

“To go from where we were to get to where we want to be will take a while.”

Colberg agrees saying that its just about giving Jenkins time before you can expect to see the wins. She said the first two years it was really Huffmans team not Jenkins.

Jenkins mentor? Stanford?s Tara VanDerveer? started 13-15 in her first season and 14-14 in her second. It wasn?t until her third season when she posted a 27-5 record and earned a trip to the NCAA tournament.