PORTLAND – The Viking women's basketball team is off to a good start. Its 5-3 record has been strongly influenced by something Head Coach Sherri Murrell hadn't originally foreseen, but is delighted to have.

It can be summed up in a word:  Transfers. One from Boise State and two from Oregon State, but all are helping lead the Vikings this year.

Senior guard Courtney VanBrocklin was the first to join the program as a sophomore. She was followed last year by junior point guard Kate Lanz from OSU. The group was completed this year when 6-foot-1 junior forward Angela Misa, another OSU product, became eligible.

All three had to sit out after transferring to the Park Blocks due to NCAA rules, all and are starting for the Vikings this season. VanBrocklin, originally out of Mt. Baker High School in Deming, Wash., leads the team in scoring with 14.5 points per game. She is also the team's best shooter averaging .513 from the field and .500 from three-point range. She's also a defensive force with a team-best 19 steals.

Lanz, who is from Vancouver and played her prep ball at Central Catholic, is the team's second leading scorer, averaging 8.9 ppg and is the team's leading free throw shooter at .909.

Misa, from Oceanside, Calif., is fourth in scoring, but brings an inside presence the Vikings have missed.  She currently is averaging 11.0 rebounds per game and pulled down an eye popping 21 in a 71-58 win over Butler.

VanBrocklin earned the team's first Big Sky Conference (BSC) Player of the Week honor for her efforts in the Vikings' 87-85 double overtime win over Oregon in Eugene.

“Collectively, they're all just good players,” said Murrell.

Misa is the only one of the three Murrell hadn't recruited out of high school.

“I recruited Courtney out of high school. She was interested in coming here, but was pushed toward Boise State. Kate only wanted OSU. She didn't do any other visits,” said Murrell.
But as is often the case, losing someone you recruit to a different school isn't necessarily the end of the matter.

All three took different routes to becoming Vikings.

VanBrocklin initially chose Boise State on the strength of a campus visit that included a football game.

“I had a good recruiting trip there. They took me to a football game. It was really exciting … but, when I finally got there, there wasn't much to do except go to football games. When I got there, it was kind of boring,” she said.

Since she didn't have a car, the community didn't offer much, “not like here where you can really get around.  Also I decided I wanted a different atmosphere. This was too much like Denning (about 1 1/2 hours out of Seattle). I wanted more of a city.  Not what I grew up in.”

Her mother, Kirsten VanBrocklin, supported her decision. “I should really be happy about where I was going to school (and Boise was a 12 hour drive from home),” she told me.

VanBrocklin looked in to transferring to Portland State and as a backup also looking at Seattle University, but a coaching change dampened her enthusiasm for that option … and besides “Coach Murrell was able to grab a scholarship for me.”

After a rough experience at OSU, Lanz decided she wanted to come back closer to home. She visited the University of Portland, “but I like it much better here … the coaches and being downtown.”

“I knew a couple of the players. I knew it was a solid program here, what they had done … going to the NCAA tournament the previous year,” Lanz said of when she arrived. As it happened, Lanz and Misa were roommates at OSU, which made the transition to Portland State easier.

“We were lucky Kate wanted to stay close to home. Gonzaga and some other schools were looking at her,” said Murrell.

Out of JSerra Catholic High School, Misa chose OSU over Arizona. She decided to stay at OSU a year longer than Lanz to see how things played out.

“I got my release after the first year, but it was summer and I didn't know where to go. The new coach said he wanted me to stay and I thought maybe I could play a lot. That didn't work out, so my leaving was by mutual agreement. I wanted more playing time,” Misa said.

Looking at the PSU depth chart, Misa thought, “I might be able to play a lot. I knew Kate and I would have roles here.”   She has started every game, but missed the University of Portland match due to a concussion sustained in practice.

She also considered Santa Barbara, but chose the Vikings because “I'm not ready to move back to California yet … maybe after college.”

With VanBrocklin and Lanz already playing and Misa sitting out her NCAA transfer year, Murrell could see what could be blossoming.  But it took a year as the Viking suffered through a disappointing 2011-2012 season, finishing 7-9 in Big Sky Conference play.

Things never gelled for the team as Lanz (because of her 5'10” size) was forced to play forward to give the Vikings some strength down low. But Murrell could see what might be ahead.

“Last year was a disappointing year. Kate played out of position. This year, there are clearly defined roles.  They're playing well together. We're trying to make sure Angela is rebounding and that she's a force in the middle. We don't need her to bring the ball up court, which she's inclined to want to do occasionally. Kate is our point guard. She needs to run the offense. Courtney is a great on-ball defender. She needs to stop opponents and to score,” said Murrell.

The Vikings were missing a piece last year, said Lanz. “We were missing a big body; that's why I had to play out of position. I played the four last year and never really got comfortable with it. I tried to do my best being out of position, but I like having the ball a lot,” Lanz said.

When she and VanBrocklin knew Misa was joining the team, they were delighted.

“Kate is a natural point guard. Last year, she had to play out of position, so things never quite meshed. But when Coach Murrell told us we could concentrate on our natural positions, we became pretty excited,” VanBrocklin said.

A major difference this year is that “we have an inside game (with Misa). That's not just because of Angela; some of our existing players have also improved,” said Murrell.

She singled out 5-foot-11 junior forward Keaton McFadden (“did a good job of improving her game in the off season” and “wants the ball this year where last year she didn't”) and 6-foot junior forward Allie Brock (“she's matured in her game … spent a lot of time in the gym during the off season.”).

VanBrocklin thinks the three transfers have “brought a little more physical presence to the team. We have other physical players, too, but Angela is extremely physical.  It makes practices more intense.”

All four are excited about the Vikings' prospects for this season, even though they were picked to finish fifth and seventh respectively in the BSC coaches and media pre-season polls.

“I believe we can take conference, and maybe even get an upset in the tournament's first round. But it's early days yet,” said VanBrocklin.

Lanz said she feels “really good about this year. We have a lot of girls who can score, rebound and play defense.”

“With the talent here, it feels like a bigger program. We have the skill and the players. I think we'll have a great season,” added Misa. 

Watching her team come together, Murrell also has expectations. “I expect to win.  These three are very good players with strong personalities. As coaches, it's our job to make sure they have definite goals and that those mesh with the team goals.”

Over the years “we've gotten bigger. We want height and athleticism. For instance, Kate is 5-foot-10, and that's tall for a point guard. You don't see someone that tall in that position very often. My staff has done a great job of finding the players we want,” Murrell said.