12th-ranked Lady Crusaders return to hardwoods

Evangel women's basketball head coach Leon Neal has high hopes for his team for the 2001-02 season. The Lady Crusaders won the Heart of America Athletic Conference title in the 2000-01 season, finishing the year with a 20-11 record. Pre-season polls this year rank the team 12th in the country.

"I think we have the ability to be very good, barring injuries," Neal said.

Seven of Neal's 13-member squad are from the Ozarks, he said, including five from Springfield.

The team has two award-winning returning seniors, Heather Collier-Brew-ner and Amanda Sutton-Morrow, who were HAAC First Team All-Conference players last year. Junior Mandy Steimel earned honorable mention in the HAAC.

Neal also has great expectations about three new freshman players, including his own daughter, Natasha Neal, Megan Bernardy and Shaletha Page. "How these freshman do will make a difference in how we come out," he said.

The Lady Crusaders opened their 30-game season at press time with a home game against Taylor University Nov. 9.

Leon Neal has posted a 150-78 record in his first seven years as head coach for the Lady Crusaders. He has spent a total of 15 years on the coaching staff for both the men's and women's teams. His women's teams have all advanced to post-season play.

A former Crusader basketball standout himself, Neal earned National Associa--tion of Intercollegiate Athletics honors in 1978. He set a team scoring record that year.

Neal subsequently left Evangel to pursue a professional basketball career in Portugal, where he received several awards, averaging 24 points per game. His team twice played in the European Cup Championship. While in Portugal, he also coached the Sanglhos women's basketball team.

In 1986 Neal returned to Evangel to finish his degree and as a student became part of the coaching staff.

In addition to basketball, Neal has worked with the Springfield Police De-partment Gang Task Force. He also speaks to several youth groups and athletic groups on the dangers of alcohol abuse.

A native of Los Angeles, Neal became head coach of the Lady Crusaders in 1993. This year his wife, Dawn, begins her third season as assistant coach of the team.

Like her husband, Dawn Neal is a former Evangel athlete, having played volleyball and basketball for the university. She also played in the Professional Women's Basketball League in Europe for five years.