GARY | When Ryan Shelton took over as IU Northwest women's coach three seasons ago, he knew tough sledding was ahead. To complicate matters, when Shelton invited prospective recruits to campus for games to help overhaul the fledgling program, it wasn't rare for them to watch the RedHawks get beaten by as many as 80 points.

"It wasn't really the best marketing tool when they came here and saw we had no players and were getting destroyed," Shelton said. "I took over probably what many would consider the worst basketball program in the country. It was a pretty futile situation."

Shelton describes his first season as being one of his toughest of his life as the RedHawks stumbled to a 0-24 record.

Then came the program's biggest coup.

After a try at Old Dominion University, 2006 Merrillville graduate Sharon Houston returned home and came out for the RedHawks.

"I always drove past IUN and I thought my family could see me play more here," said Houston, a 6-foot-4 inch sophomore.

Houston elevated IUN to another level and quickly turned a winless campaign into a 20-12 record last season, when she was named Association of Independent Institutions' Conference Player of the Year.

Houston ranked second in NAIA Division II in scoring (25.3), first in rebounding (15.2) and second in blocks (5.7) per game last season.

"Sometimes I have to rub my eyes to be honest to make sure she is still out there because I think she is the best player in the country at this level of basketball," Shelton said. "We've really gone out of our way to make sure Sharon feels like this is her home and there is no reason for her to think about going to another school."

The sophomore criminal justice major feels comfortable at IUN, and with a strong supporting cast around her, expectations are high for the upcoming season.

"Coach did a great job recruiting and we've came together as a team," Houston said. "I'm a team player and the all the personal recognition was great last season for me, and the team was happy for me but we as a team have big goals for this year."

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL | IU NORTHWEST PREVIEW

More inside

Prairie State College's men's and women's teams looking for success. PAGE C7

Read a complete scouting report on the RedHawks' women's program. PAGE C8

Scouting the 2009-10 IU Northwest women's basketball team

Who's back: All-conference players in sophomore guards Juliette Keller (Kouts) and Nina Wills (Bishop Noll) return. The lion's share of the statistics probably will come again from conference player of the year Sharon Houston (Merrillville).

Who's new: Megan Leal (Calumet) will find minutes on the court at guard. Also adding more height to an already physically imposing group is 6-foot-4 center Ish Shah Terry (West Side). "We have a really exciting recruiting class for this season," third-year coach Ryan Shelton said.

Outlook: With lofty expectations of being national champions at their division, the RedHawks have peaked since the athletic program at IU Northwest started 10 years ago. Shelton masterfully guided them to a 20-12 record following a winless campaign the previous season. The schedule increased with difficulty due to the respect the program has attained, but the overall skill level is better and with the gained experience a deep run in the playoffs is certainly achievable. -- Ryan Metz

No. Name Ht. Yr. Pos. Hometown

00 Jenelle Kapelinski 6-0 Jr. F St. John

11 Vicky Campos 5-5 Fr. G Hammond

12 Juliette Keller 5-7 So. G Kouts

14 Jessica Jenkins 5-8 Sr. G Knox

15 Megan Leal 5-6 Fr. G Gary

20 Amanda Pennington 5-10 Fr. F Hobart

21 Nina Wills 5-2 So. G Munster

22 Justine Jones 5-10 Fr. F Gary

23 Sharon Houston 6-4 So F Merrillville

24 Kym Daniels 5-9 So. F Hammond

30 Erica Baran 5-11 Jr. F Hammond

31 Hannah Cohen 5-9 Jr. G Dyer

32 Ish Shah Terry 6-4 Fr. C Valdivia, Chile

33 Celestia Maldonado 6-0 Fr. F Schererville

44 Ashley Michalski 6-2 So. F Schererville

55 Ashley Howard 6-0 So. F Hammond

Schedule

November

3 vs. Grace College, 7 p.m.

14 at Trinity Christian College, 5 p.m.

17 vs. Calumet of St. Joseph, 5:30 p.m.

20 at Judson College, TBD

21 at Judson College, TBD

27 at Ashford, 6 p.m.

28 at Clarke College, 2 p.m.

December

1 vs. Goshen College, 5:30 p.m.

3 at Moody Bible Institute, 7 p.m.

5 at University of Indianapolis, 7 p.m.

8 at Robert Morris College, TBD

11 vs. Mount Mary College, 7 p.m.

18 vs. Trinity Christian College, 7 p.m.

22 at St. Francis, 7:30 p.m.

29 at University of Wisconsin-Parkside, 5 p.m.

30 at Mount Mary College, 5 p.m.

January

2 vs. Judson College, 6 p.m.

5 vs. Kuyper College, 5 p.m.

12 vs. Grace Bible College, 5 p.m.

16 at Andrews University, 6:30 p.m.

19 vs. Purdue Calumet, 7 p.m.

21 vs. Moody Bible Institute, 5 p.m.

22 at Rochester College, 6 p.m.

26 vs. Holy Cross College, 7 p.m.

28 at IU South Bend, 7 p.m.

30 vs. Marygrove, 2 p.m.

February

4 vs. Andrews University, 6 p.m.

6 vs. Trinity Int. University, 7 p.m.

12 at Kuyper College, 5 p.m.

13 at Grace Bible College, 1 p.m.

16 at Holy Cross College, 5 p.m.

20 at Marygrove, 3 p.m.