Legette-Jack not looking past conference rival Hawkeyes

IU women's basketball coach Felisha Legette-Jack knows the importance of having a focused team.\nDuring Tuesday's Big Ten coaches conference call, Legette-Jack was asked about Sunday's game against Purdue, a team coached by Sharon Versyp, who was the Hoosiers' head coach just one year ago.\nBut Legette-Jack wasn't ready to answer questions about the Boilermakers. Her focus was on Iowa.\n"I might be too young to worry, and I think our team is too young to look ahead," Legette-Jack said. "We have a great team coming to Bloomington on Thursday and we're certainly not going to overlook them. We're just taking one game at a time and celebrating the success we're having in practice and games. We're just too young to look ahead to Purdue; we have to remember to stay in the moment."\nDespite the Hawkeyes' recent troubles, Legette-Jack hopes her players adopt this attitude Thursday when IU (13-4, 2-2 Big Ten) takes on Iowa (10-7, 2-2 Big Ten) at 7:05 p.m. at Assembly Hall. After starting the season 5-0, the Hawkeyes have stumbled, losing seven of their last 12 games.\n"You don't really look ahead; you just concentrate on a game," sophomore guard Kim Roberson said. "We really haven't looked ahead to a game after (Iowa). We're just focused on the Hawkeyes."\nRoberson is coming off a career-high 28 points in Sunday's 71-64 win against Illinois, the fifth Hoosier to lead IU in scoring in the team's last five wins. This type of balance is not unusual for the Hoosiers, who have had numerous players step up at different points of the season. Behind junior guard Nikki Smith, who is averaging 12.6 points per game, the Hoosiers have three players averaging nine points, and two more averaging eight. A seventh Hoosier, senior forward Carrie Smith, is not far behind, with 7.2 points per game. \n"I've never been a part of a team that has just one or two go to players," Legette-Jack said. "I've always been a part of a team that's well-balanced. I'm just creating what I know, and I don't know any other way."\nWith Iowa, the Hoosiers will see a team that doesn't have as much balance as IU does. More than half of the points scored by the Hawkeyes have come from one of three players: center Megan Skouby, averaging 14.7 per game; guard Kristi Smith, averaging 12.7; and forward Wendy Ausdemore, averaging 11.5.\n"All three players are capable scorers," Roberson said. "We just need to play team defense and make sure we get stops and create offense from our defense."\nWith a win, the Hoosiers would improve their record to 14-4, IU's best start since the 1993 to 1994 season.\n"We're just really excited about where we are right now," Legette-Jack said. "This season began with me being the third coach (in three years) and us trying to find our way in the word called trust. These kids have not only bought into what we're doing, but they are flying with their faith and their confidence"