(Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) MAKING A POINT: Princeton Day School girls’ basketball point guard Janie Smukler dribbles up the court in a game earlier this season. Last Monday, sophomore star Smukler poured in 21 points but it wasn’t enough as PDS fell 59-42 to Hamilton. The loss snapped a seven-game winning streak for the Panthers who moved to 10-4 on the season. In upcoming action, PDS plays at Wardlaw-Hartridge on January 27, hosts Rutgers Prep on January 29, and then plays at Solebury School on February 2.

Smukler Grows Into Savvy Floor Leader, Helping PDS Girls’ Hoops to Sizzling Start

Bill Alden

Janie Smukler would get frazzled at times last winter as the starting freshman point guard for the Princeton Day School girls’ basketball team.

“I was a little shaky last year,” said Smukler. “I am getting away from that.”

Last Wednesday against visiting Moorestown Friends, Smukler gave a vivid display of how far she has come since her debut season, scoring 23 points and dishing for seven assists to spark PDS to a 60-21 victory.

With Smukler calmly running the offense, the Panthers jumped out to a 22-5 lead in the first quarter and never looked back in winning their fifth straight game.

In assessing the team’s sharp execution, Smukler said the emphasis was on ball movement.

“We have been working in practice on moving the ball around a lot,” said Smukler. “We really did that today and our assists went up. We just tried to move it around.”

In Smukler’s view, the leadership provided by four-year players Raquel Phillips, Dani Dawkins, and Marissa Davila has the team on the same page.

“It is really great having the seniors helping out a lot and getting the team together,” asserted Smukler, who is averaging around 19 points a game. “We have plays so it is really easy for me to be in control as a point guard.”

It also make things easier for Smukler to have two offensive weapons at her disposal like junior center Tiffany Patterson and sophomore Sarah Godwin. The 6’1 Patterson is averaging 17.9 points a game while Godwin is scoring 11.1 points a contest.

“It’s definitely easier to have two different types of players,” added Smukler. “I can dish it inside to Tiff or out to Sarah for the 3-pointer. I’d say that the other teams are having trouble guarding three players who score a lot.”

With her increased comfort level on the court, Smukler is definitely looking for more shots.

“Last year, I would usually go to the basket,” said Smukler. “I have been working on pulling up more instead of going right to the basket.”

PDS head coach Jessica Katz likes the work she has been getting from Smukler.

“Janie has been seeing the floor a lot better and that is one thing we are working on,” said Katz.

“When she is bringing the ball up the court or driving to the basket, she is keeping her eyes on her teammates which has made a difference in our offense.”

Katz was impressed with the offensive execution her squad displayed in the win over Moorestown Friends.

“I think the girls did a nice job in that first quarter,” said Katz, who got 15 points from Patterson in the victory with Godwin adding 10.

“We have been working on getting the ball up the court efficiently, safely, and smoothly. They applied all of that; they were finding each other nicely on the court and they were looking for their shots and taking it to the basket. Overall, they were making smart decisions and I was proud of the way they were playing.”

The inside-outside combination of Patterson and Godwin has been getting smoother and smoother.

“They work together in the offseason so they have a really nice chemistry,” said Katz, whose team fell 59-42 at Hamilton last Monday to drop to 10-4 on the season.

“Sarah has been doing a nice job of moving without the ball and looking into the paint and as result she creates more opportunities for herself. She is a very good 3-point shooter but she is more than that and I think that has been one of the differences for us in 2010. Tiff has been stronger to the basket and her teammates have been doing a better job of looking for her.”

Things are looking up for the Panthers who are on the way to the program’s best season since 2000-01 when PDS won 17 games.

“I think if we keep this up, we are going to be a really hard team to beat,” asserted Katz, whose team plays at Wardlaw-Hartridge on January 27, hosts Rutgers Prep on January 29, and then plays at Solebury School on February 2.

“We have different scoring threats in different positions and our defense has been very effective. As long as the girls keep working together and we keep coming into each game with intensity, I think it’s going to be a great season.”

Smukler, for her part, sees great things in the future for the Panthers.

“We are playing really well,” said Smukler. “I think we can do really well this year. We are bonding as a team on and off the court. We are having a lot of fun.”

It has certainly been fun for PDS to see Smukler grow into a savvy floor leader.

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