With no seniors on the roster this season, the University of Wisconsin's women's basketball team is the epitome of a young squad. Nonetheless, head coach Lisa Stone is optimistic about her team's future as a whole, especially the youngsters.
Stone expects six of the eight newcomers to make significant contributions this season. "I'm excited about [the freshmen]. They're young, fired up, and very talented," she said. "They're going to make some mistakes, but they'll be going hard making [those mistakes]."
Despite their collective lack of experience, this class of rookies brings a lot to the table. "We have so many different options," Stone said. "I'm excited about the depth we have at each position. We have two point guards, six perimeter players and four people who can rotate in the post, with Mariah Dunham, who can play both inside and out."
Stone also noted that freshman guard standout Teah Gant (Oswego, Ill.) is currently competing for a starting spot.
"[Gant] is one of our fastest players, and she's a great defensive player," Stone said confidently.
These eight women are certainly a very talented, very skilled bunch. But Stone realizes that they are far from ready to compete at an elite level. She emphasizes patience.
"It's a process," she said. "Every day is a process."
Anderson: All-Big Ten
Junior guard Jolene Anderson was named preseason first team All-Big Ten at the Big Ten media day Oct. 29. Stone could not have been more thrilled for her backcourt star who led UW in both points and rebounds last season (17.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg).
"Jolene has matured," her coach said proudly. "[This award] is very well deserved. [She] is practicing as hard as I've ever seen her. When your best player is your hardest worker, you've got a lot to go on. [She's] not a vocal leader; she's a leader by example."
Stone also did not hesitate to mention Anderson's team-first attitude.
"[She] wants to do whatever it takes for the team," Stone added. "[She] puts all of her personal accolades aside for the benefit of the team."
Needless to say, Stone will be looking for her 5'8" guard to pickup where she left off last season and lead the Badgers down a victorious path, as they look to improve upon an 11-18, 5-11 season.
Getting Underway
Stone's squad kicks off the exhibition season this Thursday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. at the Kohl Center against UW-Stevens Point, a tough Division III opponent. This will allow the Badgers' head coach to see her younger players in game-like scenarios, and will allow the rookies to release all the preseason jitters.
Although it is only an exhibition bout, Stone expects Stevens Point to give her ladies a game and help them prepare for the regular season.
"[Stevens Point] will lace them up and play very, very hard," she noted. "I'm expecting a lot of different kinds of defenses; that's what they're known for. It's an advantage for us to play a team with an organized structure both offensively and defensively."
Stevens Point finished 20-8 last season and has won two Division III national championships (1987 and 2002).
Because of her plethora of new players, Stone is looking forward to mixing and matching during these first two exhibition matches. She has yet to determine a starting lineup or develop any sort of consistent rotation, making these two preseason games (the second is against Winona State on Nov. 5) extra important.
Winona State was picked to finish sixth in the NCAA Division II Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference this season.
Despite the fact that these two match-ups don't technically count, Stone wanted to make one thing clear.
"These exhibition games will be treated as [real] games," Stone said.