[media-credit name=’PATRICK STATZ-BOYER/Herald photo’ align=’alignright’ width=’336′][/media-credit]On paper, the Wisconsin women's basketball team is supposed to be young and inexperienced. No one would guess that based on the team's 8-1 record, however.
With eight new players on the team this year, including seven freshmen, no one was quite sure what to expect from this year's squad at the beginning of the season.
"It's the unknown," UW head coach Lisa Stone said. "Part of the unknown is what's exciting."
Stone and the Badgers have much to be excited about so far, as they continue to blow teams out of the water game after game. Many of the team's freshmen have been a big part of the squad's newfound success.
"We're very pleased to say that this freshman class has come in with energy and excitement and talent," Stone said. "I'm very pleased with all of them at this point."
Point guard Rae Lin D'Alie is one of the freshmen who has seen considerable playing time so far. Averaging nearly 25 minutes per game, D'Alie leads the team in assists with 33.
"She takes on a lot as a freshman, but I'm very pleased so far," Stone said. "She's 5-foot-3, but she plays 6-foot-3 in my mind. She's a tough kid."
Forward Mariah Dunham has also made significant contributions on the court. Averaging almost eight points and four rebounds per game coming off the bench, her role on the team has certainly been noticeable.
"Mariah has gone from high school player to college player pretty quickly," Stone said. "I've been most pleased with her defense. She poses a threat for other teams as a post player, stepping out to shoot threes and driving to the basket."
Guards Teah Gant and Sarah Ingison have also stepped in off the bench for Wisconsin.
"[Teah] just excels every day," Stone said. "Defensively, she's assigned with the best offensive opponents on the other team. Sarah's somebody that I think is going to come on. She's playing behind Rae Lin, but they're kind of sharing it together, and she's certainly got all the tools to be very special."
"To get any minutes as a freshman is really good," Ingison said. "I'm sure we all have friends who are playing at colleges as freshmen and haven't seen the floor at all."
Aside from learning from the team's more experienced players, the freshmen have been able to learn from each other as well.
"Everybody challenges each other so much in practice because we're all in the same boat as freshmen," walk-on guard Ericka Engen said. "Different individuals push each other and it's competitive, yet we're all a team at the same time. It makes us better."
As much as the team has gelled on the court, they have become equally as close off it.
Beginning this past summer when the incoming freshmen started practicing with the team, the players have all gotten to know each other very well, and most of the freshmen are even roommates with each other.
"I think we all have a lot of the same personalities, laid back yet we're really funny," Dunham said of the team's freshmen. "We just have a lot of fun with each other. We take this game seriously, but it's kind of like you have to have fun to succeed. I think that's what we're good at doing on this team is just having fun and playing basketball well together."
Engen emphasizes the humor shared among the team.
"We all kind of make fun of each other," Engen said. "But we don't take it personally."
One of the things the team does to poke fun at each other is a "stupid things people say" chart, which includes sayings such as "Can you wash a cell phone?" and "Is the chancellor a person?"
"I think I'm leading," Engen joked.
The players have also grown closer through the team's first few road trips so far this year. On trips to Las Vegas and California, the Badgers were able to do some sightseeing and team bonding when they weren't busy with games.
"It's not just basketball," Ingison said. "When it is basketball, it's time to buckle down, but we also like to have fun on trips, too."
"It's just an amazing experience," Dunham added. "Being with all these great people that you're around every single day just makes it exciting."
During the team's trips, they were also able to realize how lucky they are to be able to play in front of a great home crowd at the Kohl Center.
"I think our fan base is great," Gant said. "Going on the road and seeing how many fans come to other schools' games, it's a big difference. Then coming here, you have everybody cheering for you. It's a good feeling, and it pumps everybody up."
"I think the fan base is so consistent despite the record," walk-on guard Annie Crangle said. "The fans are optimistic and now, hopefully, that we've started winning we'll draw more people."
With such a talented group of freshmen already comfortable with the game, the Badgers remain confident as the Big Ten season draws near.
"I definitely want to make a statement in the Big Ten, just let people know that we're not the same team as we've been in the last couple of years," Dunham said. "I think this team is totally different."