When the Wisconsin women's basketball team takes the floor next week in their first regular season game, even the die-hard basketball fans who are sprinkled throughout the Kohl Center's lower bowl every game won't recognize the team.
Gone are Lello Gebisa and Emily Ashbaugh, and the height advantage in the paint they brought. Now, half the Wisconsin roster now belongs to freshmen, and with the influx of youth will come a new style of play.
\Last year, with 6'7' and 6'5' inside, we really tried to isolate high-low. I would have been a fool if I didn't. We did a decent job with that. I think it would have been nice to have the same team another year. It's always sad to see kids go but as we bring new kids in, we are excited once again. I would like to go a little more up-tempo,"" Head Coach Lisa Stone said.
With Gebisa and Ashbaugh gone, the Badgers will look to route their offense through their guards: Stephanie Rich and Ashley Josephson.
Rich, who is one of only two seniors on this young team, led the Badgers last year in assists and was named the team MVP. Stone hopes having Rich's experience at the point will help guide this youthful offense.
""I really like Steph Rich as a point guard. The reason I do is because of what we have just mentioned her leadership abilities and her court vision. Granted she can shoot the ball, and we can move her around a little bit, but I like her running the show,"" said Stone.
As the Badgers' offensive focus shifts from their forwards to their guards, they'll need Rich to improve upon her 29 percent success rate from the field if they hope to be competitive in the Big Ten.
Josephson, who is expected to see most of the action at shooting guard, led the Badgers last year with 12.9 points per game and shot 41 percent from behind the arc. After struggling through a back injury, Josephson is healthy, and, according to coach Stone, more confident, which could translate into even bigger numbers for the junior this year.
""She is back on the court, she is mature, she wants to get better,"" said Stone. ""She is learning different ways to create space for herself to shoot. She knows she has a quick release, she knows she can score. I have seen Ashley grow from a player that got real down on herself to a player with more confidence.""
Now that teams no longer have to concentrate on Gebisa and Ashbaugh down low, Josephson will be forced to create more of her shots when she and Rich face more double teams.
While Stone feels this year's freshman class is the best that Wisconsin's women's team has had in a long time, they will face plenty of challenges as they try to work their way through a Big Ten conference filled with experienced teams.
""The Big Ten conference is the strongest it has ever been, and that excites me,"" Stone said, ""I am not afraid of that. I think to be the best, you play the best, and we are. I think our conference has some of the best coaches in the country. I think our conference has some of the best players in the country. That was depicted in the number of All-American honors and a national coach of the year honor garnered by the conference last year.""
The Big Ten is led by Ohio State, who starts the season ranked ninth in the country, and may have the best shooting team in the conference. No. 16 Michigan State has all five of its starters returning from a team that went 22-9 last year. Penn State, last year's Big Ten champion, starts the season at No. 21. No. 14 Minnesota and No. 15 Purdue are the other Big Ten teams to start the season ranked.
While this team may struggle to compete in the Big Ten, Stone said that the most important thing this season will be for her players to come together as a team.
""Our team strengths will once again revolve around chemistry and team unity,"" she said. Our returning players and a very talented freshmen class have worked very hard this summer to improve their individual games. We look forward to greater depth and athleticism. Youth combined with experience is exciting and something for our fans to look forward to.""
--uwbadgers.com contributed to this report
