The Wisconsin women's basketball team is coming off its second straight winning season at 16-14 overall, a season in which it won the most Big Ten games since 2002 with a 9-9 conference record.
It may seem like the Badgers have an unfeasible task ahead of them with the graduation of three starting seniors who played together in a combined 362 career games. However, the ladies are starting this season with seven letter-winners, two returning starters, five freshmen and two new assistant coaches.
Returning letter-winners include sophomores Lin Zastrow and Alyssa Karel, juniors Mariah Dunham, Teah Gant, Sarah Ingison and Annie Crangle, and senior Caitlin Gibson. The two returning starters are junior guard Rae Lin D'Alie and sophomore forward Tara Steinbauer.
Rae Lin D'Alie has come back in a very fit fashion. She's much quicker,"" head coach Lisa Stone said. ""And I think Mariah Dunham is somebody that's capable of going off in really big numbers. She will play the four for us this year and can step out, hit the three right now she is our best 3-point shooter.""
Newcomers to the team are freshmen Anya Covington, Jade Davis, Jamie Russell, Ashley Thomas and sophomore Alana Trotter.
With the graduation of two-time Big Ten scoring champion Jolene Anderson, who led the Badgers in scoring all four years and set the school record for men's and women's career points with 2,312, the Badgers are working as a collective unit to substitute for her loss.
""I think what I've seen offensively right now in practice is a little more patience, working very, very hard for a very good shot, trying to get lots of people to join the offensive party, if you will,"" Stone said. ""And then defensively, certainly it's a team defense. And I like what I see out of our team. There's a blue collar mentality. They know that we have to do this together. They know that everybody has got to step up.""
As for double-digit scorers on the roster, Stone is confident she has multiple players, including Dunham, who are capable of putting up numbers.
""Lin Zastrow has an amazing ability to step away and to go inside,"" Stone said. ""She's shown some great things early on for us. Alyssa Karel is electric in the open court, capable of not only knocking down an open shot but getting to the basket.
Stone also believes the incoming freshmen will find success this season.
""Anya Covington is an impressive, impressive young freshman,"" Stone said. ""Ashley Thomas, Jamie Russell and Jade Davis, all those get a piece of the minutes early on. So it will be fun to watch.""
With defense being a major emphasis of the Badgers game this season, and the addition of new defensive coach Kathi Bennet, the Badgers are working on a completely new defense from what they have played in the past.
""We've spent all fall on putting in the pack defense,"" Stone said. ""It's a new defense, but it's a defense that works. Kathi [Bennet] brings an unbelievable knowledge about the defensive side of the ball. The stronger we become defensively in practice, it actually helps our offense because we're applying a lot of pressure on the basketball.""
The Badgers begin their season this Saturday at 1:30 p.m. against UW-River Falls at the Kohl Center, followed by an away game against South Dakota State on Nov. 17.
""They [the fans] are going to see an exciting team and one of the hardest working teams they've watched in a long time,"" Stone said. ""I've got a very talented staff working very hard, but we're a unit and it's fun.""
- uwbadgers.com contributed to this report.
