Last year, the women's basketball team put together its most successful season in recent memory. The squad finished with 16 wins – more than the previous two years combined. The team even earned its first-ever postseason tournament berth, as the Bulls competed in the Women's Basketball Invitational.
This isn't last year.
In 2010-11, the Bulls boasted all-everything forward Kourtney Brown, as well as an exceptional supporting cast of Jessica Fortman, Ashley Zuber, and Bridgette Kendricks. They were just four players, but they were the squad's leaders, the team's heartbeat. They accounted for 65 percent of their squad's total scoring.
"I think it's very fair [to say this is a rebuilding year]," said head coach Linda Hill-MacDonald. "When you look at the foundation, we have to re-establish that foundation. I like the players we have back and they have earned the opportunity that they have."
With Brown dominating overseas (she recently put up 40 points and nine rebounds in her first game in Spain) and the other three seniors having graduated and moved on to the real world, the women's basketball team is in sheer rebuilding mode.
However, the Bulls are convinced that they're going to be competitive this year, regardless of what doubters might believe. Still, Hill-MacDonald said she doesn't know who will take command for this year's team and step out on the floor as opening-day starters.
"We're looking for the players to compete for starting roles because they're wide open," Hill-MacDonald said.
The team's leaders will be different this year, but they expect to continue improving on last season. Those leaders will almost certainly include senior guard Brittany Hedderson. She was Buffalo's second-leading scorer a year ago, finishing with 10.7 points per game.
The Ontario native is an all-around dominant guard. She's an outside threat, finishing last season with the most three-point buckets on the team. She also totaled the most assists and rebounds of any returning player.
"We're quite inexperienced, so we're looking for Brittany to step up as the only returning starter," Hill-MacDonald said. "It's her time to be consistent on the floor and bring the younger players along and she knows what the camaraderie was among the players last year. She has a huge responsibility."
After Hedderson, the team's next-leading scorer who will return this year is junior guard Nicki Hopkins, who averaged 4.7 points a year ago. Buffalo should also receive substantial leadership from senior forward Beth Christensen and senior guard Ephesia Holmes. Hopkins made the team's second most 3-pointers, Christensen's 27 blocks were the second most on the team, and Holmes started five games last year. With four prominent senior leaders taking the floor every night, it was difficult for the younger players to crack the lineup.
Those younger players are now the veterans, and they face the daunting task of replacing Brown, who finished last year averaging 22.1 points and 11.6 rebounds per game.
"All of us are going to have to step up and make up for all that she did for us in those categories," Hopkins said.
Brown's 1,995 points are the most points scored for either the men or women's basketball programs. She also ended her career with 1,124 rebounds, an All-American honorable mention, and a Mid-American Conference all-time record 260 blocks.
Hopkins will co-captain this year's team alongside senior guard Teresa Semalulu.
"We learned a lot from our upperclassmen and we're just trying to pass it on," Semalulu said. "Even though we lost four seniors, we did play with them in practice. I think we're going to have a successful season."
While the squad was senior-laden a year ago, this year's team is filled with freshmen and sophomores, as those youthful players take up nine of the team's 14 spots.
This year's team will feature a run-and-gun style, complemented by the squad's array of speedy forwards and centers.
One of those speedy bigs is Christensen, who will be expected to pick up the rebounding slack.
"I'm going in with the mentality to out-hustle people and out-muscle people," Christensen said.
At the end of last year, Buffalo hosted Ball State in the MAC tournament opening round. Buffalo's low turnover total led the Bulls to an 82-73 victory and a trip to Cleveland for the quarterfinals. There, Buffalo saw its short tournament run ended by Central Michigan, 90-69.
In the Women's Basketball Invitational, the eighth-seeded Bulls pieced together an incredible effort but fell just short, losing 82-79 to No. 1 seed Wright State.
This year's team will look to get back to that postseason level, but inexperience will no doubt lead to some struggles along the road. The team's non-conference schedule is extremely difficult, and includes trips to Syracuse and UConn.
"We're doing a lot of teaching because the players are young, and we're waiting for the light bulb to go off," Hill-MacDonald said.
The squad's season gets underway Wednesday night against Buffalo State College in an exhibition matchup. The game will take place in the newly-renovated Alumni Arena at 7 p.m.
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