They are the Penn State women's basketball team's equivalent of 'N Sync, with one exception — talent. Five young women with five distinct personalities, each ready to step onto the glittering stage of NCAA Div. I basketball.

The 2001-2002 Lady Lions will include five freshmen that comprise one of the best recruiting classes in the nation. The group of newcomers can count on seeing plenty of action early this season, as the Lions are an inexperienced team which features only three seniors and no juniors on its roster.

"I think with our team being so young, they have more opportunity than most freshmen get coming into a Division I program," said sophomore guard Kelly Mazzante, last year's team MVP and Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

"The funny thing about this freshman class is that they all have a different personality," Mazzante said. "They fit in perfectly. I think they all bring something different to the team."

Leading the way is 5-foot-7 point guard Jess Strom, who is expected to be a starter when the season begins next month. The Munhall native was an Associated Press all-state honoree in high school and looks to take her game to the next level on the Bryce Jordan Center court. Strom said that the various talents and personalities of the Lions' "Fab Five" will be an asset to the team this year.

"All five of us are pretty different, but that makes us get along better," Strom said of her fellow classmates on the squad. "I guess I'm just the quiet one of the group. I do what I have to do, but quietly. Some of the others are more vocal."

Perhaps the most vocal among them is Tanisha Wright, another guard and Pa. product. Described as "outspoken" and "serious" by her teammates, Wright brings much versatility to the lineup and figures to be an assertive leader on and off the court.

"I say what's on my mind and I think you need that when it comes to a team," Wright said. "You need that chemistry, and you need to be able to say what you mean."

Wright's teammate, senior forward Rashana Barnes, praised the freshman for taking part in off-season workouts with the upperclassmen, especially those which involved running on the track. Barnes said that she was impressed with Wright's willingness to work hard with her in an area that neither of them particularly enjoy.

"It was difficult because I can't stand running, I don't see the purpose of it and I can't see how track people do it because there's no fun in it, in my opinion," Wright said. "I just don't like to do it, so it was real hard for me to go out there and be motivated to do it, but hey, it's done and over now."

And now the freshmen hope to put those off-season preparations to good use as the backbone of a youthful squad looking to avenge last season's unexpected first-round exit from the NCAA Tournament. One might expect a bit of nervousness from young players who are new to the rich hoops tradition at Penn State, but that doesn't seem to be the case with this bunch.

"I'm not really necessarily nervous," freshman forward Hazel Joseph said. "I just think it's kind of cool because now when we go to practice it's not like we're going in underneath people, we know we're going to get a chance to play. I think that's the most exciting thing about it."

Joseph, a Nike All-American at Choctaw H.S. in Oklahoma, brings a cheerful disposition and her 6-foot-3 frame to Happy Valley. She is joined at the forward spot by another freshman, Ashli Schwab, whom Joseph called "a leader." The pair will look to compensate for the loss of forward Maren Walseth, last year's co-captain who led the Lions in rebounding and was third on the team in scoring.

One final new face that hopes to make a big impact (in more ways than one) this season is center Tiffany Tomlinson. At 6-foot-7, Tomlinson is the tallest player ever in Lady Lions' history. Lions' head coach Rene Portland hopes to use Tomlinson's size as a great defensive presence in the lane.

Together the freshman class has made quite an impact thus far, and they continue to impress their teammates.

"They're unbelievable. They just get better every day," Mazzante said. "I have nothing but praise for their work ethic and their talent."