"It's exciting," Portland said of the team and her two new assistant coaches. "Change is good. . .In this case it was a coaching staff and many players. We've made this change very positive."

Youth dominates the Lions' roster, which has five freshman and five sophomores. Portland has said that her rookies will be expected to contribute right away, especially at the point guard position where Jess Strom and Tanisha Wright will see significant time with senior guard Katrena Carr injured to begin the season.

Despite this dearth of experience, the seniors are not panicking.

"They've done very well adjusting to everything," center Rashana Barnes said. "Everything came together."

What Barnes and every team on the Lions' schedule knows is that Penn State's offense will flow through Mazzante, whom Portland has made lofty comparisons to Jackie Stiles of Southwest Missouri State. The team's new set is designed to give her maximum scoring opportunities using picks and screens to free the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year. This more free flowing attack should also favor the Lions' strong backcourt, which will probably feature three guards.

Portland has said that this new scheme could only be implemented this season, with the influx of new blood. Still, the team is not about to classify this a rebuilding year.

"People think this is a rebuilding year for us, but with the talent on our team there's no reason we can't go in there and do what we want to do," Mazzante said.

The answers start tonight.