The Nikes will be laced and the ankles will be taped, but when the Penn State women's basketball team has its first practice on Saturday it will be missing something.

After four years of having a stick of Mazzante-perspirant to keep things cool, the Lady Lions begin the 2004-2005 season a little differently.

The Lions will now look to a veteran backcourt led by two-time defending Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Tanisha Wright. Already named to the preseason All-Conference team, Wright is looked upon to take control of what is "her team" now.

"I think I have to see things that way," Wright said. "Kelly [Mazzante] and Jess [Brungo] graduated. They're gone. It's time for other people to step up. I'm ready to take that challenge."

Along with senior point guard Jess Strom, the senior guards are the only returning starters from last year's team that finished 28-6 and in first place in the Big Ten for the second straight year.

To make it three in a row, it will be up to Wright to carry the burden. Coach Rene Portland believes that she's just the player for the task.

"I believe Tanisha is gonna flat-out be the best player I've coached here at Penn State," Portland said at the team's annual press conference yesterday. "Because of that kind of development. Because of what she's done with her game. There's not a year I don't come in here when I don't say she's better and better."

Wright, along with her teammates, spent part of her summer preparing for the season in Italy.

Playing club teams, the Lions won all four games and it was an opportunity for less-experience players to impress the coaches.

"It was a great opportunity for several players for me to look at them the last time," Portland said about the trip. "We did let them play and it was a good opportunity for Hazel, Jenny Brenden, for Ashli [Schwab], as well as Jen Harris."

Another thing that came out of the Italy trip was a possible sneak-peak in what to expect from Amanda Brown. Though she was just sent home this week after being diagnosed with mononucleosis, the sophomore forward showed signs of improvement inside.

"Amanda Brown looks really good," Wright said. "I know one thing, people better watch out when she steps out on the court because she's gotten that much better. I don't think she ever lacked it. I think the confidence is what lacked and now her confidence is sky high and now when she steps onto the court there's a swagger to her now."

Her return date is not yet known.

What is known is that come Saturday, the road to a third straight conference title begins, and that Wright is the one to lead the Lions to it. And if you don't like it, she's gonna let you know.

"On the court she's just very intense," Strom said of Wright. "Like I said, if you do something wrong or something you're doing isn't good enough for her, she'll tell you. I think someone needs to be like that because she's probably the only one our team like that."