Although 10 of 11 players will return from last year's Penn State women's basketball team, the one that won't be back will be sorely missed.
Kam Gissendanner, who graduated last season and signed with the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks, led the Lady Lions with 202 rebounds and 24 blocks. The six-foot-one guard also placed second on the team in points and was third in steals.
With their top rebounder gone, the task now falls on the Lions' forwards to clean up the glass. Compared to its Big Ten opposition, Penn State is undersized, with no one on the team taller than six-foot-three. But the team said its quick style of play will help counteract its lack of size.
"We don't want a slow-down game," coach Coquese Washington said. "We don't want to have to walk it up the court and pound it out. We want to get the game going to our tempo, so the more we can do that the better."
The post players, along with the rest of the team, stressed running in their offseason training regimens. They did so at least three or four times a week, Washington said.
Forward Evelyn Lewis said Penn State's post players were "more like big guards," and if they can keep up with Brianne O'Rourke, Tyra Grant and the fast-paced attack, the offense should open up.
"Whoever gets the rebound, just sprint down," senior center Rashida Mark said. "Last season there were a few times where me, Janessa [Wolff] or Evelyn did sprint and we were wide open under the basket because they couldn't run."
Last season, the Lions' lack of size in the paint allowed big teams like Michigan State and Ohio State to rack up points from the inside. Wolff said she expects the experience will help this year more than any changes in the team's philosophy.
Team defense will also be important in combating the height difference, Washington said. Having the guards help out by double-teaming will make the forwards' jobs easier.
"We've got to have great team defense," Washington said. "We've got to help them out. We can't leave them on an island by themselves and ask Janessa Wolff to guard [Ohio State center] Jantel Lavender one-on-one. ... It's got to be a group effort."
