The USF women's basketball team is looking forward to the 1999-2000 season after struggling through a difficult 1998-99 campaign. Despite a 7-20 record and a last place showing in the WCC a year ago, there are still several reasons to feel positive about the upcoming year.

The Lady Dons will have a strong group of seniors leading the squad. Forward Sarah Wanless, the team's top returnee, had a fine season in 1998-99 as she led the club in rebounding (6.0 rpg) and blocks (1.2). She also ranked second behind Brittany Lindhe in scoring at 11.2 ppg and led the entire WCC with a .571 field goal percentage.

Fellow senior and guard Jennifer Madkins enjoyed her best season at USF, leading the club in both assists (4.8 apg) and steals (2.2 spg). After pacing the entire WCC in both categories for most of the season, she finished ranked second in the conference in assists and third in steals.

Injuries caused many of USF's troubles in 1998-99 as the Lady Dons suited up just 10 players all season and had three of those 10 players miss significant action due to injuries.

The Lady Dons hope to not have similar problems in 1999-2000. With a strong roster that features 10 returnees, as well as an excellent group of five newcomers, the Lady Dons should have the depth the team has longed for during the past two seasons.

"We will have flexibility and choices with our lineup," beamed USF co-head coach Bill Nepfel. "We will have several players that can play more than one position. Everyone will have to earn their playing time."

USF will return five players who started at least 13 games last season, including seniors Wanless, Madkins and Tashi Tasnadi.

"Sarah Wanless will be one of the top players in the WCC this season and should challenge for national honors," said Nepfel. "She has everything you want in a player with her size, quickness and shooting ability."

The other Lady Dons starters returning from a year ago are sophomore guard Melanie Turner (6.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.0 apg) and junior center Kim Whisler (4.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 0.7 bpg).

USF also anxiously awaits the return of 1997-98 WCC Freshman of the Year Lindsey Huff, who missed all of last season with a knee injury. Huff is expected to be ready when the 1999-2000 campaign opens versus Stanford on November 19. She scored 11.0 points per game and was third in the WCC with a 4.1 assists per game average as a freshman in 1997-98, while posting a WCC-leading .403 three-point percentage. She also became just the sixth freshman in the history of the WCC to record 100 or more assists in a season.

Other returnees from a year ago are junior center Rachel Mahar (5.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.0 bpg), senior forward Krista Knapp (4.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 0.4 apg), junior guard Nicole Raleigh (2.3 ppg, 0.9 rpg, 1.0 apg) and sophomore forward Molly Shanley (1.1 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 0.5 apg).

"We have a nice nucleus of 10 returnees for the upcoming season," stated Nepfel. "Last year was definitely disappointing, but I also think it was a learning year. The returnees now know what it entails to take that next step forward."

Nepfel will also have at his disposal a strong group of newcomers to help the Lady Dons take that next step forward. The group is highlighted by heavily recruited freshmen Carey Sauer (6-0, F, Newport, WA/Newport HS) and Lisa Whiteside (5-9, G, Bellflower, CA/Bellflower HS), as well as 1998-99 California Junior College Player of the Year Cortney Keegan (5-9, G, San Jose, CA/San Jose CC/St. Francis HS). All three players should challenge immediately for playing time. Incoming freshmen Mary Jane Krueger (6-2, C, Quincy, CA/Quincy HS) and Jennifer Anderson (5-10, G, Layton, CA/Lemoore HS) should also play a significant role on the 1999-2000 squad.

"We really like this recruiting class," emphasized a grinning Nepfel. "We've improved in a couple of our weaker areas and every player we signed can play more than one position. Just like any other recruiting class, now they have to prove their skills at this level. They've done well in high school and junior college. Now they need to do it at the Division I level."

The Lady Dons are going to have to do it against quality competition versus both an always improving West Coast Conference, as well as a difficult slate of preseason games. USF does have an attractive preseason home schedule with the team's opener versus perennial national power Stanford on November 19 and nationally-ranked Iowa State coming to the Hilltop on November 23.

"Our schedule is extremely difficult," continued Nepfel. "By starting with Stanford and Iowa State, we are getting a Top 25 squad (Stanford) and a Top 10 team (Iowa State) in the first week of the season. Overall, it's an exciting home schedule but very difficult and challenging. Hopefully, it will get us ready for WCC action."

The team's WCC slate is also challenging with Pepperdine and Saint Mary's looking strong again.

"Everybody in the WCC is going to be pretty good," mentioned Nepfel. "We hope we are good enough to get back to the top half of the standings where we belong."