The Emerson College women’s basketball players have something to prove this season.

Last season they were a newly assembled team of mostly freshmen and sophomores who found their game too late to really make a run for the playoffs. Since they still have the same players on the team, however, it is safe to say that they could be on their way to something special this year.,The Emerson College women’s basketball players have something to prove this season.

Last season they were a newly assembled team of mostly freshmen and sophomores who found their game too late to really make a run for the playoffs. Since they still have the same players on the team, however, it is safe to say that they could be on their way to something special this year.

During the past two years, the women’s team has come from having only three wins to nearly seeing the playoffs thanks to better personnel entering the program.

This winter will be different, as everyone has improved, according to Head Coach Melissa Hart.

The team will have another chance to better itself without the presence of some of its best players from last season.

Injuries and other factors hit the team fairly hard during training for the season. Sophomores Mallory Frers, Ellie Feitlinger and Kelly Kwiecinski are currently injured and have not practiced with the team during drills. All the while, the leading scorer from last season, Molly O’Keefe, is doing the L.A. program and should be back next semester.

Hart said she is not worried that some of her prominent players are not currently able to play. To her, that means more playing time for freshmen and everyone else against tougher opponents in the beginning of the season, which will make the team better as a whole as it enters conference play on Jan. 6.

Hart is confident in the team’s ability to rebound and score in the low post, even though the players are shorter than other squads. The tallest member of the team is under six feet.

Their offense is based around their strength, which is perimeter guard play. The objective is to create mismatches and have a tall person try to cover a faster guard, according to Hart. It worked last year and it should work again. This team has never had a problem with speed, which will go a long way if the players mix properly.

This should not be an issue, since the players were able to function well at the tail end of last season. Senior Jenny Barr will see to that.

Two years ago after a loss, the players would blame each other for why they lost the game. Last season after a defeat, the squad didn’t blame each other as much as talk about what the team did wrong. That means they have all matured into a cohesive unit.

The Lions should surprise a lot of people and may even claw on the GNAC championship door.