How do you restore prominence to a storied program? That's the question the Virginia women's basketball team must answer this year.
The Cavaliers are coming off a disappointing 2003-04 season that saw the team miss the NCAA tournament for the first time in 21 years. It also was only the third season in Virginia's history that the team finished below .500.
"Last year was pretty much unacceptable in terms of Virginia basketball," senior forward Kate Kreager said.
This year's team will have to find a way to turn around from its substandard 13-16 record a year ago. Luckily, the Cavaliers have a veteran team loaded with five seniors who should be able to provide leadership this season.
"I really feel like the senior class has taken this all personally," Virginia coach Debbie Ryan said. "I think the one thing they do have is that they know how to get there. They've been there."
One of the seniors that Virginia will turn to is last year's leading scorer, Brandi Teamer. Teamer led the Cavaliers in both scoring and rebounding, totaling 11.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Those numbers helped her earn an All-ACC Honorable Mention. The success of this year's Cavaliers will have a great deal to do with Teamer's performance.
"We're looking for Brandi to have the best year of her career," Ryan said. "She needs to get us some offense, she needs to get us some defense and she needs to get us a lot of rebounds. She knows that a lot of our success relies on her."
Teamer will not be alone this year, as senior guard LaTonya Blue also is coming off of a season in which she received personal accolades. Blue became only the second Cavalier ever to earn a spot on the ACC All-Defensive team. Blue's 9.6 ppg and 5.3 rpg also helped her secure a third team All-ACC selection. Her role with the team this year, however, will change slightly.
"She is going to probably move this year from the point guard position to [shooting guard]," Ryan said. "We really need to get her in a scoring mode because she gives us so much in a lot of different ways."
Blue played point guard last year, setting up graduated guard Anna Prillaman. Blue excelled at the point, leading Virginia with 122 assists. Her assist total was nearly one-third of the team total of 407.
Ryan also is expecting the team's other three seniors -- Kreager, Lynette O'Reggio and Jocelyn Logan-Friend -- to produce. Ryan said during her press conference at Virginia basketball media day that each has shown similar improvements as Blue and Teamer. Kreager, one of the team's co-captains this year, is ready to take some of the burden on her shoulders.
"I think my role is to be the consistent one, the one who makes the layups," she said.
Virginia is going to need that consistent play from all of its seniors this year. With five members of the class of 2005 suiting up for the Cavaliers, there will be a number of veterans on the court. That experience could help Virginia find the answer that will lead them back to the NCAA tournament.
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