New cast ready for ACC starring roles

The 2009-10 women's basketball season opens without the marquee names of the past four years. Gone are Duke's Abby Waner and North Carolina's Rashanda McCants and Maryland's duo of Marissa Coleman and Kristi Toliver.

A new cast of basketball talent - led by the league's top returning scorer, Virginia guard Monica Wright - makes up the conference's must-see list. With so many new faces, coaches say the conference race appears wide open. In past years , North Carolina, Duke and Maryland were usually considered prohibitive favorites.

This season, North Carolina was selected to finish first in the ACC's preseason poll voted on by a panel of media members, coaches and school officials. Duke finished second, followed by Florida State and Virginia.

Each of those conference teams, along with Georgia Tech, is ranked in the preseason Associated Press poll, which featured defending national champions Connecticut as the consensus No. 1 team. Each will have a legitimate chance at leading the league.

With Wright, who was selected the ACC's preseason player of the year, guard play will still define the conference, though gifted post players such Florida's Jacinta Monroe and Boston College's Carolyn Swords are expected to make an impact.

When the ACC Tournament returns to Greensboro on March 4-7, coaches and players expect some surprises.

"The past few years, there's been some gaps," North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell said about the top tier of the conference. "This year, I have no idea."

A look at North Carolina, Duke and N.C. State:

With five freshmen and three sophomores on their 13-player roster, Hatchell describes the Tar Heels as "pretty young."

Youth, however, will not be used as an excuse by the No. 5-ranked Heels. Expect the freshmen to complement junior guards Cetera DeGraffenreid and Italee Lucas, the most experienced returning players. (No decision has been made about senior Jessica Breland, who earlier this summer was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma.)

"You let them play in the big games and get experience and make some mistakes because it's going to pay off in the long run," Hatchell said. "All of the freshmen are going to help us and be good."

The UNC freshmen were rated as the nation's second-best 2009-10 recruiting class, including 6-0 guard Krista Gross, 6-4 forward Cierra Robertson-Warren, 6-6 center Waltiea Rolle, 6-1 forward Nyree Williams and 5-10 guard Tierra Ruffin-Pratt. For what they lack in experience, they make up in size, athleticism and speed, fitting a team that plans to run.

Hatchell said Ruffin-Pratt, who was selected the preseason ACC rookie of the year, is the best passer on the team.

"She knows what everyone is supposed to do," Hatchell said. "She sees everything out there."

"We came in working hard," Ruffin-Pratt said of the freshmen. "Trying to be prepared as much as we can to play and to make an impact."

For the past two seasons, Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie has stressed physical domination as a part of her basketball philosophy. With the help of the athletic training staff and a rigorous summer regimen, the 2009-10 Blue Devils appear stronger and prepared for the challenge.

McCallie said she wants the No. 6-ranked Devils to dictate the physicality of each game, regardless of the style of play. She wants each defensive stand - whether the Devils are in a 2-3 matchup zone or full-court press - to become a nightmare for opponents.

"Defensive mishaps of not being physical cost us games in the past," McCallie said.

Expect the Devils to share the offensive load this season as McCallie said each player should be a go-to player. Still, where points will come from this season remains the key question for the Devils, with seniors Bridgette Mitchell and Joy Cheek and juniors Jasmine Thomas and Karima Christmas prime candidates for scoring production.

Thomas, who returns as the team's point guard, may see more time at shooting guard, with sophomore Chelsea Hopkins sharing some time at the lead guard slot.

"It's exciting to see how hard everyone worked over the summer to get better," Thomas said. "I'm excited just to play. I'm going to be at the 'two' some ... that will be me an opportunity for me not to have focus on so much [and focus on scoring]."

Kellie Harper enters her first season as coach of the Wolfpack, and she has been "extremely patient" as the team makes a tough transition.

Harper goes to State after a tumultuous 2008-09 season where the Wolfpack program dealt with the death of longtime coach Kay Yow.

Now Harper must guide the Pack, a team that returns four starters but has little depth. Harper intends for the defense to press and for the offense to play up-tempo, though that style of offense may take some time to get rolling.

"We are definitely capable of those things," Harper said. "The further and further we go into the season, will determine how much we have to back off during each game. ... back off meaning being less aggressive with our tempo."

For now, the Pack can turn to senior guard Nikitta Gartrell or sophomore Bonae Holston for points. Holston was named the ACC's sixth player of the year and voted to the all-freshman team.

Expect Holston to be a first option in the half-court offense, where Harper will run a motion offense that frees her to create off the dribble.

"Coach Kellie gives me more freedom," Holston said. "She puts me on the perimeter - 15 feet - in order to maximize on my mismatches."

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