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2013-14 OUTLOOK TR AINING CHAMPIONS FOR CHRIST SINCE 1971 The two-time defending Big South Champion Liberty University women's basketball team will not only be sporting new uniforms in 2013-14 but will also feature seven new players. The Lady Flames have high expectations for the next season and are aiming for their 16th Big South title in 18 years. Last season, Liberty went 27-7 on its way to a conference title and NCAA Tournament appearance. Five seniors graduated from that team, including starters Devon Brown, Brittany Campbell, and Tolu Omotola. Brown and Omotola were both first team All-Big South performers, while Campbell has since joined the Lady Flames staff as an assistant coach. In their absence, a youthful group of players will be asked to step up and continue Liberty's tradition of excellence. The 2013-14 roster features a dozen freshmen and sophomores, and just one senior, Jasmine Gardner. Carey Green, entering his 15th season as the head coach of the Lady Flames, is optimistic about the upcoming year. "This season is full of opportunity. We expect our talents and enthusiasm to overcome our lack of experience early in the season. The key to our success will be how well we can focus on our objectives and goals while gaining experience in practice and competition. We realize that talent is never enough. Experience is invaluable to a team." The Lady Flames are not completely devoid of experienced players. During their careers, Gardner, along with junior point guards Emily Frazier and Reagan Miller, have a combined 131 appearances in the starting lineup. Meanwhile, redshirt sophomore post player Ashley Rininger was second in the voting for 2013 Big South Freshman of the Year and started Liberty's NCAA Tournament tilt against Purdue. 50 REAGAN MILLER "We have excellent team chemistry and skill sets that should impact an exciting season," Green continued. "However, it will be crucial for us to develop depth." Liberty boasts a sizable 17-player roster this season, providing Green with many opportunities for achieving such depth. He will be able to evaluate the players right out of the gate, as the Nov. 8 season opener at Charlotte tips off a daunting four-week stretch which also includes matchups with James Madison, Virginia, Saint Joseph's, Fresno State, and Richmond. "I absolutely love the maturity and desire to achieve that our experienced returning players have exhibited throughout the offseason," Green stated. "I'm sure that will have a major positive impact on the team. As complex as this can be, that will be a key to our team's success." Rebounding has been another vital component of the Lady Flames' success over the years. Liberty pulled down 16.9 more boards per game than its opponents in 201213, leading the nation in rebound margin for the second year in a row. Green's team has now ranked among the nation's top-10 teams in rebound margin for 11-straight seasons. Green expects his team's exceptional performance around the basket to continue in 2013-14, thanks to a talented group of returning post players. POSTS "Our foundation will begin with very capable, competent, talented post play," Green noted. "This is a known commodity that we can depend on. Katelyn Adams, Catherine Kearney, and Ashley Rininger will lead us in that foundation under the basket." "I have high expectations and believe that these three can equip us to begin our quest for another Big South Championship and the opportunity to advance in the NCAA Tournament," added Green. The formidable trio of Adams, Kearney, and Rininger are all redshirt sophomores who stand 6-4 or taller and have made notable contributions during the early stages of their respective careers. The 6-5 Adams made arguably her biggest impact at the defensive end last season, ranking eighth in the Big South with 1.1 blocked shots per game. She averaged 4.6 ppg and 4.3 rpg in just 14.5 minutes of action per contest and recorded a pair of double-doubles. Kearney, the tallest player of the bunch at 6-6, was limited to seven games due to injury in 2012-13 and received a medical redshirt. The previous season, the New Jersey native contributed 4.0 ppg and 3.8 rpg off the bench as a freshman. Rininger enjoyed a promising redshirt freshman campaign a year ago as the 6-4 player from the buckeye state was a threetime Big South Freshman of the Week. She EMILY FRAZIER is the Lady Flames' top returning scorer from 2012-13 (6.9 ppg) while also pulling down 6.4 rpg and ranking seventh in the conference with 1.2 bpg. Senior Jasmine Gardner started the first 33 games last season before suffering a season-ending injury prior to the NCAA Tournament. Gardner, who was the Lady Flames' second-leading rebounder a year ago (7.3 rpg), will be working toward returning to the court in 2013-14 following off-season surgery. Newcomers Victoria Schuler and Mickayla Sanders will add to Liberty's depth in the post. Schuler joins the Lady Flames for her junior season after playing basketball for Kutztown in 2010-11 and competing on Liberty's lacrosse team during the 2013 season. Sanders, a versatile 6-0 freshman from Clayton, N.C., scored a school-record 2,423 points for Cary Academy. She made 60 threepointers as a high school senior and was also a double-digit rebounder. POINT GUARDS "Most of our experienced leadership will come from the point guard position, with three very capable players," Green said. "Reagan Miller has the most minutes of playing experience at point guard on our team, followed closely by savvy, experienced Big South assist-to-turnover ratio leader Emily Frazier. Meanwhile, Sadalia Ellis gained tremendous experience as we closed out the season at the Big South Championship and in the NCAA Tournament."