Expectations remain high for the UALR women's basketball team.
Not too high, though.
Coach Joe Foley doesn't want to place the bar as high as where last year's team left it by posting arguably the program's greatest season. The Trojans won a program-record 29 games and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament for only the second time.
"We were playing so well at the end of the year that I wouldn't put that pressure on anybody," said Foley, who started official practice for his 13th season with the Trojans this week. "Naturally, the results you want to always shoot for are to get to the tournament. But playing that good is going to be tough for anybody."
Especially with what UALR lost from last year's team and how much Foley will rely on new players at the start of this season.
UALR is without three starters from last year's team that went 29-5, beat Texas A&M in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and didn't lose a lead against Arizona State until the final minute of a second-round loss, which prevented the Trojans from reaching the Sweet 16 for the first time.
Gone from that team is guard Taylor Gault, who left as UALR's second all-time leading scorer, reliable forward Kiera Clark and top defender Ka'Neshiea Cobbins. Foley said it's on par to the rebuilding effort he faced in 2011, when he lost three seniors in Chastity Reed, Asriel Rolfe and Shanika Butler after they led the team to two NCAA Tournaments.
The issue this season, Foley said, is that Gualt, Cobbins and Clark were good on both ends of the floor.
"Our best scorers were our best defensive players, too," Foley said. "You don't find any better than the way Gault and Cobbins were playing at the end of last year."
Foley has two returning pieces with which to build a base. Senior forward Shanity James has started 76 games and averaged 10.7 points and 6.9 rebounds last year. Guard Alexius Dawn averaged 10.3 points and led the Sun Belt Conference with 76 three-pointers made.
Both have tried to add elements to their game in an effort to make up for what is lost.
Dawn, who was 1 for 12 from three-point range in 2 NCAA Tournament games, said she's tried to add a jump shot and driving ability.
"People are going to know that I'm a shooter, so they're going to run me off the line," she said. "Just trying to be prepared for when they do that."
James wants to be a more diverse offensive player, and Foley said she might even have to play defense on the perimeter at times.
"For us to get anywhere early, they've got to make those changes," Foley said.
James, the only fourth-year senior on the team, said she likes what she sees from the seven newcomers. She's been impressed by Deja McKinney, a guard from Ville Platte, La., and and Kiara Scott, a guard from Houma, La., and said the collection is a good group of shooters.
But James knows perhaps better than anyone on the team that it could take awhile to grasp Foley's motion offense and play his brand of defense.
"I think if we get them in the mind-set of being a Trojan, just working hard, I think we'll have a pretty good season," James said. "They don't really know what the program is about. So, just keeping them involved and just keeping them orchestrated and on board."
James will have some help in the post. Kaitlyn Pratt started 22 games last year while averaging 7.0 points and 4.6 rebounds, and Keanna Keys started 12 games and averaged 16.2 minutes as a sophomore.
Foley agrees with with James regarding the shooting ability of his newcomers but hesitated Thursday to even point out one who has stood out in practice. Development at the guard spots will be key for this team if it hopes to get close to matching what last year's team accomplished.
"It's all teaching right now," he said. "I think we've got good freshmen. I think they'll develop into good guards and good shooters. We probably have better shooting depth. It's just getting them used to the college game and the speed, but it's going to be awhile before we see anything that can be a strength."
Sports on 10/09/2015