By Paul Siegfried 
Herald Press Sports Editor

The way Huntington University women's basketball coach Lori Culler looks at it, you can only play five players at a time anyway. 

The Foresters' roster is a little light on personnel this season with only seven players, but Culler says quality counts as much as quantity. 

"There are two ways of looking at our roster. First, we have seven on our roster, which is not very many bodies. But on the other hand, all seven have the ability to be starters. Last year I played 7-8 people every game, so as long as these seven people stay healthy, those would be the ones who would play the bulk of the minutes anyway," says Culler, who has compiled a 362-249 record in 21 seasons at Huntington. "There are some years when I thought I only had four starters, so the idea of having seven players who all can play could really be a plus for us." 

The Foresters are coming off back-to-back winning seasons going 18-11 overall and 12-4 in the Mid-Central Conference two years ago and 16-11 overall and 8-8 in the conference last season. The MCC was the strongest league in the country last year, sending four teams to the national tournament, where all four finished in the final eight, including undefeated champion Indiana Wesleyan. 

"The thing that we talked about after last season was that of our 11 losses, nine of those were to four teams that finished in the top eight at the national tournament. When you thought of it in those terms, it really put our season in perspective," says Culler. "We beat some really good teams last year and were right in the thick of things in most games. For the younger players, they know now what the competition's like and how close we were." 

This year's Foresters will have to fill some big shoes. Amy Berry graduated as a two-time, first-team all-MCC choice and was a third-team All-American last season.  She was the team's leading scorer a year ago at 18.6 points a game. 

"It's hard to envision where those critical points are going to come from, but I do see potential in some of our underclassmen to be able to step up," says Culler.  "The team will really have a different look to it on the offensive end. I think we'll have to rely on team play to try and look for the best shot possible. We'll have to develop the go-to people throughout the season." 

Also lost to graduation was starter Jessah Brumbaugh who averaged 8.5 points and a team-high 4.1 assists per game.  “Jessah’s quickness is something that will be difficult to replace, but with her serving as an assistant coach this year, the team is still reaping the benefits of her tenacious defense in practice,” says Culler. 

Three starters are back, including MCC Newcomer of the Year Jenna Donaldson, a 5-11 forward who leads a talented group of sophomores. Donaldson averaged 11.6 points and a team-leading 5.3 rebounds a contest. "She had a really good start and in January went through a bit of a slump, but had a strong finish her final six games," says Culler. "She was able to overcome some of those mental hurdles and now understands how hard she has to work to be a consistent contributor." 

There are just two upperclassmen with 5-6 senior guard Kendra Stahl (6.3 ppg) and 5-6 junior point guard Lauren Davenport (7.2 ppg).  

"When I look at each of the players on the roster, I see people who are capable of hitting the open shot. Kendra and Lauren are definitely two people who can do that," says Culler. "Lauren made tremendous strides last year in terms of her point production and her mentality of looking for her shot. Kendra's kind of an opportunistic-type shooter. She's not somebody who's going to force a shot up, but we will need her to look for her shot more this year." 

The solid sophomore class will provide the other two starters. After getting an idea of what it takes to play at the college level a year ago as freshmen, the group is eager to build on that initial experience. 

"I think they're up to the challenge, from what I've seen in practice so far. They've obviously taken seriously the things we talked about in order to step up their games to the next level," says Culler. "I think they're a lot stronger as a group and a lot more confident because they know what to expect." 

Five-six guard Erica Yost (5 ppg), 5-11 post Courtney Beerbower (4.4 ppg) and 5’5 guard Brittney Bateman (2.3 ppg) each played in all 27 games last season, but now will be counted on to be more productive. 

"Erica has the ability to score, but also is an excellent passer. We'll need her to do both of those things well," says Culler. "Brittney is somebody who can score, but her defense is something that makes her really stand out. She's a hustler and she sees the floor well when she's handling the ball. She has the potential to make an impact on both ends." 

Beerbower was a high school teammate of Donaldson at DeKalb, and the two are really the only proven inside strength the Foresters have. Beerbower needs to anchor the paint while also protecting against foul trouble with HU's short bench. 

"Courtney is somebody who's not satisfied. She wants to be in the thick of things," says Culler. "She's worked hard to improve her post game, so she's coming in with more confidence playing with her back to the basket. We need her to be all over the boards and make good use of her post moves. I expect her to be a much bigger contributor this year." 

Even though six players return, Culler says there's a certain newness. 

"Any time you lose half your roster, there's going to be a different feel to it," she says. "The thing I've noticed is that the sophomores, in particular, have come back with a sense that this is a different year and now it is their turn. There's more ownership by all six of the returning players. They might be small in numbers, but they feel they have a lot of potential and some things to prove." 

Culler’s young team will also look to have a new style to take advantage of its strengths. 

"This group really likes to play a more up-tempo game," she says. "I think we have the ball handlers and the people who can run the floor. We have some finishers in the group. We have the people who want to run; the problem may be depth and foul trouble. But in general, for us to be successful, we're going to have to get out and run the floor and look for some easy opportunities." 

The only newcomer on the roster is Ryleigh Carr is a 5-8 sophomore transfer from St. Joseph's who is also working her way back from a knee injury.  

“Ryleigh will be called on to provide some toughness on defense for us,” says Culler.  “She is a physical player which will enable her to give us a little help in the post if needed.  She’s played both guard positions throughout her career, so her versatility will be a big asset.”   

At one point last season, the Foresters had a 13-6 record and looked like they might make a push into the rankings. But they stumbled to a 3-5 finish in the rugged MCC, where they finished fifth in the league standings. This season, the Foresters are aiming for the top half of the conference, which could get them to where they want to be at the end of the year. 

"Knowing what we have back and what other teams have back, we feel we're a top-four team in the conference," says Culler. "Getting to the national tournament is the ultimate goal, and for us to do that, we've got to get into the top 25 rankings. We need to have a great start in our non-conference schedule, then get into the conference schedule and beat the teams we're better than. If we do that, then we should be in the top four." 

In preseason voting by MCC coaches, Bethel and St. Francis tied for top honors as conference favorite. Taylor was third, Indiana Wesleyan fourth and Huntington fifth. 

The Foresters have a tough non-conference schedule, including a home date against Aquinas (Mich.) and a road test at Olivet Nazarene (Ill.). HU also will play in three tournaments at Judson (Ill.), St. Xavier (Ill.) and one hosted by HU at the Merillat Complex. 

Huntington opens the year November 7 at Indiana Tech.