When the Madison College women's basketball team opens the 2018-19 season on Thursday night, the level of familiarity among the players and coaching staff will likely be on the low end. Head coach Lois Heeren and the WolfPack return just two players from last season and welcome eight new faces into the fold. Though not an uncommon situation in junior college basketball, the 'Pack will need to gel as quickly as possible.

"The team is working hard to establish their identity and chemistry with one another," states Heeren ahead of her third season at the helm. "The challenge for our team will be how quickly can we come together on both ends of the floor to be competitive with every possesion."

Heeren, along with longtime Madison College assistant coach Mike Mayfield, will turn to sophomores Caitlyn Gilbertson and Tianna Sackett to help instill some of those early lessons. 

Gilbertson, a 5'10" forward from Belmont HS, owns the most experience on the team despite battling an injury throughout much of her first collegiate season. The Platteville, Wisconsin, native started 16 of the 20 games she played in last winter and averaged 10.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.0 block per outing, finishing first on the team in rebounds per game. Sackett, a 5'8" guard from West Salem, Wisconsin, joined the team at semester last season following a long run with the Madison College women's soccer team to the NJCAA National Tournament. She finished the year with eight starts in 11 games played and averaged 7.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.0 assist.

"Caitlyn and Tianna both had great freshman seasons and we are excited for both of them to lead our team," exclaimed Heeren, who owns a has worked 40-16 over her first two years. "Caitlyn has worked on her outside shot, her post moves, and she will need to be a key cog for us in the paint. Her inside presence will be a key for us in order to open up our perimeter game. Tianna, who played volleyball this fall, will be asked to lead our backcourt. She has excellent ballhandling skills, first step explosiveness and quickness, and the ability to hit a mid-range shot."

To fill in the rest of the 2018-19 roster, the WolfPack have added seven first year players and one transfer. Throughout practice, the guard trio of Jayla Connors, Johnetta Walters, and Aniah Williams has stood out as players who might make significant contributions early in the season.

"Jayla has the versatility to play both guard and forward, is very athletic, can take it off the dribble, shoot the three, and be a strong presence in the post. Johnetta is a very strong guard who penetrates well to the rim, capable of shooting the three, and has strong ball handling skills. And Aniah is very athletic and long on both ends of the floor. She's an excellent mid-range and three-point shooter with great vision on the court, and also defends on the ball very well."

Together this team will try to improve upon back-to-back 20 win seasons since Heeren took over the program in 2016. They will have to replace the production of All-American Megan Corcoran and two-time all-conference and all-region guard Peyton Trapino, who combined for more than 35 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists in 2017-18. Heeren thinks finding those numbers will be a team effort, rather than the responsibility of a couple of players.

"The WolfPack may be young in terms of experience, but we have a lot of different ways to manufacture points. [They] will need to get a few games under their belt to really understand tempo, speed, and physicality of the college game."

Heeren sites the having both an inside and outside presence among the team's strengths, along with overall quickness and the ability to get to the rim. 

Madison College's first test comes Thursday, November 1 with a road trip to NJCAA Division II McHenry County College to start the 2018-19 schedule. The WolfPack and Scots have split their season opening meetings the past two seasons, with each winning on the other's home floor. The 'Pack owns a 2-1 lead in the all-time series. Tip off is set for 5:15 p.m. The road trip will continue with a game Saturday at NJCAA Division I Highland Community College, then a pair of games at the Anoka-Ramsey Community College Tournament in Coon Rapids, Minnesota.

The home opener comes Wednesday, November 14 with a visit from Division I Sauk Valley Community College to begin a four-game homestand that ends with a visit from #20-ranked Bryant & Stratton College. Madison College opens North Central Community College Conference play at home on January 3 against #10-ranked Joliet Junior College, followed by a drive down I-90 to take on #2-ranked Rock Valley College.

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