Following a couple of seasons with low roster numbers, Madison College women's basketball coach Lois Heeren is doing a little more than breathing a sigh of relief as she opens the 2019-20 season with a 14-player team. In fact, the practice opportunities a roster of that size affords has the fourth year coach downright giddy. And in addition, the team appears to have depth, versatility, and talent that could serve the WolfPack well as they enter their season opener on Tuesday, November 5 with a home game against NJCAA Division II McHenry County College.

"We will have the ability with our team's versatility in moving players around to different positions to create matchup problems, especially on offense. Defensively, we should be able to extend the game full court much more than we have in the past."

The focal point of the team will be returning NJCAA All-American Aniah Williams, who averaged 22.1 points per game last season and recorded a program-record 41-point effort as a freshman. The 5'8" guard registered 20 or more points on 15 occasions, and bypassed the 30-point threshold four times. Williams, a Beloit, Wisconsin, native, also averaged 5.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 2.3 steals.

"Aniah brings valuable experience as a returning honorable mention All-American. Her ability to score from the perimeter, as well as take it off the dribble will be a hard matchup for most teams. She brings a lot of quickness and court savvy to the floor."

The WolfPack will welcome two other returning players from last year's 19-8 team that finished second in the North Central Community College Conference, with Jayla Connor and Tyra Day. Connor, a 5'11" forward from Madison East High School, played 13 games during the first semester of the 2018-19 campaign, and posted 13.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.8 steals a contest.

"Jayla's athleticism and length will be great assets on both ends of the floor. Jayla is able to play multiple positions on the floor, which will give us the luxury of moving her around where needed. She is capable of doing great things on both ends and [we're] looking forward to her being a major contributor for us."

The rest of the roster is made up of newcomers, however, not all will be new to the collegiate game. Former Madison East High School teammates Lilly Dorman, a 5'9" forward, and Mrylena Stewart, a 5'1" guard, transfer in from NJCAA Division III Hibbing Community College (MN) and NJCAA Division II Southeastern Community College (IA), respectively. Another slightly experienced player joining, or re-joining, the fold this year is Olivia Marron. The 5'10" forward was on the team, but did not play two seasons ago, and just completed her first full season with the WolfPack volleyball team. The rest of the incoming group features guards Ceraya Morel, Karlee Van Gysel, Hailey Kaenel, Autumn Delaney, Julia Bruns, Kyianna Baker, and Amber Sue Udelhoven, along with forward Kylie Esser. Morel joins the team after winning back-to-back WIAA Division 3 State Championships at Marshall High School, while Udelhoven is the younger sister of former WolfPack guard Cheyanne Udelhoven (2016-2018).

"With the mixture of transfer players, who can bring valuable playing experience in their respective positions, and a large group of newcomers, we are a very balanced team. Offensively, we have players who can handle the ball, attack the paint, as well as shoot from the perimeter effectively...With so many new players, it will take some time to find each other's niche and ability to play together."

Heeren also made another key addition to the team, adding assistant coach James Adams after he led the Madison East Purgolders for the past eight years. Adams has three former players on the current roster. He joins fellow assistant coach Mike Mayfield, who begins his 14th season with the program.

The first two months of the 2019-20 schedule feature 13 games, eight of which will be played away from H. Douglas Redsten Gymnasium. Two of those games will be against NJCAA Division I programs, while five are opposite NJCAA Division II teams, and four with similar NJCAA Division III schools. The season's second game will be against Anoka-Ramsey Community College in the opener of a two-day tournament hosted by the Golden Rams on November 8-9, and ARCC begins the year ranked #8 in the NJCAA Division III Preseason Poll.

"With many strong non-conference games on the schedule, the WolfPack will be tested early, but [we] look forward to the challenge in preparing us for the upcoming conference schedule."

That N4C schedule will begin in 2020 with a road contest at Joliet Junior College on January 2, followed by the first home league game on Saturday, January 4 with #7-ranked Rock Valley College, who have claimed nine straight N4C crowns and seven of the last eight Region IV titles.

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