Walking off the court at Portland State last season, head women’s basketball coach Carolyn Jenkins had presided over her final game of the season. It was the team’s 27th loss, as the Hornets went 0-27 overall and 0-14 in the Big Sky.

After a season riddled with injuries, ineligibilities and defectors, Jenkins could only look forward to the 2002-03 season, which would surely be improved with an ace recruiting class and a healthy squad.

“It’s kind of nice when you go out and you basically have 13 kids who are working just as hard to help them be successful,” Jenkins said. “That’s probably the biggest difference I see.”

A productive off-season has brought in four new recruits. Freshman Megan Moon and Sarah Craig hail from Canada, while fellow freshman Katelyn Ciampi joins Sac State. Ciampi led her team within one game of the NorCal championship last season, while playing for Alhambra High School in Martinez, Calif. Diane Peterson, a junior college transfer from the College of Marin, also joins Sac State after averaging 15 points and five rebounds a game last season and leading her team to the junior college state championships.The injuries that decimated the Hornets last season have healed. A knee injury to Dolores Olivarez in the preseason last year cost her to miss the season, but this year she has rehabilitated and will be running the point.

” (Olivarez) has done a good job for us as far as taking over that role for us and setting the tone out there,” Jenkins said.

The biggest loss for Sac State will be last year’s third leading scorer, Alyson Thurman, who averaged 8.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game last season. Thurman, who was aggravated by lower back pain last season, decided she could no longer play with the injury and will redshirt this season in order to rehabilitate the three herniated discs in her lower back.

“It’s so unfortunate and I feel bad for Alyson because she tried really hard in the off-season to get her back into shape, but her back just wouldn’t allow it,” Jenkins said. “A blow like that, even though it is a big blow, doesn’t maybe affect us as much as it would have in years past.”

With Olivarez at the point, Moon will most likely handle the backup responsibilities. Peterson, a team captain, will start beside Olivarez in the backcourt at the shooting guard position. She was ranked second in the state, shooting 45 percent from behind the three-point line last season.

“She came (to Sac State) in great shape,” Jenkins said. “From day one she has exemplified some great leadership roles for the team…that’s something you always want to have on the court.”

The team has immense depth at the backcourt positions, so any number of players could see time at the small forward spot, including Moon, Craig, and last year’s starting point guard Sydney Gatson. Gatson has battled a back injury since last year, and has continued to work this season to improve her conditioning. Senior Crystal Conley could also add depth to the position.

Ciampi will start at power forward while Danielle Iceman, who led the team with 10.6 points and 5.0 rebounds a game last season, will get the nod at center. Kristine Knowlton, who battled mononucleosis over the off-season, will be a backup in the frontcourt. Junior Nichole Hardaway will also make her return to the floor after fall grades come out. She has been ineligible to play for the last season and a half.

“I think probably the biggest thing for us to be successful is going to be how well we play and how consistently we play defensively and control the boards each night,” Jenkins said. “We do those two things and we will go a long way this year.”

The Hornets were picked to finish last in the Big Sky coaches’ poll this season. With powerhouses like last year’s champion Weber State, who is returning four starters, Sac State’s job does not seem to be an easy one.

Last year’s regular season co-champion Montana State is returning three starters while third place Montana has four starters returning to the lineup. Although the Hornets may not crack the top five, they very well could be battling it out with Portland State and Idaho State for the final spot in the Big Sky postseason tournament.

“I don’t know that by the time we get to the Big Sky we are going to sneak up on people, but I know that our team is probably the blue collar team of the conference,” Jenkins said. “We’re just going to get after it on the floor and leave it all on the floor. We’ll see what comes of it.”

State Hornet’s Big Sky Preseason Poll1. Weber State2. Montana3. Montana State4. Eastern Washington5. Northern Arizona6. Portland State7. Sacramento State8. Idaho State