Young Woodland team lacks height, experience

Height?

Who needs height?

The Woodland Cardinals will try to overcome their lack of height with hustle and speed under third-year coach Stephanie DePew

"I think our tallest player might be 5 [foot] 9, maybe 5-10," she said. "We're all pretty much the same height."

DePew resorted to joking when asked how she'll choose positions for her players.

"Tell me how to do that and we'll be OK," she said.

The Cardinals don't return any starters from last year's team, but that doesn't mean the cupboard's bare.

"I have a bunch of sophomores who last year had a JV record of 13-1," DePew said. "These girls are just excited about basketball and very eager to learn. It's good."

With so many players who lack varsity experience on the roster, DePew said practices take on a different tone.

"Probably three-fourths of your practice is teaching basic little stuff," she said. "It's nothing big, it's just the little fundamental stuff you have to keep going over and over and over."

The Cardinals will only have one senior on the squad, Elaine Jetton. But that doesn't mean DePew will rely on Jetton to provide all the leadership this season.

"We have a lot of people who will step up and be leaders," DePew said. "It's not just her. We won't rely on her for everything. She obviously is our senior leader, so we will look up to her a lot."