According to Fantanarosa, her three seniors and past two recruiting classes have the skill and ability to elevate the RedHawks' program to the next level.

"Our seniors--Valerie Jones, Jenny Martin and Hollie Nelsen--have great leadership qualities and the experience to guide our team to compete with the top of the conference," said Fantanarosa. "Combine their talents with the rest of our team and we have the opportunity to take the next step in our rebuilding process, which is shooting for the MAC championship."

Coping with the loss of last years graduates, AuBree Hamilton, Jamie Stewart and Lindsay Winkler, Fantanarosa is anxious for the underclassmen to tie their laces and become prominent figures in the teams success.

"Obviously, losing AuBree's rebounding ability, Jamie's three-point shot and Lindsay's defensive ability, we have voids in our lineup," added Fantanarosa. "I believe we have the talent to replace them. The returning players and the newcomers will have their chance of stepping right in."

Notching nine conference wins last year, Miami played itself to a second-place finish in the MACs East Division. The RedHawks made it to the quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament, following a defeat over Marshall in Oxford, before bowing out to Eastern Michigan at Public Hall in Cleveland.

Given the chance to make its postseason appearance, Miami has a lot to build from following last seasons campaign.

"We were young last year, and we will still be relatively young again this year," said Fantanarosa. "The team is much deeper this year, yet their are not a lot of expectations with this group. We are still going to make our mistakes, but we hopefully can learn from them and return to the postseason tournament."

The Backcourt
Possibly returning one of the best backcourts in the MAC, Miami will rely on two returning starters to provide the majority of the outside scoring. Senior Jenny Martin and sophomore Heather Cusick are back to take command of the RedHawk offense.

Martin, an honorable mention all-MAC selection in 1999-00, led the team in scoring and ranked 14th in the MAC, averaging 13.0 points per game. She was named the MAC Offensive Player of the Week on Feb. 8 and scored in double digits in 16 of the 22 games she played in last season.

"I am anxious for Jenny's senior year," said Fantanarosa. "She is our most consistent athlete and her work ethic is unmatched."

Cusick was named to the all-MAC freshmen squad, along with earning honorable mention all-MAC plaudits. A two-time MAC Offensive Player of the Week, Cusick was named the most valuable player of the Northwestern Roger L. White Invitational where she tallied a career-high 23 points and added six assists in the Red and Whites 75-62 win over host Northwestern in the championship game.

"She sees the court well and is an unselfish competitor," said Fantanarosa of her returning point guard. "We are looking forward to her being an offensive threat."

Also scheduled to vie for a starting position in the backcourt are seniors Valerie Jones and Hollie Nelsen.

After being slowed by injury and illness as a sophomore, Jones returned last season and saw action in 26 of the 28 games, making the transition from point guard to shooting guard in the preseason.

"She has a tremendous amount of knowledge on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor," Fantanarosa said. "Val is a hard worker and is smart with her decisions."

Nelsen, who ranks eighth all-time at Miami in three-point field goals, drained 44 treys last season. She is also on pace to finish in Miamis top 10 in career steals.

"I am also anxious to see Hollie have a great senior year," said Fantanarosa of her third senior. "Her deep three-point range forces teams to extend their defenses and that will help us tremendously this year."

Beth Roederer, who suffered a calf injury early last season, showed signs of potential and should also battle for a starting position in the backcourt.

"Beth is a great athlete--her first step to the basket as well as her defensive quickness--will bring a different demention to our backcourt," said Fantanarosa.

The Frontcourt
Replacing Hamilton and Winkler will not be an easy task, but the sophomore class is ready to take on the challenge and prove they can continue Miamis recent success underneath the boards. However, no one junior or senior has experience in the post, which provides a question mark for Fantanarosa.

"The younger athletes will have an immediate impact on our post play," Fantanarosa said. "Our three sophomore forwards--Jana Butler, Andrea Pruett and Kelli Stamper--have adapted and adjusted quickly to the college game and this is their chance to take over a high-profile responsibility."

Butler played in all 28 games as a freshman, averaging 4.1 points per game and 3.6 rebounds per game.

Pruett, who suffered a concussion prior to Miami's game versus Akron, played in 15 contests and served as a reserve post player behind Hamilton and Winkler.

Stamper also saw the floor in all 28 games, shooting 41 percent from the field overall and 48 percent in league play. Stamper led the team in free throw shooting (87 percent) and averaged 4.4 points per game.

The Newcomers
Ranked in the nations top 50, Fantanarosas first recruiting class of the 21st century has the entire womens basketball staff excited.

"On paper, these three players are among the best in the country," said Fantanarosa. "All three played on the same AAU national championship team and come from successful high school programs. I feel they have the potential to contribute to our program right away."

Colleen Day, Kim Lancaster and Melanie Kozlowski comprise this years freshman phenoms.

Day, a 6-foot guard from Holy Name High School in Independence, Ohio, was a second-team all-Ohio selection as a senior, averaging 15 points, 10 rebounds, 5.5 steals and 4.5 assists per game.

"Colleen is a very smart player with a work ethic to match," Fantanarosa said. "She has the ability to post up, but can also be effective when she's facing the basket. I'm excited about her versatility because it will give opposing defenses some real matchup problems."

Lancaster, a 6-foot-1 forward product of Cincinnati's Princeton High School, was named the Ohio District 16 Player of the Year as a senior.

Ranked as one of the top 100 senior prospects in the nation by All-Star Girls Report, Lancaster earned first-team all-Greater Metro Conference during her last season.

"Kim is a dominant force inside," said Fantanarosa. "She has great touch, is a strong scorer and plays great defense. Her tremendous athleticism allows her to shut down players who hold size advantages over her."

The final link in the recruiting class puzzle is Kozlowski, a 6-foot-1 guard out of Holy Name High School in Parma, Ohio. As a senior, Kozlowski was named the North Coast Leagues Most Valuable Player for the second consecutive time, tallying 17 points, eight rebounds, three steals and three assists per game. She was named honorable mention all-state as well as first-team all-district.

"Melanie is another very intelligent player," said Fantanarosa. "She's an athletic 6-foot guard with strong fundamental skills and good three-point shooting range."

The Outlook
Even though the past two recruiting classes have been high-profile and the RedHawks return two starters from last years team, Fantanarosa believes that her young squad will be able to compete with the top of the MAC.

"It takes time to rebuild a program and it is exciting having a young team because we still dont have the expectations put on us," Fantanarosa said. "At the same time, we know we have the potential to make a run at the championship. We are going to make our mistakes, but we hope to compete with the top teams this season."

Miami opens its 2000-01 campaign on Nov. 18-19 as it travels to Boston, Mass. to take part in the Boston University Tournament. Also highlighting the RedHawks schedule are trips to Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Detroit and Butler for non-conference action, and to Akron, Kent State, Northern Illinois, Ball State, Marshall, Ohio, Western Michigan and Bowling Green.

The Red and White host Wright State, Saint Francis (Pa.) and Valparaiso in non-league play, while hosting Buffalo, Toledo, Central Michigan, Ohio, Kent State, Bowling Green, Marshall and Akron.