Wauwatosa East Girls Basketball Preview

Last year

Overall: 4-20

League: 1-13, tied for seventh

Playoffs: Lost in regional final to Milwaukee Custer, 54-46

Conference: Greater Metro Conference

Personnel

Coach: Rob Hamill

Key returnees: Lydia Taylor, sr. (5.1 ppg), Emily Jensen, sr. (4.0 ppg); Alayah Walls, jr., (3.7 ppg); Katie Salmon, soph. (3.1 ppg).

Key losses: Carly Herald (8.4 ppg); Cassie Osinski (6.6 ppg); Yolanda Coleman (4.6 ppg), Alexa Kramer (4.2 ppg).

The lowdown

This could be one of coach Rob Hamill's most athletic teams in the past few years. Having won only one conference game last year, the Red Raiders have only one way to go - up. Lydia Taylor, Emily Jensen, Alayah Walls and Katie Salmon lead the returnees. Hamill is hoping his team can build on the kind of defense they played at the very end of last year which left the Red Raiders feeling good about this year. The Red Raiders must also take advantage of easy baskets. Too many of those were missed last season.

Three pointers

1 Experience - Katherine Oleniczak, Maddie Packard, Lydia Taylor, Emily Jensen and Heather O'Keeffe have been playing together since middle and elementary school. They need to use that to their advantage and start turning the program around.

2 Athleticism - Tosa East intends to take advantage of their athleticism by making the game a full-court game with an emphasis on defense, fast-breaking and creating opportunities on offense with their defense. Their roster is deep in athleticism and there are going to be opportunities for all to contribute in game situations.

3 Leadership - Losing five seniors to graduation, one of the challenges will be to replace some of that leadership. The candidates are there, but it has to happen and happen early in the year.

Schedule

Nov. 29 - Wisconsin Lutheran; Dec. 2 - at Waukesha North; Dec. 6 - Milwaukee Washington; Dec. 9 - Brookfield East; Dec. 13 - at Menomonee Falls; Dec. 16 - at Sussex Hamilton; Dec. 21 - at St. Francis; Dec. 29 - Whitefish Bay; Jan. 6 - West Allis Hale; Jan. 13 - at Brookfield Central; Jan. 20 - Divine Savior Holy Angels; Jan. 24 - West Allis Central; Jan. 27 - at Brookfield East; Jan. 31 - Menomonee Falls; Feb. 3 - Sussex Hamilton; Feb. 7 - Wauwatosa West; Feb. 10 - at West Allis Hale; Feb. 14 - Milwaukee Lutheran; Feb. 17 - Brookfield Central; Feb. 21 - at Homestead; Feb. 24 - Divine Savior Holy Angels; Mar. 1 - at West Allis Central.