The goal for the 2000-2001 Georgetown women’s basketball team is a simple yet daunting one: make it to the Big Dance. In the past 19 seasons since the NCAA first sponsored a women’s national championship tournament, the Hoya program has achieved this feat only once, eight years ago when they advanced to the Sweet 16 during the 1992-1993 season. For the past two seasons, the Hoyas have flirted with a second NCAA appearance, collecting a combined 35 wins during that span, but each time they wound up on the wrong side of the bubble and have had to settle for a Women’s National Invitational Tournament bid.

This season, the Hoyas return all five starters and 10 of 12 letterwinners from last year’s 17-win club that finished fifth in the Big East behind four NCAA tournament teams – two of which advanced to the Final Four, including eventual national champion Connecticut. Lost to graduation last spring was 6-foot-5 center Danielle Hurley, who averaged 5.5 points per game and 3.5 rebounds per game, but missed eight games in the middle of the season due to injury and was never the same after returning to the lineup late in the season. The Hoyas also suffered the loss of sophomore Nok Duany due to a season-ending knee injury last month. The 6-foot forward ranked third on the Hoyas in points (8.0 points per game) and second in rebounds (5.1 rebounds per game) and will have three years of eligibility when she returns to the Hoyas’ lineup next season.

The return of five of the Hoyas’ top six scorers, including their top two, leaves Head Coach Pat Knapp and his team optimistic about the likelihood of finally making the trek back into the NCAA tournament.

“Our motto is go hard and go to the NCAAs,” Knapp said, making it very clear that his squad won’t settle for anything less than an appearance in the NCAA tournament.

Although the first regular season game is still four days away, arguably the most important step towards making the tournament has already been taken. Come March, if the Hoyas indeed secure a spot in the final field of 64, it should be in large part attributed to senior captain Katie Smrcka-Duffy’s decision to forgo last April’s WNBA draft and use her final year of eligibility at Georgetown.

Last spring, the All-American candidate considered declaring herself eligible for the WNBA draft, but several factors, including questionable health at the time of the draft and her desire to graduate from Georgetown, led to her decision to remain a Hoya.

“If she had gone pro, I would have been happy for her,” Knapp said of Smrcka-Duffy’s weighty decision. “It would have been a little bit of a blue ribbon for the program, too.”

Smrcka-Duffy led the Big East in scoring last season with 18.6 ppg and was named to the All-Big East second team for the second consecutive season. Her 1,120 points at Georgetown over the past two seasons already place her 12th on Georgetown’s all-time scoring list despite having played only two seasons with the Hoyas. If she continues scoring at this pace, Smrcka-Duffy will find herself Georgetown’s second all-time scorer despite only a three-year career at Georgetown.

After playing through last season’s Big East tournament in exorbitant pain and averaging 21 points per game in the Hoyas’ two contests, Smrcka-Duffy’s back injury became too severe for her to play in the first round of the WNIT against aryland, which the Hoyas lost badly. According to Knapp, that was not how Smrcka-Duffy wanted to end her career at Georgetown.

“She wants to play and be a leader and be in on every play,” Knapp said of his star guard. “She really does want to win here at Georgetown and create her own niche here . She wants her team to make the NCAA tournament.”

According to Knapp now, though, Smrcka-Duffy is healthy and better than ever, describing her as “vintage Smrcka-Duffy.”

Two-year starter junior Lesley Walker joins Smrcka-Duffy in the backcourt this season. Walker has established herself as one of the premier defenders in the league, but also ranked fourth on the Hoyas in scoring with 6.6 ppg. Walker led the Hoyas last season in assists (3.3 apg) and ranked second in the entire Big East, averaging 2.7 steals per game.

“She raises some hell for other teams on defense,” Knapp said of Walker.

According to Knapp, the Hoyas will start three guards though he hasn’t determined his starting lineup just yet. Senior captain Dani Ilic, the winner of Midnight Madness’ three-point contest, will likely claim the third starting guard position. Ilic started 28 games for the Hoyas last season, averaging five points per game while shooting .342 from three-point range.

“Dani is our second best three-point shooter [behind Smrcka-Duffy],” Knapp said. “I expect her to continue to shoot the three and even improve her percentage.”

Senior captain Porshia Jones will be a top reserve for the Hoyas at the guard position this season. Jones was a spark plug off the bench and was the key to several victories for the Hoyas last season, including key conference wins over St. John’s and Seton Hall.

Junior Jewel Snowden and sophomores Shawntese Charles and Joi Irby will also compete for playing time at the guard position. Snowden and Charles were both reserves for the Hoyas last season, averaging 1.1 and 3.9 points per game, respectively, while Irby missed the entire season due to an injury.

Walk-on Zekeera Belton also returns for the Hoyas and will serve to prepare her teammates for games during practices.

Last season’s second leading scorer, senior center Nathalie Bourdereau returns for the Hoyas at the forward position. The 6-foot-3 senior captain averaged over nine points per game and ranked second on the team in blocked shots with 29 denials.

While Duany’s season-ending injury last month was a large blow to the frontcourt, a deep bench, which includes two talented newcomers, will numb the effects of her absence. Rebekkah Brunson, the lone freshman on the experienced squad, and junior Zsuzsanna Horvath, who transferred to Georgetown from Central Florida Community College before last season but had to sit out the season due to transfer rules, will both see plenty of action at the forward position in their first season in Hoya uniforms. Sophomore Santia Jackson, who was named the Big East’s Rookie of the Week early last season and averaged 3.3 rebounds per game for the Hoyas, will also vie for extended playing time.

“[Bourdereau, Horvath, Brunson and Jackson] are going to play a lot of minutes,” Knapp said of his strong core of forwards. “They have a lot of skills other teams are going to have to pay attention to.”

Six-foot-10 center Suzy Bendegue, the tallest player in Big East history, returns for the Hoyas at the center position with a year of collegiate experience under her belt. Bendegue started 24 games for the Hoyas last season, often for the sole purpose of winning the opening tip-off, and quickly established herself as one of the league’s best shot-blockers, finishing with the season with a team-high 47 blocks. Knapp expects Bendegue to improve immensely this season, especially on offense.

With an far more experienced squad than a year ago, the Hoyas are looking forward to their season which begins Saturday when they play host to James Madison in the first round of the preseason WNIT. The preseason WNIT features seven teams from last season’s NCAA and an additional three, including Georgetown, that participated in the WNIT. The Dukes appeared in neither, but were nonetheless one of the nation’s most improved teams, amassing 19 wins while playing in the Colonial Athletic Association. Should the Hoyas emerge victorious in the first round, they will likely face off against recent NCAA champion Purdue in their second game of the season.

After a poor showing in last season’s opening tournament in Minnesota against mediocre competition, Knapp believes a strong showing in the opening tournament is necessary in order to start the season off on the right foot.

“We’re looking at early season success,” Knapp said. “To us, the NIT games are very important.”