The Hoya takes a closer look at the women’s roster, breaking down its strengths and weaknesses on the court.

Frontcourt

The Hoyas have two options at center with 6-foot-5 junior transfer Aminata Diop and 6-foot-4 sophomore Katrina Wheeler. Either way, Georgetown will have excellent defense under the basket, considering Diop’s unbelieveable armspan and the rebounding of Wheeler and junior forward Kieraah Marlow, who both averaged 8.2 boards per game last season. Add in Marlow’s team-leading 16.8 points per game and she is a consistent double-double threat.

Backcourt

Like last year, Head Coach Terri Williams-Flournoy will often employ a three-guard lineup, but with some slight changes. Junior guard Kristin Heidloff averaged an impressive 4.8 assists per game in 2005-06, but Williams-Flournoy wants her to be the Hoyas’ new go-to scorer. Freshman Shanice Fuller will most likely take over the point,

with junior Brina Pollack backing her up. The Hoyas also have Kate Carlin, who has taken on more leadership as the team’s only senior. Carlin will have competition from freshmen Meredith Cox and Jaleesa Butler at the three.

Long distance shooting

The Hoyas have two long distance threats in Carlin and Heidloff. Heidloff’s .378 three-point percentage was the third best in the Big East last year, and Carlin was not far behind, sinking treys at a .358 clip.

The bench

Having only eight players on last year’s team impacted everything from player fatigue to shooting accuracy. The lack of depth left Williams-Flournoy with no choice but to leave players in the game for 30 minutes or more, no matter how cold they may have been shooting. With a bigger bench this year, Williams-Flournoy simply has more options for configuring her lineup and, therefore, to improve her team’s dismal .380 field-goal percentage, the second lowest in the Big East last year.