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The Montana women’s basketball team looks to defend its Big Sky title this season without the impact of two-time Big Sky Conference M.V.P. Mandy Morales, Sonya Rogers, and Britney Lohman, who all graduated last year.  

Though Montana lost the experience of three key starters, it means an opportunity for other players to step up.  The two returning starters from last season are senior Lauren Beck and junior Sarah Ena.  No other Grizzly has a career start.  

With starting positions up for grabs, Ena said it makes practices more competitive.

“It gives us an extra motivation to work twice as hard,” Ena said.

After four years of seeing skilled seniors graduate, Beck said she is accustomed to each season being a fresh start.

“Every year we lose people,” Beck said.  “It’s just a matter of finding our own identity.  We’ll be fine.”

To find that identity, Coach Robin Selvig said senior leadership will be the deciding factor.

“Their leadership is critical,” Selvig said.  “I look to them to set the tone.”

This season’s senior class includes guard Shaunte Nance-Johnson, center Shadra Robison, and guard/forward Beck.

Beck said the seniors will rely on the rest of the team to create a balanced attack.  Part of that attack will come from three true freshmen, and unlike most seasons, Montana’s freshman class will have an immediate impact on the court.

“Once they learn the plays, they will be really effective,” Beck said.  

The three freshmen are Alyssa Smith, a 6-0 forward from Monroe, Wash., Kenzie De Boer, a 5-11 guard from Lynden, Wash., and Katie Baker, a 6-0 forward from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

“Freshmen usually come in kind of timid,” Ena said.  “But these girls have worked their butts off.”

“It puts a fire under some of the upperclassmen,” Ena added.

In last week’s exhibition game against Idol Sports, the freshmen showed they belong in the mix.  Baker, the three-time Idaho Gatorade Girl’s Basketball Player of the Year in high school, scored 19 points in her Montana debut.  

“I was nervous for the first game,” Baker said.  “That was the first time I was nervous since my freshman year of high school.”

Adjusting to Division I basketball has been a challenge for the freshmen.  

“It’s so much more intense,” Baker said.  “We get at it in practice, work on defense a lot.  I love it.”

With every player working hard, Selvig said he is not ruling out starting freshmen.

“It remains to be seen who will start,” Selvig said.  “It’s a work in progress,”

Baker said earning a starting position as a freshman would mean a lot.

“There are personal goals and there are team goals,” Baker said.  “Of course it’s a personal goal.”

Starting or not, Baker said she is going to make the most of her role on the team.

“Coach makes good decisions,” Baker said.  “If my role isn’t starting, then I’m going to come off the bench hard.”

The new-look Lady Griz will be put to the test Friday at 7 p.m. against Colorado State in Fort Collins, Colo.  Montana will then travel to face Wyoming Saturday at 2 p.m. in Laramie, Wyo.   

“Playing non-conference games is a wakeup call that we won’t be playing ourselves all year,” Beck said.

The Grizzlies continue their challenging non-conference schedule at home against Oregon on Nov. 22 at 2 p.m. and Denver on Nov. 24 at 7 p.m.

For Baker, who never traveled much as a prep player, said she is excited to start the season on the road.

“Getting a win on the road would get our momentum up,” Baker said.  “Those games are going to define what the team is and what we have to work on.”