Six first-years, four sophomores, one junior and one senior hardly sounds like the lineup for a veteran-heavy, deep and talented basketball team, but this year's Amherst women's hoops squad is just that, returning three starters and two key contributors from last year's 15-9 squad, and welcoming an incoming class as large as it is deep.

"It's definitely going to be a factor that we're so young," said Co-captain Charlotte Taylor '01. "But it can also be an advantage." Taylor will anchor the Jeffs from the small forward spot, where she started 13 games as a junior, including six 10-plus point games, the first coming in her first career start, a game in which the Jeffs' 65-62 win over Smith College kicked off a season-long six-game winning streak.

One of the early-season challenges facing the Jeffs will be replacing the two seniors lost from last year's squad, sharpshooter Liza Feldman '00 and the NESCAC's leading scorer, power forward Naomi Sullivan '00. Sullivan's 18.7 points per game will be hard to match, but this year's team will feature a more balanced attack, something Taylor is excited about.

"It's always much healthier for a team to have a balanced offense," she said. "We have a number of different people who can score this year." Tops among that list will be 6'2" center Sarah Walker '03, returning from a sensational rookie season. Last season, Walker became one of the league's dominant inside players, averaging 9.2 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. In her fourth career game-the Jeffs' 54-43 win over Keene State College-Walker tallied 12 points and 20 rebounds, one shy of the single-game school record. She would add five more double-doubles over the course of the season.

This year, Walker will also have help inside, with the addition of newcomers Sarah Bergman '04 and Caitlin Farrell '04. Thanks to 6'2" Bergman and 6'3" Farrell, the trio gives the Jeffs one of the tallest-and most talented-front lines in the NESCAC. The squad has good depth in the backcourt, anchored by Sara Bozorg '03, who also started every game for last year's squad. Bozorg dished out a team-best 4.1 assists per game during her rookie season and also added 6.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and just over two steals per game while running the Amherst offense.

Along with Bozorg, Co-captain Hallison Putnam '02 returns to the backcourt, along with a very talented group of newcomers, led by sweet-shooting Shannon Russell '04. Bozorg, Putnam and Russell will give Head Coach Billy McBride plenty of options in his starting backcourt, with support off the bench from newcomers LaShauna Barboza '04, a silky point guard, and sharpshooter Marissa McGuire '04.

Unlike last year, when the squad only used a rotation of eight players, all 12 members of the 2000-01 squad will be asked to contribute, including newcomers Kelly Potanka '03, Ana Yarawamai '04 and second-year player Brooke Diamond '03."We have 12 solid players, so our bench is going to be very deep," said Putnam. "We have a young team this year, but I wouldn't consider that a weakness." Altogether, the Jeffs, though young, will present a balanced attack.

The Jeffs will open the season on Tuesday, Nov. 28 when they host Mount Holyoke College. Then, they will face the Keene State Owls two weeks from tonight in their road opener.. "Keene State should be a good challenge for us," said Taylor. "We just need to come out from the start of the season playing our best."

This year the NESCAC Tournament will be used to determine the automatic NCAA bid from the conference. The Jeffs are young, but by the time the tournament rolls around, look for them to be one of the teams to beat in one of the nation's elite conferences.