While some key members of the Carson girls basketball team may have just graduated, Senators coach Todd Ackerman is already busy trying to fill the leadership void left behind.
"Right now we do not have that one or two players who I feel will step up and take that role," he said.
In the hopes of finding the right person for the job, the Senators will get back on the court as they will play in tournaments all month long and have open gym at 9 a.m. every Monday. And with the loss of captains Cassie Vondrak and Tiffany O'Day, both post players, along with point guard Brandi Vega, Ackerman is hoping someone will be able to step into at least one of those roles.
"I am hoping that these players are already in our program, but I'm not totally sure if this the case right now," Ackerman said. "There are players in the program who. But Ackerman said he won't be giving any varsity jobs away.
"We are going to take a hard look at some of our younger players (this season's freshman and sophomores)," said Ackerman, who added that some current players could be on the outside looking when the season comes. "It's really easy to tell if they have taken the time and put in the work over the summer or not. This will be an indicator of how bad they want to play - or not."
The Senators went 17-13 last season and nearly upset eventual Northern 4A runner-up Reed in the playoffs. Last season was a huge turnaround considering they went 6-23 in 2007-08, Ackerman's first year as coach, with many of the same girls on the roster. The difference, Ackerman said, was the players' commitment to improve, something the current crop might be missing.
"I only ask for a couple of things from the girls, one is commitment," Ackerman said. "Right now, we do not have a core of committed players that have been in the program. With the commitment that I have seen this spring and in open gym, we could be back to Year One in our play.
"The second is loyalty. Be loyal to your school and teammates. When you are loyal to your teammates, you make yourself and your teammates better. We have some girls who only think it is all aobut them. They forget that it takes five to play. We have some loyal ones, you know who you are."