Watch three Hillcats as they discuss the 2015-16 season

CLAREMORE, Okla. – The Rogers State women's basketball team will have an entirely different look on the Hill in 2015-16 as it tries to climb the Heartland Conference standings, entering its third year as a member of the NCAA Division II league.
 
"I am excited for my second year as head coach and the team we've got," Bobby Cope said. "It is a great group of girls and they have been working extremely hard in the preseason. They are really starting to come together as a team on and off the court."
 
Kami Bunch (Tulsa, Okla.) is the only player returning to the Hillcats' lineup with more than one year of playing experience at RSU. She begins her senior season and third year as the starting point guard after starting all 26 games a season ago, averaging 8.3 points per game, while her 4.4 assists per contest ranked second in the conference. She ranks second all-time in RSU history with 240 assists and is just 39 away from matching Hunter Peterson (2007-2011) for the career record.
 
"Kami has had two very successful seasons for us," Cope added. "When she is on her game, she is one of the best point guards in the conference when it comes to distributing the ball. We have to rely on Kami a lot more as far as providing some scoring punch. I am expecting a lot of big things from her this year and she has to be a producer that can lead us in a lot of different ways on the court."
 
Redshirt sophomore Heather Roberts (Colleyville, Texas) and sophomore Madison Dearmin (Balko, Okla.) are the only other two returners for the Hillcats after both earned significant minutes in their first collegiate playing season in 2014-15. The duo combined for 4.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in 44 total appearances for the navy and red, making 23 and 21 appearances, respectively.
 
"Heather had a great offseason and came to campus in excellent shape and will have a great year for us. There are not many people that will out-work her. She is going to step up and take a charge when it's needed, going to dive on the floor and get after loose balls, and win every hustle point," Cope mentioned. "Madison is the type that will run through a wall and do everything the staff or her teammates need done. When she returns to full health from an off-season injury, we are excited to see what she can do for us after she played extremely well late in the season last year."
 
The rest of the roster is filled with nine newcomers vying for time on the floor as one senior and four junior transfers join four freshmen on the Hill. While the main challenge has been to learn a new system, the players have accepted the task and worked extremely hard to be ready for the demands of a grueling schedule.
 
"The biggest thing right now is we have a lot of new players coming from different backgrounds and trying to get them all used to how we do things at RSU," Cope said. "We are going to have a challenge ahead of us playing a lot of good teams this year, both in conference and out of conference. We will have to play together as a team and be unselfish in the way we play."
 
Emily Gamble (Omaha, Neb.), Rachel Block (Tulsa, Okla.), Courtney Smith (Okay, Okla.), Natasha Kindred (San Antonio, Texas), and Danielle Carr (Tulsa, Okla.) all come to RSU with collegiate experience and will be looked upon to provide a bulk of the offensive production. The Hillcats lost 86 percent of its scoring from a season ago leading to an opportunity for these newcomers to step up and fill roles.
 
Gamble comes to RSU for her final collegiate season following one year at NCAA Division II Washburn, where she came off the bench in 25 contests. Prior to her time with the Ichabods, the forward was a first-team all-conference selection during the first of two years at Northeast Community College, ranking seventh in free throw percentage in the NJCAA.
 
"Emily played at a very good Washburn program in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) and adds a lot of energy," Cope stated. "She plays with a high motor and has that inside-out ability where she is able to knock down some shots, attack off the dribble, or post up when she has an opportunity."
 
Block spent two seasons at Seminole State Community College recording 10 points and five rebounds a game last season before joining the Hillcats. She was an all-region and all-conference selection averaging 14.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game as a freshman showcasing her scoring abilities by reaching double figures in 21 of 27 appearances.
 
"Rachel is another local kid transferring in and is a true leader that won a state championship as a senior in high school. She is the type that is going to step up and lead a team and lead a program. She is extremely strong and her mid-range game is solid right now. We need her to step in and really take over some production," Cope added.
 
Smith transferred to RSU after making 30 appearances and 29 starts a year ago in her second season at Independence Community College, averaging 7.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. She finished the 2014-15 campaign leading the Lady Pirates with 64 made three pointers.
 
"Courtney is one of those snipers that you are always looking for," Cope said. "She shot over 40 percent last year for Independence playing a lot of solid minutes. If she is on, getting the shots she needs, she is going to provide some punch from the outside. You can't sleep on someone that has that good of a natural shooting ability."
 
Kindred was a second-team all-region selection as a sophomore at Iowa Lakes Community College posting 11.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game in 31 appearances. She was an academic all-region selection as a freshman in 2013-14 for the Lakers seeing action in 25 games in the frontcourt.
 
"Natasha is a left-handed post and extremely strong. She has a great work ethic and finishes really well around the rim. She's got that uncanny ability to create an angle to get a bucket even when going against someone that is bigger or taller than she is," Cope stated.
 
Two early signings from the Arkansas prep ranks, Carlye Bohannan (Springdale, Ark.) and Lauren Schuldt (Fayetteville, Ark.), join the program with fellow freshmen Lindsey Byfield (Inola, Okla.) and Rachel Dobrinski (Sapulpa, Okla.). The group will jump right into the fire getting minutes and making their presence known for the Hillcats, while learning what it takes to play and compete at the collegiate level.
 
"We have a crazy group of freshmen that came in and really brought a lot of energy to the program. They even broke some of our more experienced players out of their shells and we are able to have more fun as a group while working hard," Cope added.
 
Bohannan has a chance to learn from one of the league's best ball distributors in Bunch this season after coming to the Hill from Har-Ber High School. The speedster provides the Hillcats with a change of pace at the point guard spot and can step back and knock down long-range shots, as she showed while playing for the Wildcats.
 
"Carlye is extremely quick and explosive," Cope said. "She still needs to learn how to be a point guard at the college level, but she has grown so much getting used to the speed and strength of the game over the last couple months. She is going to be a change of speed because she goes 100 miles per hour as soon as she gets on the court."
 
Schuldt comes to RSU as a true freshman following a standout prep career at Fayetteville High School leading the Bulldogs to an Arkansas Class 7A state title last season. She was named to the 7A All-State team during her senior season as well as landing a spot on the West All-Star team.
 
"Lauren is one of those kids that you are glad to have in the program. She is funny, loves her teammates, and when you see her with the team, she just thrives. She is a shot blocker and rebounder that won a state championship at the highest level in Arkansas," Cope mentioned.
 
Byfield was named MVP of the Will Rogers Conference following her senior season at Inola High School, where she averaged 15 points and four rebounds per game. She led the Longhorns to an Oklahoma Class 4A District 4 title in her final prep season earning all-region and all-metro honorable mention accolades.
 
"Lindsey could be the steal of the class," Cope praised. "She is kind of raw and has untapped potential right now. Since she got here in the fall, she has proven to be an extremely good outside shooter, has good size and length for a wing, and can attack off the dribble when she needs to."
 
Not only will RSU face multiple ranked teams during the Heartland Conference regular season, it will be challenged every week in the non-conference section of the schedule.
 
"We have a very tough schedule starting off right away with two very good, established, NCAA Division II teams from the Lone Star Conference, Midwestern State and Texas Woman's. A trip to Tahlequah to play Northeastern State is going to be interesting because it's two similar programs that recruit a lot of the same type of kids in this area," Cope concluded.
 
The Hillcats begin the regular season on the road in Wichita Falls, Texas for a pair of non-conference games opening Nov. 13 at 8 p.m. at Midwestern State, a team that has reached the NCAA Tournament each of the last three seasons. The home opener for RSU is slated for Nov. 19 welcoming Bacone to the Claremore Expo Center for a 5:30 tip.
 
Follow the action all season long with free live video, audio, and stats on the Hillcat Network at www.rsuhillcats.com/live and sign up for news releases at www.rsuhillcats.com/rsunews.