GUILDERLAND — New faces in new places.

That is the early-season motto for the Guilderland girls’ basketball team. The Lady Dutch have to replace a talented group of seniors, which included the big three of Kristin Pezze, Mary Kate O’Connell, and Nikki Branchini.
"We have new faces and some faces returning," said Guilderland Coach Frank Cacckello. "Our biggest obstacle to overcome is getting on-court experience. That is the biggest key."

There are six players returning and six new players up from the junior varsity team. Among the returning players are Danielle Burns, who got the most time of any underclassman last winter. Junior guard Jen Madsen played some crunch-time minutes and most of the others saw limited action.
"Danielle Burns had significant time," Cacckello said. "Mackenzie Michele got some time. She was a sophomore, and she had some ups and downs that come with being a sophomore. ‘D’ [Burns] was our leader on defense last year. We are looking for her to score more for us."

Returning besides Burns, Madsen, and Michele are Alicia Bowman, Casey Peebles, and Jess Bender.
"Alicia Bowman has improved at the post in the middle," Cacckello said. "She is a little undersized but she is a beast inside. She has a vast array of post moves. She just needs to get more confidence against taller players.
"It is nice to get Jen Madsen back from [cross-country] federation practice," Cacckello added. "She is our point guard and she has to be our leader on the floor. She had picked up things fast. She will be the next of great point guards we’ve had in the program."

Cacckello continued to describe his returning players.
"Jess Bender’s role will change," the coach said. "Michele’s role will change. We have a lot of kids battling for the four position [forward]. A couple of girls have stepped up."

Newcomers to the team are Leanna Tice, Melissa Winne, Amanda Terzian, Marissa Valletta, Katherine Keegan, and Julia Shea.
"The two sophomores have impressed me," Cacckello said of Keegan and Winne. "Winne is a post player. She is a bit outsized but has good fundamentals and has been more physical.
"Kat Keegan for the past two weeks played the majority at the point-guard position," Cacckello added. "It’s helped her grow up. I like the things I see in her. At point guard, I can play two kids on the floor at the same time and that is something I haven’t done since I’ve been here. She has had one of the best pre-seasons."

"Tremendous work ethic"

Cacckello has liked what he has seen in the pre-season from his team.
"Their work ethic in practice has been tremendous," the coach said. "They run drills pretty well. They are good at drills. I’m not sure that equates to victories. That is something we’ve got to get across."

And though Cacckello has two guards, they’re both small.
"We are small at the guard position," he said. "We will be using a zone that we haven’t used since I’ve been here. I’ve changed our press to meet our personnel. We are running some new things on offense."

Good defense has always been a staple of Lady Dutch teams, and that hasn’t changed.
"I’m impressed with our defense," Cacckello said. "We’ll play man-to-man. That is our bread and butter."

Cacckello hopes to find an offense in the early part of the season.
"Our biggest obstacle is offense," he said. "They are learning a new offense. Who puts the ball in the basket and how much" That is a key for this team."

"Climbing uphill"

Though he lost a group of seniors who led the team to the Class AA Section II title game, Cacckello didn’t want to use the dreaded R-word in explaining this year’s team.
"I never want to use an excuse such as rebuilding," Cacckello said. "We lose kids every year, and we gain them."

Cacckello said his team is not the only one in the Suburban Council that lost players.
"I was looking at the Suburban Council first, second, and third team all-stars," he said. "There are 16 players and only five are returning out of the 16. The league lost a lot. We’re not the only ones going through this. We just have to play hard and remain confident."

The Lady Dutch will try to keep the winning ways the program has experienced over the past decade. Guilderland begins the season on Friday against Catholic Central in the Bethlehem Tournament. The Dutch also play Colonie on Saturday in the second round of the tournament.
"They know about it and we talk about it," Cacckello said. "They know what the tradition is. They know the players who came before them. I’m not going to compare teams, because no team is the same. But there is over a decade of tradition here and that motivates us to improve and try to be successful. If you slip, that edge you had, you lose it.
"We haven’t had to gain it," Cacckello continued. "It’s something you fight not to lose. We’ll be climbing uphill again to fight for it this year. When everything comes together I’m not sure. But we’ll definitely surprise some teams."