‘91--’92 PREP BASKETBALL: EMPIRE LEAGUE

Esperanza 1990-91 RECORDS OVERALL: 16-8 LEAGUE: 7-3

COACH: RECORD AT SCHOOL Marc Hill: 157-62

RETURNING STARTERS YR. HGT. P Molly Shen Sr. 5-5 G

TOP RETURNERS YR. HGT. P April Hauser Sr. 5-7 G-F Melanie Wall Jr. 5-10 C Brooke Crump Sr. 6-0 C Molly Scarberry Jr. 5-9 F

TOP NEWCOMERS YR. HGT. P Shannon Hardaman Jr. 5-9 F Cristi Kierulff Fr. 5-7 G Starr Hinojos So. 5-7 G-F

OUTLOOK

It’s not difficult for Hill to pinpoint his team’s chief weakness: a lack of size. “This is the wrong year for us to be small,” Hill said. “Just about everybody else (in the league) is huge.” Hill is counting on Wall and Crump to develop quickly as starters in the front court, and he says both are good athletes. Esperanza also has a problem with inexperience, with only Shen returning to the starting lineup. Hauser was the team’s sixth man last year, and Scarberry provided decent shooting range off the bench, but the rest of the Aztecs will need time to develop. The news isn’t all bad, however, as newcomers Hardaman, Kierulff and Hinojos have shown Hill good intensity and athleticism. “Kierulff high jumped 5-5 as an eighth-grader last year, so I know she’s got the raw ability,” he said. “Hardaman’s a good leaper, and Hinojos gives us good intensity on defense.” The Aztecs will rely on their quickness and ballhandling, led by Shen, and will pressure teams on defense. Hill hopes Shen and Hauser will step in as the scoring leaders to replace graduated all-leaguers Wendy Fullmer, Carrie Edwards and Lisa Ruppe. “We’ll go with a guard-oriented offense, which means we’ll need to hit some outside shots,” he said.